Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.

When you hear the word “harmony,” what’s the first thing you think of?

Honestly, my first thought is that I can’t carry a harmonious tune in a bucket. My better half is the singer in our family. But when I take the word “harmony” out of the musical world and place it in everyday life, it feels like something almost foreign to our culture today.

We don’t live in harmony; we live in disarray. We live in red vs. blue, rich vs. poor, north vs. south, pro-Kiffin vs. anti-Kiffin—if there’s a way to disagree, humans will find it. And into that chaos, Psalms 133 and 134 speak a simple but challenging message:

Cut it out. Live in harmony.

Psalm 133 begins by saying how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity. And then it gives two illustrations that might sound strange to us at first: fine oil on the head and the dew of Hermon. But once you understand them, the meaning is incredible.

In the Old Testament, oil on the head represented blessing, joy, honor, and God’s presence. But the psalm doesn’t just say oil, it says fine oil, poured so generously that it runs from the head, down the beard, and all the way to the collar of the robe.

The image is intentional:
Unity isn’t a small blessing. It’s an overflowing one.

When we live in harmony, God doesn’t sprinkle joy on us. He pours it on us in abundance.

Then we get to take a little geography lesson. Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in Israel at over 9,000 feet, produces heavy dew. That dew keeps the land fertile, allows crops to grow, and brings life to dry places. But Mount Zion, where Jerusalem sits, is dry. It does not naturally receive the dew from Hermon. For dew from Hermon to fall on Zion, it would literally take an act of God.

And that’s exactly the point.

Unity brings life where life shouldn’t normally grow.
It refreshes dry places.
It nourishes barren ground.
It transforms what seems impossible.

To put it in modern terms:
It’s like taking the rain of Seattle and somehow delivering it straight to the deserts of Arizona.
It shouldn’t happen, but unity makes the impossible possible.

When we choose unity:
God pours out joy like anointing oil.
God brings refreshing like Hermon’s dew.
God blesses us in ways that overflow and sustain.

May we be people who don’t contribute to division, but who bring the kind of unity that makes dry places bloom again.

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

Use the S.O.A.P. Method to study God's Word.

• SCRIPTURE: What stands out to you in today's passage?
• OBSERVATION: What is this text saying? What is the context? How does it fit with the verses before and after it? Are there any commands, instructions, or promises?
• APPLICATION: How can you apply this verse to your life? What does this mean today? What is God saying to you?
• PRAYER: Respond to the passage in prayer. Ask God to help you apply this truth to your life and spend some time listening to what He may be telling you.

New Year, New Bible Reading Plan

At Venture Church, providing quality Daily Essential tools for spiritual development is a priority we are passionate about. As a result, we provided a Bible Reading Plan in 2020, Daily Devos in 2021, and Family Devos in 2023. We are always looking for ways to better serve the church through resources that assist in the growth of your faith. Thank you for supporting us and joining us on this journey!

This year, we have some exciting additions to our Daily Essential tools. In 2026, Venture Church will begin offering two Bible Reading Plans. Both of these plans will be delivered to your inbox in a weekly summary, replacing daily emails. Scripture, Daily Devos, Family Devos, videos, and relevant links for the week will be delivered in a single, easy-to-access email each Monday morning.

The first plan will be the New Testament Bible Reading Plan, a 5-day-a-week plan that leads readers from Matthew to Revelation in a year. Daily Devos and Family Devos will continue to help readers dig deeper into God’s Word. And this year, we are adding audio recordings of the Daily Devos for on-the-go listening!

The second Bible Reading Plan option will be the One-Year Bible Reading Plan. This 7-day-a-week plan will guide readers through the entire Bible in 365 days. If you’re looking to read all of the Word this year, this plan is for you! Though Daily Devos will not be connected to this plan, we are excited to provide introduction videos for each Book of the Bible as an additional resource.

Join us January 1st to start a new Bible Reading Plan in the New Year!