Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

[Jesus said]: “Give us today our daily bread.” Have you ever wondered why we ask God for food on a daily basis? Why not ask Him to supply us for a week or even a month? It’s a perfectly sensible question, and the answer is that God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to live in continual partnership with Him. Every day we need to turn to Him to obtain the nourishment that we need. This applies in both a physical and a spiritual sense. Just as we need to eat each day, so too we need to ensure that we are receiving spiritual nourishment. However excellent last Sunday’s church service was or however blessed we were by yesterday’s time of prayer, we need to open ourselves to God’s Spirit today. I am struck by the fact that everything in this prayer is plural. The prayer begins with the words “Our Father in heaven”, and here we don’t pray for my but our daily bread. The moment we start praying, we identify the fact that we are part of a worldwide family. When we think about getting fed, it isn’t just about my empty stomach or my spiritual needs but about the feeding that we all need. If you are feeling thoroughly well fed in body, mind and spirit, that’s excellent – but it isn’t enough. We pray that that same blessing will extend to everyone everywhere. What we are learning is that the Lord’s Prayer is incredibly radical. We are praying that God will fundamentally change our world. Question In what way do you need to be fed today? Prayer Lord God, thank You that Your understanding of me is so complete that You know exactly how I need to be nourished today. Amen

[Jesus said]: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The kingdom of heaven comes about when we obey God’s will. So when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are saying that we have signed up to working for this amazing kingdom and we want to bring it about here and now. We want the kingdom to be established in our family, our community, our workplace and our church. Some years ago, I was sent a wonderful press cutting. It was the report of the stone-laying of a church in Plymouth in 1905. It was a wet day, but even so, the event went ahead and the mayor of the city kindly attended. He was clearly a Christian, and declared that the more widely the good news of Jesus Christ was proclaimed, the less work there would be for the police and magistrates – and the less claim would be made on the poor relief of the town. Speaking generally, he said: “the proclamation of the Good News made municipal work more easy and the rates more light”. I love that! He was saying that the church’s business was to introduce the kingdom of heaven – and that would have an impact on the whole community. With less crime, council tax would come down! Too often churches turn in on themselves and forget that God’s desire is that we should work for the coming of His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Question In what way are you working to bring the kingdom of heaven here on earth? Prayer Lord God, thank You that You have invited us to work with You to bring Your kingdom to our world today. Amen

[Jesus said]: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’” The Lord’s Prayer is all about relationship. It begins by looking to God, because everything in this prayer flows out of our intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father. As an Aramaic speaker, the word that would have been in Jesus’ mind was ‘Abba’. He would have used this word to address His earthly father, Joseph, and it literally means ‘daddy’. It is a warm and intimate word, and Jesus is clearly wanting His followers to enjoy that kind of closeness to God. As we pray to our heavenly Daddy we are fully aware that He has a unique status. He is holy and set apart from anything that is imperfect. So we begin the prayer by affirming that He is to be totally respected, or “hallowed”. We aren’t only recognising the importance of respecting God’s name but also honouring Him for all that He is and all that He has done. As we pray “our Father”, we are also affirming that we have brothers and sisters and that we are part of a community of people which wants to live for God. Christian faith can never be a solitary, private affair, and this wonderful prayer reminds us that we are part of an amazing worldwide family. The Lord’s Prayer should never be said unthinkingly or quickly. It is the prayer for those who are fully committed to putting their heavenly Father first in their lives. Question How would you describe your personal relationship with God? Prayer Loving heavenly Father, we thank You that You have invited us, through Your Son Jesus, into such an intimate relationship with You and one another. Amen

[Jesus said]: “When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Prayer is often described as being like talking to a friend. There is much that is right about that description apart from the fact that God is totally unlike any friend that you or I have ever had. For a start, He knows everything. One of the key features of a conversation with our friends is that, wonderful as they might be, they don’t know everything. In a conversation we spend plenty of time sharing information with them. So the big question is this: if God knows everything, what is the point of praying? The answer is a wonderful one. Relieved of the necessity of informing God, prayer is all about relationship. As we pray, we affirm the fact that we are His children and that we are totally dependent on Him. That’s why it is so important to spend time alone with God – time to be completely honest and time to listen. The joy of our relationship with God is that we can be completely sure He knows our situation more intimately than we know it ourselves. So we don’t need to ‘babble on’ for ages as some religions taught. The moment we come into God’s presence, we can be sure we are enveloped by His love and totally understood. Isn’t that wonderful? Question In what ways are your quiet times with God important to you? Prayer Lord God, thank You that You know everything about me and yet still love me and want to fill me with Your life. Amen

[Jesus said]: “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Jesus was reacting against people who made a great show of their praying. They prayed in the synagogues and at street corners because they were looking for an audience. Jesus obviously wasn’t saying that it was wrong to pray in synagogues and at street corners but that it was wrong to turn prayer into a religious performance totally focused on people and not on God. Jesus drew attention to the importance of private prayer, because this reveals where the heart is. Jesus could see that many of the most religious people in His society lived their lives furthest away from God. The word ‘religion’ is often thought to mean ‘bind back’. It ties people to a particular set of beliefs and practices, but it is easy for religion to become merely a performance. Jesus’ desire was to renew people’s hearts so that, through their relationship with God, they would want to honour and serve Him. At the end of the day, anyone can pray a long prayer, give money or fast, but what matters is where their heart is. I wonder where you find it best to have your quiet time with God. In a busy life and noisy household this can be hard to achieve, but it will be the most important moment of your day. Question Why is it so crucial to have a quiet time with God each day? Prayer Lord God, help me to live so close to You that my words and actions flow out of my relationship with You. Amen

Matthew 6:3-4 When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Is there anything worse than hypocrisy? Jesus certainly hated it and had the harshest things to say about the hypocrites of His day. He wanted everyone to have the joy of a real relationship with their heavenly Father. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasted the hypocrite’s play-acting with true devotion to God. The giving of donations to the poor and needy is a responsibility that everyone has, but the way in which it is done is what matters most. Jesus pointed to the hypocrites who, ridiculously, announced their giving with trumpets. His point is clear. When you give, you shouldn’t make a show of it, because the audience that really matters is God alone. It clearly wouldn’t be possible for our left hand to keep secrets from our right hand. The brain doesn’t work like that! But it’s not difficult to understand what Jesus meant. He was saying that all of our giving should be done in the most secret way we can achieve. Anything short of that will miss out on the blessing which God longs to give to us as we make our gifts. What matters above anything else is that our gifts are an expression of our personal love for God, just between Him and us. Question What have you learned about your giving from this passage? Prayer Loving God, thank You for Your amazing generosity to me. Help me always to be generous in my giving. Amen

Proverbs 25:12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear. Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer, said: “I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” All I can say is: “Good for Johannes Kepler!” I suspect we all really enjoy people saying nice things about us. A rebuke might be very good for us, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to hear, even if it is as valuable as an ornament of fine gold. There are two challenges here. Firstly, how can we become better at sharing valid criticism with others? Every time I have received helpful criticism, it has been embedded within encouragement. It has often been said that if you need to offer criticism, 80% of what you say should be encouragement. This isn’t a clever political ploy, but a way of ensuring that the criticism is set securely within a relationship of affirmation. Secondly, how can we become better at receiving criticism? People’s ability to receive criticism undoubtedly varies. Past hurts and traumas make some people very wary of anything that is not entirely positive. Others appear to be so secure that they are able to receive even negative criticism with equanimity. This emphasises the importance of us all finding someone with whom we can be completely honest. Within a loving and trusting relationship we are likely to find that their rebuke is as valuable as a piece of gold jewellery. Question In what ways could you give and receive criticism more effectively? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, help me to be more loving in offering criticism to others, and more gracious in receiving it. Amen

Proverbs 24:26 An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. Like most of us, I am sure, I was brought up with the saying that honesty is the best policy. But what they didn’t tell me was that it tends to be the most difficult policy. It’s often easier to keep the truth to yourself because it might not be well received. Indeed, the hearer might be deeply offended by the truth. So we can easily end up playing a game of deceit. We say what other people want to hear and never dare to go anywhere near the sharp edges of truth. Whenever someone asks us how we are, we have to decide what level of truth to share. The customary answer – “Fine” – often reveals nothing at all and is simply used as a polite way of avoiding conversation. However, at the same time, it would be gruesomely inappropriate to share everything about our lives and feelings. There is every reason why the Church should be a community characterised by honesty. However, it is easily possible for a church to be as superficial and deceitful as any other group of people. We desperately need to learn what the apostle Paul referred to as “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). When the honest truth is spoken rudely and aggressively, it can be horribly destructive. It will certainly not build anything. Only if our words are full of love will the truth bring healing and blessing. To use the words of Proverbs, our honesty will be like nothing less than “a kiss on the lips”. Question Do you have someone with whom you can be completely honest? Prayer Lord God, help me to become better at being lovingly honest with those around me. Amen

Proverbs 24:16 Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. The big question is not whether we experience problems, but what we do when they happen. The writer is clear that the person who knows God has resilience. We may get knocked many times, but we are always able to bounce back because we know that God is the one who inspires and strengthens us. When the writer says we may trip seven times, he’s almost certainly using seven to represent an unlimited number of times. Nelson Mandela said: “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” The reason that a godly person is resilient is because their confidence is in God and not in circumstances. If we place our confidence in life working out in a particular way, we are bound to be disappointed. But if we trust ourselves to our faithful God, we can look to the future with confidence. On many occasions, I have attended the funeral of Christian friends, and the song ‘Blessed be Your name’ has often been chosen. This beautiful song includes the words: “You give and take away / You give and take away / My heart will choose to say / Lord, blessed be your name.” It’s tough to sing these words, and they are often sung with tears, but they show that our confidence is based on our great and loving God, and not on circumstances which, in a broken and sinful world, are often desperately painful and disappointing. Question How resilient are you, and how could your resilience grow? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You are always worthy of my praise, whatever the circumstances. Amen

Proverbs 23:29-30 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. The abuse of alcohol is clearly not a new problem. These verses reveal a deep understanding of a challenge which continues to test our modern world. It is amazing to see these proverbs written so long ago addressing the issue with such power. Some people might think of the writer of Proverbs as a killjoy, but his purpose was exactly the opposite. His intention was to kill misery, because he could see that alcohol could so easily ruin people’s lives. In the following verses he talks about how wine can, when drunk to excess, bite like a poisonous snake. He mocked the sheer stupidity of drinking to excess. It makes the drinker look crazy and causes nothing but brokenness and sadness. The writer has a list of things which need to be avoided at all costs: overeating, idleness, prostitutes, arrogance and bad company, as well as drinking to excess. He isn’t willing to negotiate. This might sound harsh, but when we recognise that these are words of wisdom, and that they come from the heart of a God who loves us, we can follow them in the knowledge that they will be a blessing not only to us but to all those around us as well. Question What could you do to help those in your area who have a problem with alcohol? Prayer Lord God, I pray for those who are struggling with alcohol abuse in my own community. Please show me ways in which I could be a blessing to them. Amen