January 16th, 2023 - Be Still

PAUSE
Today we begin a new week, full of daily pressures and anxieties. As we move into the unknown of what this week may look like, lets slow down our heart and mind.

Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes.

Breath in...breath out.

As you take deep breaths this morning ask yourself, "Reflect on the previous week and weekend, where did you see God at work?"

Today, what weighs on your heart on mind? What are the pressures and anxieties that you are feeling right now?

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, this morning as we open up your word, we have the desire to meet with You. We are not content with just some new information from your word, what we ultimately want is you and your presence in our lives. So Lord we ask that right now you would come and meet with us here.

REFLECT
Today we look at Psalm 46:10

“Be still, and know that I am God!
    I will be honored by every nation.
    I will be honored throughout the world.” - Psalm 46:10

Our verse this morning is simple and pretty straight forward, yet profound and so difficult to practice. Our world is obsessed with hurry and busyness. However, if we are going to experience the Lord we must develop a posture of slowing down. It is only when we slow down that we will be able to intimately know the Lord.

Dallas Willard was once asked the questions "What do I need to do to be spiritual healthy?" After a long pause, he offered this response, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day."

Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist says, "Hurry is not of the Devil; it is the Devil."

Richard Foster said, "In contemporary society our Adversary majors in three things: noice, hurry and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in 'muchness' and 'manyness,' he will rest satisfied."

Ronald Rolheiser said, "We end up as good people, but as people who are not very deep: not bad, just busy; not immoral, just distracted; not lacking in soul, just preoccupied; not disdaining depth, just never doing the things to get us there."

If we, as followers of Jesus, are going to experience the Lord we most slow down and remove the distractions so that we can hear his still small voice.

If you read the gospels, and study the life of Jesus, you will notice that Jesus was never in a hurry and consistently prioritized times of solitude in his life in order to meet with his Father. The secret to Jesus' impact on humanity was his connection with his heavenly Father. And through the sacrifice of Jesus, this same power is made available to us, but in order to access this power we must be still, and know that He is God.

ASK
So today, we ask the Lord to come and meet with us here. Lord we want to hear and know your voice. So Lord Jesus speak with us now, we want to know you as God.

If you are in a place where you can close your eyes, please do so now and imagine sitting at a table. In front of you is an incredible meal that looks and smells delicious. However, this special thing about this table is who is sitting across from you. As you look up you see the Lord sitting in front of you. As you imagine this scene in your mind, begin a conversation with the Lord. Don't rush through this time. Talk to him but also listen and imagine when he might be saying to you.

Lord speak with us now.

YIELD
Today we yield our schedules and the chaos of our lives to the Lord so that we can experience his presence. Lord as we yield our lives to you, again please come and meet with us.

As the devotion comes to an end for the day, don't rush to move on with the rest of your day. Instead, continue to sit at the table for a while longer to meet with the Lord.