READ

Psalm 46:8-11: 8 Come, see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; He sets wagons ablaze. 10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” 11 The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

EXAMINE

The opening phrase of Psalm 46:10 translates to, “stop your fighting,” “be still,” or “cease striving.” God declares for both His people and His foes to recognize His power and give up struggling against His purposes. He stops wars, shatters weapons, and conquers kingdoms without breaking a sweat. Our call and privilege is to know Him, to see Him high and exalted, and humble ourselves to His great, unshakable plan.

APPLY

So much of our time and energy gets wrapped up in building our own little kingdoms. We work hard to get the promotion, establish our home, gain the reputation, or any number of other achievements. We even let our faith get reduced to an exercise in effort we can control. We falsely believe church attendance, moral choices, and good works earn God’s pleasure. In Psalm 46 God urges, “cease striving! Just be still and know me. Understand how much bigger and higher and greater I am than

your preoccupations. Don’t reduce me to a set of rules, make room for ME!”

PRAY

Ask God to search your heart and reveal where you are striving right now. Are you striving to build your own little kingdom at work or home? Are you trying to control your own faith by following rules instead of experiencing true communion with God? Pray that God would still your heart and show you He is exalted among the nations. Pray you can humble yourself and know Him better today.

READ

Joshua 1:8-9:

8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and

succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

EXAMINE

In this passage, Joshua has been made the leader of the nation of Israel after the death of Moses. He is stepping into the shoes of a giant leader who has courageously led the Israelites through thick and thin. It would’ve been easy for Joshua to rely on his own knowledge, strength, and experience as he steps into this leadership role. However, God instructs Joshua “to meditate on [the Scriptures] day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.” Joshua found strength in God’s Word, not in his own leadership experience.

APPLY

It can be easy for us to turn to our own strengths and knowledge as we overcome the struggles of daily life. This can lead us to feeling disconnected from our God who has given us His Word to know Him and receive instructions for life. Through our devotion to the Word, we begin to grow closer to God as our Father and we receive truth like Joshua received in 1:9: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

PRAY

Pray for the desire to spend time in God’s Word even when it is difficult or you don’t “feel like it.” Ask Him to show you places in your day where you can redeem the time you have to spend time with Him and in His Word.

READ

Matthew 6:6-8: 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him.

EXAMINE

In Jesus’ day it was common practice for the religious leaders to make a show of praying. They would stand in the synagogues or in the streets and pray in public merely to be seen by people. Jesus refers to these people as hypocrites. The word ‘hypocrite’ comes from the Greek word which means ‘actor’. These people were merely acting – putting on a show. Instead, Jesus tells his disciples to pray in private where they cannot be seen. Why? Because the Father sees in secret. He is omnipresent – present everywhere always! But even more than that, Jesus says that the Father will reward the private prayer of his people.

APPLY

Private prayer is difficult because it often seems meaningless. You’ve experienced this before… you finally set aside some time to pray, but after a few minutes you wonder if your prayers are really accomplishing anything. In those moments, you must believe in faith that God sees and hears you in your private prayers. You don’t need to put on a show for Him to hear you.

Not only that, God actually rewards private prayer! This doesn’t mean that He answers all private prayers exactly how we want. It means that the Father is pleased with you when you pray to be

heard by only Him. This doesn’t mean that it is always wrong to pray out loud, nor is it wrong to pray publicly. What it means is that Jesus’ primary concern is with your heart. Are you praying to be heard by people, or are you praying to be heard by your Heavenly Father?

PRAY

Spend some time reflecting on your own experience in prayer. Why is it that you don’t pray as often as you wish you did? Is it because deep down you don’t think you’re being heard? Ask God to increase your faith in believing that God sees and rewards you when you pray.

READ

Psalm 63:1-5: 1 God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you. I thirst for you; my body faints for you in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. 2 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. 3 My lips will glorify you because your faithful love is better than life. 4 So I will bless you as long as I live; at your name, I will lift up my hands. 5 You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips.

EXAMINE

David declares that his every satisfaction is found in God. He was on the run from either Saul or Absolum, away from the tabernacle, but danger did nothing to quench his deep desire for God’s presence. David’s thirst for God found relief as he praised Him. He considered God’s favor even better than life itself. Thinking about God’s ability to satisfy his every need brought a sense of fullness into David’s life. David’s meditation on God overflowed in praise.

APPLY

We all have holes in our heart and life… longings and desperations that we seek for anything and anyone to fill. If you have lived long enough you know that the created things of this world will always be a temporary band-aid and usually come up short. We will continually run back to dry wells. Allowing God to fill and satisfy us reveals the true love and power of our Creator. When you meditate on these truths, gratitude is produced, leading to praise and worship.

PRAY

Taking the posture of prayer like David, with lifted hands, pray and offer praise to God for all the ways He satisfies your soul. Ask Him to remind you of who He is and His faithfulness in your life. Thank Him for revealing Himself in your moments of longing and desperation and blessing you with His presence.

READ

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

EXAMINE

A quick glance at these statements might lead one to think that these are cheesy, Christian clichés that have no grounding in the real world. However, Paul is not foolish enough to think that following Jesus won’t be difficult and include times when joy and gratitude are not easy traits to display, especially when surrounded by other people. In fact, Paul is reminding believers that we have a choice to make in how we handle all situations, struggles, and seasons of life.

APPLY

Paul is listing these reminders as the “secret” of how we can love and care for each other well as followers of Jesus. A person who chooses joy, stays in personal contact with God through prayer, and has gratitude in their hearts is going to find it a lot easier to love others well, no matter the situation or circumstance. Joy is a choice. Prayer is a constant reminder that we are never alone, and gratitude says more about our heart condition than our circumstance. Which of these do you find easiest to display on a regular basis? Which did you need a reminder today?

PRAY

Take some time today to reflect back on how God has blessed you over this past year. Thank Him for His rescue, His provision, His presence, and His love and mercy in your life. Commit to Him in prayer today that “I will choose joy” and ask Him to keep your heart soft and grateful as you love and care for others today.

READ

Philippians 4:7-9: 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable— if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy— dwell on these things. 9 Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

EXAMINE

In this passage, Paul reminds us that those who are in Christ can

experience the very peace of God because we belong to the God of Peace! These verses demonstrate how a biblical mindset is crucial to experience maturity in our faith journey. This encouraging letter to the church at Philippi serves as a reminder for us today to learn, meditate on, and put into practice the Word of God so we can grow deeper in our love for Him.

APPLY

Our days are full of incoming messages competing for the attention of our mind and affection of our hearts. In this whirlwind of constant communication, it is easy to become distracted by the worries of our world. This leads to a drift from the valuable truth of God’s Word, which ultimately causes discouragement. But Paul reminds us in this passage that we serve a God who is with us and guards our hearts and minds with His peace. When we surrender our cares to God and meditate instead on what is “true, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise,” we make room in our hearts and minds to enjoy the peace and presence of God!

PRAY

Ask God to show you what distractions are taking up space in your mind and heart today. Are there any worries you haven’t fully surrendered to Him? Any lies you need to replace with truth from God’s Word? Pray for sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as He reveals these things to you. Spend time meditating on His Word until it resonates in your heart. Practice this throughout your day and ask Him to guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.