Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

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Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.

  1. 22 HRS AGO

    April 20th - Isaiah 43:2

    Isaiah 43:2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. If you’ve got the impression that following God will give you the smoothest journey through life, you obviously haven’t read the Bible! From first to last in the Old Testament we discover that following God often involves suffering and rejection. In the New Testament, we meet Jesus, who despite being fully man and fully God saw suffering at its worst, even to the point of death on the cross. As He promised, His disciples were hated just as He had been, and most of them suffered terribly for their faith. In our verse today, God says it how it is. He recognises honestly that His hearers would suffer in all sorts of ways. They would be confronted by deep and threatening waters and even have to face fire, but through it all God would be with them. The threats of life could never break their constant relationship with Him. Paul speaks very similarly in his letter to the Romans. In chapter 8, he concludes: “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). If you don’t know God as your own personal friend, I am sad to say that the future is full of threats and uncertainty. But if you do know God and walk in His ways, you can look to the future with peace and confidence because you know that whatever happens, your loving heavenly Father will be right there beside you. Question Are you looking to the future with peace and confidence? Prayer Loving Heavenly Father, I thank You that You promise to be with me whatever I face in the future. Amen

    3 min

  2. 1D AGO

    April 19th - Psalm 106:6-7

    Psalm 106:6-7 Like our ancestors, we have sinned. We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly! Our ancestors in Egypt were not impressed by the LORD’s miraculous deeds. They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them. Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea. I strongly recommend that you read through this psalm and the previous one because they are twins. In Psalm 105, we hear about all the amazing things that God did to guide and strengthen His people from the earliest days until their entry into the Promised Land. Now in Psalm 106, the psalmist takes another tour through the history of God’s people and concludes that, humanly speaking, it was a complete disaster. Just as God was consistently faithful and loving, His people were repeatedly faithless and disobedient. But the psalmist didn’t simply point the finger at people in the past. He recognised that his own generation was also guilty of disobeying God and forgetting to walk in His ways. As we look back through human history, there is much that we can learn. Every page of history contains accounts of bad decisions and stupid failures and, if we are honest, we aren’t so very different. Our lives fall well short of perfection and we need to own up and find out how we can live them in a richer, fuller and more obedient way. The point of looking back is that we can learn. We don’t have to repeat the past. Instead, we can set off on a new journey inspired by its lessons. The most consistent fault of God’s people in this psalm was the sin of forgetting. I’m sure that we will all own up to the sin of forgetting. A lot of the time, it doesn’t matter that much. We may forget someone’s name or whether they take milk in their tea. Such things are minor. Forgetting God is another matter. Time and again, we read that the people of Israel forgot how God had blessed them. They carried on with their lives as if God didn’t exist. We need to do everything we can to remember who God is and what He has done. We need to ensure that we maintain a rhythm of worship and prayer so that we can’t possibly forget our great God. Question What do you do to ensure that you don’t forget what God has done in your life? Prayer Loving God, thank You that You never forget me. Help me to make sure that I never forget You. Amen

    3 min

  3. 2D AGO

    April 18th - Psalm 105:1-2

    Psalm 105:1-2 Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. In this beautiful psalm, the writer rooted his praise in how God had acted in history. He looked back to how God had led Abraham, Jacob, Joseph and finally Moses. Through the years, God had been consistently faithful to His people, and they had every reason to rejoice. The psalm was written for a very specific moment in Israel’s history when David brought the ark to the place of meeting in Jerusalem. In 1 Chronicles 16:7, we are told that David gave Asaph and his fellow Levites this psalm as a song of thanksgiving to the Lord. It wasn’t a general song of worship but one which specifically charted how God had been at work among His people. We need to remember our history. A birthday is a brilliant moment for looking back, and every church would be wise to have a specific annual moment to reflect on its history. It’s very easy to forget the story of faith of a church community unless it is regularly repeated. We need to listen to the people who were part of the church ten, 20, 30, 40 or more years ago. Almost certainly, there will have been times of encouragement and despair, success and failure, growth and decline, but through it all God has been faithful and we need to celebrate together. If your church has only been planted in the last few years, listen to the stories of faith from those who founded the church and the ways in which God led them. Our remembering should never be a selfish activity to make us feel good about life, but should always lead us to action. As we recall the history of what God has done, we are challenged to go forward with the mission on which He has sent us. That will always involve proclamation. We will want to proclaim God’s faithfulness within our churches in order to encourage one another, and then to everyone else we meet in order to help them to see how great God is. Question In what ways does your own church celebrate the history of what God has done? Prayer Loving God, I praise You for your faithfulness. Help me never to forget the amazing things that You have done. Amen

    4 min

  4. 3D AGO

    April 17th - Psalm 104:24-25

    Psalm 104:24-25 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. Many of the psalmists use the wonder of creation as a springboard for their worship. This particular psalm does so by reminding us of the six days of creation. The poetic language is beautiful. Take, for example, day one, when God made light. He writes: “You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants” (Psalm 104:2-4). As he looks through the days of creation, it becomes clear that God didn’t create the world and then disappear but continues to be actively involved. It is good for us to spend time reflecting on creation because as we do so, we are bound to gasp in wonder. Sir Isaac Newton, the famous scientist, said: “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.” Our bodies are thought to be made up of about 100 trillion cells. We all have about 100 billion neurons, which fire off between five and 50 messages each second. I could go on, but however you happen to be feeling today, let me assure you that you are simply amazing. If you look at a flower, you will need to gasp some more. The intricate detail of each petal and leaf is amazing, to say nothing of the miracle of growth. Wherever you look, creation screams at us that God is a great God and worthy of all our praise. Many of us were taught from an early age to pray with our eyes shut to save us from distractions, but I would strongly encourage you to pray with your eyes open from time to time. Look at the people around you and the world that God has made and give thanks to him for the wonder of His creation. As we do so, let us gasp in wonder. Thomas Carlyle said that “wonder is the basis of worship”, and I think he was right. Question When did you last gasp at creation and why? Pray Creator God, I worship You. Forgive me for those times when I have taken Your amazing world for granted. Teach me afresh how to enjoy the wonder of Your creation. Amen

    4 min

  5. 4D AGO

    April 16th - Psalm 103:2-4

    Psalm 103:2-4 Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. This psalm begins with King David talking to himself! He called to mind how his life had been wonderfully blessed by God and concluded that his whole being needed to be involved in giving thanks for God’s generosity to him. In the words of the famous hymn ‘Praise, my soul, the King of heaven’, he had been ransomed, healed, restored and forgiven. Surely he had his adultery with Bathsheba in mind as he wrote this psalm. He had foolishly strayed from God’s way, and one disaster followed another until he repented and received God’s healing and forgiveness. As he reflected on how God had dealt with him, he not only praised the Lord but also urged the whole world to join him! In the final verse of the psalm, he proclaimed: “Praise the Lord, everything he has created, everything in all his kingdom” (Psalm 103:22). It's important that we talk to ourselves! I know it’s often seen as the first sign of madness, but I much prefer the observation that it’s actually the first sign of gladness! It’s good to remind ourselves of the ways in which the Lord has blessed our lives. We may not have known the dramatic ups and downs of King David’s life, but we have all had moments of success and failure, of blessing and disobedience, of fulfilment and loss, and through it all God has been faithful. We need to ensure we are continually giving thanks to God for all that He has done in our lives and taking the opportunity to encourage others to do the same. Question As you look back through your life, what are the main reasons why you want to praise God? Prayer Lord God, I thank You that You have been so generous to me. Help me to make praise increasingly central to my life. Amen

    3 min

  6. 5D AGO

    April 15th - Psalm 101:1-2

    Psalm 101:1-2 I will sing of your love and justice, LORD. I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life—when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. Here, David reflects on his responsibility as king to care for the whole of society and to ensure that justice prevails. The final verse of the psalm gives us a powerful picture of his daily work “to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the Lord from their grip” (Psalm 101:8). It was no easy task, and he knew it would be impossible if he wasn’t practising justice and integrity at home. Whenever we are told that a politician’s private life is their own personal matter and of no consequence to their public duties, we know that they are talking nonsense! King David was far from perfect, but he was clear that it was vital for him to live a consistent life. Living a consistent life is not easy! It’s no wonder that when David proclaims his intention to be careful in living a blameless life, he asks the question: “when will you come to help me?” He knew he couldn’t do this by himself. He needed God’s inspiration and strength to live a consistent life. I don’t know what your life looks like. You will have tensions, blessings and challenges that are very different from my own, but I do know that only God can enable you to live a life of consistent integrity. These thoughts should spur us to pray for all those who live in the public eye. I believe we have a special responsibility to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who bear public responsibilities and whose lives are always under the spotlight. Let’s pray they will know God’s daily renewing strength so that there is no gap between their home and public lives. Question How can you ensure that you live for God both at home and beyond? Prayer Loving Father, thank You that You are present in every part of my life, and that You give me the strength to live for You, whatever the circumstances and pressures. Amen

    3 min

  7. 6D AGO

    April 14th - 2 Thessalonians 3:16

    2 Thessalonians 3:16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. As Paul brought this letter to an end, he gave them this wonderful greeting. I love these words and, over the years, when I have sent a card to someone, I have very often quoted this verse. What greater blessing could you seek for another person than that they would know the Lord’s peace at all times and in every situation? Peace needs to be carefully understood. Alexander Maclaren, the famous Victorian preacher, got to the heart of the issue when he wrote: “Peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.” It is precisely when we live in close partnership with God that we discover what real peace is, and that it is able to withstand any challenge. At the heart of a hurricane, there is complete stillness and quiet. While destruction swirls around, at the eye of the storm there is peace. Miraculously, that is what God is able to give us as we place our trust in him. As Jesus said to His fearful disciples just before His death: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift that the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). Peace is God’s gift to us when we place ourselves completely in His hands. While we are still struggling and trying to make peace, we will never find it. It is only as we recognise that God is the source of peace that we will discover it for ourselves. Jean-Paul Sartre, the French philosopher, put it well when he observed: “You will never find peace and happiness until you are ready to commit yourself to something worth dying for.” Question What has been your experience of God’s peace? Prayer Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are the source of true peace and that You love to share Your peace with all those who put their trust in You. Fill me, and those around me, with Your peace today. Amen

    3 min

  8. APR 13

    April 13th - 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13

    2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 We hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. There were people in the church in Thessalonica who thought they were so spiritual that they should spend their days waiting for the return of Jesus and not going to work. Because they didn’t work, they became a burden on the other believers who they thought of as less spiritual. Worse than that, instead of being busy workers, they became busybodies. They spent their time interfering in other people’s lives and causing grief. As CH Spurgeon, the Victorian preacher, said: “Some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the idle.” Paul responded to these lazy people by pointing to his own example. He had worked hard day and night in order not to be a burden to others. He was convinced that everyone should work hard and never grow tired of doing good. The problem that Paul faced in Thessalonica isn’t one that I’ve encountered, but his teaching does help us to reflect on the issue of work. Work is often spoken of as if it is a great evil which needs to be avoided. The good times are weekends and holidays, and the objective is to get to retirement as quickly as we can. However, God looks to us to be busy and to use the gifts and abilities that He has given us to bless other people. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 takes us to the heart of Paul’s teaching about the resurrection. Having praised God for the victory that He has won over sin and death, he challenged his readers to work hard for God. He wrote: “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Life changes for all of us but whoever we are and however old we are, God calls us to be busy workers for Him – and never busybodies. Question What is the work that God has called you to do? Prayer Loving God, thank You for the work that You have asked me to do. Help me to do it with enthusiasm and determination. Amen

    4 min
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Bring some Spirit-filled peace into your hectic schedule every weekday morning with this new Daily Devotional.

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  • Channel
    Premier Plus
  • Creator
    Premier
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    2K
  • Rating
    Clean

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