Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion Premier

Isaiah 58:6-7
It is incredibly sad that Isaiah’s call to action, written more than 2,500 years ago, still applies today. There continue to be people who are wrongly imprisoned, hungry and homeless. God’s word to us today is, therefore, unchanged from Isaiah’s day. He declares that the reality of our worship will be revealed by our willingness to care for those who are denied justice and as we reach out to feed the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.
I am thrilled that Christians are busily engaged in fighting for justice and providing practical relief for the hungry and homeless. The need is still enormous. There are more than 300,000 people in the UK who are either homeless or living in temporary accommodation. I have been struck by the terrible ease with which people can slip into homelessness. An ugly row with parents or a partner; the loss of a job; a time of depression or simply the inability to find affordable housing in a new town. People experiencing homelessness are just like us, apart from the fact that they no longer have the security of a home.
Before the 2008 recession the term ‘food bank’ was rarely heard. There are now more than 2,000 of them in the UK and, during the pandemic, they played a crucial role in ensuring that people were adequately fed. Christians do not have a monopoly in caring for the hungry - nor do we seek it - but it is wonderful that so many food banks are based in churches and supported by Christian volunteers. This is exactly what God wants to see. Fasting is a wonderful form of worship but if it doesn’t find expression in practical gritty action to support people in need, then God doesn’t want to know. He would rather we kept quiet until we have sorted ourselves out.
Question
In what ways are you supporting vulnerable people in your community?
Prayer
Lord God, I ask you to open my eyes to the needs of people around me, and to open my heart and pocket to respond to them. Amen

Isaiah 58:4
Nothing is more unattractive than hypocrisy. When I have talked to people who don’t go to church, time and again they have pointed out the gap between churchgoers’ faith and actions. This was precisely the situation that Isaiah was addressing. The people were regular in their attendance at the Temple and said all the right things. They seemed to take their faith seriously but, in fact, it was all an act. Even when they fasted it was just play acting because they kept on fighting and quarrelling with one another. And the ultimate proof of their hypocrisy was that they treated their employees badly.
Jesus spent a lot of time pointing out people’s hypocrisy. In his day the most educated and committed Jews were the Pharisees. No one could doubt that they took their faith seriously. They were meticulous in the way in which they worshipped and tithed, but Jesus repeatedly told them that they were missing the point. Through making an elaborate public performance of their giving and praying they were showing that it was all an act. They were eager to make a good impression and to be honoured and respected by the people. But Jesus told them to make their gifts so secretly that even their left hand would not know what their right hand was doing, and to pray with the door shut so that no one could see them (Matthew 6:1-6).
Let’s not fool ourselves; there’s more than a whiff of hypocrisy about all of us from time to time. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to have honest and open relationships with our Christian brothers and sisters. Within a community of love and encouragement we need to have people around us who care for us enough to speak words of truth to us, to ensure that our faith and actions are telling the same story.
Question
How are you guarding against hypocrisy in your own life?
Prayer
Dear Lord, forgive me for those times when my faith is just an act. Help me to live with integrity and faithfulness to you. Amen

Isaiah 57:20-21
It was Augustine of Hippo (354–430) in his famous Confessions who observed: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in you.” There is no doubt that Augustine was reflecting on his own experience. He had lived a promiscuous life before he became a Christian at the age of 31 and had lurched from one philosophy to another. He knew how tempestuous and unsatisfying life was when lived his own way. It was clearly a matter of joy and relief when, through the friendship of Bishop Ambrose, he found personal faith in Christ.
I wonder if, like me, you enjoy watching waves crashing onto the beach. The power of the water is a wonderful sight; Isaiah uses this as a picture of those who rebel against God. They have chosen a life of restlessness. Sadly, they know no lasting peace. We are surrounded by advertisements which suggest the route to peace, and there are endless philosophies and religions that hold out the offer of harmony and contentment. But the reality is that, though they may work for a short while, they can never offer lasting peace.
Jesus offers peace to his followers that springs from a relationship with him. Jesus said: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). Whenever we feel a restlessness we should make sure that we turn our attention to Jesus and centre ourselves afresh on him. If we are willing to give up our restlessness and rest in him, we will find him to be the Prince of Peace.
Question
What has been your own experience of Jesus’ peace?
Prayer
Forgive me Lord for those times when I have missed out on your peace and allowed the challenges and temptations of life to distract me and make me restless. I gladly receive your gift of peace. Amen

Isaiah 56:9-11
As a church leader I find these words both incredibly challenging and agonisingly sad. I am sure that we have all known church leaders who have worked extremely hard and rightfully earned people’s love and respect. But there are lazy leaders as well. Here Isaiah depicts the way in which spiritual leaders in his own day totally missed the point. They were the opposite of shepherds. They didn’t care for the sheep at all. Their only concern was to have a good time. Isaiah goes on to describe how they loved to party and get drunk, and then to plan even bigger parties (v12).
None of us should think that we are incapable of laziness or distraction. Those of us who are leaders need to keep our eyes focused on our incredible God-given responsibility to care for the flock, working hard to nourish and strengthen people in their spiritual lives. We should always be aiming to give the very best of ourselves to the Lord’s work, knowing that what we do has eternal importance.
If you are not a church leader, I want to encourage you to pray fervently for those who are called to this important task. To be a shepherd to God’s people is an extraordinarily demanding calling. It is a massive privilege but, at the same time, it is physically, spiritually and mentally taxing. Church leaders are human and, like you, can have good and bad days. They need your love, understanding and prayerful support to be all that God wants them to be.
Question
In what ways could you be more effective in supporting your church leaders?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that you have called men and women to be leaders of your people. Please grant them your daily inspiration and encouragement so that they will be effective shepherds. Amen

Isaiah 56:6
In the Old Testament, God’s people were often told to be welcoming to foreigners. God’s love was not confined to the Jews and they were reminded that, as a nation, they used to be foreigners in Egypt so it was only right that they should be generous and loving towards foreigners. The people of Israel had spent 400 years in Egypt so there was nothing that they didn’t know about the vulnerabilities and insecurities of being foreigners. The celebration of the Passover was a continual reminder of that time.
We live in a wonderfully diverse country which, over the centuries, has welcomed people from many nations. This continues to be the case. Some come to us as refugees and asylum seekers because of the dangers in their own homeland. It is vital that we welcome all foreigners and that the Church is a place where they can find security, compassion, understanding and love. I have been to many churches that have the flags of all the nations represented in the congregation. This is a wonderful way of affirming that we honour the
different backgrounds and identities of all our brothers and sisters.
The welcome to people of all nations is clear in Isaiah but, in the coming of Jesus, the doors are flung open to everyone with even greater clarity. I’m very interested by the statues of Jesus that can be found around the world. He could have been depicted in many different ways but many of them show him with arms outstretched in love and welcome. I’m thinking particularly of the statues of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Christ the King in Lisbon, Portugal. They tower over those great cities and give people the continual reminder of the New Testament’s message that Christ opens his arms to all those who will come to him, whatever their background or nationality.
Question
In what ways does your church seek to welcome people who come from different nations?
Prayer
Lord, I worship you because you are the God of all the nations. Help me continually to pass your welcome on to others. Amen

Isaiah 56:1-2
Justice is a major theme throughout the book of Isaiah. From the first chapter, God declares his hatred of every form of injustice and his unwillingness to receive the worship of people who refuse to act justly. God is incredibly blunt. He declares that he has had more than enough of the people’s sacrifices and is burdened by their religious festivals. It’s vital that we realise that fighting for justice is not an optional extra for Christians. It is integral to our worship. Or to use the straightforward language of Isaiah 1:15-17, if we don’t live justly then God won’t listen to our prayers.
I wonder how well you know the community where you live and whether you can identify where injustice is taking place. I say that because most forms of injustice are hidden. They can happen in busy cities and quiet villages. The only way to know what is going on is to get to know people well and to hear their stories. In Isaiah’s world, the people who were most vulnerable and who suffered the greatest injustices were those with disabilities, foreigners, orphans and widows. And everyone was vulnerable to those market traders who acted unfairly and who rigged their scales to increase their profits.
Injustice is an offence to God because it is a denial of everything that he wants, and it spoils the lives of everyone it touches. No wonder he hates to listen to the worship of people who live unjustly! As we worship our great God of justice we need to understand that, as we sing our songs of praise, we are being recruited to be fair and just to everyone we meet.
Question
In what ways are you working for justice in your community?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to love the people around me enough to spot injustice when it occurs. Give me courage to stand up for people who are being treated unjustly. Amen