Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion Premier

Isaiah 55:10-11
There is something about me that you need to know, and that is that I am incredibly excited writing these daily devotionals. Believe me, that’s got nothing to do with my abilities as a writer but everything to do with the fact that God’s word is powerful. So being asked to encourage people to read, enjoy and live by God’s word is as exciting as life can get. Every day, thousands of people read and listen to these words and I have very little idea of what the impact will be. However, what is certain is that God’s word is challenging, changing and encouraging people in their lives. How exciting is that!
We are completely dependent on water. There can be no life without it. Therefore, when it rains we can be absolutely certain that the result will be life and fruitfulness. It is just the same as we read the Bible and allow God to speak to us. In many ways, it is even more exciting, because we cannot be sure how God will bless us. We know that he will make us fruitful, but that fruit could take many different forms. To one person our verses today will be saying: “Keep going in your difficult situation because, even though it’s tough, what you have been doing will have an ongoing effect.” To another person, who might be coming to the end of a period of service, God is saying: “You can move on now because the words you have spoken will continue to bless people long after you have gone.”
The writer to the Hebrews spoke of the word of God as being sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). It always gets to the point. I encourage you to read the Bible with the confident expectation that God will speak powerfully to you. The result will be that your life will produce abundant fruit.
Question
In what ways have you seen the power of God’s word?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you that you are continually speaking to me. Amen

Isaiah 55:8-9
Life is full of mysteries. Every day, tragedies occur and people scream out to God that life is not fair. As we reach out to others in their times of deepest need we would love to be able to offer an explanation, but we cannot. The problem of suffering has challenged humankind since the dawn of time and will continue to do so.
But the mysteries of life are not only at that end of the spectrum, because the beauties and wonders of life are just as mysterious. How can you explain the beauty of a flower, the wonder of a sunset or the majesty of the night sky? All these things are beyond our ability to understand or explain. However, we worship a God whose understanding is infinite and whose love knows no limits.
How should we respond to the knowledge that God is infinitely greater and wiser than we are? It would be easy to be overwhelmed by this. But a far better response would be to turn to God in worship and adoration with the knowledge that, in this life, we will never have the ability to understand everything. To use the language of the apostle Paul, at the moment “we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
God doesn’t want us to trudge through our lives burdened by all that we do not understand. He wants us to expand our understanding but always with the humility that acknowledges that his wisdom is infinitely beyond us. His desire is that we should live at peace with him and ourselves and with the confidence of knowing that, at the right time, we will be given the understanding that we need. In the meantime, we need to focus our energies on worshipping him.
Question
How do you respond to the fact that God is infinitely wise?
Prayer
Great God of wonders, I worship you. Thank you for this awe-inspiring world that you have created. Help me to worship you with the whole of my life. Amen

Isaiah 55:1-2
Much of Isaiah’s prophecy is dominated by the theme of judgement. The people had wandered away from God and lived lives that were a complete disappointment to him. They had worshipped other gods and had neglected to care for the poor and needy. But, through it all, God’s deep desire was to bring the people back to himself, and so he promised to send his servant to bring them salvation. In today’s reading God’s incredible offer is spelled out. He alone was able to satisfy their deepest need and he was willing to give them everything they needed freely.
The offer today is just the same. God sent his servant to us in the person of Jesus Christ and he offers his gifts of forgiveness and new life to all those who will accept him into their lives. He only looks for us to be willing to give up our own self-centred life to live the new life that he gives us in the power of his Spirit. It is all for free. Sadly, in our cynical society, everyone gets deeply suspicious when they hear that something is being offered for nothing. I will admit that as soon as an email or letter arrives assuring me of untold riches for nothing, I immediately switch off. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
But here God offers us spiritual drink and food that can satisfy us completely - and they are absolutely free. Persuading other people that this is true, and not yet another gimmick, is something that we can only do when they see the reality of salvation in our own lives. I thank God for those people whose integrity, compassion and humility persuaded me that the Christian message was nothing other than the truth.
Question
In what ways has God satisfied your deepest needs?
Prayer
Loving God, thank you for your limitless generosity. Help me to find ways of passing on your amazing invitation to those I meet day by day. Amen

Proverbs 12:15
There is all the difference in the world between hearing and listening. Hearing is a physical process, and it happens all the time whether we like it or not. Listening however is a matter of choice. When we listen we deliberately tune in to what others are saying and reflect on it. It is a way in which we show love and respect to other people.
It’s a great privilege when someone listens to us. We know we have their full attention and it is as if we are the only person in the world in that moment. We feel valued and affirmed. Listening is the most wonderful gift that we can give to another person. It appears a very easy thing to do but it is, in fact, incredibly demanding. It demands our focused attention and is a very tiring thing to do for any length of time.
I love the ditty: “His thoughts were slow, his words were few and never formed to glisten. But he was a joy to all his friends. You should have heard him listen!” The truth is that a person who is good at listening will never be short of friends!
The writer of Proverbs saw listening as a crucial quality of a wise person. As ever, he contrasted the wise person with the fool who doesn’t bother to listen because he is so confident that he knows what is right. If we are honest, we have probably all been guilty of that from time to time, and we need the reminder to spend more time listening carefully and generously to others. We won’t always love what we hear, but we need to reflect on it carefully before we make our decisions.
Questions
How good are you at listening, and how do you think you could improve your listening skills?
Prayer
Lord God, forgive me for those times when I have not listened carefully to others. Give me the humility and grace to listen with increasing care. Amen

Proverbs 12:10
I need to be honest with you. I have read this chapter many times but I have never stopped and thought about this verse before now. The writer seems to be saying that a person who follows God will show a caring attitude in every part of their life - including the way in which they care for their animals.
Caring for animals is also reflected in Deuteronomy which, on a number of occasions, encourages a kind and generous attitude to animals. In chapter 22 Moses instructs the people that if they saw their neighbour’s ox, sheep or goat wandering away, they should take the animal to its owner and, if they couldn’t locate the owner, look after the animal until they could be reunited. And if they saw their neighbour’s donkey or ox collapsed on the road they should not look the other way but go and help their neighbour to get the animal back on its feet. In chapter 25 the people were instructed not to muzzle an ox while it was treading out the grain. It needed to have the freedom to have a snack while it did its work!
In the book of Genesis we learn that God has trusted humankind with caring for animals on his behalf. That includes our pets. They are a precious part of God’s creation, and we need to show our respect and care for them. Over the years, we have had many pets as a family. Our care for them has been an important part of our children’s upbringing, as we have encouraged them to care for their pets even when they haven’t felt like it.
Rowland Hill is famous for the revolution that he brought to the postal system when he introduced stamps in 1840. He once said: “Nobody is truly a Christian unless his cat or dog is the better off for it.” We have neither a dog nor a cat these days, but we do have two rabbits, Snowy and Midnight, and I do hope they are the better for knowing me.
Question
In what ways are you able to show kindness to animals?
Prayer
Loving God, I thank you for the gift of animals and for the way in which they enrich life. Help me to be kind and generous towards them. Amen

Proverbs 11:28
We hear a lot about money in the book of Proverbs. In many ways the writer speaks very positively about it. The acquisition of money is often seen as a sign of God’s blessing and he encourages his readers to work hard so that they will get more of it. But he was also keen to put money in its place. If money shapes our lives, we have missed the point completely. The only one we should trust is the Lord himself. We can lean on him and know that he will always be faithful and true. By way of contrast, money is temporary and should never control our lives. It is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.
This teaching poses a great challenge to our society, which is obsessed with money. Bishop J C Ryle summarised the problem well when he wrote: “Nothing I am sure has such a tendency to quench the fire of religion as the possession of money.” Money feeds arrogance and
a feeling of self-satisfaction, which pushes God away. Jesus was acutely conscious of this and spoke so bluntly on the subject that he shocked his disciples. Having told the rich young ruler that he needed to give his money to the poor, Jesus concluded: “How hard
it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23). He went on to say that: “it is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:25). Whether he had a sewing needle in mind or the little gate that led into the city, the point is the same.
The key question is: “Where have you placed your trust?” Do you look at your bank balance and possessions and believe that they will keep you safe for time and eternity? If so, you are seriously mistaken. They simply cannot give you that security. But if you place your trust in God, you can look to the future with confidence.
Question
Take some time to think about this question: Where, in all honesty, have you placed
your trust?
Prayer
Loving God, forgive me for those times when I have misunderstood the importance of money. Help me place my trust in you and you alone. Amen