Be Still: Daily Devotional

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is September 27 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.   
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
  
Today’s reading is from the book of 2 Chronicles, chapter 14.  
 
2 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God. 3 He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. 4 He commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their ancestors, and to obey his laws and commands. 5 He removed the high places and incense altars in every town in Judah, and the kingdom was at peace under him. 6 He built up the fortified cities of Judah, since the land was at peace. No one was at war with him during those years, for the LORD gave him rest.  
7 “Let us build up these towns,” he said to Judah, “and put walls around them, with towers, gates and bars. The land is still ours, because we have sought the LORD our God; we sought him and he has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.  
  
This is a story that starts with Asa turning from Idolatry of foreign Gods to the one true God. It is easy to shift our worship from the one true God to other idols – maybe money, or power, or some other temptation. As we begin prayer can you examine your life for places where you might be centering yourself around something other than God? 
 
Why do you think it is so easy for us to shift our orientation from God to other things? In ancient times, people worshipped physical idols. What are things that people in our culture worship, other than worshipping God? Consider, as you listen again, how Asa dealt with those false idols. 
  
Asa reoriented the city from idols to the one true God, and the city was built up and prospered. God gave the city rest as it oriented back to God. What does that speak to you about your own life? Where do you search for peace? As we close our time of prayer, might you give yourself fully to God, so that you might receive his rest?  
 
Music: "You Have Our Yes" - Vineyard Worship  
YOU HAVE OUR YES [Official Lyric Video] | Vineyard Worship (Feat. Marc James & Cathy Burton) 

Today is September 26  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from the book of James, chapter 1.   
  
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.   
  
As we enter our time of prayer, take a moment to think of a way you are persevering; something you are doing despite the desire to give up. Does it test your faith?  
  
What is it that keeps you going?  Is it God?  
 
How present is God to you in the times you want to quit? How close do you allow Him to get when you're gritting your teeth?  Sometimes, we don't even understand why we are persevering. How close do you feel to the Holy Spirit then? Are you persevering willingly in those moments?  
   
As we close our time of prayer, ask God for the wisdom to persevere. Maybe you need to know why you have to work so hard to be mature and complete. Maybe you need to know how to keep going. Ask for some of the generous knowledge He offers. It’s always available.  
  
Music: "You Don't Have to Lose Heart" Vineyard Worship  
You Don't Have To Lose Heart | Official Lyric Video | Vineyard Worship 

Today is September 25  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
 
Today’s reading is from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 18.   
  
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.   
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.   
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  
  
In this verse, Jesus very straightforwardly tells us exactly how to deal with conflict. He doesn't even use a story to get this point across. It's that important. How do you deal with the sins of your fellow Christians? Do you point out flaws like Jesus would, talk privately, and then let God do the work in their heart? Or do you ask another person their advice, let the person know publicly, and then angrily cut them out of your life forever? 
   
"Treat them as you would a pagan or tax collector." As you hear the scripture again, consider how Jesus treated the pagan and the tax collector; like enemies? Like lost sheep in need of saving. He didn't condemn or shame. He forgave, freed and loved even people who betrayed Him, if they had faith and turned to God, because if someone is truly focuses on Him, they show up and do their best in this life to glorify Him, even though they can’t be perfect.  
   
As we close our time of contemplation think about this: 
Do you have the faith to be forgiven for your sins by turning toward God?  
Is it harder to forgive or be forgiven? Try doing one or the other today.   
  
Music: "Throne of Grace" - Vineyard Worship  
Throne of Grace 

Today is September 24.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.  
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 4.  
  

      9 Two are better than one,  
         because they have a good return for their labor:  
      10 If either of them falls down,  
         one can help the other up.  
         But pity anyone who falls  
         and has no one to help them up.  
      11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  
         But how can one keep warm alone?  
      12 Though one may be overpowered,  
         two can defend themselves.  
         A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 
  

Welcome to prayer. Let’s begin by getting oriented to the Lord’s presence. HE is near to you, even now, wherever you find yourself. Invite Him to draw you further into awareness of His goodness.  
   
Our reading today is a well-known passage from Ecclesiastes, that speaks to the goodness of life in community. Two are better than one, the author says. But for so many in our world today, loneliness feels like more of a reality than community does. How do you come to prayer today? Do you feel ‘kept warm’ by community? Or do you feel alone? Talk to the Lord about this as we read the passage again. 
   
“Pity the one who falls and has no one to help them up…” do you know someone who is feeling particularly alone right now? Are you ever in a place to be present to someone who has ‘no one else to help them’? our world is full of lonely people. As we end our time of prayer today, ask God for eyes to see those who need a friend. And for those who feel lonely, invite the Lord into that as a conversation, and allow Him to minister His presence to you. 
 
Music: Dwell - Vineyard Columbus - YouTube

Today is September 23.


The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from Psalm 128.  
  
  
      1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,  
         who walk in obedience to him.  
      2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;  
         blessings and prosperity will be yours.  
      3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine  
         within your house;  
         your children will be like olive shoots  
         around your table.  
      4 Yes, this will be the blessing  
         for the person who fears the LORD.  
       5 May the LORD bless you from Zion;  
         may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem  
         all the days of your life.  
      6 May you live to see your children’s children—  
         peace be on Israel. 
  
  
Four times this Psalm speaks blessing. God’s desire and heart is blessing. In the Bible, blessing is the flourishing and multiplication of life. Take a moment and settle yourself in the reality that God desires to bless, to bless, and not to curse. To cause your life to flourish and multiply.  
   
Blessing is practical and multi-dimensional. In this Psalm it’s the flouishing of family, of relationship, of provision, of prosperity, and of peace. As you listen to the Psalm again, ask the Lord to draw your attention to a particular phrase that you can hold onto today, an area where you would like to see the blessing of God in your life. 
   
Blessed are all those who walk in obedience to the Lord, the psalmist writes. As we end our time of prayer today, would you invite God to draw you further into obedience? What is one area where the Lord is asking for you to trust and obey him? Pray for grace today that you might persevere in obedience and experience the overflow of his blessing.  

Music: All Things - Heaven and Earth - YouTube

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Today is September 20. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.    
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Haggai, chapter 2.   
  
6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”   
   
God points out that the gold and silver are his. God is demanding what is rightly His not so He can store it up for himself and count it, or build statues of himself so that people bow down and show their reverence to him. He's planning a place for His peace for the people. A place to restore what was lost to sin. Where do you go to restore what has been lost to sin?  
  
What if we used all of God's silver and gold to glorify him? Can you think of a better use for it? What if instead of wrapping it around our necks and arms, we worked together to build a place of perfect peace on Earth with it.  
  
What can you give back to God today that is rightfully His? Silver? Gold? Time? Energy? Love? Give something back to God today, no matter how insignificant it feels.  
  
Music: "Restore" - Samuel Lane/Vineyard Worship  
Restore - Samuel Lane [lyric video taken from The Difference] 

Today is September 19  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
  
Today’s reading is from the book of 1 Kings, chapter 10.  
 
1 When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king t 
o explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.   
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”   
  
The Queen of Sheba wasn't expecting to be so impressed with King Solomon. She, a woman of great wealth, traveled very far to see this famed kingdom for herself. She had heard the rumors, but when she arrived, she was overwhelmed. "How happy your people must be!" she saw even servants wearing remarkable clothing. What she witnessed was a society that began with the creating of a temple to God, built itself up by following the instructions of God, and maintained itself by mutual trust and obedience to God. As we enter our time of prayer today, consider the connection between happiness and putting God first. 
  
God was at the center of their existence and they followed him faithfully. Think of the unity they felt, the way they were thriving by trusting and serving God, and maintaining justice and righteousness. Think about what would it be like to live in a society that was so just it was overwhelming. 

When we put God first in even the smallest ways, things fall into place. As we close our time of prayer, ask yourself, What is one thing I can do to today put God first in my life?   

Music: "Christ Above Me" - Vineyard Worship (UK) 
CHRIST ABOVE ME [Official Lyric Video] | Vineyard Worship feat. Kate Cooke

Today is September 18  

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.   
  
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”    
   
Today’s reading is from the book of Hebrews, chapter 9.   
  
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!  
  
The Israelites did all of these things to cleanse their consciences. They had to atone somehow, for the way they were disappointing a perfect God. But, it didn't work. All of the sacrifice, all of the effort, all of the blood, and they still had to carry the weight of their own sin and shame with them every day. Take a moment and reflect on any of that kind of weight you might be carrying today. 
  
We don't have to present sacrificial blood for our sins anymore. And we don't need to carry the burden of sin and shame. Jesus came so we didn't have to do either. He came so that you and I could walk around with our heads held high, as his followers, serving Him. Listen to the passage again with this in mind… and consider the freedom Christ brings to us… 
   
Jesus’ will was perfect, and no part of him was subject to doing the wrong thing. What do you think it would be like to walk through life knowing the Father abided in you and guided your every step. Since Jesus lived a perfect life, we pay attention, and try to live as close to the way He did as possible. Some people struggle to feel like they are enough, because they still carry the weight of the sin and shame that Jesus sacrificed himself to free us of. They race and climb, trying to make themselves feel like they've made it. But what if that feeling never comes? All the money, and power, and friends don't satisfy our need for enough of God's love. Why do we just keep pushing ourselves until we break, to get more of these things? Should we slow down for a second, and think about what truly makes us enough? 

Music: "Nothing But The Blood" - Joshua Miller 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC5tuDuJka8