Be Still: Daily Devotional

Today is October 7.

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 Job, chapter 8.


20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless or strengthen the hands of evildoers. 21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. 22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame, and the tents of the wicked will be no more.”


This is a word of encouragement and strengthening to Job, who experienced unimaginable suffering and loss. We all experience suffering and loss in life. As we begin our reflection today, call to mind your own suffering and loss. What is a loss that comes to mind as you think about something that you’ve lost or an experience where you’ve suffered harm. Take a moment and consider how the place of suffering or lost impacted you. What did it do to you spiritually, psychologically, physically, relationally?

Sometimes our past can feel overwhelming. We don’t want to face our pain or loss because it’s too difficult. Sometimes we minimize it, thinking, Well, at least I’m not Job. But in the Bible pain isn’t minimized. And at the same time pain isn’t futile. Over and over again the scriptures offer us hope in the midst of our struggles. As you hear the passage again, can you allow the hope of God to begin to fill your soul?

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter. I love to laugh. People tell me all the time that they know I’m coming because they can hear my laugh. It’s a great antidote, and it’s a promise of God to those who are in pain. You will laugh again. Weeping endures the night but joy and laughter in the morning. As you go through your day today, ask God for moments of joy in your heart and laughter from your mouth.

Music: This Joy - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

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Today is October 6

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

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 Peter, chapter 4.

8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Take time as we begin to contemplate this famous verse: love covers over a multitude of sins. What does that speak to you, today?

There is a lot in these few verses: about love, hospitality, being grumpy, service... listen again to the text and think about what particular part of it connects with you today? What do you think the Lord wants to say to you? Is there a particular situation or person he’s reminding you to ‘love deeply’?

Above all, Peter writes, love each other deeply. Is that easy for you? Difficult? Do you ever think about the nature or quality of your love for other Christians? How about, for other Christians that you disagree with? As we end this week of prayer, ask God to fill you with His love, that you might overflow with Him and not have to rely on your own human strength to love others.

Music Credit:
"What You Ask" - Vineyard Worship/Samuel Lane (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

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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.

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

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Today is October 3 

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 Psalm 84.  
 
      1 How lovely is your dwelling place,  
         LORD Almighty!  
      2 My soul yearns, even faints,  
         for the courts of the LORD;  
         my heart and my flesh cry out  
         for the living God.  
      3 Even the sparrow has found a home,  
         and the swallow a nest for herself,  
         where she may have her young—  
         a place near your altar,  
         LORD Almighty, my King and my God.  
      4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;  
         they are ever praising you.  
  
As you draw near to God today, how aware are you of your need for him? The psalmist writes that their soul yearns, even faints... for the presence of the Lord. Can you take time to become aware of the presence of God with you now?  
  
How settled do you feel, today? Does the picture of a sparrow finding a home feel resonant to you? Do you feel at home, right now, with God? Or perhaps, do you feel far from home? Listen to the psalm again, and allow it to lead you to consider your sense of nearness to... or distance from... God.  
   

Blessed are those who dwell in your house. Take time as we end today to form a mental picture of what it could mean to dwell in the house of the Lord. Do you imagine a nest? Do you imagine a kitchen table? Do you imagine a mansion? Take some time to settle on an image, and invite God to meet you in it as you contemplate dwelling in the Lord’s house today. 
 
Music: "Your Dwelling Place" - Vineyard Worship  
Your Dwelling Place | Live from Anchour Studio feat. Anabeth Morgan | Vineyard Worship 

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

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Today is October 2 

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 1 Peter, chapter 1.  
 
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  
  
Peter writes with such a vigorous hope – what he calls his ‘living hope’. As we begin with prayer today, take a few moments to reflect on the state of your own hopefulness? Or perhaps, your lack of hope about something in particular? Bring it all to the Lord. 
  
Peter also calls us to rejoice - ‘though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief’. He seems so able, at least in this text, to hold this tension between the hardships of this world, and the promise of the next world. Listen again and allow the spirit to draw your attention to a particular word or phrase....  
  
The phrase that stands out for me is ‘in his great mercy’. Especially in times of present hardship, or grief, or testing... it is sometimes difficult to find our footing in the mercy of God. But God IS merciful. He shields you by his power. And He loves you with an everlasting love. Consider for a while what it means for you to be found in His great mercy.  
 
Music: "Your Love" -Vineyard Worship  
Your Love (feat. Tim Brown) 

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is September 30.


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 Esther, chapter 4.  
  

5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.  
6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.  
9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days passed since I was called to go to the king.”  
12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  
15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”  
17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions. 
  

Imagine today that you are in Esther’s place… having to stand up to the King in a time of great trouble for your entire people, fasting and praying and scared.... The task before you is all risk:  You are frightened, in over your head, and alone. . Esther is hungry, frightened, clear about the risks before her… and brave. Take a few moments to identify with what that may have felt like. 
   
Recall a time the Lord called you to obedience to Him, even though it felt like a risk. Listen to the story again with your own experience in mind. Pay attention for a word or phrase that stands out to you.  
   
As we end our time of prayer, consider any position of leadership, or authority, or privilege you may have. Do you ever consider that you have been placed where you are in order to walk out in bravery? What does it mean to you, that perhaps you have come to your own position ‘for such a time as this’? 

Music: Anything and Everything - Heaven and Earth - YouTube

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

Today is September 29

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.

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 Revelation, chapter 12.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”

This week, our scriptures have been focused on facing trials, rebuilding walls and towns, restoring relationships, and having God as our fortress. Consider how often scripture speaks to those of us who follow Jesus, and assumes we’re in a place of hardship, distress, or need. Revelation paints a prophetic picture of this last battle – and points to the triumph of Christ overall. What emotions does all of this bring up in you? Bring one of those emotions before the Lord.

It’s often easy for the language of our faith to become commonplace, to devolve from true faith into shallow religion or ritual. Revelation reminds us that our faith in Christ has implications that we can barely get our minds around: That God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son – and through Him – the salvation, power, and kingdom of God, and the authority of the Messiah has broken into the world to save that which is lost. Listen again and ask God to allow it to rightly orient you to the mystery of your faith.

Our faith in God’s power will often come into conflict with our faith in worldly power. Worldly power coerces, but faith in Christ leads us to consenting to God’s power. Worldly power brings conflict, but faith in Christ bears peace that passes understanding. Worldly power uses might and the sword... but faith in Christ is made up of a reconciliation born out of humility and sacrifice. As we end our time of prayer today, allow these truths to draw you toward Christus Victor – Christ who is victorious in all and overall.
Music Credit:
"You Give Us Peace" - Heaven & Earth (YouTube)

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

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.

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa

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 

Be Still: Daily Devotional with Eric and Julia Pickerill.
Originally produced at Vineyard Columbus and republished by permission.

Subscribe: Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-still-daily-devotional/id1662156224 | Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1vRcmmVmxUU579ZsOFcT1X | Amazon https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c57a529f-db23-427f-87fb-e01cb8ca6b78

More at pickerill.casa