Be Still: Daily Devotional

Today is August 21.

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 John, chapter 17. 
 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.  
 

This reading records the words of Jesus of Nazareth himself praying for me. Praying for you. As God-in-the-flesh-himself is preparing to go to the cross, what seems to be on His heart in this prayer is that you and I would be as knit together in belonging and in unity as God the son is with God the father, through God the spirit. It is difficult – impossible really – for our human minds to grasp the unity that Jesus is praying about here. He’s not just praying about a unity of mind…. A common way of thinking or being in the world. He’s not just praying about an emotional unity: all for one, and one for all. He’s praying about an existential unity: a unity that defines our very being. As you come to prayer this morning, how unified to you feel with God the father, son, and spirit? Take time to slow down, and settle into awareness of God’s with-ness not just with you, but inside of you, right now, wherever it is you find yourself?  
  
The unity that Jesus prays for between believers is, I think, impossible to achieve if we are not ourselves keenly aware of what it means to abide with Christ. To abide in the vine. It is only out of this ‘oneness’ with God, through Jesus, by the spirit of God… that we can ‘be brought to complete unity’ with other believers. Listen again, and mediate on this unity that Jesus prays for…  
  
Are you abiding in God? How long does it take for you to forget to ‘remain in Him’ – and become distracted by the demands of the day, or your frustrations, or all the things that divide and separate?  What habit might you want to build into your day that will help you return to a practice of ‘abiding’? Perhaps an alarm to remind you to slow down and pray? Perhaps a bedtime routine of examine? The more our world speeds up, the more we need to resist the chaos and return to abide in Christ. My prayer for you today is that you are reminded by the gentle voice of your God to ‘resist and return’ to Him over and over, and that you would find unity with Him in a deeper way, today.  
  
Music: "Reign In Me - 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 August 20.


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 Genesis, chapter 45.  
  

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.  
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 
  

This passage describes a man, Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery. Slavery led him to prison to die, but a divine turn of events led to his rise to power over Egypt. Joseph had become a high ranking official in Egypt. He had risen above his circumstances, and he could see God's hand moving. Things had worked out quite well for him, despite the challenges, and now he was in a situation where he could help his family. But in this moment, Joseph was confronted with the fact that he hadn't been able to fully forgive them for what they had done. Take a moment and consider what it would have felt like to be Joseph in that situation. What would he have felt?    
  
Think for a moment about a situation in your life where you have been hurt. It could have been years ago, something that happened in your childhood. Or maybe a more recent break in a relationship with a loved one. Or a friend. As you listen to the passage again, imagine this passage is about you and that other person. What feelings or emotions rise to the surface as you consider your own situation?  
 
As we close our time of prayer today, I wonder if you could take an area of unforgiveness in your life and lay it before God. Ask Him to help you understand what his purpose is for your pain, and how you can take a small step toward forgiveness. Could you ask God for grace to see how this is part of your larger redemption story? One that ends with more joy than the pain you feel now.

Music: God Has Been Good To Me - Vineyard Columbus - (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 August 19.

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 101.  
  

      I will sing of your love and justice;  
         to you, LORD, I will sing praise.  
      I will be careful to lead a blameless life—  
         when will you come to me?  
         I will conduct the affairs of my house  
         with a blameless heart.  
      I will not look with approval  
         on anything that is vile.  
         I hate what faithless people do;  
         I will have no part in it.  
  

Welcome to prayer, my friends. This section of the psalm has a lot of divergent sorts of vocabulary: love, justice, careful, blameless, vile, faithless. It’s a bit all over the place. How are you feeling as you come to prayer? Invite the Lord to abide with you now, and take a bit more time of quiet contemplation. Welcome the spirit of God to increase His presence to you. 
   
Several of these phrases stand out to me: i will sing of your love. I will be careful to lead a blameless life. When will you come to me? I will not approve what is vile. What stands out to you? I’m noticing the polarity between that which is just, and blameless... and that which is vile, and faithless. Listen again and pay attention for a word or phrase that stands out to you. 
 
As we end our time of prayer, take the phrase that stood out and recall it to mind. Maybe you’ve already forgotten it! No problem, just rewind a bit and find it again. I want for you to ask God to deepen that scripture into your mind and heart so that it informs your behavior today. 

Music: You Are Worthy Of My Praise - Vineyard Worship - (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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Today is August 18

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 Joel, chapter 2.

28 “And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
29 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Do you feel thirsty for God’s Spirit today? Is your cup overflowing? Instead of a lot of words today, let’s lean into a prayerful abiding with the Lord. We’ll take the next thirty seconds to quietly sit with the presence of God. If you’re able to, sit down or stand quietly with your eyes closed. You may open your hands to the Lord, or put one hand over your heart, or simple find a comfortable posture. Focus on taking a few, slow breaths, and pray… Come: Holy Spirit…

We are people of the presence of God, and while we know that He abides with us, we very often lose our sense of Him. Throughout your day today, bring your attention back to God and ask him to increase your hunger and thirst for His spirit. Be attentive to His presence with you, and the gift he has to give you.

Music Credit:
"Breathe On Us" - 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

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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.

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Today is August 15.


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 gospel of John, chapter 14.  
 

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  
 

Jesus is talking here with his disciples… those he called his friends. Sometimes, when we read this passage, we might think about it in an exacting way: ‘does this mean, if I pray for anything I want, and then say ‘in jesus name!’ I’ll get it? Instead of thinking about this scripture in an exacting way, can you think about the depth of what Jesus is trying to communicate to his friends? He seems to be trying to get them to understand that even when he is gone to His father, when he appears far off, that he wants them to continue to ask him for things…  Are there any requests that you have for Jesus, as you come to Him in prayer now?  
  
Throughout scripture, God teaches His people that He is their provider. He is our good shepherd. And He says that not only can we ask for His provision, but also that we can hear his voice. Listen again to His words, and as you do, try to consider what it was like for the disciples to hear Jesus say these things… Imagine His gentle and earnest tone of voice, and how it would have felt to them that Jesus would say such generous words to them. 
  
Think, as we end, about what it means that Jesus says to you… “you may ask me…” Take some time to quiet your heart, and bring your requests to Jesus. 
 
Music: "Heaven's Work" -Vineyard Soul - (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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Today is August 14.


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 Romans, chapter 14.  
 

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 
  


The Apostle Paul is guiding the church in Rome about their posture with one another when they disagreed about ‘disputable matters’. Disputable matters would be those practices we have as Christians that we follow according to our own conscience. They aren’t over primary matters of orthodoxy, but things that are of secondary importance. In this case, he’s talking about certain dietary limitations some Christians put on themselves, but that other Christians didn’t feel were necessary. Paul is helping to define their posture of love, service, and humility toward one another… even when they disagreed about certain things. As you come to prayer today, search your heart for any places where you feel ‘in dispute or disagreement’ with a Christian sister or brother.  
  
In some ways, it’s comforting to remember that Christians through the ages have struggled with disputable matters, quarreling. In other ways, it’s a frustrating truth that even those of us who confess ‘Jesus is Lord’ can disagree about so many things! We live in a cultural climate of great dispute. Great disagreement. Listen again to Paul’s exhortation and ask the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to the posture He calls us to as His followers.  
  
I pray that we followers of Jesus would have great spiritual sensitivity to ‘know when we are no longer acting in love’ toward one another. Are there ‘matters of dispute’ in today’s church that you find particularly distressing? Bring those concerns to God and ask for his people and his church to be marked by love and unity in Christ.  
 
Music: "All The Same" - Vineyard Worship - (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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Today is August 13.
 
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 2 Samuel, chapter 18.  
  

While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates, the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked out, he saw a man running alone. The watchman called out to the king and reported it. The king said, “If he is alone, he must have good news.” And the runner came closer and closer. Then the watchman saw another runner, and he called down to the gatekeeper, “Look, another man running alone!”  
The king said, “He must be bringing good news, too.”  
The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”  
Ahimaaz answered, “I saw great confusion just as Joab was about to send the king’s servant and me, your servant, but I don’t know what it was.”  
The king said, “Stand aside and wait here.” So he stepped aside and stood there.  
Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”  
The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”  
The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”  
The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” 
  
  
Perhaps this passage is difficult to understand. To put it simply, King David is waiting for news about his son, Absalom. And the news he receives is bad... King David, the text tells us, is shaken, goes to his room to be on his own, and weeps. David’s life is full of emotion, and pain, and victory – and like in this passage – all those are often comingled. Talk to the Lord about how much emotion David demonstrates. How do you deal with your own emotions? With grief, or pain? 
   
The Bible is not afraid to narrate the truth of the world. The Bible doesn’t paint a picture of a spiritual life that is simplistic, or escapist, or void of difficulty. The Bible, which is a story about where we are coming from, and where we are heading, and what story we are a part of... is filled with the kind of disorder and emotional reality that are lives are filled with. Listen to the story again and consider how it describes David. Imagine him: a father... waiting.... for news. 
   
There is a lot of rich history and theology to this passage, but what I find striking is the plain grief. David was shaken. David wept. Oh my son, David cried out. Do you hold any areas of grief in your life right now? Do you know anyone else who does? How might you be present to your own grief, or to the grief of someone you care about? Ask the Lord to guide you in the ways of all comfort today.

Music: Great Are You Lord - Vineyard Columbus - (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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Today is August 12.

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 Ephesians, chapter 5.  


For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 
  

The contrast of light and darkness in the Scripture is connected with our actions, our deeds. Good deeds are done often in the light and are like light. They shine God’s goodness all around. But bad deeds are often done in the dark and are like dark. They cover us with shame and darkness. Take a moment and consider your own life... think about a time when you did something good out of a good heart. How did that make you and others feel? Now, think for a moment about a time when you did something bad out of a bad heart. How did that make you or others feel?  
  
The Apostle Paul uses the image of light and darkness to describe that feeling. When we do bad things out of a bad heart it’s like cold darkness covering over us. But when we do good things from a good heart? It’s like warm light shining all around. In fact, he says we are the light in the Lord when we shine by doing good. As you hear the passage again, feel the light in this passage.  

All of us sin and at times walk in darkness. What’s important is to know that you can come into the light, right now! You don’t have to hide, or be ashamed, or be afraid? Why? Because we know that God always has forgiveness for us. When we confess, he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sin and make us clean. So right now, as we close our time. Confess your sin to him and be clean. And now that you are clean, today, ask God to help you not only walk in the light, but be light to others.

Music: Eternal Light - 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

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Today is August 11.

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 Samuel, chapter 30.

3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

There is a lot in this ancient text that we find hard to understand. But there is one thing that makes perfect sense to us, even in our modern world: we know what it feels like to feel grief.

David and his men were grieved by profound and traumatic loss. They were greatly distressed. They wept until they had not more strength. As you come to prayer today... what emotions are you carrying? Can you speak them out to the Lord?

David cries until he has no more strength, the scripture tells us. And then: he found strength in the Lord. This scripture doesn’t tell us that David felt strong the whole way through. Quite the opposite: he felt totally empty. Totally weak. Totally bankrupt. And then, in that state, he turned to the Lord. Listen again. If you are in a season of grief, or weakness, or emptiness right now... can you turn to the Lord like David did? Can you ask Him to renew your strength?

Where is it that you feel emptied today? What is it that you need? What feels impossible, but by the grace of God? Sometimes we hold those things as worries, as anxieties. We ruminate on them instead of praying. As we end, take a moment and talk to God – out loud even – about where it is you feel grieved, or emptied, or weak. And invite Him, by the power of the Spirit, to fill you up. Again, sometimes giving voice to our prayers – even in a whisper – helps us to move from anxiously ruminating or worrying... to actually abiding with our Father in heaven.

Music Credit:
Invitacion Fountain - Vineyard Worship (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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