Be Still: Daily Devotional

Today is August 29.

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 Matthew, chapter 1.  
 

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. 
 

As you come to prayer today, is there any part of Joseph’s experience in this reading that you might identify with? Scripture tells us that Joseph was a faithful man, a kind man… AND clearly, a man who’s plans had been radically interrupted by God. No one anticipates having their life turned upside down by the call of God. Can you recall a time in your own life where you experienced the interruptive call of God?  
  
When we listen to familiar passages like this one, sometimes we forget that our sisters and brothers who experienced these things didn’t know ‘the rest of the story’. They said yes without knowing the full picture, the whole history of which they were a part. When Mary said yes to the angel, and when Joseph was obedient to God’s commands… they had zero idea what was going to happen. Their YES was given out of obedience to God, trust in God’s character, and faith in God’s power. Listen again, and try to imagine what it would be like for Joseph. 
  
As we come to an end of our time of prayer, ask God for the kind of faith that Joseph demonstrated when he said YES to God… not knowing what was ahead.

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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 28.


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 Amos, chapter 9.  
 

“In that day  
         “I will restore David’s fallen shelter—  
         I will repair its broken walls  
         and restore its ruins—  
         and will rebuild it as it used to be,  
      so that they may possess the remnant of Edom  
         and all the nations that bear my name, 
           declares the LORD, who will do these things.  
 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD,  
         “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman  
         and the planter by the one treading grapes.  
         New wine will drip from the mountains  
         and flow from all the hills,  
        and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. 
  
         “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.  
         They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;  
         they will make gardens and eat their fruit.  
      I will plant Israel in their own land,  
         never again to be uprooted  
         from the land I have given them,”  
            says the LORD your God. 
  
 
Welcome to prayer today. As we begin, take a few quiet moments to consider these promises from God, who says: I will repair, I will restore, I will rebuild……. Are there places in your life right now where you feel needy of God’s repair, restoration, or rebuilding? Hold those things before Him. 
  
As you listen to this text again, consider the faith, hope, and love they would stir up in the hearts of those who heard them in ancient days. And ask God to stir up your own faith, hope, and love…  
 
We are a kingdom people… believing in God that He is making all things new. Talk to God as we close our time of prayer… bringing to Him all of the places in your life where you feel personally in need of repair or restoration… and all of the places where the world around us is crying out for repair and restoration.  
 
Music: "You Speak" -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 27.


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 15.  
  

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  
  

Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? Maybe at a wedding where you didn't know anyone else but the bride, or at work where everyone seems to leave you out. Or you may even feel that way in your own family. Everyone experiences times when they feel alienated from others. No one likes feeling different. Call to mind a situation where you yourself felt as if you didn't belong. 
  
God created us for connection. As you hear these words of Jesus again, listen for a particular phrase that stands out to you, and talk to the Lord about what it brings up for you. 
   
The next time you feel like you don't belong, try to remember that you are not alone.  
You are meant to stand out as a beacon of hope in the darkness.  As we end our time of prayer, ask God to draw near to you, and to remind you of his faithfulness.

Music: Restore - 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 26.


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 Nehemiah, chapter 9.  
  

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.  
 

The Israelites had just spent time reflecting on God’s faithfulness and the trials he has sustained them through. In looking back, they could see how their disobedience had caused all of the calamity that had come upon them, and how His hand had guided their ancestors through war, slavery, and desert wandering. They read the scriptures and meditated on them, and their response was penitence, confession, and worship. When you consider what God has brought you through in your life, what kind of response rises up in you?  
  
The Israelites had endured great instability and unrest, and had allowed their love for God and obligations to God to be neglected, including their regular observation of the Sabbath. As you hear the passage again, think about your own relationship with God. What aspects of your own devotion have you neglected?   
  
As we close our time of prayer today, take a few moments and confess your sin of neglect to God and ask him for a renewed desire for and love for his word? Ask him to come by his spirit to give you a pure heart toward him again. 

Music: Come Now Is The Time To Worship - 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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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 August 23.

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 Samuel, chapter 11.  
 

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die. When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.  
 

The last line of this translation feels pretty understated to me. David lusted after his friend’s wife, so he sent his friend to the front lines of fighting, abandoned him on purpose, and left him to be killed. When I listen to this passage, I feel angry. Angry at David and angry at the way human beings can be so callus and hurtful. Angry at how even God-followers have hearts full of evil. Angry even at myself… because I know I have this same thread of sin in my own heart. Often, when we come to prayer, we feel like we need to hide our anger, or other ‘negative’ emotions. Take some time to examine your own heart. What feelings are you holding onto today?  
  
Our translation says that the Lord was displeased. The actual Hebrew word is much stronger. It means distressed by that which is dysfunctional or evil. It has connotations of that which is broken or crushed. What David did didn’t just make God angry like it made me angry. David’s actions had a crushing, a breaking impact. Because God is just. God is good. God saw what David did and saw that it was evil. Listen to the passage again with this more robust translation in mind. 
  
It is easy to read about this horrid episode in the life of David and call it egregious sinfulness. But I wonder where it is that I have done something that has displeased the Lord. I wonder: what have I done, or what am I doing, that has a crushing or breaking impact on God’s character. This is not easy to consider! It’s not something I like to think about! But as we end our time of prayer, can you ask God for grace to show you if there is anything happening in your own life, or heart, or actions… that is displeasing to Him?  Talk to God about these things.   
 
Music: "Kyrie Eleison" - 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 22.


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 Philippians, chapter 3.  
 

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.   
 
 
St Paul had what we might call a stellar resume’ when it came to religious zealousness. He had, he wrote, lots of reasons to be confident in his own achievements. But of course WE know that all of these things he did – all of these human achievements, accomplishments, were aimed at a prize he realized was – as he calls it – garbage. He came to realize that his achievements actually were working contrary to the purposes of God. Before he met Christ, he was a persecutor of Christians. Take a moment and imagine the feelings Paul may have wrestled with emotionally and spiritually when he considered who he was before he met Christ. 
  
So often, we listen to scripture as though it’s a play, not a description of reality. Paul is St Paul, the Apostle Paul, Saul the Pharisee… but Paul is also just an ordinary guy. Some 1st century guy with a radical call from God that totally interrupted everything he had been so convinced was true. Listen to the words of this letter again, and ask God to make you attentive to what Paul may have been feeling as he wrote these words.
  
When I listen to Paul, I hear a man rescued. A man who had his certainty interrupted by faith, and who had his religion interrupted by grace. When I listen to Paul, I have a feeling that I need to be interrupted, yet again, by a vision of Jesus. That I need to remember that so much of what I hold dear is pretty much garbage. That gaining Christ isn’t some religious acquisition, but an entrance into a radical, life-changing, soul-charging, eye-opening, heart-filling life with God. If you feel tired, worn out, or weary today… end your time of prayer talking to God about what it means to come to Him, and to learn His ways, and to experience the same knowledge of Christ that Paul himself had.

Music: "All Who Are Thirsty" - 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 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.  
  
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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 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.

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 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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