Be Still: Daily Devotional

Today is the 12th day of Lent.
 
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 Psalm 128.
 

How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
    all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
    How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
    flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
    as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing
    for those who fear him.
May the Lord continually bless you from Zion.
    May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.
May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
    May Israel have peace!

 
This is a song that pilgrims would sing on the road to Jerusalem as they would travel to celebrate holy days like Passover. Take a moment and imagine what it would be like to be a pilgrim on that road filled with people. Can you hear the children laughing? Can you see the dust on your feet? Can you feel the fresh breeze coming up from the valley? Can you hear yourself singing as you walk through the gates of Jerusalem? You are finally home with God.

These pilgrims had oriented their whole lives—their personal, family, and communal life around the worship of God. The idea is that when you orient your whole life around God, God will bless you, life will go well with you. As you hear the passage again, think about how God has blessed you because you’ve oriented your life around him.

As you continue through your day, be mindful of the ways that God continues to bless you. Do you have joy today? Are you flourishing? Is your life prosperous? Do you enjoy the blessing of friendships or family? Have you been blessed with a long life? Keep a posture of thanksgiving throughout your day.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: All The Ways - 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 the 11th day of Lent.
 
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 Numbers, chapter 21.
 

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.


Have you ever wanted something so bad only to finally get it and be disappointed by it? Maybe that thing that you wanted so badly even became a source of pain for you? So much so that you would do anything to get rid of it, or to wind the clock back and do it over? I wonder if that’s what the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites was like. “God, if this is what you meant by the promised land, then take me back to Egypt!”

Think back to a time when God began something new in your life. Maybe it was when you first trusted on Christ for salvation. Or perhaps a moment when you felt like you heard him calling you to something much bigger than yourself. Or maybe God you heard God speak an unspeakable promise to your heart. Have you seen the fulfillment of that work? Or is it a work in progress? Or have you given up hope? Maybe you’re even disappointed at God about it. As you hear the passage again, bring that thing to Him in prayer.

Just because you aren’t yet in the promised land doesn’t mean that God isn’t faithfully working out his good plans and purpose for your life. As we close our time in prayer, ask God to increase your faith that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: Patient Work - 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 the 9th day of Lent. 
 
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 Psalm 95.

 
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
    let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
    and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
    the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
    and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.
Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
    as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
    they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”


This psalm harkens back to the great Exodus of Israel from Egypt, where God set his people free. And the result of Exodus is worship. Moses told Pharoah, God says, “let my people go that they may worship me.” Think for a moment about the places where God has brought Exodus, newfound freedom into your life. Maybe freedom from guilt, or freedom from shame, or freedom from sorrow or sadness. Take a moment to worship God for your newfound freedom.

The psalm also talks about temptations. The Israelites were set free to worship God but they found themselves in the wilderness where their faith and trust in God were tested. And in the midst of being tested, they hardened their hearts toward God. As you hear the scripture again, identify an area of your life where you are being tested.
 
The number ‘forty’ is an important number in the Bible. In the Old Testament the Israelites failed to trust God in the wilderness and for forty years were made to wander in circles. In the New Testament, Jesus was tested for 40 days in the wilderness, yet he succeeded in trusting God and fulfilled what Israel couldn’t fulfill on their own. The same is true for you and me. As we continue through these forty days of Lent, thank God that he fulfills all that you can’t, on your own.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: I Bless the Lord - 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 the 8th day of Lent. 
 
Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. 

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 2nd Timothy.
 

I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.


Paul encourages Timothy by reminding him that his own faith was deposited in him through his mother and grandmother. Was there a person in your life, maybe a family member, who was intentional to instill the gift of faith in you? Or maybe someone else that God brough into your life who had a role in shaping your faith? Take a few moments to recall that person, and to thank God for them.

This passage reminds us that our faith is passed on to us through others, and needs to be passed on by us to others. Who are you passing your faith on to right now? A child perhaps? A friend? A colleague? Perhaps there’s no one who comes to mind. Could you pray for that person, or pray that God gives you someone to pass your faith along to?

Paul writes with such encouragement to Timothy. Who can you encourage today? As we close our time, ask God for a spirit of power and love, that you might be an encouragement to someone around you today.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: Fall Afresh - Vineyard Worship/Samuel - (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 the 8th day of Lent.

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 Exodus, Chapter 34.
 

The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”


This is the story of the ten commandments. But it’s part two, because the first time around… the whole thing turned out to be a disaster. Moses left the people to meet with God, but they started to worship an idol and when Moses got back to them with the law of God, he became so angry He threw the tablets and broke them. It’s funny, isn’t it: that what was meant to be such a holy moment got turned around and filled with impatience, idolatry, and anger. How do you imagine Moses felt?
 
Think about a situation in your life where you’ve been slow to hear God’s word to you, whether a new direction or a word of correction. Maybe God has had to come back to you again and again to accomplish his purpose in your life. As you listen to the passage again, consider not only how God is patient with the Israelites, but how patient he is with you.

Moses learned to be courageous with God. He prays: God… even though we are stubborn and wicked and sinful… even though we couldn’t get this right the first time… can we still be your people? Will you still take us as your inheritance? As we close our time, take heart because no matter what your track record is with God, his track record with you is consistent: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
  
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: What Can Separate - 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 the 6th day of Lent. 
 
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 Hebrews, Chapter 4.

 
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.



The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus, the son of God was tempted in every way, just as we are, but did not sin. Consider how you may have been tempted recently: to lie, to cheat, to gossip, to malign someone, to explode in anger… Have you ever imagined that God Himself, as Christ, was tempted in precisely those same ways? How does that make you feel?
 
Christ can empathize with us in our temptation. But He did something we can’t do: he persevered through temptation without sin. As you listen to the reading again, contemplate the profound truth that God, in Christ, can identify with you in your temptation, and he has mercy on you as you are tempted.
 
Imagine that for a moment—Christ giving up His protected power and privilege so that he might be able to empathize with us. Can you imagine, right now, the God of the universe looking on you with empathy, mercy, and grace? As you walk through your day today, ask God to so fill you with his mercy that it overflows to someone in your life who needs it.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: Throne of Grace - 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 the 5th day of Lent. 
 
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 32.

 
Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you
while you may be found;
surely the rising of the mighty waters
will not reach them.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
 

This Psalm shows two ways of dealing with our sinfulness. We can keep silent… Or, we can ‘acknowledge our sin to God’. Which of those is more natural to you? Do you have a regular time and safe space for confession? Or, do you tend to hold those things in, keeping them private, or even secret?
 
As you listen to the psalm again, pay attention to the weightiness in the first few verses… describing what happens when we ‘keep silent’… and to the change in tone when the psalmist describes what happens after he acknowledges His sins, and stops covering up…

We often think that by covering up, by hiding, we will feel safest. But that’s not true. When we speak out what is real… even the difficult things… we find ourselves experiencing more intimacy with God. Christians throughout the centuries have found incredible freedom in practicing confession with others. James tells us to “confess our sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed.” Today, you may want to ask for courage to practice confession, not just to God, but through a trusted friend, or pastor, or priest.
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: Pour it Out - 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

More at pickerill.casa

Today is the third day of Lent.
 
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 Jonah, chapter 4.
 

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”


Jonah, after a time of running away from the call of God, obeyed God’s commands to declare judgment to the city of Nineveh. To his surprise, the King and the citizens of the city repented, and God showed mercy to them, withdrawing His hand of judgement. Jonah was angered by God’s demonstration of mercy, so much so that he told God He wished he were dead. Keep in mind: Jonah himself had just been shown God’s mercy himself! And now, he was angry that God would extend the same mercy to others. Can you identify with Jonah? Have you ever experienced anger at how merciful God is to those who have offended you, to those you feel are undeserving of mercy?
 
The season of Lent holds a space where we are aware of both judgment and mercy… and where we grow in awareness that judgement belongs to God, and not to us. God reminds Jonah that Jonah is not the creator or sustainer of life, and therefore he is not the judge, either. As you hear the passage again, think of someone in your life who is difficult to extend mercy to, and pray for them.

God seems to be reminding Jonah of who Jonah is, and who God is. Jonah is a man, in need of mercy. God is creator, sustainer, and the only perfect judge. As we end, give God permission to remind you who you are… and who you are not….  
 
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your holy Spirit from me. Give me the joy of your saving help again and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Music: Slow To Anger - 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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