A Prescription
Have you ever had a verse jump off the page of your Bible?
Verse of the Day
“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Today’s Devotional
Today is the last day of our look at the discipline of solitude and silence. I need to admit that this discipline has been (and is) hard for me. I am good at the small, daily times of solitude with God, but I am not good at living a life that embraces inner stillness. Foster stated that: “Solitude is more a state of mind and heart than it is a place. There is a solitude of the heart that can be maintained at all times.” The solitude of the heart is where I see an opportunity for me to grow.
As I have been wrestling with this, God has been kindly showing me that He is with me. When I read today’s verses, I felt like a spotlight landed on them. In chapter 50 of Psalms, God is telling the people of Israel that He has no problem with their animal sacrifices, but He also doesn’t need these sacrifices because all of the animals are His to begin with. To translate that into our lives, what rituals do we do as part of our faith that have become routine? Is it church attendance? Do we go to church as part of our worship of God or because it’s just what we do? Have our prayers become stale – done out of obligation instead of a true desire to talk to our Father? Do we serve others with the right spirit?
God gives us a prescription for realigning with Him in today’s verses:
- Offer Him our gratitude
- Keep our word to Him
- Call on God when we need help
- Give Him the glory when He helps us.
As I read these words, I felt like God was encouraging me to take small moments of solitude to offer Him thanks. There have been many times recently when I have wanted to ask for help first. But these verses keep playing in my head. So before I ask for help, I take the time to think of the things I need to thank God for. I fully believe that being a person of gratitude helps me to keep my word to God and others, it helps me to trust that He will help me when I ask, and it helps me to give Him glory for everything that He is doing in my life.
Teresa of Avila said, “Settle yourself in solitude and you will come upon Him in yourself.” We are told in Scripture that the Holy Spirit dwells within us. So maybe as we take the time to quiet the noise, we will become aware of God’s Presence within us. Maybe that’s what we have needed all along.
The Lord is in His holy temple, the all the earth be silent before Him.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you offer God a sacrifice of thankfulness today?
How do you need to keep your word to God?
What do you need God’s help with today?
How can you give God glory today?
How can you become a person of inner stillness before God?