| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Hearing from God” Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV) Our thought for today: “God doesn’t need words” I love the Sabbath day, and lucky me, I get two Sabbath days every week. Well, actually, I get two half-Sabbaths every week. Sabbath is a day for both worship and rest. Sunday is definitely a day of worship for me, but it is not a day of rest. The worship experience at our church is awesome, but it’s also the busiest workday of the week for me. Monday, on the other hand, is a day of rest. It’s the other half of my Sabbath. And I do love Mondays! The Lord has recently blessed me with a big new deck on the front of my house. I have comfortable chairs and a firepit there and I love to spend a couple of early-morning hours out on that deck with a fire, a cup of coffee, my study Bible, and the Lord. This is some of my best time with the Lord all week. This is when He speaks to me the most – but not in audible ways and in fact, not with words at all. In those quiet times God speaks with His presence. It’s Psalm 46:10, “Just be still, Jim, and know that I am God.” I think about that verse a lot as I’m sitting out there in the cool early morning, listening to the birds sing, watching the squirrels play, enjoying the peace and quiet. It’s renewing and refreshing. It is soul-care. Is that God speaking to me? Does God speak in the stillness, in the quietness, and does He do it without words? Yes, He does. In John 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” When God speaks to us by means of His presence, He is in fact communicating with us, and sometimes it can be much more powerful and much more effective than anything He says with words. With respect to Psalm 46:10 and John 14:27 God is saying, “Just rest Jim. Lay aside your cares and concerns and just enjoy being with Me.” Much of what we will consider this month regarding how God speaks to us will be about written words in the Bible; spoken words from friends and counselors; and words that are sung, preached, and prayed. It will involve words. We will also consider how it is that God speaks to us by orchestrating the circumstances of our lives (opening and closing doors of opportunity, creating patterns for us to observe and follow, and much more.) But we should be careful not to discount how He also speaks to us by saying nothing at all. I encourage you to make sure you allow time to just sit quietly and soak-in the presence of God. Just be still before Him and know that He is God. Doing so is peaceful, refreshing, and renewing. It is soul-care. God doesn’t need words to speak to us. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you read in the daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us every Sunday at 10:00. Join us in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you are a shut-in, join us online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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