| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Rest, relax, renew” Our Bible verse for today: “My soul finds rest in God alone …” Psalm 62:1 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Experience the peace of God” As I mentioned in the first devotional in this series, I’m on vacation for much of this month but I also wanted to continue sending daily devotionals as well. So, I decided to revisit some devotionals written in past years that pertain to resting, relaxing, and renewing, and simply retool them a bit rather than starting from scratch each day. This morning I return to a devotional that was originally written more than five years ago, during another time of vacation. It’s a bitter/sweet memory for me because it’s about one of my many father/daughter trips with my daughter Tracy. At the time I originally wrote this, we didn’t know that Tracy had cancer and that in two years she would die from it. We miss her terribly but I am so deeply grateful for the special times like this that we had together. (I encourage you to savor and cherish the times you have with your loved ones. We never know when they will no longer be here.) Here’s that devotional: “I had an interesting and enjoyable experience yesterday morning. It was an experience I’ve had many times before, but not so much recently. I’m on vacation right now and I began it with a trip to California to spend a few days with my daughter. Tracy is an adult but she is developmentally disabled, both physically and mentally, and therefore she requires a lot of assistance and attention. I always enjoy my time with her very much, but after several days of providing 24/7 care as we did some vacation activities together, I found myself a bit worn out. Beyond that, my flight home to Tennessee was delayed and I didn’t get home until 3:30 AM. After about four hours of sleep I got up, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat out back on the porch. There was a gentle breeze blowing, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and I had nothing to do and nowhere to go. After four days of airports, rental cars, and caring for Tracy, now it was just me and God, along with the cool breeze, the singing birds, and coffee. There was a deep sense of relaxation and peace. I just sat there soaking-in the stillness and enjoying a great sense of God’s presence. It was deep and rich and very soothing. Although I begin every day in quiet time with the Lord, almost always it’s with the awareness that I have a full day of responsibilities and activities waiting for me right on the other side of that quiet time. Therefore, there’s often a subtle sense of urgency underlying it all, and my time with the Lord isn’t entirely the thing of peace and spiritual nurture it should be. However, when I allow myself time for true Sabbath-rest, when my schedule is free and I can therefore just sit with the Lord as long as I please, I can relax and just enjoy being with God. There are no pressing concerns, there are no distractions, it’s simply me and God, the soft breeze, the singing birds, the shining sun, and coffee. My trip to be with Tracy was a gift and it was special, but it was also busy and stressful. My time with God was restful, relaxing, and renewing. Psalm 62:1 was very real for me that morning. My soul found peace and rest in God. I hope that’s sometimes true for you too. I encourage you to be intentional about carving out those relaxed, unhurried, peaceful times with God.” God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville) |
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