| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure” Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Encountering God in the silence” I love the lesson of Psalm 46. It’s so calming, so reassuring. In this Psalm the writer depicts a world in chaos. He describes natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, as well as wars and nations that are in uproar. We get the sense of noise and confusion; threats and violence; fear; and of frantic people who don’t know what to do or where to turn. But in the middle of it all God says in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The writer goes on in verse 11, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” This applies to us in our world today. The world is in chaos and people don’t know what to do or where to turn. Noisy, fearful, and frantic are good descriptors of our society. This adventure of the Christian life takes us through a world that is dangerous terrain with many challenging situations. But God is sovereign over it all. And therefore, we Christians should not be running around like a bunch of Chicken Littles wailing that the sky is falling. The sky is not falling. The Lord Almighty is with us. So, we need to stop, chill, sit still, and know that He is God. This is the deep spiritual water we were thinking about in yesterday’s devotional. Let’s take a look again at Ian Morgan Cron’s definition of a pilgrimage: “A pilgrimage is a way of praying with your feet. You go on a pilgrimage because you sense there is something missing inside your soul, and the only way you can find it is to go to a sacred place.” “Go to a sacred place.” In other words, withdraw for a while from the noise and chaos. Potentially that could be anywhere. It could be somewhere far away and very special. Personally, I have always loved visiting great cathedrals. I have visited many of them around the world. I love to sit in the silence gazing at the stunning architecture and the beautiful artwork, all created to celebrate the glory of God. Doing that is a significant pilgrimage. But your pilgrimage could also be close to home. I like to go hiking in the deep woods alone and just sit with God. Sometimes my journey to a sacred place involves nothing more than going and sitting quietly in the sanctuary at our church and gazing at the large stained-glass window in the front that depicts Jesus with His arms spread wide and saying “Come to Me …” Sometimes, the pilgrimage to quiet time involves nothing more than going into my bedroom, closing the door, sitting in a comfortable chair, and being quiet before the Lord. An important part of the adventure of the Christian life involves sitting quietly before the Lord. What are some of your favorite ways of doing that? I would like to hear from you. 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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