Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Psalm 121:1-2
I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
This is one of the best-known and best-loved of all the psalms. The answer to the psalmist’s question is a resounding: “No!” The mountains might look strong and confident, but our help certainly doesn’t come from them – it comes from the Lord. It’s impossible to know what exactly was in the mind of the psalmist when he referred to the mountains. He might simply have been reflecting on their impressive grandeur and strength. But it is quite likely that he was thinking of the fact that people often went to high places like mountains to worship false gods such as Baal. The psalmist wanted to make it absolutely clear that only God Himself is able to meet our needs.
Our God is always on the job. He never slumbers or sleeps. He is continually watching over us. Our family and friends may well be wonderfully supportive and caring. They would do anything for us, but sooner or later they get tired and need to get some sleep. Their support is great, but it’s well short of 100%. God is different. He can be relied upon to be there to support us night and day.
The psalm challenges us all to look hard at our lives and to ensure that we are looking in the right direction for the help that really matters. We need to look to the Lord Himself who made heaven and earth.
Question
Where do you get your help from?
Prayer
Loving God, I thank You for being my constant help and strength. Help me to lean on You today. Amen

Psalm 120:1-2
I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me. Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.

I love the psalms because they span the full range of human experience. Some are full of praise and worship, but others burst out with anger and disappointment. However you are feeling, there are psalms that will be just right for you, because God meets us where we are. We don’t need to pretend to be something that we are not. We can come to Him with our struggles, fears, passions and hopes and know that He will understand us completely.
I’ve had the privilege of visiting a number of Benedictine monasteries in England and France. I have been thrilled to live as part of their worshipping communities for a few days of retreat. Every day there are eight times of worship, and you need to know that I didn’t attend them all! Each week all of the 150 psalms are read or sung, and that seems to me a wonderful rhythm of life. What has often struck me is the ruthless honesty of the psalmists. They hid nothing when they came into God’s presence. They told Him exactly how they were feeling and used language that makes us wince at times.
God wants us to come to Him with exactly the same ruthless honesty and to be confident that He will always answer our prayers. He may not answer us in the way that we want or expect, but He will always answer us.
Question
What experience have you had of God answering your prayers?
Prayer
Loving God, I thank You for the privilege of prayer. Help me to place it at the centre of my life. Amen

Psalm 119:1-2
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
This is the beginning of what is by far the longest psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. It is made up of 22 sections, each one of which begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of those sections is made up of eight verses, and the whole psalm is beautifully designed like a piece of intricate tapestry. It is nothing like those psalms in which the psalmist pours out his emotions of anger, sorrow and joy. The whole purpose of the psalm is to declare the blessing of God’s laws, because they are the key to living life to the full. It’s as if the writer sees God’s instructions as being so beautiful that, like a diamond, every single angle of them needs to be identified and celebrated.
When we first hear the word ‘law’ we are inclined to think of restrictions, and no one likes the thought of that. We want to be free to do what we want. But God’s laws are given so that we can be protected from the things that can only damage our lives. The psalmist was convinced that God’s law offered the path to the deepest blessings and joys of life. He summed it up by declaring: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Question
In what particular ways have you found God’s laws to be a blessing?
Prayer
Lord God, I thank You that You love me so much that You have given me rules to enable me to enjoy life to the full. Amen

Psalm 118:5-6
When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD; He brought me into a spacious place.
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
The Duke of Wellington said: “The only thing I am afraid of is fear.” He had good reason to say this. Doctors tell us that fear can have a huge effect on our lives. It can lead to accelerated ageing and even premature death.
The psalmist knew all about fear. He reflected on the experience of being surrounded by hostile nations. He graphically described them as swarming around him like bees, and they did their best to kill him (Psalm 118:10-13). Such experiences are far away for the majority of us but, whoever we are, we all face scary situations. Perhaps it’s a health issue, or concerns about our families, our work or our finances. When fear takes hold, it can have devastating effects, so we need to listen carefully to the psalmist.
The fundamental discovery of the psalmist was that God was stronger than his opponents. Powerful as they were, God was stronger. He was able to put his human threats in a proper perspective and concluded today’s verse with a rhetorical question: “What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). He didn’t need to be afraid because of the absolute security that he had in God.
Life will throw many challenges at us. There is no way in which we can avoid them. But, if we give our lives to God, we don’t ever need to be fearful.
Question
What do you do when you are tempted to be fearful?
Prayer
Lord God, I praise You that I can look to the future with confidence because of Your constant presence with me. Amen

Psalm 117
Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD.
So reads the whole of Psalm 117. It’s the shortest psalm, but it has an enormous message which embraces the whole of the Bible. Every single person needs to join in praising God. Praising Him isn’t confined to a little group of fervent believers. He is God of the world, so He needs to be worshipped by everyone.
I love the fact that all the churches I know draw together people from a number of different nations. Some of them choose to display the flags of the countries that are represented in the congregation and this seems to me a wonderful way of affirming this great psalm. Although God had a very special relationship with the people of Israel, it was never His intention that they alone should worship Him. God’s heart was always for the whole world. In the book of Revelation, we see the climax of history, when a vast crowd will gather together so great that no one could count it: “from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands” (Revelation 7:9).
Worship is important because it puts everything and everyone in their right place. When we acknowledge the supremacy of God, our creator and saviour, we see our lives in a true perspective and can then enjoy them to the full.
Question
What has been the importance of worship in your life?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You for the way in which worship blesses and strengthens my life. Amen