Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Psalm 138:8
The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.
When you sing about or listen to a sermon on the subject of guidance, it can often sound very straightforward. But life rarely runs in a straight line, and King David, who wrote this psalm, was definitely aware of that. He got himself into endless scrapes and was always up against determined opposition. He was never without external enemies, but in addition there were often many within Israel, and even within his own family, who were determined to bring him down. He was acutely aware of his need to rely upon the Lord for guidance.
I am convinced that God has good plans for our lives, but those good things won’t happen without our full co-operation. God won’t enforce His plans upon us, good as they are. It has been wisely said that there is no point in asking God to guide our footsteps if we are not willing to move our feet. Sitting in an armchair waiting for guidance is rarely the way of finding God’s will. We need to get up and start walking and, as we do so, I believe God will lead us in the right way.
At times we will face lots of challenges and problems. Everyone does. But we can be sure that God will never abandon us. As the psalmist said: “Your love, Lord, endures forever.” Nothing could give us greater confidence as we look to the future. That was David’s experience, and it can be ours too.
Question
In what ways are you seeking God’s guidance at the moment?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You that You are a God who guides. Help me each day to let Your Spirit lead me. Amen

James 5:19-20
My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Churches are not made up of perfect people. Far from it! This surprises those who assume Christians live lives of near perfection. For such people there is great consternation when the organist goes off with the youth leader, or the treasurer embezzles the church’s money. We should always be shocked and disappointed by such behaviour, but never surprised. Churches are, in many ways, similar to hospitals, composed of people who are far from perfect but who, by God’s grace and in the power of His Spirit, are becoming stronger and more mature in their Christian lives.
Sadly, there have always been people who wander away from the Church. It is always tragic when this happens, and churches need to have a clear strategy for reaching out to such people. Here, James finishes his letter by inspiring his readers to be proactive when someone sadly slips out of the Church. He wants them to know how important this restorative ministry is. In bringing someone back, they are doing nothing less than saving this person from spiritual death. We all need to pray for this vital ministry.
Question
Can you think of anyone who has slipped away from your own church and, if so, is there anything you could do to encourage them to return?
Prayer
Lord, we thank You that when we sin You never give up on us. Thank You that Your desire is always for us to be restored. Amen

James 5:16b
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Some years ago I contracted whooping cough. To be honest, I thought it was only something children got and was amazed when my GP told me I had caught it. From time to time over a number of weeks I struggled to breathe. The worst episodes were in the middle of the night, and I will never forget those desperate attempts to breathe which ended in the ‘whoop’ as air finally, slowly and painfully returned to my lungs.
Breathing is essential to life, and I now have a new respect for the process and a deep gratitude that I can breathe without a struggle. The Bible makes it clear that prayer is the way in which we breathe as Christians. Everything depends on prayer. It has been wisely said that we are as strong as our prayer lives and no stronger.
James encourages his readers to pray because it can have incredible results. He points to Elijah, who was one of the most popular figures in the Old Testament. Key to Elijah’s life was the fact that he was a righteous man – he lived his life in step with God. That’s how God wants us to live our lives too, and it will only happen as we breathe in the life of God in prayer. Like Elijah, we will have our ups and downs, but as we pray we can confidently expect that our prayers will have great power and produce wonderful results.
Question
What steps do you need to take to ensure that prayer has a more central place in your life?
Prayer
Thank You Lord for the incredible privilege of prayer. Help me to never take it for granted. Amen

James 5:16a
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
How are you? I wonder how you normally respond to that question. Probably, like most of us, you smile sweetly and summarise your life with one word: “Fine”. It’s a good word and if it’s true, that’s wonderful, and one can only hope that it will continue to be the case. But, if we’re honest, it is sometimes the word we use to push people away. What we’re actually saying is: “It’s none of your business. Leave me alone. Hopefully if you think I’m fine you won’t bother me again.”
The reality is that we are not always fine. Sometimes we feel awful, and there are times when we know that we have failed miserably. James is encouraging his readers to be honest and to face up to the stark realities of life. We need to be real with one another and actually confess our sins and pray for each other so that we can find God’s healing.
I don’t believe that God is calling us to share absolutely every inner secret and sin with one another. But I do believe that churches need to be places of love and encouragement where we feel able to reveal the people we really are.
Question
What could you do to help your church to become a more loving and honest community?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that Your love for me is so complete that I can always feel safe to be totally honest with You. Help me to be more open with my Christian brothers and sisters, and to be more loving and forgiving. Amen

James 5:14-15
Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Jesus was both a healer and a teacher. You cannot divide up His ministry. He ministered to the whole range of people’s needs – body, mind and spirit. When Jesus left this earth, He commissioned the Church to carry on with that ministry, and here in James we see a clear description of what that meant in practice.
In recent years, the word ‘holistic’ has become very popular to describe how God works. In the power of His Spirit He wants us to be whole people, enjoying Him and His world to the full. Many parts of the Church have tended to focus on words and preaching and have marginalised the healing ministry. But that makes no sense if we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus.
Healing takes many forms and when we pray for healing, we will never be entirely sure how God will answer. Whenever I pray for people I always tell them two things: firstly that I am absolutely convinced of God’s ability to heal, and secondly that I don’t know the way in which He will answer our prayer. In prayer we entrust ourselves into God’s loving, healing embrace.
Question
For whom are you going to pray for healing today?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that Your desire is for everyone to be whole in body, mind and spirit. Help me to both receive and share Your healing touch today. Amen