Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Psalm 142:1-2
I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.
This psalm was written by David as he reflected on the experience of hiding from his enemies in a cave. This happened on two occasions. Firstly in Adullam, and secondly in En-gedi. On both occasions he was being threatened by King Saul, who was eager to kill him. There’s no way of knowing which occasion he was thinking about when he wrote this psalm, but it doesn’t matter. What is clear is that he was under extreme pressure and needed help. In his despair he cried out to the Lord, knowing that He knew the whole story.
We are often inclined to bottle up our complaints. But it is good and right that we should pour out our concerns to the Lord, and God’s people have done so through the centuries. When St Francis of Assisi died on 3 October 1226, he had this particular psalm on his lips.
At times we might find it difficult to imagine that the God of the universe could possibly be concerned with our personal problems. But He is! The God of the Bible consistently reveals His intimate knowledge and complete love of us. If you have nothing to complain about, you must rejoice. But if you do complain, you can be sure that the Lord is ready to listen to you.
Questions
Have you ever complained to God? If you have, what did you say, and if you haven’t, why not?
Prayer
Loving God, thank You that You are always willing to listen to us, even when we have lots of problems and complaints. Amen

Psalm 141:5
Let a righteous man strike me – that is a kindness; let him rebuke me – that is oil on my head.
This verse reminds us of the teaching of Proverbs where it says: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:5-6). These words are no doubt wise, but that doesn’t mean it is easy when somebody tells us that we have gone wrong. It might prove to be soothing medicine in the end but, at the time, it can really hurt.
In Ephesians 4, Paul reflected on the fact that we all need to become more mature. He was eager that his readers shouldn’t be blown around by every wind of new teaching. He was constantly aware of the dangers that came from false teachers whose clever lies sounded like the truth. The antidote to this was for the Church to be a community within which people spoke the truth in love. That sounds so simple, but it is often very hard work and extremely demanding. Truth often has sharp edges and we are inclined to shrink from sharing it. We would rather take refuge in pleasantries and superficial talk. But if we really love one another, we will want to share that truth, and we will do it in a way that is gracious, sensitive and wise.
Speaking the truth in love will demand the best of us. It will require much prayer and careful thought, and we will never manage to do it without the power of God’s Spirit.
Question
When have you experienced the soothing medicine of other people’s strong words?
Prayer
Lord God, teach me more about what it means to speak the truth in love. Amen

Psalm 141:3-4
Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers; do not let me eat their delicacies.
David knew that his worship couldn’t stand apart from everyday life. If he worshipped God, he knew it had to affect the way in which he spoke to other people. He knew that he needed God to take control of his speech and to set a guard on his lips. The language he used in our verses today is interesting. He asked God not to let him be drawn towards evil. David knew that every day he was being tempted to go his own way and he needed God’s strength to keep him on track.
David also saw the danger of spending time with the wrong kind of people. Having meals with others sounds innocent enough, but if we spend too much time with people whose language and actions are evil, it will have an effect on us. The apostle Paul recognised the danger of mixing with the wrong sort of people. Quoting the Greek poet Menander, he wrote: “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
What we say gives us away. It reveals the kind of people we really are. So we need to make sure each day that we are living so close to God that our words reflect Him and His love for the people around us.
Question
In what ways does God help you to control what you say?
Prayer
Loving God, help me to use my words wisely and lovingly. Amen

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
One of the reasons many people love to read daily newspapers is to find out what terrible things other people do in order to feel a little bit better about themselves. I won’t ask you whether that has ever been your motivation! In this psalm, David reflected on the wickedness of other people. He expressed his hatred of people who hated God. But he didn’t hide from the fact that he himself was a sinner. He knew that there was absolutely no point in pretending with God. God knew the whole story, so David ended this amazing psalm by inviting God to point out anything that might be wrong in his life. He knew that God could put His finger on those things that needed to be changed.
We need to hear the truth about our spiritual selves, even when it is difficult to receive. David often had to hear painful words from God, but he knew that these were words that would set him free and give him eternal life. It’s very easy for our prayers to be dominated by us speaking to God, but it is also vital for us to take time to listen to what God has to say to us about our lives. We need to give Him time to share His loving, piercing, liberating truth with us.
Question
In what ways has God told you that you need to change?
Prayer
Thank You Lord that You love me and help me to see those ways in which I could get closer to You. Amen

Psalm 139:13-14
You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Our bodies are simply amazing. Here are a few random facts: every second, our bodies produce 25 million new cells; the tongue is covered in about 8,000 tastebuds, each containing up to 100 cells helping us to taste our food; the entire surface of our skin is replaced every month; if we live to 70, our heart will have enjoyed about 2.5 million heart beats; the human brain possesses about 100 billion neurons with roughly 1 quadrillion – 1 million billion – connections known as synapses wiring these cells together. That means your brain, however dull you might be feeling, is more powerful than any supercomputer. I struggle to understand how anyone can think about the human body without bursting out in worship to our great God. That was exactly how King David responded in this glorious psalm.
I challenge you to spend time today specifically thanking God for your amazing body. The problem is that we so often focus on the bits of us which don’t work! They clamour for our attention, and visits to the doctors absorb an increasing amount of our time as we get older. But, despite all of that, we all have miraculous bodies which need to be a springboard for our worship.
Question
In what way are you going to praise God for your body today?
Prayer
Creator God, I worship You for the incredible miracle of my body. Forgive me that I often forget to praise You for the way You have made me. Amen