Be Still and Know

Psalm 63:6-8 NLT 'I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely.' It is easy to agree with the sentime...

Psalm 63:4-5 NLT 'I will praise you for as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.' Last autumn I woke one day with a sensation of being bathed in love. I...

Psalm 63:3 NLT 'Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!' Knowing myself has helped immensely in developing my appreciation of God. Knowing my strengths and weaknesses means I can develop skills to avoid the worst excesses of...

Psalm 63:2 NLT 'I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you!' Declarations of love trip easily from the lips. However, they can depend on circumstances. I onc...

Psalm 63:1 NLT 'O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.' I only go in search of what I really want. Too often, more pressing needs...

Psalm 71:20-21 NLT 'You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honour and comfort me once again.' The word “mystery” is often use...

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen.” When relational disaster strikes, then trust in rela...

Psalm 126:1-2 NLT When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” In the years that I travelled...

Amos 9:14 NLT 'I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine.' The challenge in...

Isaiah 61:7 NLT 'Instead of shame and dishonour, you will enjoy a double share of honour. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.' Daytime TV is filled with shows about restoring old houses or...

Isaiah 35:10 NLT 'Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return. They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness.' “It is always helpful to star...

Philemon 1:7 NLT 'Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.' In a busy, online world, making friends can prove difficult. While Facebook suggests we are globally connect...

Isaiah 12:6 NLT 'Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.' I can’t think of many recent occasions when I have shouted, either from joy or anger. We used to live in the shadow...

1 Peter 1:8 NLT 'You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.' Joy is something that impacts my senses. At the start of last autumn, I remember thr...

Ecclesiastes 9:7 NLT 'So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!' My favourite dictionary defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of pos...