6 Minute Read
Be Still
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a couple of minutes to breathe deeply, to quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, prayerfully ask the Lord to speak to you in this time and let Him know that you will be listening and will make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Today’s Bible Reading:
Jeremiah 26:1–27:22
2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
Psalm 85:1-13
Proverbs 25:16
Listen to the Lord
Slowly and reflectively read the following verses and listen to what God will say to you through them. Then, consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Psalm 85:4-7 (NLT): “Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.”
Reflections from Scripture:
At our core, all of us essentially want to be happy. A desire for inner joy drives every choice we make. Whether we are determining what to eat, what clothes to wear, or who to marry, each desire is made against the backdrop of wanting to be happy.
However, there are often things that come into our lives that try to squelch our happiness. Sometimes, it is stress. Sometimes, it’s loneliness. Sometimes, it’s conflict.
One thing that will rob us of happiness as quickly as anything else is sin. When we violate God’s laws and determine to do what we want to do, we might get a fleeting happiness, but it works against the inner joy we could have.
Why? Because we have lost the fellowship with our God that is the primary source of our happiness. We were made to enjoy our God, and sin robs us of that happiness.
So, the Psalmist was asking God to restore his happiness. He was asking to be “revived.” That essentially means that he would wake up from his spiritual slumber.
While we can ask God to revive us, there are things that we must do for ourselves. We must search out unconfessed sin in our minds and hearts and make it right. If there is a wrong that we have done to someone else, we need to make it right. If we have stopped reading our Bibles or praying, we need to begin engaging in those vital activities again.
We were made to enjoy our God. We crave to be happy. Ultimately, that happiness is met in relationship with God when we have a clear conscience.
Are you enjoying that happiness right now? If not, you may need to join the Psalmist in praying for personal revival.
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to enjoy You. I want to enjoy a life of obedience to You and the clear conscience that goes along with it. Help me, Lord, to satisfy my desire for happiness in an enjoyable relationship with You. I pray this in Your Name, Amen.
Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com). His latest book is God’s Grace in the Real World. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
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