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~ DevotIon 1 ~
Practice Peacefulness
John DIlworth
Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have.
1 peter 3:15 (nIv)
J ohn, how do you always stay so calm, even in the tough situ-
ations?” a colleague asked.
I was sitting across the desk from the division president of
my company for one last meeting. We were chatting, wrapping
things up, before I formally retired. Not expecting the question,
I rambled, mentioning my faith and that I hadn’t always been
calm. I talked about reading Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s books
in my younger days and how they had helped me.
Later, I felt disappointed that my answer hadn’t come close
to capturing God’s work within me to overcome the biggest
struggle of my life: crippling fears and anxiety. I asked God
to help me overcome all of my turmoil and inner conflict. I
learned ways to live my faith. I began to pray and read the Bible
daily. I used many of the action steps that Dr. Peale outlined to
deal with daily life and to practice peacefulness. From that be-
ginning, God guided me on an incredible journey, step by step,
to a life of deep tranquility and quiet confidence.
I wasn’t prepared to give an answer when the question was
asked. I missed an opportunity to tell firsthand what God had
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done for me. However, the conversation may have been another
step that God intended for my journey. It caused me to look
back and see more clearly than ever His presence and faith-
fulness throughout my life—and that He is “the reason for the
hope” I have.
Let Us Pray
Dear lord, help me be ready to boldly share stories
of your faithfulness whenever an opportunity comes.
amen.
Further Reflection
1 ChronICles 16:9 (nIv)
sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
psalM 13:5–6 (nIv)
but i trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your
salvation. i will sing the lord’s praise, for he has been
good to me.
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~ DevotIon 2 ~
God’s Got You
logan elIasen
But I trust in you, Lord; I say,
“You are my God.”
psalM 31:14 (nIv)
N ice job, Logan!” my friend Steve shouted. “You’re doing
great!”
I looked down from the faux-stone wall I was clinging to.
Steve was teaching me how to rock climb. He tightened the
rope clipped to his waist. It connected to a pulley on the ceiling
and down to my harness.
I was shaky from being so high up, but I also felt exhilarated.
I swung my torso as I grasped for the next handhold, and I missed
it. Suddenly, I was hanging from the rock face by one hand. I
looked down at the gym floor, and my stomach clenched.
“It’s OK, Logan!” Steve yelled. “That’s why I’m here! You can
let go now! I’ve got you!”
I was afraid. Instead of trusting Steve, I clawed and scrab-
bled to find a grip. What if the rope isn’t tight enough? What if it
snaps? What if I weigh more than Steve and plummet to the floor
while he rockets to the ceiling?
I understood that I needed to release my grasp. But I strug-
gle with surrender. I’m the firstborn of five, and I’ve got the
personality that goes with it. Relying on myself feels safe and
certain.
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“Logan, you have to trust me,” Steve said, calm and steady.
That sounded very familiar. God also asks me to trust Him—to
remember that He will keep me safe.
So now it was time to relinquish and release control instead
of claw for it. I uncurled my fingers. I dropped, but the slack in
the rope tightened. Then I hung, suspended peacefully in the
air. Steve had expertly braced himself. He began to lower me to
safety, and I breathed easy.
It’s a good thing to be in capable hands—both Steve’s and
God’s.
Let Us Pray
lord, thank you for sending friends who teach me more
about surrender and trust.
Further Reflection
psalM 56:3 (nIv)
when i am afraid, i put my trust in you.
proverbs 3:5–6 (nIv)
trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your
own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he
will make your paths straight.
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~ DevotIon 3 ~
You Are Here
erIn Macpherson
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
psalM 138:3 (esv)
J ust a little lump.
It’s amazing how quickly life can shift out of orbit, how a
mundane day can suddenly become anything but. All it takes is
one fragment of a second when something just doesn’t feel right.
Lord, why? How? my soul screams. I never imagined this for
my dear friend Sarah.
Suddenly a whir of doctors’ appointments and biopsies, of
friends calling to give advice, of doctors calling to give results,
of treatment calendars and care calendars and a chicken-
poppy-seed casserole in the oven from the next-door neighbor
as you hold hands and pray on the couch.
Big words like cancer and chemotherapy and radiation being
tossed around like pinballs, big feelings creeping in and over-
taking what was simply joy and peace only days ago. Yet You
are here, Lord.
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In those crazy, mixed-up moments when I don’t know what
to say or what to do or how to act other than to look my friend
in her eyes and pull her close and hold on tight, You are here.
When she doesn’t respond, when words can’t be found,
when the gap between us is bigger than it has ever been, You
are here.
In sickness and in hope and tears and sweat and pain. In ev-
ery moment, You are here. And in Your presence, peace flows.
Let Us Pray
Father god, thank you for comfort even in the midst
of the hardest days. you are the strength I need when I
have no strength to walk forward. amen.
Further Reflection
roMans 8:16–17 (esv)
the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of god, and if children, then heirs—heirs of god
and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in
order that we may also be glorified with him.
roMans 8:38–39 (esv)
For i am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will
be able to separate us from the love of god in Christ Jesus
our lord.
