DEVOTIONS
Devotions
I have had a love/hate relationship with guided devotions. There have been seasons in my life when I have used a guided devotion. There have also been times when I have found a guided devotion to get in my way. However, I am currently in a place where I have found a devotional guide to be extremely life-giving. I want to share this resource with you, and hopefully, this will be helpful to you too. I will provide a link at the bottom if you are interested in purchasing a copy.
I have been reading a devotional guide called “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day: A 40-day Journey with the Daily Office” by Peter Scazzero (2008). Scazzero believes it’s beneficial to do two of these devotions per day. There is a morning/midday and a midday/evening devotional. The format is simple, and each devotional is set up with Scripture reading, devotional, questions to consider, and prayer. There is another element that begins and ends each devotional that Scazzero calls silence and stillness before God (2 minutes).
I have loved the silence and stillness before God. When you begin and end each devotional with silence and stillness, this can be powerful. This time is about connecting deeper with God. Scazzero references the psalmist to “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7, p. 13).
Below is a sample of a morning/midday devotional.
Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)
Scripture Reading: Jonah 1:1-4
The word of the LORD came to Jonah, son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me.”
But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
Devotional
Jonah is an example of a prophet with a case of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. He hears and serves God but refuses to listen to God’s call to love and show mercy to Nineveh, a world power of that day known for its violent, barbaric behavior. Jonah flees 2,400 miles in the opposite direction to Tarshish in present-day Spain.
And why Tarshish? For one thing, it is a lot more exciting than Nineveh. Nineveh was an ancient site with layer after layer of ruined and unhappy history. Going to Nineveh to preach was not a coveted assignment for a Hebrew prophet with good references. But Tarshish was something else. Tarshish was exotic. Tarshish was adventure…. Tarshish, in the biblical references, was a “far off and sometimes idealized port.” It is reported in 1 Kings 10:22 that Solomon’s fleet of Tarshish fetched gold, silver, ivory, monkeys, and peacocks…. In Tarshish, we can have a religious career without having to deal with God.
-Eugene Peterson
As Jonah runs, however, God sends a great storm. Jonah loses control of his life and destiny. He is thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. It is from the belly of the fish that Jonah begins to wrestle with God in prayer.
Questions to Consider
What internal or external storm might God be sending into your life as a sign that something is not right spiritually?
Prayer
Lord, may your will, not my will, be done in my life. You know how easy it is to call myself a Christian but then become busy, forgetting about your will and desires. Forgive me for this sin. Help me listen to you and grant me the courage to faithfully surrender to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conclude with Silence (2 minutes) (p. 25)
Click here for the link to Peter’s devotional book.
Blessings,
