Amy Boucher Pye

Tag: devotional

  • Weekly Devotional: Be Still (5 in Sabbath and Rest series)

    “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46 (NIV)

    When we face trials of many kinds, often our temptation is to talk. To ask advice of those around us; to process the meaning of the situation before us; to wonder and lament and perhaps complain a bit. We need to feel we are seen and heard.

    Our loving Lord always sees us and hears us. He welcomes us to converse with him and others when we find ourselves in tough (and happy) situations. But as we see in the psalm we are reading today, at times God also tells us to cease on the chattering front and to be still. Biblical commentators believe the “Be still” in verse 10 probably means “Enough!” The Lord will speak and we must listen.

    For the Lord is God and we are not. He made us and formed us, and has the power to still the marauding nations and to make the wars to cease. He can and does intervene in our lives, supremely through his Word, Jesus Christ, coming to earth to bear our sins. And through his Holy Spirit, who lives in and through us, bringing us comfort, healing, affirmation, and love.

    The next time you face a trial, why not stop and be still? Wait on the Lord, putting your hand on your heart as you acknowledge that Another lives inside you. As you ask for peace to flow like a river, know that the Lord is your refuge and strength, the One who is ever-present and who will never leave you. As you wait in the silence, open your heart and mind to hear the gentle words the Holy Spirit may impart to you. You might want to jot them down, so that you can chew them over and test them out.

    Lord, when it feels the mountains are shifting around me, I need your reassurance that all will be well. Send me, I pray, the peace that passes all understanding. Amen.

     

  • Weekly Devotional: Right Paths (4 in Sabbath and Rest series)

    A lovely local path for me is next to a brook. An oasis of peace in a suburban area.

    He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23 (NIV)

    Have you noticed that sometimes we put a huge amount of effort and energy into a project, but it never moves past the planning stage? While other times something just barrels into existence, without much of our insight or care? A Christian writer friend noted this principle as she reviewed the past year. Seven projects that she had cultivated had all fallen flat, but three were birthed without much advocacy from her.

    I thought about this Christian writer as I read through Psalm 23 recently, for I realized that God’s guiding us along the right paths can mean that we spin fewer plates. If we trust him and his word, including his admonition to take a Sabbath rest, we trust that he’ll lead us the right way for the other six days, whether through our paid employment, volunteer work, caring for children or grandchildren or loving our neighbors.

    Another Christian writer friend faces a change in her working circumstances as one of her regular sources of income comes to an end. Can she trust the Lord to lead her by the quiet waters as she considers the way forward, knowing that the true refreshment to her soul lies only in him? And that he will be faithful and will lead her to the right projects for his glory and praise – and her well-being?

    We all face the challenge of which words we’ll believe – the quiet whisper of the Good Shepherd as he beckons us to follow him, or the fear that can bubble up in our soul, or the skeptical views that colleagues or family members might cast our way when we announce our purposes and plans. May we hear and heed the still, small voice today.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I want to believe that you will lead and guide me, but sometimes I struggle. Give me faith and help me to believe. Amen.

  • Weekly Devotional: Rule Number Four (3 in Sabbath and Rest series)

    Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. Exodus 20:8–11 (NIV)

    God gave Moses the law as his best plan for his people – not only to bring himself glory, but for the good of his children. That is, he designed his commandments for our benefit. After the first three commands to honor the Lord God above all else, he moves to the fourth – to keep the Sabbath holy.

    The Lord here writes in stone the principle that he has embodied from right back at creation – that six days are for work (work being good and coming before the fall of humanity), and the seventh day for rest. He rested, and he wants his people to follow his lead. He wants them to remember his deeds and set apart the day as holy.

    The fourth commandment sheds more light on the Sabbath principle, designating that all observe it – daughters and sons, servants and free, citizens and foreigners. To take the day off requires preparation, just as the people in the desert had to gather extra manna on the day before. The Lord wants his people to learn how to plan ahead, so that later they can reap the rewards.

    In the West, we’ve largely lost the culture of keeping Sunday special. Shops are open, enticing us to browse and buy, and children’s activities encroach more and more, meaning that parents have to decide between, say, their child going to a birthday party or attending church. To observe the day – to fill it with soul-feeding activities – requires us to stand against the cultural winds. We might need to find a creative approach to celebrating Sabbath, including taking off a day other than Sunday (which is especially true for those who work on a Sunday, such as ministers or health-care professionals).

    How can you plan for this week’s Sabbath?

    Prayer: Lord God, help me to understand how you designed this command from so many years ago for my flourishing. Amen.

  • Weekly Devotional: Bread from Heaven (2 in Sabbath and Rest series)

    Manna reigning from heaven on the Israelites, circa 1250, Maciejowski Bible

    “Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days.” Exodus 16:1–30 (NIV)

    The Lord God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt with dramatic measures as he sent down the plagues on the hard-hearted Pharaoh and he parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape the Egyptian army. But the people of God had a short memory, for as they wandered in the desert, fueled by hunger, they began to despair, saying, “Oh, if only we had stayed in Egypt.”

    The Lord, not tiring of their complaints, devises a solution – he sends quails and sweet-tasting bread from heaven to feed them. Their only work is to gather the riches set before them, enough daily bread for the day. And for the celebration of the Sabbath, the Lord instructs them to gather on the sixth day enough for two days.

    We see in the Lord’s provision and instruction his love for his people. Not only is he establishing a seven-day week (some biblical commentators believe the Egyptians held to a ten-day week), but he provides a day of rest for all classes of society – including the servants and slaves. He knows their limitations and provide them with a way of living that will help them to thrive. But do they listen? No – some gather too much during the week, and the bread turns moldy. Others go out on the seventh day, looking for food but not finding any.

    How are we like the Israelites? Do we understand how God gives us not only bread to eat but meat to feast on? Do we stop and rest, acknowledging that he is God and we are not? May today we ask Jesus, the living bread, to fill us with his sustenance and help us order our lives according to God’s wisdom and plans.

    For reflection: Read through the story again, this time imagining you are a slave girl in the story. How does the shift in perspective shed light on the narrative?

     

  • Weekly Devotional: The power of prayer (13 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    The Father’s hands, by Beverley

    On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:8–11

    Again we look at hope; again we look at suffering. In the New Testament, Paul writes about these interlinked topics the most. And here he emphasizes the importance of prayer.

    A couple of years ago my husband and I experienced the fear that is borne of one’s child being ill. Our son, who had gone to sleep without complaint, was barely able to breathe at midnight. As we wondered what was wrong, we made the necessary calls and almost reflexively gave our son over to God’s care. We waited for the emergency medics and I prayed over my son with words from deep within – while trying not to frighten him further. Soon help arrived and he was breathing oxygen and feeling better. A middle-of-the-night trip to the hospital was necessary, but the crisis passed with a diagnosis of croup and tonsillitis. He will recover, praise God.

    My suffering was short-lived but intense, as fleetingly I wondered how I would cope if my son ceased to breathe. But I knew I had to put those thoughts aside and turn to prayer. Similarly, Paul, through speaking of his experiences, exhorts the believers at Corinth not to give up as they suffered but to pray. Again Paul is not downplaying suffering, but shows how through it we can increasingly rely on God instead of ourselves. And he emphasizes how God lovingly answers prayer.

    As we see God move in our lives, we build our faith on his solid foundation. In this instance, our son soon was well – praise God. But if God had allowed him to die, I pray we too would not have despaired unto death but somehow held onto our sure hope of heaven. I pray you and I will be spared such heartbreaking trials, by God’s mercy.

    Prayer: Lord, we remember the many children in many lands of the world who are suffering today and have no access to medical care. Lord, have mercy.

  • Weekly Devotional: Welcoming from afar (12 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Hope embodied in the new life at Springtime…

    For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:18–27

    I have an amazing friend whose husband works in the oil industry. When he got a job in Dubai some years ago, she moved to a country she had never before visited. She trusted and believed that this was right. And it has been, for their sons have experienced the riches and challenges of a country far different from that of their parents. Then after some six years their time in the Middle East ended, and again they moved to a city she and the boys had never visited, this time Houston in Texas.

    My friend reminds me of this passage from Romans, as well as Hebrews 11 with its list of the heroes of faith who welcomed from a distance the things they were promised. They couldn’t see what they hoped for, but they kept believing. Their hope was not a vague thing, such as “I hope my team will win.” Rather it referred to something solid, as we saw last week – something on which to build our lives.

    Paul here speaks again of the suffering we will endure on earth. Yet because we have God’s Spirit living in us, as a deposit, we have this solid hope. Hope for things to come – our redemption, and the redemption of the world. Hope that helps us to endure and wait patiently for God to come good on his promises.

    Living in the light of the hope of heaven can infuse our lives with joy in the midst of trials. For as Jesus said to his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And though we suffer, even the finality of death is tempered by the forthcoming grand reunion at the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

    Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, make me into a person of hope, who believes that you will do what you promise.

  • Weekly Devotional: Beacons of hope (11 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Photo: Phil Warren, flickr

    We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1–5

    This passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds me of the old hymn, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” For it is through the death of Jesus on the cross that we base our hope of redemption, grace, and life everlasting. As Paul says, through Jesus we gain access to the grace on which we stand.

    But after affirming the tenets of our faith, Paul turns suddenly to the subject of suffering. It can seem jarring, but Paul knows that we live in a world that is not as God made it to be. Thus he tells the Romans that even as they hope and look to the coming kingdom of God, they must expect suffering. And that through their suffering they will gain the Christ-like attributes of perseverance, character, and hope. As the Holy Spirit fills their hearts, they will have the strength to make it through their suffering, whether it be persecution, pain, mistreatment, or other.

    Suffering is not something we welcome, and perseverance is a trait we’d rather God simply gave us as a gift, instead of something we develop over time. But our character is formed day in and day out: through the sometimes hard conversations with family members; through how we treat the person at work we find particularly grating; through learning to give of ourselves selflessly, even when it’s not convenient; through holding back on flinging hurtful words to those near us. With the Holy Spirit living in us and empowering us, we can increasingly bring glory to God and peace to those whom we meet. As we do so, we will become beacons of hope – perhaps while not realizing just how much God’s light is shining through us.

    Prayer: Lord, help us as we suffer that we might persevere. Fill us with your Spirit that we might rest in hope.

  • Weekly Devotional: Holding onto God (10 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Romans 4:18–25

    Abraham and Sarah are two of my favorite characters in the Bible, partly because of what they experienced and felt. For instance, they faced the heartbreak of infertility for years before God promised Abraham that he’d be the father of many nations. Abraham’s biggest point of need – his desire for a son – was right where God met him. And not only met, but exceeded with mind-blowing abundance, for he promised that Abraham would have more descendants than the stars in the sky.

    Abraham held on to God’s promise, even when it seemed impossible. In terms of him and Sarah conceiving a son, he believed God even though Sarah was long past her childbearing years. And God delivered; they had Isaac. Then Abraham held on to God’s promises through the heart-wrenching experience of being asked to sacrifice his beloved only son. Abraham knew that God would find a way to keep his promise, perhaps through the resurrection of the dead. For God had never failed him. And indeed, an angel of the Lord provided a ram in the place of Isaac.

    Such hope and faith is modeled through a life of listening to and obeying God. As we mature in our faith, we learn to relinquish the requests that may not be of God or may not be for our best. We can ask God to change our hearts to align our desires with his. And our faith will grow as we look back and see how God has answered our prayers. I love reading through my old prayer journals, not only because they immediately and vividly transport me to times past, but because they reveal how faithful and loving is our God.

    How might you be persuaded that God has the power to do what he has promised?

    For reflection: “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

  • Weekly Devotional: Moving mountains (9 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Photo: Abdul Rahman, flickr

    Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt … you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:18–22

    Our passage comes during what was the original Holy Week of Jesus’ death and resurrection, although the disciples didn’t realize it then. (And yes, I’m a little out of sync with the church calendar with Lent starting tomorrow. Think of it as a taster of things to come…) Jesus and his friends were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem when he encounters an unfruitful fig tree. He makes it wither, which amazes the disciples. But the fig tree symbolized Israel, for neither were they reflecting God’s fruit.

    Then Jesus says that we should have faith and believe. That if we hope and trust in God, looking to him for our fruitfulness, he will answer our prayer. Of course, this can get tricky if we believe it literally, in a mindless “The Bible says it; I believe it” sort of way. Then we become as a demanding child, insisting that God should give whatever we ask in prayer.

    Those who care for young children can see this folly acted out. Of course we aren’t going to give kids endless sugar or let a toddler climb a ladder unaided. God might similarly turn down some of our requests. Perhaps our most poignant experiences of learning from and leaning on God have come through unanswered prayer. They certainly have for me.

    But Jesus wants us to have faith and believe. While we become downhearted quickly, thinking that our circumstances or another person will never change. I know I’ve been prone to this stance of unbelief. For instance, a former colleague and I couldn’t reach a meeting of the minds in terms of expectations or delivery, and I wanted to give up. But I knew I had to examine my own attitude, so I asked God to help me see her as he created her. Slowly, and sometimes painfully, I began to change in my outlook. And our working relationship improved.

    What mountains need moving in your life?

    For reflection: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).

  • Weekly Devotional: Worry not (8 in Hope and Trust in God series)

    Photo: Kirt Edblom, flickr

    Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? …Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25–34

    We’re now halfway through our time together thinking about hoping and trusting in God, and today we come to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He is teaching the crowds, who are a mix of society but mainly peasants. They depended on their crops for their sustenance, and even when the harvest was small, they had to give their surplus to the rulers through tax. We could argue that their cause for worry was justified.

    But Jesus turns the wisdom of the world on its head, saying that life is more than food and the body more than clothes. He points to his heavenly Father as the source of all life, asking his listeners to recognize God’s gracious abundance. For instance, even the flowers of the field display more beautiful clothes than King Solomon. And he points out the futility of worrying, for in the end it will seep life out of us.

    I have a friend, Sarah, who is a self-professed worrier. She knows that it zaps her energy, but she struggles to give her concerns to God. Especially where her family is concerned. Some time ago one close to her had to undergo an emergency surgery, which we knew would be excruciating for Sarah. We texted back and forth, and although she was sometimes filled with anxiety, at other times she experienced the peace of God wrapped around her as if a warm coat. Her loved one came through the surgery well, and now she feels bolstered by the intimacy with God she found when clinging to him.

    We don’t have to wait for a crisis to draw near to God. As we seek him, he will come running towards us with outstretched hands while reassuring us not to worry.

    Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to seek you and your kingdom this day.