Day By Day #10

Day by Day #10

MORNING/MIDDAY OFFICE

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1–5, 12–13, 18

After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”

But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:

“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? . . . When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. . . .

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD.

Devotional

Many of us have expectations of God that are not met. King David did as well.

Everything had been going right for David. He had consolidated his power. The country was united, and Jerusalem was established as the capital. David was riding a wave of popularity and writing beautiful psalms. He wanted to do something great for God and build him a magnificent temple. The plan looked promising.

God, however, said, no.

David’s response—his willingness to immediately set aside his plans and sit in God’s presence—offers a model for us when our expectations of God are dashed.

Author and pastor Eugene Peterson writes:

David sat. This may be the most single most critical act that David ever did, the action that put him out of action—more critical than killing Goliath. . . .

David sat. An incredible feat when we begin to understand the conditions under which he did it—so full of desire for God he was, so bursting with plans for God. Stopping David in that condition was like reining in a team of runaway horses. But Nathan stopped him. More accurately, David let himself be stopped by God.^a

In the same way, something breaks deep within us when we allow ourselves to be stopped by God. It might be our desire to be in control, to manipulate people and circumstances in our favor, or to exert our self-will. Like David, when we allow ourselves to be stopped by God, we slowly learn that we can let go of those things and trust him.

Question to Consider

Identify one situation in your life in which God appears to be saying no or is failing to meet your expectations. How does your response compare to David’s?

Prayer

THE WELCOMING PRAYER

Mary Mrozowski

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment

because I know it is for my healing.

I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions,

persons, situations and conditions.

I let go of my desire for security.

I let go of my desire for approval.

I let go of my desire for control.

I let go of my desire to change any

situation, condition,

person, or myself.

I open to the

love and presence of God

and

the healing action and grace within.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

MIDDAY/EVENING OFFICE

Silence and Stillness before God (2 minutes)

Scripture Reading: Exodus 32:1–4, 21–24

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses . . . we don’t know what has happened to him.”

Aaron answered them, “Take off [your] gold. . . .” He took what they handed him and made it into an idol, cast in the shape of a calf. . . .

[Moses] said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

“Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses . . . we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Devotional

The Israelites are frustrated by Moses’ absence as he spends forty days and nights on the mountain with God. So they pressure Aaron to build them an idol they can see. He gives in and builds them an idol in the shape of a golden calf. When Moses returns and confronts him, however, he refuses to take responsibility. Instead, Aaron explains it away, as if the people alone are to blame for the sin of the golden calf.

In the same way, when things don’t go our way, our initial reaction is often to deflect responsibility. We might blame our parents, spouses, children, the government, bosses, or coworkers. We might even blame demonic powers or God himself when things are really bad.

Blaming may comfort us, at least for a while, with the illusion that we are in control. However, it actually accomplishes the opposite, stripping us of our God-given personal power and keeping us stuck in immaturity. We mistakenly believe we don’t have choices.

As human beings created in Gods’ image, we were born with certain rights and responsibilities that enable us to walk in our God-given personal freedom. God gives us freedom to make choices, set boundaries, think for ourselves, and feel. However, we have to take responsibility for what we have been given. We realize we can’t change other people, but we can change ourselves in and through the grace of God.^b

Question to Consider

Who are you tempted to blame for an unhappy or difficult situation in your life? How might you use your God-given freedom to take greater responsibility for one of your choices today?

Prayer

Lord, forgive me for turning away from you by blaming others. Help me to reclaim the personal freedom you have given me to make choices. And grant that I may rest in the river of your love by taking a healthy responsibility for my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

^a Eugene H. Peterson, Leap Over a Wall: Earthly Spirituality for Everyday Christians (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1997), 162–63.

^b For additional guidance, see Geri Scazzero, The Emotionally Healthy Woman, ch. 5, “Quit Blaming,” 115–40.