Monday, May 18 – “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant.” (Isaiah 42:14) If you want to find peace, if you want to live a tranquil life, you want to be real. No more holding anything back. No more staying silent with God in the face of stress, strain, pain and peer-pressure. Find a person who is real with themselves, with God and with others, and you’ll also find a person well on their way to tranquility.
Tuesday, May 19 – “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.” (Psalm 141:10) A tranquil life means that you stand under the truth that the only thing you can control in this life is yourself. As a follower of Jesus, you’re invited to walk with others. You aren’t commanded to walk for others. Don’t forfeit tranquility to a life of worry or fear over what someone else does or doesn’t do?
Wednesday, May 20 – “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” (Luke 2:29) These are the words of Simeon, celebrating the fact that God answered his prayer not to die, before seeing the Messiah. Simeon’s peace was found in the knowledge that God is in control and that everything was going to be alright. Because of Jesus, Simeon could now die “in peace”. That’s tranquility!
Thursday, May 21 – “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalm 112:7) Why do we have so many 24-hour news sources? Because fear is profitable. Yet, as a follower of Jesus, you’re invited to live in peace and tranquility. Not because you bury your head in the sand. Not because you’re naïve. But because your heart is “steadfast, trusting in the Lord alone.” Not politics, not the news, not money, not power or any other worldly thing.
Friday, May 22 – “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.” (Psalm 3:5) “Now I lay me down to sleep…” This Psalm influenced that popular children’s bedtime prayer. Tomorrow, when you wake up, thank God for the gift of one more day. No matter what that day may hold. For your tranquility, your peace, isn’t found in what your day holds. But in who you are, a dearly loved, sacred, child of God, living in whatever your day holds.
Saturday, May 23 – “The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:12) The first commandment is to have no other gods, before God. You can have others gods – money, power, fear and anxiety – but none of them can lead you. That’s where it gets hard. You can’t avoid having other gods in your life. But you can avoid making sure that none of those other gods lead you. Finding that sweet spot in your life is tranquility.
Tuesday, May 19 – “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.” (Psalm 141:10) A tranquil life means that you stand under the truth that the only thing you can control in this life is yourself. As a follower of Jesus, you’re invited to walk with others. You aren’t commanded to walk for others. Don’t forfeit tranquility to a life of worry or fear over what someone else does or doesn’t do?
Wednesday, May 20 – “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” (Luke 2:29) These are the words of Simeon, celebrating the fact that God answered his prayer not to die, before seeing the Messiah. Simeon’s peace was found in the knowledge that God is in control and that everything was going to be alright. Because of Jesus, Simeon could now die “in peace”. That’s tranquility!
Thursday, May 21 – “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” (Psalm 112:7) Why do we have so many 24-hour news sources? Because fear is profitable. Yet, as a follower of Jesus, you’re invited to live in peace and tranquility. Not because you bury your head in the sand. Not because you’re naïve. But because your heart is “steadfast, trusting in the Lord alone.” Not politics, not the news, not money, not power or any other worldly thing.
Friday, May 22 – “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.” (Psalm 3:5) “Now I lay me down to sleep…” This Psalm influenced that popular children’s bedtime prayer. Tomorrow, when you wake up, thank God for the gift of one more day. No matter what that day may hold. For your tranquility, your peace, isn’t found in what your day holds. But in who you are, a dearly loved, sacred, child of God, living in whatever your day holds.
Saturday, May 23 – “The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him.” (Deuteronomy 32:12) The first commandment is to have no other gods, before God. You can have others gods – money, power, fear and anxiety – but none of them can lead you. That’s where it gets hard. You can’t avoid having other gods in your life. But you can avoid making sure that none of those other gods lead you. Finding that sweet spot in your life is tranquility.
You try to eat right. You drink plenty of water. you exercise. don't forget your spirit - feed it!
daily devotions
