Michael Jr.
Devotional Plan for: Week of July 26 - July 30
Monday - Read Psalm 16:8-11
Psalm 16:8-11 NIV: "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
A psychologist recently posed that the only difference between Brett Favre (the famous former quarterback from the Green Bay Packers) and Tom Brady (winningest quarterback in history) is their heart rate. When you track someone's levels of performance next to their heart rate, increased heart rates correlate with less success, and vice-versa. So, because Brett Favre is just as physically gifted as Tom Brady (if not more), and very intelligent, perhaps it was that his body was experiencing a manifest nervousness through its heart rate, and he was naturally unable to perform at as high of a level, whereas a Brady is uniquely gifted in stressful game-moments because of a potentially lower heart rate.
Do you ever prepare to enter into a conflict or a difficult conversation, and your heart starts beating quickly? Do you ever read social media posts and it feels like your blood is boiling? Do you ever face a hard day or week of work, and a heart-changing amount of frustration or nervousness manifests?
Our hearts, at a physical level, but even more so at a biblical metaphorical level (as the center of our being), both dictates, and conversely reacts to, our surroundings. In difficult circumstances, we can begin to experience holistic heart-racing that distinctively marks and describes our lives. This was the very reality of David from our Psalm today. David was constantly under attack and pressure from those trying to thwart the will of God through Israel. And David could have experienced understandable heart palpitations, just as we can during the drama of our lives.
But, a constant state of heart-stress is not how God created us. With God at our right hand, we are not shaken, so our heart is glad, our bodies rest secure. Why is this? Because the whole plan is in God's hands, and he is empowering us within that plan.
Whatever you may work through in you, let your heart be glad, because God is at our right hand, constantly saving us from the things of the world.
Reflection Question(s):
What is your heart not glad about, and how can putting your trust in God help alleviate that?
- Christian Smith – Director of Pastoral Ministries
Tuesday - Read Psalm 32:6-11
Psalm 32: 6-11 NIV: "Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!"
The story is told of a wagon train crossing the prairie, which came over a hill and was terrified to see a prairie fire racing in their direction. It seemed as if they would be engulfed by the flames. But the leader quickly rode to the rear of the caravan and lit the dry grass behind them on fire. The same winds blowing the flames toward them fanned this fire away from them. Within minutes they all moved to the burned-off area. As the heat and smoke became more intense, a little girl cried out, "Are you sure we're safe?" "Oh, yes," said the wagon master, "we're safe because we're s
