Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Matthew 8.19-20 NLT Then one of the teachers of religious law said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” I’ve heard some speakers talk about the Christian life as if it was a life of peace and happiness characterised by sunshine and blue skies. Jesus never sp...

Matthew 8.8 NLT The officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.” The officer in question was a Roman Centurion. He was a powerful person in the military forces that were occupying Israel at the time and was, therefore, much hated by the population who longed to be set free. However, it’s difficult not to w...

Exodus 18.24-25 NLT 'Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.' Moses’ father in law, Jethro, paid him a visit in the desert and was thrilled to hear about the amazing way in which God had brought the...

Exodus 16.29 NLT  'They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.' It was vital that the weekly rhythm of life was maintained in the desert. On the face of it, this was going to be dif...

Exodus 16.19-20 NLT Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them. The rule couldn’t have been simpler. The bread or manna that God gave to his people every morning would sustain them for the day ahead, but it couldn’t be kept...

Exodus 16.17-18 NLT 'So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough.' God’s miraculous provision of food for the people of Israel throughout their 40 years in the wilderness is breath-taking. I particularly love these verses because of this wonderful detail that, although the families had very differen...

Exodus 16.11-12 NLT Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” We cannot be sure how many Israelites left Egypt, but it was certainly many thousands. Feeding such a group of people would have been a massive...

Exodus 15.23-24 NLT When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”). Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. Pressure. Every leader knows what it is to face discontented people. I hasten to add that I haven’t faced a huge number, but then I’ve never taken tens of...

Exodus 15.2 NLT The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! This is part of a wonderful song that Moses sang after the people of Israel had crossed the Red Sea. After 400 years they had finally left Egypt. 400 years is a very long time and the people could easily have stayed there for ever. But there wa...

Exodus 14.13-14 NLT Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” This is a crunch moment in the history of the people of Israel. After the long succession of plagues, they are finally heading out of Egypt and it is said that they did so with...

Exodus 4.21 NLT And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go.” God sometimes asks people to do some extraordinarily difficult jobs. But this must be one of the toughest. Moses who, as we know, was feeling very inadequate and ill-equipped for the task...

Exodus 4.16 NLT “Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.” Moses felt sure that his speech difficulties disqualified him from serving God. How could someone who was tongue-tied possibly lead the people of Israel and negotiate with Pharaoh? The answer was simple. His brother Aaron could do that p...

Exodus 4.13 NLT But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send someone else.” I wonder if you can identify with Moses. I certainly can. Time and again God has clearly asked me to do something and, like Moses, I have pleaded with him to find someone else. Moses would quickly have recognised that going back to Egypt was going to be hard enough, let alone to become the leader of his people and negotiat...

Exodus 4.10 NLT But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” I feel a bit sorry for Moses. I have often heard people suggesting that Moses was just looking for excuses to turn down God’s job offer. However, Moses’ reply to God sounds to me a perfectly reas...

Exodus 3.15 NLT God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.” I wonder what you would say if God asked you to lead his people at a time of desperate need. I suspect that you, like Moses, would have a string of questions to ask! The first thing that he needed to know was wh...

Exodus 3.11-12 NLT But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” God answered, “I will be with you.” Moses was about 80 years old when God spoke to him from the burning bush. He was in the desert of Midian, on the eastern side of the Red Sea, because he was running away after he had murdered an Egyptian. The idea of not merely...

Exodus 3.4 NLT When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. Moses’ life had been a remarkable one. Born in Egypt when the People of Israel were in slavery there, Pharaoh had gone to extraordinary lengths to kill off all Israelite baby boys. Moses had miraculously survived and was brought up as a mem...

Acts 28.30-31 NLT 'For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.' Paul’s journey to Rome was an amazing adventure. It was a long and difficult journey during which he and his companions survived a shipwreck. We would love to know far more d...

Acts 24.24-25 NLT Sending for Paul, Felix and his wife Drusilla listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus. As he reasoned with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.” Paul is now on the Mediterranean coast in Caesarea, the regional centre of Ro...

Acts 23.11 NLT That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” Paul was going through an incredibly difficult time. His arrival in Jerusalem had sparked a riot and the Roman authorities struggled to know what to do with him. They didn’t know how to handle religious disputes...

Acts 22.1-2 NLT “Brothers and esteemed fathers,” Paul said, “listen to me as I offer my defence.” When they heard him speaking in their own language, the silence was even greater. Paul faced intense hostility when he reached Jerusalem. People had heard reports of his ministry amongst the Gentiles, and he was accused of telling people to disobey the Jewish laws. A riot broke out and the crowd cried...

Acts 21.13 NLT Paul said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” There was no stopping Paul. He was absolutely determined to go to Jerusalem and no one was able to stand in his way. That’s not to say that they didn’t try! When he arrived in Tyre in Syria, he spent a week with the believers the...

Acts 20.36-38 NLT 'When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again.' There was clearly a very strong bond between Paul and the Ephesian elders and this moment of parting was painful. Paul, of all people, had an absolute conviction in the wonderful...

Acts 20.28 NLT 'So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.' I suspect that most people would choose not to be compared with sheep! It would hardly be seen as a flattering description! Sheep are rarely viewed as the brightest of animals and are generally understood to be easily...

Acts 20.24 NLT 'But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.' What’s the purpose of your life? We all have to agree that this is an excellent question, but most of the time we are far too busy to be able to ask it. We may be busy with our work, family, church, hobbi...