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Written by Reba McEntire, a contemporary singer.  This is an excerpt from her book “Not That Fancy.”

The best way for me to be still in my spirit is to go out for a long walk. I love being outside and looking at God’s creation. Watching the clouds go by and listening to the birds sing always fills me with peace. I felt the same way when I was a girl riding through the hills on our ranch. There’s just something about being alone in nature that helps me listen in a way I can’t in the middle of the hustle and bustle of my usual life. One day back in 2014, when I was out walking, I said, “Okay, Lord. What do You want me to do?” and He said, “Pray for peace.” So I did. A few days later I was out walking again, and I asked again, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” and again He said, “Pray for peace.” “Well, I’ve been doing that.” “Sing it,” He said. So I started singing, “Pray for peace. Pray for peace.” A while after that, I asked God what He wanted me to do with that song, and He said, “Record it.” So we did. We recorded it and made a music video that included people from all over the world praying for peace. I was so moved to see the Lord at work in the lives of so many different people in so many different places. I don’t write a lot of songs, but when the Lord gives you such clear direction, you listen.  When I’m going through something tough, most of the time God just wants me to be still and listen to the instructions He’s giving. It’s about His time, not my time. His will, His way. Not mine. … I hope these words will help you to be still and listen for Him. And I hope you’ll find in Him what I always have — love, strength, peace, and wisdom.

Prayer:

Written by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, a contemporary author.

I need you and love you, Lord. And I ask you to speak through your Word and in these quiet moments together. Whisper or shout into my spirit, whichever you want, and whatever I need the most. But most of all, just receive my praise as I focus my thoughts only on you. I’m listening and anticipating as I read and meditate on your beautiful Word. Amen.

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Written by Charles Stanley (1932 -2023), a pastor, author, and speaker.  This is an excerpt from his book “Trusting God With Today.”

Mystery often surrounds the person of the Holy Spirit — our understanding is often muddled about who He is and what He does. However, it is not possible to make progress in the Christian life apart from His presence. This is because the Holy Spirit is God’s personal representative here on earth, and His role is to be our Helper and Comforter. In Greek, this word is parakletos, and it suggests that He gives us aid much like a legal counselor or advocate would. He comes alongside us, giving us strength and encouraging support. However, if we do not recognize His presence, authority, and power, we can mistakenly believe and act like we are in this life alone. Jesus knows how important His presence is with us. Therefore, the Lord in His great compassion and wisdom sent His Holy Spirit to teach, guide, and help us. He instructs us in the truth and is our personal advocate before the throne of God. This is our peace and strength regardless of the circumstances — whatever we face, Christ faces it with us personally through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Written by Charles Stanley, author of today’s meditation.

Jesus, thank You for the enduring presence, wisdom, comfort, and power of Your indwelling Holy Spirit with me. Amen.

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Written by Dennis Hollinger, a contemporary professor and ethicist.

Likely one of our first responses to terrorist acts is anger. Whenever we are attacked physically or psychologically, resentment and belligerence arise within us. Anger is a good gift, for it enables us to deal emotionally with violations, injustices, and evil that threaten our life and integrity. But anger is also fallen, and so it easily turns to unbridled anger that comes to control us. In its fallen state unbridled anger tends to build a history that won’t let go and thus perpetuates disgust, disrespect, and eventually violence, as the blood boils within us. As Horace, the Roman poet, put it, “Anger is a short madness” It’s because of the brutal impact of anger upon both the victim and the offender that the Bible has wise direction, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Eph. 4:26). Our natural unbridled anger needs to be transformed into righteous indignation, a holy wrath with strong feelings directed toward the evil, sin, and injustice perpetrated. Righteous indignation moves us beyond the uncontrollable outrage directed against individuals to a more principled anger focusing on the evil done. Such redeemed anger is perhaps akin to God’s own holy wrath. Such anger arises from God’s holiness, for sin and evil are direct contradictions to God’s own nature and actions. If we are not angered by terrorist events. we likely have little sense of either goodness or evil. But if we live in unbridled anger, we may succumb to the very evil that outrages us in the first place. Thus, righteous indignation, not unbridled anger.

Prayer:

Written by Kim Snodgrass, a contemporary writer.

Beloved God, cultivate in my heart a genuine love of others; a righteous anger towards those things that separate me from you and others. Allow the love of others to be my driving force so that with your help I may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

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Written by Thomas Tarrants, a minister, writer, and President Emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute.

Being a disciple of Jesus and growing in Christlikeness is a wonderfully blessed but very challenging journey through life. This “ongoing process of growth as a disciple” is commonly referred to as discipleship. (Paul uses the equivalent idea of being conformed to the image of Christ and calls believers to the same wholehearted surrender, commitment, and transformation as Jesus. Whatever language we use to describe it, we must reckon with the fact that growing in Christlikeness takes time and will have difficulties along the way. In our “instant everything” culture, we periodically will need to remind ourselves and those we disciple that this process cannot be completed in a matter of weeks or even months; it is the work of a lifetime and will require patient perseverance. With our American tendency toward individualism, we must also remember that it cannot be completed alone. An individualistic, do-it-yourself faith or “solo Christianity” is guaranteed to fail. That is why we must be an actively engaged member of a congregation of God’s people, where we have Christ-centered friends to walk with us and help us grow as disciples. This need has given rise to the word discipling, which “implies the responsibility of disciples helping one another to grow as disciples.” Discipling is a ministry to which all believers are called in some fashion. Someone has said that each of us needs to be in relationship with at least one person who is like a “Paul”—a more mature believer who can disciple (spiritually mentor) us; at least one like “Timothy”—a person younger in the faith whom we can disciple; and one or two peers like “Barnabas” (who encouraged Paul) to cheer us on.

Prayer:

Written by the Nicki Koziarz, a contemporary author and teacher.

O God of Enduring Faithfulness, I believe in You and want to follow You in my actions every day. I want to learn from You, by studying Your word and listening to others teach it. I ask today that You open my eyes. Open my eyes to the Holy Spirit. Soften my heart.. Flow Your holy words through my mouth. Allow me to spread the good word for You as Jesus’ disciples did for Him. Make me into Your holy servant. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Mere Christianity.”

God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go either wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong; I cannot. If a thing is free to be good it is also free to be bad. And free will is what has made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having. A world of automata—of creatures that worked like machines—would hardly be worth creating. The happiness which God designs for His higher creatures is the happiness of being freely, voluntarily united to Him and to each other in an ecstasy of love and delight compared with which the most rapturous love between a man and a woman on this earth is mere milk and water. And for that they must be free.. . . If God thinks this state of war in the universe a price worth paying for free will—that is, for making a live world in which creatures can do real good or harm and something of real importance can happen, instead of a toy world which only moves when He pulls the strings—then we may take it it is worth paying.

Prayer:

Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization established by Ken Blanchard to “glorify God by inspiring and equipping people to lead like Jesus.”

God, living by Your values and according to Your purpose calls for courage. Permeate my heart and mind, so that living by Your values becomes second-nature to me. May I courageously choose to love like Jesus, in spite of the world’s pressure to judge. In His name I pray, amen.

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Written by R. C. Gillie (1866-1941), a pastor and author.

The words often on Jesus’ lips in His last days express vividly the idea, “going to the Father.” We, too, who are Christ’s people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. We are journeying towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of life. We, too, are “going to the Father.” Much is dim concerning our home-country, but two things are clear. It is home, “the Father’s House.” It is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts it. He is a traveler, not a settler.

Prayer:

Written by Tiffany Thibault, a contemporary writer.

Dear Lord, Thank you that you see my heart and that you know every plan and thought that I have. Thank you for your powerful promise: that if I seek you, I will find you. Give me a deep hunger for you. Fill me with your Spirit, that I would seek you more, that I would love you more, and that my mind would be filled with more of you. Help me as I go through this day, that I would see each challenge as an opportunity to worship and serve you. May you be glorified with how I live this day. In your name I pray, Amen.

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Written by Beth Patch, a contemporary writer.

Two decades after World War I, which officially ended November 11, 1918, the U.S. passed legislation to have a legal holiday every November 11th, honoring veterans who served in that war. As time marched on and more wars were fought, Veterans Day became a national holiday honoring American veterans of all wars. Before personally knowing someone who fought in a war, I didn’t give much thought to Veterans Day, other than the commercial aspect of a few good sales. I regret my previously flippant recognition of this important day. Before Bill went to fight in Iraq, he was an electrician with the same company for 25 years. His children were mostly out of the nest and he and his wife were looking forward to their retirement years. However, after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Bill joined the Virginia Army National Guard. It seemed unlikely he’d be called to serve overseas since the reserves had not been called up for war since World War II. His family was shocked when he left for the war in Iraq and was gone for 18 months. When Bill returned in 2005, his family welcomed home a courageous and radically changed man who had lived through horrible events. His time away was spent in chaos. He told of entering a city where a beheaded man was leaned up against a post — the hand-written sign on his chest translated, “This is what will happen to anyone who speaks to the Americans.” He recounted how deeply the enemy hates and wants to destroy all Americans. He carried the bodies of young men in his unit whose lives were cut short by the dining hall suicide bomber in Mosul. The horror stories could fill a book. His heart was broken for those in his unit who suffered and died; most of them young enough to be his son. He cried for their parents; knowing how devastating it would be to lose a child. Bill was awarded the Purple Heart for his war injuries during battle. He still struggles with the memories of all the evil, death, and danger. He has severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) along with physical pain from his injuries. He’s totally disabled. Bill’s one of thousands of veterans who are celebrated on this day. They fought so we could be safe from our enemies. They demonstrated the greatest love for us. A national holiday is hardly enough to show them our gratitude and respect. We can’t undo anything they’ve been through, but we can do what the Bible tells us to do – love them and pray for them.

Prayer:

Written by Beth Patch, the author of today’s meditation.

Lord Jesus, you are not a stranger to war and know the stress our veterans have felt. Please comfort and strengthen them with your Holy Spirit. Meet each of them right where they are today and speak to their souls. You’ve brought them through many trials. Help them see your mighty hand at work in their lives and know how much you love them. Heal their hearts as well as their bodies. Help us to show our sincere thanks to them and help us all never to forget the sacrifices that they’ve made. Help us to love them just as you have loved us.

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Written by Carolyn Arends, a contemporary speaker, author, and songwriter. This is an excerpt from her book “Theology in Aisle Seven.”

We are in the thrashing time, a season characterized by our pervasive capacity to do violence to each other and ourselves. The temptation is to despair. We have to remember, though, that it won’t last forever. Jesus has already crushed the serpent’s head. Recently I heard a message from theologian Gary Deddo … [who] challenges the tendency many of us have to be dualists — imagining God and Satan as equal foes deadlocked in mortal combat. To be certain, Deddo acknowledges, there is an immeasurable amount of evil in our world. But compared with God’s love and power, all the evil in the universe doesn’t cover the head of a pin. Love wins. Satan doesn’t stand a chance. Thus, though we wrestle with the brokenness that plagues the world, and ourselves, we do so not with grim resignation but with hopeful defiance. We face both our addictions and afflictions not with a faint, white-knuckled hope that someday we will be healed, but rather with an assurance that we are living slowly but surely into the healing already obtained on the Cross. There is still a waiting. In some cases, the healing may not come in fullness until we are face-to-face with our Victor — but come it will. Guaranteed.

Prayer:

Written by David Platt, a contemporary pastor and author.

Oh, God. Lord Jesus, we trust in you. We trust that you are working all things. Even the things we don’t understand going on in the world around, even the things we don’t understand in our lives. God we praise you for the confidence that when we lift up our eyes from what we see right around us and we look ahead, we know the day is coming when the kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. And he shall reign forever and ever.

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Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

Jesus never seemed to be at a loss for words. Whether being asked an honest question, being challenged, or responding to a need, He spoke words of grace and truth. Every response flowed from an awareness of what God was doing and how He could best represent the Father in the moment. What about you? What opportunities will you have to represent the Father today? How can you prepare to represent Him well with your words?

Prayer:

This prayer is written by the authors of today’s meditation.

 Father, let me dwell in You and in Your Word so that I hear and speak the words You give. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian.  This is an excerpt from his book “Reflections on the Psalms.”

I have often, on my knees, been shocked to find what sort of thoughts I have for a moment, been addressing to God; what infantile placations I was really offering, what claims I have really made, even what absurd adjustments or compromises I was, half-consciously, proposing. There is a Pagan, savage heart in me somewhere. For unfortunately the folly and idiot- cunning of Paganism seem to have far more power of surviving than its innocent or even beautiful elements. It is easy, once you have power, to silence the pipes, still the dances, disfigure the statues, and forget the stories; but not easy to kill the savage, the greedy, frightened creature now cringing, now blustering, in one’s soul— the creature to whom God may well say, “thou thoughtest I am even such a one as thyself” (Psalm 50.21).

Prayer:

This prayer is from Psalm 19:13-14. It is David’s prayer in response to God’s self-revelation.

Keep back your servant also from willful sins.

Let them not have dominion over me.

Then I will be upright.

I will be blameless and innocent

of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and

the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.

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