Back to the Basics Devotions for the 2015 Week of Prayer and Fasting

From the Allegheny Brethren in Christ Worship Council Compiled and edited by Jill E. Thompson Copyright 2014

Cover Design: “The Angelus” by Jean-Francois Millet, 1814-1875

About the cover…

The Angelus, is actually a prayer which commemorates the annunciation made to Mary by the angel Gabriel. In rural France in the 1800’s, whenever the people heard the church bell ringing, they immediately stopped their work in the fields and took time to pray. This man and woman have stopped digging potatoes and all the tools used for this task – the potato fork, the basket, the sacks and the wheelbarrow – are strewn around them.

I chose this painting for the cover because it puts into a picture what these devotions should mean to us. During this week of prayer and fasting, we should be taking the time to stop our work (our 21st century work), lay aside our work tools for a time, and seek the Lord. For you see, instead of a physical church bell, it’s our Brethren in Christ that are sounding the call. And that is the essence of devotion. JT

Confidence in God’s promises come from acknowledging, trusting, and submitting to the Truth found in His character.

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I come. And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.” Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson (1758)

In light of God’s very character, we have confidence. He is the Beginning and End, Creator and Sustainer of all, and our great God is for us! You see, our confidence in God does not rest on our own abilities to be faithful or earn His love. As Paul said in Philippians 1:6, our confidence comes from knowing that God started the work of salvation in us, God sustains the work of salvation in us, and God will complete the work of salvation in us. We have only to look to Him and submit to the hope of the gospel, found in Jesus Christ. Thought: Have confidence brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord God is faithful to complete the work He began.

The Basics of Life Lyrics by 4Him

We've turned the page, for a new day has dawned We've re-arranged what is right and what's wrong Somehow we've drifted so far from the truth That we can't get back home Where are the virtues that once gave us light Where are the morals that governed our lives Someday we all will awake and look back Just to find what we've lost

We need to get back to the basics of life A heart that is pure and a love that is blind A faith that is fervently grounded in Christ The hope that endures for all times. These are the basics, We need to get back to the basics of life The newest rage is to reason it out Just meditate and you can overcome every doubt After all man is a God, they say God is no longer alive But I still believe in the old rugged cross And I still believe there is hope for the lost And I know the rock of all ages will stand Through changes of time

We've let the darkness invade us too long We've got to turn the tide Oh and we need the passion that burned long ago To come and open our eyes There's no room for compromise

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We need to get back to the basics of life A heart that is pure and a love that is blind.

The Amen: Confidence J. B. Usher

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6

Confidence. The act of putting faith in something or someone and trusting in the outcome; a belief that things are what we believe them to be. All of us have confidence in something or someone. Maybe it is something practical; having confidence that a chair is going to hold you when you sit down. Maybe it is something entertaining; having confidence in your favorite sports team and their ability to win (or lose, Cubs fans). Maybe it is something emotional; having confidence in the feeling that your spouse or family will never let you down.

What happens when our confidence is misplaced? In the example of the chair, maybe we become embarrassed. In the example of the sports team, maybe we become frustrated. When it comes to relationships, however, we are hurt and our confidence is shaken. We begin to learn not to trust, not to have confidence in others, and this begins to shape and impact our lives in ways that many of us have trouble recovering from. Some of us even begin to allow our distrust of others to affect our relationship with God; wondering why we should have confidence in Him when everything else around us fails. Yet, it is because everything else around us fails, that we need to have confidence in God. One of the beautiful attributes of the Scriptures is that God, through His word, gives us all the reasons we need to trust Him. Pray and meditate on the following Scriptures: Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. – Romans 11:33-36 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” – Philippians 1:6 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

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Song lyrics (“Help Me Find It” and “Keep Making Me” by Sidewalk Prophets) were extra inspiring. They helped remind me that God is in control. I only needed to step out and follow, trusting that His good will is best. God can use me, just the way He created me, to better serve His purposes.

I still have moments of doubt, fear, and discouragement. And I still struggle with impatience. But I try to remember that the Lord’s thoughts are nothing like my thoughts. And His ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts higher than my thoughts. (adapted from Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT) What does God want to share with you? Be still. I encourage you to find a way to spend time with God. Read His Word. Listen to songs. Seek and pray. Worship God by offering yourself. Surrender your plans and your day to Him. He will provide. Thought: God wants to fellowship and communicate with me, so it is important to find ways to hear His voice.

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Table of Contents

Day 1: Perfect Direction by Cindy Ross………………………...….1 Day 2: Be Still and Know by Leslie McKee………………………..3 Day 3: Bon Appetit by Dee Martin………………………………..… 5

Day 4: Worship by Number by Rob Patterson…. .................... .7 Day 5: Sacrifice by Laura B. Clark…………………………………....9

Day 6: Let Go and Let God by Steve Delaney ............... .…......11 Day 7: Hear His Voice by Kris Crawford……………………..….13 The Amen: Confidence by J. B. Usher…...…...….………..………15

Day 7: Hear His Voice Kris Crawford

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Psalm 37:4, 5, 7a (NRSV)

Do you desire a closer relationship with Christ? Do you wonder if God has bigger plans for your life? Do you wish you could slow down long enough to hear God speak?

There have been moments over the last years that I asked these questions myself. Then one December, I was given an opportunity to find some answers. A sports injury required surgery and 10 weeks off of my foot. What’s a mom to do now, and at Christmas, when so much was needed and expected and hoped for? Be still.

I didn’t know how to be still. At first, I felt totally overwhelmed, not believing this had even happened. What do I do, now that I have been ‘benched’, and family, friends, and church members were filling in for me? Be still. I truly wanted to understand what it all meant. Why now? What was I to learn from this? Where will this detour take me? I definitely did not want to emerge from this the same. Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Psalm 46:10-11 (NRSV)

I had to learn how to be still. How to worship. And how to really believe that GOD is my strength. Then I felt a certain peace that could only come from God. The quietness provided the way to hear His still small voice. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:6-8 (NRSV)

God wanted to spend more time with me. He wanted me to consider good things, to set aside my discontentment and pride. He wanted me to understand who I was, and to stop trying to be someone else. So I prayed, read, asked, and listened. 13

So… when we stop worrying and present our prayers and petitions with thanksgiving to God, what happens? God carefully goes down through our list, checking off each one, as He goes, making sure to keep in touch with us to verify that He’s answering them the way we want… Right? Ummm…. No. We do everything right and we get what in return? Peace??? Wait a second. I don’t recall peace being on my list of demands… Uh, I mean “requests.”

The key to these couple verses, I believe, is how we “…present your requests to God…” Many of us present our requests in a closed fist. Holding on to them. Placing our expectations on them. Our terms and conditions. We believe that we know best how God should answer our requests. But, the way we should “present our requests” is with an open hand. “Here God. Do with these requests what you will. I surrender them to you because I believe you know what needs to be done with them. I know that you love me. That you care for me. I trust that you will do what is best…” When we present our requests in that manner, coupled with the knowledge that He has infinitely more strength and wisdom than we do, we can have confidence that He will always respond with what is right and perfect. When we know that… When we believe that… We can have incredible peace knowing that our requests are no longer in our hands but His. Then His peace guards us from doubt, worry, second-guessing and lies from the enemy. “Father God, I refuse to worry. Thank you for hearing me. Here are my requests. I release them to you. Do with them what you think is best. Fill me with the peace of knowing that you are God… and I am not.”… Thought: Real peace comes when we surrender everything to God.

Day 1: Perfect Direction Cindy Ross

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6 (NIV)

I learned the importance of "the basics" years ago when I had the opportunity to play my flute in a local orchestra. For several years my only performances were for grateful church audiences who freely handed out compliments. I leaned upon the praise of non-professionals and neglected to practice. It had been a long time since I played under the mentor-ship of a professional director. I had to painfully admit that my musical skill was not what it used to be. I went home and dug out old college books of musical exercises. I reviewed scales. I practiced breathing exercises. I held long tones and checked them with a tuner. It took months to get my playing back to the level I had once achieved.

Sometimes in our journey with Christ we find it easy to rest upon past victories. We may think our testimony and service are pretty good when in fact we need a face-to-face reality check with "The Master." Under His kind and loving direction we can see those areas which we need to re-commit to Him. He reminds us of the importance of things we may have neglected because we dismiss them as too simple or unnecessary. Perhaps for some of us it would be the failure to repent of a "small" sin. For others it may be that we tend to skip over familiar scriptures or that we have forgotten those verses that would be used to lead an unbeliever to salvation. Proverbs 3: 5-6 urges us to acknowledge God and not to lean upon our own understanding. Our own opinions often lead us the wrong way but God's direction is perfect. Thought: We never outgrow the need to simply listen to God.

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Day 6: Let Go and Let God Steve Delaney

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4: 6-7 (NIV)

“Let go and let God”, is quite popular in Christian circles right now. But it’s been my experience that cute phrases that sound really great on Facebook or Twitter, are quite often rather hard to actually live out. It’s one thing to “Like” them… Another thing entirely to “Live” them. So what does it truly mean to “Let go and let God?” What does that honestly look like in real life?

“Do not be anxious…” We seriously have nothing to be worried about… right? Life is good. Peace on Earth. Goodwill among men… Yeah right… It seems that everywhere we look, the world we live in is coming apart at the seams. It would appear that there is plenty to worry about. Much to be afraid of. This verse however contains a beautiful word. A word that many of us probably haven’t noticed or considered to be important. The word “But”. In the original Greek, this word carries with it the sense of a change of direction. I was going one direction, but now I’m going a different direction. In this verse it’s saying… “Life has plenty of problems. We have a lot of things we could worry about… BUT… There is a better way… Prayer.

“…in every situation” means just that… EVERY situation. Ones that we are afraid of. Ones that seem to be impossible. Ones that look simple and we can handle on our own. Paul was saying that it doesn’t matter where you find yourself in life. Whatever situation you are facing, good, bad or ugly, the following instructions apply. “…by prayer and petition…” Prayer is a private, one on one conversation. Petitions are when a group of people come together, agree on a cause and present it to the one with the authority to act upon the request. We need to have our own personal prayer life. We also need to come together corporately to pray together for each other and for the world around us. “…with thanksgiving…” Yes. We have plenty to be thankful for. A God who wants to be in a close relationship with us. A God who is rich in grace, mercy and love. A God who continually blesses His children. 2

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Sacrifice, by definition, is “The act of giving up something highly valued for the sake of something else considered to have a greater value or claim.” To give away our excess, or as an afterthought, or only what’s convenient, cannot be considered sacrifice.

So what sacrifice is required of me as a 21st century, middle-class North American Christian? Burnt offerings and sin offerings as prescribed in the Old Testament are obsolete thanks to the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. I accept Jesus’ death as the complete payment for my sins; so what is left for me to offer? When we read Luke 9:23-24, taking up our cross does not mean we should literally carry a wooden beam with us through our daily activities, but imagine how that would look. Could we scour the mall for clothes and shoes and tools that we don’t really need, while toting a splintery cross? Could we scratch our nose or search for a dropped napkin to disguise our mealtime prayer from coworkers while shouldering a 2 x 6? Could we still claim we’re too busy to pray, teach, worship, help, etc. while bearing a physical reminder of what Jesus gave up for us? It is unlikely that God will require every one of His followers to give up every cherished person, possession and activity. We can see how He delights in blessing His obedient children with abundant life and with joy in His presence. However, we must recognize these blessings as gifts, loans temporarily entrusted to us that we must be willing to relinquish without reservation. We must learn to develop an attitude of selflessness; not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less and thinking of God and others more. I must daily, even hourly, submit my plans, desires and attitudes to God for His transformation. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. – Psalm 51:16-17

Thought: What is God asking you to give up for His sake?

Day 2: Be Still and Know Leslie McKee

Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. – Psalm 46:10-11 (NLT)

“Be still.” Those two little words are quite a challenge! Lately I feel as though there is no time to be still. Life has become full of busyness and noise. I think it is something we, as a society, have become accustomed to and accept as the norm. Our bodies have become programmed to be on the go and find it hard to be still when there is an open window of time in the day to do so. Even if the body is momentarily resting, the mind is still running on overdrive. Perhaps I am putting too much emphasis on stillness as a physical response. Maybe to "be still" is better described as an attitude of the heart. Maybe it is simply allowing his voice to quiet our soul when there is chaos and confusion. Maybe it is having a spirit of gratitude for his blessings and goodness. Maybe it is holding on to the truth of who He says he is regardless of what our circumstances are. So, who does He say that he is?

In Exodus 3, God called on Moses to lead his people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt. Moses voiced his feelings of inadequacies for the job to God who in turn replied, "I will be with you." Because the Israelites had been exposed to the polytheistic practices of the Egyptians for such a long time, Moses then argued that they would not believe him if he told them 'the God of your ancestors has sent me' and asked God what his response should be, to which God replied: "I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS. Just tell them 'I AM has sent me to you.' " In the next verse God goes on to say: "Tell them, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob- has sent me to you.' This will be my name forever; it has always been my name, and it will be used throughout all generations." (v. 14-15) I AM.

The Lord.

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His name reflects his nature which is unchanging. He is the same living, breathing, moving God today as he was in the days of Moses and as he will be through all eternity. Part of "being still" and being able to rest in God - in His peace, in His presence, in His provision - is acknowledging who He is and embracing His sovereignty.

If we don't have moments of stillness, whether it be a physical response or a heart response, we are missing out on opportunities to experience God; to feel his heartbeat, to see his hand of grace, to hear his whispers, to marvel at his creativity, to recognize him for who he is...God. Thought: When we take the opportunity to be still, we can discover who God really is.

Day 5: Sacrifice Laura B. Clark

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. – Luke 9:23-24 (NIV)

Last summer my family went on our first mission trip. Working with our team on location, we renovated, repaired, constructed, painted, cleaned, and organized. Though we worked hard to accomplish our project goals, I can’t honestly claim that the workload was excessively fatiguing or time consuming. We did have time for worship, outreach, fellowship, recreation, sight-seeing and star-gazing. While not luxurious, our accommodations were more than adequate. We ate well, we slept on real beds with mattresses, and had opportunity to shower daily. In other words, our standard of living while “on mission” was well above that of the community we served, not to mention a large portion of the world.

Yet, as summer drew rapidly to a close, I found myself lamenting the absence of a “real vacation.” “Why didn’t I get to laze away on a lounge chair on a sandy beach next to my husband while our children cheerfully built sand castles and rescued starfish nearby?” I had been completely willing to give God time, effort and finances for doing mission work, but I didn’t want it to cost my own leisure time. I wanted to give God some and still have “mine” available. I had to admit to myself that I have failed to adopt a lifestyle of sacrifice.

From the beginning of humanity, we see true sacrifice as an integral part of our relationship with God. We have no record of guidelines for sacrifice being laid out for Adam’s family but clearly there was some understanding of what was required. In Genesis 4:3, Cain was admonished by the Lord to adjust his attitude and warned to overcome the sin that was crouching at his door and still he failed to bring a suitable offering. In the time of Moses, God spelled out for His followers, at great length and with intricate detail, the requirements for acceptable and mandatory sacrifices. In 2 Samuel 24: 24 even David understood that even following every detail of the ritual was not sufficient if not accompanied by the appropriate mindset: “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

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Day 3: Bon Appetit Dee Martin

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost… But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” – Numbers 11:4-6 (NIV)

Have you ever stopped to think about how our physical appetites can blind us or lead us astray? In my times of fasting food this past year, the Lord has been opening my eyes to how overwhelming and controlling my physical appetite can be. He has been challenging me to bring my cravings for food under the control of the Holy Spirit. Just like the Israelites when their diet was restricted I have often times become whiny and cranky. I am not saying that eating is wrong or that food is bad. But I think we can often times elevate our physical appetite to a place it was never intended. In the context of Numbers 11, the Israelites had been lead out of Egypt after a series of supernatural plagues that changed Pharaoh’s heart. They were saved from the Egyptians when the Lord made a road through the Red Sea and then drowned the army who was following them. They were in the desert with no natural resources and yet were daily fed manna from heaven. They were now free from the yoke of slavery, their children were no longer subject to extermination due to the Pharaoh’s insecurities and they were on their way to the Promised Land.

God instructed Eve not to eat from a certain tree, but in Genesis 3:6 we read that when she “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” In Genesis 25, Esau was famished and was willing to sell his valuable birthright, for something as common as a bowl of lentil soup and bread. The author of Hebrews 12:16 calls Esau godless because he sold his inheritance rights as an oldest son for a single meal. The first temptation of Jesus focused on food and hunger. Matthew 4:1-3 tells us that when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread”.

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Food is a gift and we need it to survive. Nevertheless, we can elevate food to a status it was never intended. Philippians 3:18-19 reminds us that “many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god

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is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.”

In the popular movie, Over the Hedge, R.J. the raccoon makes the statement, “We animals eat to live…but humans they live to eat!” I know I don’t want to be like Eve, Esau or the Israelites who disobeyed God over a piece of fruit, lentil stew or the same boring menu. Living to eat became their priority. Rather, we should strive to bring our most basic needs under the Holy Spirit’s control. We need to trust God for our daily bread, receive it with gratefulness and move on. Our response to the tempter should be the same as Jesus “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4) When we do that, what we eat will truly help us live. Thought: May we acquire a taste for, and learn to enjoy, the meal that God lays out for us in His Word.

Day 4: Worship by Number Rob Patterson

And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. – 1 Corinthians 10:10 (NIV)

Does anyone remember the 1990’s ad campaigns for cheaper long distance telephone calls that included the numbers 10-10, such as 10-10-321? That market dried up in the early 2000’s with the addition of special taxes and the proliferation of cell phones, but the 10-10 combination remains a handy way to remember some great Bible verses. My father-in-law impressed John 10-10 into his daughters’ minds while they were still young women: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Many of us memorized the “Roman Road,” at some point arriving at 10-10: “for with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

A much less quoted, but no less important 10-10 is found in 1 Corinthians: “nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyers.” In context, complaining is treated as the rough equivalent of idolatry, sexual immorality, and testing the Lord-pretty serious business I’d say. Each of those four sinful expressions by the Israelite community merited the death penalty. We might assume, then, that followers of Christ would want to avoid such behaviors at all costs. So, let’s do that. Let’s assume that followers of Christ do not want to grumble.

Instead of (pun alert) buying in to the feelings that come naturally and create a dominate culture of entitlement, materialism, greed, lust, and selfishness, let’s go into strict training in order to live a truly abundant life, and win the prize of God. By practice we can become worshippers in spirit and in truth whose dispositions are marked by gratitude and joy, rooted in faith, hope, and love. In James 3-10 [there is not 10th chapter or else I think it would be 10-10] we read: “From the same mouth come blessings and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” If we are going to honor the Lord with our lips by singing songs of praise and thanksgiving, let’s aim at making that a holistic lifestyle, 24-7, 52-365. Thought: Sincere worship proclaims, “God is enough”.

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