Our devotion this week, Awake, comes from the YouVersion Bible App. It was provided by Hillsong Worship.
Who has made the righteous bright
No One But You, Hillsong Worship
Who has paved my way with grace
Loved me through my darkest hours
A thousand different ways
Words and Music by Scott Ligertwood, Aodhan King & Brooke Ligertwood
© 2019 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia.
Life with Jesus is both full and abundant, filled with gracious adventure and wide-open spaces. But an awakened life is not necessarily easy or without its valleys. In fact, in living in relationship with the Creator of the universe, it is easy to feel grief for the state of the world and the times we are living in: complicated political days; the tone of the world economy; the darkness of war and famine; people living in abject poverty and desperation – not to mention everyday personal struggles that we can each encounter, such as financial hardship, mental illness, health challenges and relational breakdown.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this album for us as a team was watching the unified creative community of Hillsong Worship contributing their gifts, talents and time to this project. Throughout listening to this album, you will hear the collective voices of dozens of faithful people from our church congregation – people just like you and I – who have walked through their own dark days, some still in the middle of the challenge. The beauty of this for us, and we hope for you also – is that they have walked through seasons, both hills and valleys, and they have remained. They have remained in Jesus; they have remained planted in community and they have remained steadfast in worship and prayer.
Many of the well documented revivals and moves of God in history have started with prayer. This project was soaked in it. Tim Keller, author and theologian says, “Prayer is the thing that sanctifies your imagination. It plunges it into God. Then the things you think up are gospel movement things.” (timkellernyc on Twitter)
Each day before we started recording these songs, we would plunge our imagination into prayer, asking God to help us hear things we couldn’t hear and see things we couldn’t see. Why don’t you do the same today? Invite the Holy Spirit to awaken your imagination through prayer – to open your eyes to see what you cannot see and hear what you cannot hear. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you again in a new way, in your current season. And say a prayer for the world around you – for the suffering in your own family, your community and our world. Pray for persecuted christians, for God’s love to reveal itself to them in a thousand different ways so that they too, can remain.
Let’s pray.
Thank You God that You are the God who comes close. Thank You that You walk with me through all of the ups and downs of life. I pray, Lord God, for those in the world who are suffering. I pray for brothers and sisters who need to feel Your love and grace and peace today. Help me to be the tangible outworking of Your love to somebody today.
Amen.
Read Psalm 23.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Read 1 John 5:14.
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Read 2 Chronicles 7:14.
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Read Ephesians 6:13-18.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
