Simply knowing I could pray right there at A-23 gave me solace. I felt enough peace to just stand there contently and take it all in. Beforehand I wasn’t even remotely tuned in. I likely had a picture in my mind of something on the to-do list, or my flight. The contrast pre vs. post-slowdown was remarkable.
Getting to my departure gate suddenly felt much less important. The moment was soothing and eye opening, but it couldn’t last as I lacked knowledge of purposeful steps to sustain it.
How do we get to a place where peace of mind and closeness with God are sustainable and not the exception? Devotion, like ongoing prayer, steadies and strengthens us. It is a critical step toward sustainable peace and requires stopping daily to turn down the noise and seek God.
Through devotion, we strive to communicate deeply with God and learn from scripture. It’s a daily back and forth with the Creator that draws and aligns our hearts, minds, and actions toward Him. The destination is closeness with God, lived out through inspired action and greater peace.
A common devotional pattern is to find a quiet time and place to pray, stop all activity, read scripture, pray for understanding, and pray for ways to walk what we learn. We can even pray for what our devotional focus should be. Common topics are love, hope, forgiveness, pain, stress, relationships, and understanding the Holy Spirit. An abundance of scripture and devotionals relating to almost any topic are at our fingertips within this app.
Prayerful devotion is central to achieving peace. We populate our hearts and minds with God and become attuned to the Holy Spirit, who prompts our thoughts and actions to mirror Him. In doing so we “walk with God”, a monumental step toward achieving peace. This because we know we more closely reflect our Creator, giving a divine purpose and outcome to our lives. And we eliminate the tremendous stress and pain of living outside of God’s will.
As we walk this path, it’s good to remember the places in the Bible that bring us peace, places we can go in trying times.
Devotion will play a central role as we move forward on the path to peace. How, when, and where can you make time for devotion? What topics would you place at the top of your list?
*For frequent travelers, search “Road Warriors” in the YouVersion Bible App for a 5 day Bible Plan focusing on spiritual discipline while traveling.
Scriptures:
Proverbs 3:13-18 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.