Hennie Symington

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water…. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:2-3, 7-9

Set aside today for searching your soul

Find a quiet place and begin your devotion with prayer, asking God to direct your thoughts. Read the Bible verses slowly, turning each one around in your mind until you can taste the Word. Try not to analyse the verse.

Take a deep breath and visualise your heart as the place where God lives. Then repeat the following:"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

Concentrate on the Scripture verse and allow God to comfort you. "The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;" (Psalm 34:19)

When you’re ready, read the next verse out loud: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me." (John 14:1)

Pray that God will give you the strength and energy to find goodness. In closing, read: "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45)

Keep contemplating these words as you go through the day performing your daily tasks. And if you have the energy at the end of your day, write down your thoughts on the Scriptures you contemplated, or repeat them before going to sleep. Make this sacred time a habit and soon you’ll be reaping the rewards of your quiet time with God.

Prayer: Lord, our lives are noisy, busy, rushed and filled with stress, anguish, uncertainty and pain. Teach us to wait upon your word by actively contemplating it each day. Amen