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Best of Daily Reflections: Established in God

Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling
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My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!

Psalms 108:1

When I was in college and graduate school, I lived near Boston, Massachusetts. One of my favorite leisure time pursuits was to walk the streets of Boston, often passing by buildings and businesses that had been there for over two centuries. From the perspective of one who had grown up in Southern California, that was a long time ago. Older businesses often boasted of their longevity, even on their signs. While walking the streets of Boston, I often saw a sign that read something like: “Adams and Sons, Est. 1810.” “Est.” meant “established in,” and identified the year in which the first Mr. Adams founded his business. The fact that his business was thriving almost two centuries later suggested that it had been well-established and well-tended by the succeeding generations of Adamses.

Psalm 108 begins with language that reminds me of the signs I saw in Boston. The NLT translation of verse 1 reads, “My heart is confident in you, O God.” That’s a possible reading, though the word translated as “confident” (nakhon) is usually rendered “ready” or “prepared” or “established.” So, for example, in Judges 16:26, Samson asks a servant to place his hands on the pillars upon which the house is established or held up (nakhon). In 2 Samuel 7:16, the prophet Nathan told David, “your throne will be secure (nakhon) forever."

Thus, in Psalm 108, David says that his heart has been prepared for God, that it has been established in God. His heart is solidly grounded on the sure foundation of God and his faithfulness. Thus David can sing God’s praises with all of his being (108:1).

We live in a day when the ground beneath us is shifting . . . literally, in many parts of the world. But even if we aren’t experiencing literal earthquakes, we can experience the instability of that upon which we have built our lives. Investments plummet; loved ones die; jobs are lost; culture is continually changing. Oh, how we need to be established in God, the only certain ground of our being.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Would you say that you are established in God? In what ways is this true for you? In what ways is it not true? Would you like your life to be more firmly grounded upon God?

PRAYER: O Lord, as I read the beginning of Psalm 108, I find myself yearning to be established in you. May I build my life upon you as my sure foundation. May I lean upon you in times of uncertainty. May I rely upon you when I am rejoicing and when I am filled with sorrow. Help me to be firmly established in you, so that the “earthquakes” of this life do not shake me to the core.

As I rest upon you, may I praise you with all that I am, with heart, soul, mind, and strength. By your grace, may I live each day for the praise of your glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

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Preventing Burnout

Research shows that those most vulnerable to occupational burnout are individuals who are highly motivated and strongly invested in their work. When work is an important source of finding meaning, frustrations that arise from unmet goals and expectations in the workplace can permeate all of life. This can lead to a general sense of exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of reduced efficacy. In The High Calling series Preventing Burnout, we're talking about how faith can make a difference. We hope you find this conversation helpful and if so, will consider inviting others to join in the discussion by sharing these stories via email, Facebook, Twitter, or networks you are part of.