New Year Devotions

Rest as Trust

Psalm 127:2 — “It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?”

Since retiring from pastoral ministry last September, I’ve had to confront a surprising truth: rest does not come naturally to me. I’ve spent years encouraging others to slow down, breathe, and trust God—yet now I find myself needing to practice the same counsel. I’ve had to deliberately give myself permission to relax, to release the constant internal pressure to be productive, and to rediscover the spiritual space God intends for my soul.

Psalm 127 reminds us that frantic striving is not the hallmark of a faithful life. Rising early, staying up late, and wearing our “worried fingers to the bone” may look like dedication, but Scripture gently exposes the truth: restlessness is often a form of mistrust. God delights in giving rest—not as a reward for efficiency, but as a gift to His beloved.

Jesus echoed this invitation to trust when He taught His disciples to pray. In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Lord’s Prayer, we hear: “Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.” There is wisdom in that phrasing. Sometimes the greatest threat to our peace is not external opposition, but our own inner drivenness—the voice that insists we must keep going, keep working, keep proving ourselves.

Sacred rest is not laziness. It is a declaration of trust in the God who holds all things together, even when we are still.

Imagine a child learning to swim. At first, they splash frantically, arms and legs flailing in every direction. Their effort looks impressive, but it doesn’t keep them afloat for long. Then the instructor gently says, “Stop. Let the water hold you.”The moment the child stops struggling and spreads out their limbs, something surprising happens: the water lifts them. Their rest becomes the very thing that keeps them afloat.

So it is with us. Our frantic efforts exhaust us, but when we rest—truly rest—we discover that God has been holding us all along.

Prayer

Loving Father, You know how easily we slip into anxious striving. Teach us to rest as an act of trust. Remind us that we are Your beloved, not Your employees. Help us to release the pressures we place on ourselves and to enter the stillness You freely give. Keep us safe from the voice within that drives us beyond what You desire. May Your peace guard our hearts, and may Your rest restore our souls. Amen.

Practice: Do one restful thing without guilt.

New Year Devotions

Be Thankful

1 Thessalonians 5:18 — “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

As Chaplain to the retail industry of Exeter, I hear it often—or rather, I hear its absence: those two simple yet meaningful words, “Thank you.” Many people feel that gratitude is disappearing from everyday life. While studies show that its use varies across cultures and contexts, it’s clear that digital communication has reshaped the way we express appreciation. Quick messages, emojis, and hurried interactions often replace thoughtful expressions of gratitude. Social norms shift, and the words can become perfunctory—or omitted altogether.

But notice Paul’s emphasis in today’s verse. He doesn’t simply say “say thank you”; he calls us to be thankful. The word thankful has roots in Old English meaning thoughtful. This raises a question: is Paul urging followers of Jesus to cultivate a gratitude that is not shallow or automatic, but deeply thoughtful?

Thoughtful thankfulness goes beyond politeness. It is a posture—a way of seeing God’s presence and goodness even in ordinary moments, and sometimes even in difficult ones. It acknowledges grace, recognises blessing, and responds with a heart tuned to God.

Illustration

Imagine holding a small stone in your hand. At first glance it seems plain, unremarkable. But if you pause and really look, you notice the smoothness shaped by years of flowing water, the subtle patterns etched by time.

Gratitude works the same way. At first, life may seem routine or even burdensome. But when we slow down and view our circumstances thoughtfully, we begin to notice God’s fingerprints—quiet mercies, hidden blessings, unexpected kindnesses. Thankfulness grows when we pay attention.

Prayer

Father, teach us to be truly thankful—not only in the easy moments, but in every season of life. Help us to cultivate a thoughtful gratitude that sees Your goodness even when life feels rushed or difficult. Open our eyes to the blessings that surround us, and shape our hearts to reflect the grace we have received in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Practice: Thank God for 3 tiny things.

New Year Devotions

On Sacred Pause

Mark 6:31 — “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Most of us have heard the exasperated cry of someone overwhelmed: “Stop the world, I want to get off!” But for a disciple of Jesus, it’s not about escaping life—it’s about entering a sacred space. It’s choosing to pause in the holy presence Jesus promises His followers.

In Mark’s account, the disciples were coming and going so constantly that they didn’t even have time to eat. Today, the same thing often happens—not so much with physical food, but with spiritual nourishment. Our schedules fill, our minds race, and our souls go hungry.

Notice carefully what Jesus says. The word translated rest also carries the meaning to be refreshed. And look where He calls His disciples to find that refreshment: a desert, a lonely and quiet place. Perhaps Jesus chose such a setting precisely because it was free from distraction—an uncluttered space where His followers could breathe again and be renewed.

Sacred pause is not about stepping away from responsibility; it’s about stepping toward Jesus.

Imagine standing in a bustling train station—announcements blaring, people rushing, wheels clattering across the floor. In the middle of the noise, someone you trust gently places a hand on your shoulder and says, “Come with me.” They lead you through a door you hadn’t noticed before. On the other side is a small garden—quiet, still, sheltered from the chaos.

Nothing outside has changed, but you have. You’ve entered a space where you can hear again, breathe again, become whole again.

That is what Jesus offers: a sacred pause in the midst of life’s rush.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, draw us away from the noise and hurry of our days and into the quiet of Your presence. Teach us to pause before You—to rest, to be refreshed, and to listen. Remove the distractions that crowd our hearts, and renew us in the stillness of Your love. Lead us into the sacred pause where our souls find their true nourishment. Amen.

Practice: Pause before your next task.

New Year Devotions

Pay Attention

Exodus 3:1–5 — Moses turns aside to look.

In today’s passage, we find Moses catching sight of the burning bush. But unlike Dr. Watson in the famous words of Sherlock Holmes—“You see, but you do not observe”—Moses does more than simply notice. He truly observes. The Hebrew phrasing suggests both “to turn aside from” and “to turn aside to,” indicating not just a change of direction, but a deliberate shift of attention.

In other words, Moses chooses to focus on what matters. He steps away from the ordinary and stands on holy ground.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Turning to Jesus also requires a holy reorientation—leaving behind the former way of life and receiving a new identity and purpose through union with Christ.

Imagine walking through a crowded marketplace, noise and movement all around you. Suddenly, you hear your name spoken softly—so softly that you could ignore it if you wished. But something in that voice makes you turn aside. When you look, you realise the one calling you is someone who loves you deeply. In the swirl of distractions, that single moment of turning becomes the beginning of a new direction.

This is what Moses experienced at the bush—and what we experience whenever Christ calls us to turn toward Him.

Lord, help us to turn aside from the noise and distractions of life and to turn toward You with attentive hearts. Give us eyes that observe, not just see, and lead us onto the holy ground of Your presence. Make us new creations in Christ, shaped by Your purpose and guided by Your love. Amen.

Practice: Notice one thing you usually miss.

New Year Devotions

January can feel like a long exhale. Our devotional theme for the month  gently invites us to notice God’s presence in the “ordinary things” of daily life — the kettle boiling, the commute, the quiet moments, the messy ones. No heroic resolutions. No spiritual guilt trips. Just small, doable steps that slowly turn our attention back to God.

WEEK 1 — Slowing Down Enough to Notice

1/1 Take a Breath
Psalm 46:10 — Be still and know…

What was it the great Welsh poet, William Henry Davies,  said, “What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs. And stare as long as sheep or cows.”

In our  world of urgency, rush and haste, we often miss so much and in fact put our selves in danger. Our bodies and brains absolutely hate it, even if we pretend we’re coping like champs.  When you’re constantly rushing, your system basically thinks you’re being chased by a bear 24/7. Too much rushing results in cortisol spikes, tense shoulders, foggy thinking, and that weird feeling that you’re forgetting something… because you probably are. Did you know that stress hits your heart harder than caffeine ever could. With all that rushing about even when you try to go to bed, your brain is still sprinting. Yes, that’s chronic rushing messing with your rest.

A  wildlife photographer spent a week trying to capture a rare bird. He had all the gear, all the patience, and all the knowledge — but for days the bird refused to appear. One afternoon he just sat down on a fallen log, exhausted. He wasn’t pretending to be still; he genuinely had nothing left in the tank.

And then something strange happened. As he stopped moving… the forest started. After a while, the soundscape changed. The forest “trusted” him again. And then, as if it had been waiting for him to stop striving, the rare bird landed on a branch just a few feet away. Long enough for the perfect photo.

Later he said, “I spent five days trying to find the bird… and it took five minutes of stillness for the bird to find me.”

Stillness doesn’t mean doing nothing — it means becoming the kind of person who can finally receive what God has been trying to give us all along. When we stop rushing, stop forcing, stop striving, the “voice” of God — the guidance, the peace, the reassurance, the next step — often finds us.

 “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Prayers 

God of quiet and calm,

slow our hearts and steady our minds.

In the silence, draw us close.

Let your peace settle over our worries

and your presence rest within us.

Make us still,

that we may know you are God.

Amen.

Stillness isn’t a luxury for holy people. It’s the quiet space where ordinary people finally hear the holy.

Practice: One minute of stillness today.

Christmas Devotions

Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.”

On the final day of the year, many of us feel the weight of memory. We recall what has gone well and what has gone wrong. We remember moments that lifted us up and moments that left us bruised. Some memories we gladly keep; others we wish we could release.

God speaks into that place with a gentle but powerful invitation:

“Do not dwell on the past… I am doing a new thing.”

He is not asking us to erase our memories but to release their power to define us. Where we see dry land, He sees streams forming. Where we see a wilderness, He sees a way being carved out ahead of us.

As you stand at the threshold of a new year, consider this: God is already at work in places you have not yet stepped into. He is preparing grace for challenges you have not yet faced. He is shaping opportunities you have not yet seen.

Today is a day to give thanks for God’s sustaining presence over the past year — and to open your hands to receive the “new thing” He longs to grow in the year to come. You don’t have to force it; you simply have to notice it and walk with Him into it.

Picture a gardener at the end of winter. The ground looks lifeless, the branches bare, and there is little sign of growth. Yet the gardener knows that beneath the soil seeds are stirring. Hidden roots are preparing to send up shoots. The gardener waters the ground not because he sees life but because he trusts the life he knows is coming.

We often end a year looking at the “bare ground” of things that didn’t flourish the way we hoped. But God is the Gardener who sees what lies beneath the surface of our lives. He tends to us patiently, preparing new growth that may not yet be visible. The “new thing” He promises is already stirring in the soil of tomorrow.

Prayer

Lord of all our days,

On this final day of the year, I thank You for Your presence, Your guidance, and Your unending grace.

Where the past holds joy, I thank You.

Where it holds pain, I place those memories in Your healing hands.

Where it holds failure, I receive Your forgiveness and mercy.

Teach me not to dwell on what lies behind but to look with hope toward what You are doing next.

Open my eyes to the new paths You are making, the quiet miracles You are forming, and the life You are growing even now.

Lead me into the coming year with faith, courage, and trust in Your unfailing love.

Amen.

Christmas Devotions

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22–23 (NIV)

The days between Christmas and New Year often feel like a quiet in-between — a pause between what has been and what is coming. The world slows down, decorations linger, and we find ourselves reflecting on the year that is almost over.

Lamentations is an unexpected place to find a year-end encouragement. Jeremiah writes these words while standing in ruins — yet he speaks of God’s steadfast love and fresh mercies. He reminds us that God’s goodness is not tied to our circumstances, our successes, or our failures. It is tied to God Himself, and therefore it does not run dry.

As we approach the last day of the year, we may look back and see moments of joy and sorrow, victories and regrets. But God invites us not to measure ourselves by our record, but to rest in His compassion. Every dawn — including the dawn of a new year — arrives with an unspent supply of mercy.

Today, pause and breathe in the truth that God has carried you this far. And breathe out the trust that He will carry you into tomorrow. His mercies are new—not recycled, not diminished—new. And they are for you.

Imagine walking into a bakery early in the morning. The air is warm, and the smell of freshly baked bread surrounds you. No one is offering you yesterday’s leftovers; what you receive is fresh, warm, and made for this new day.

God’s mercy is like that. He doesn’t hand us stale grace from the past, nor does He ration His compassion based on how well we performed yesterday. Each morning, like the warm light spilling from a bakery oven, God offers mercy that is fresh, sufficient, and ready for whatever the day holds.

Prayer

Gracious God,

As this year draws to a close, I thank You for Your unfailing love and the countless ways You have sustained me. Thank You that Your mercies are new every morning, and that Your faithfulness does not depend on my strength but on Your steadfast heart.

Help me release the burdens, regrets, and worries of this past year into Your care. Prepare my spirit to step into a new season with hope and trust.

Teach me to live each day aware of Your compassion, ready to receive Your fresh mercies, and eager to walk in Your ways.

Great is Your faithfulness, Lord. Amen.