Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional and our Summer Inspiration series. Today we reflect on how the presence of the Holy Spirit gives joy to His people.
To watch this devotional, follow the link below:
‘There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.’ (Psalm 46:4-6)
Carrying on with this theme of peace and strength in storms, today we consider the vital role of The Holy Spirit.
The psalmist speaks of ‘a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God’. Recently, in the Olympics in Paris, the triathlon has had to be postponed because of high levels of pollution in The River Seine - there are rivers that will make you sick rather than glad! You may have heard of Surfers Against Sewage, a group that campaigns for cleaner coastal waters. How concerned are we for the ‘rivers’ that we swim in - the influences, inspiration and sources of empowerment that we imbibe? If we are weak, miserable and fearful, what waters are we being saturated with?
The ‘river of God’ - the presence of the Holy Spirit - is God in our midst. In the midst of the storms that surround us - the storms referred to in this psalm - there is a peace-giving river that we can bath in. Of our Good Shepherd, we are told:
‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.’ (Psalm 23:1-3)
Do you see that it’s God’s will that you and His church are made glad by His presence? This psalm speaks of ‘The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.’ Do we understand that the Old Covenant Temple in Jerusalem where God dwelt in the Holy of Holies is now His Church! We are God’s temple! God wants to dwell among us and make us glad with His presence.
In response, perhaps we might want to approach personal and corporate worship with a renewed sense of expectancy for God to be present and fill us with gladness.
Community group notes and study
1. Notices
It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.
2. Icebreaker
How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week and how has this helped you?
3. Worship together
Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.
4. Study and pray together
Our message on Sunday, based upon Psalm 46, encouraged us to remember that ‘The Lord of Hosts’ - God Almighty - is with us. Even in the most trying storms of life we are encouraged to ‘Be still and know that I am God’. Like the disciples in the stormy sea with Jesus asleep in the boat, we are to know that He’s with us and has the authority to speak stillness over any storm.
Please read Psalm 46
Did God speak to you about anything specifically from Sunday’s message?
What would you say are the main teaching points of this Psalm?
46:4 - What is the ‘river’ and how can we enter into the ‘gladness’ that’s mentioned here?
46: 7, 11 - What does it mean for God to be ‘The Lord of Hosts’ and how is this a help in our lives?
4:10 - What does this teach about the final success of the gospel?
SIV - What attitudes and beliefs does this Psalm teach that lead us into successful mission?
SIV - Do we have any stories of how we have ‘Served, Invested, and inVited’ recently?
SIV - Spend some time together talking and praying about who and how you are seeking to bring your community to Jesus.
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