Author: John Tillman

Psalm 119.23-24
Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.

Reflection: Occupation of Meditation
By John Tillman

In a letter to a frustrated friend, Amy Carmichael wrote:

Did you notice the words ‘occupied in Thy statues’ in Psalm 119.23 (Prayer Book Version)? It is a beautiful word. I have nothing to do today but to please Thee.

That is true of you, for this weariness is part of life, bonds that are allowed to be. But I do hope for health and ask for it. He knows what He is doing. ‘Jesus himself knew what He would do.’ (John 6.5-6) There will be a lovely ending to this story of frustration, something worth all it has cost.

The word Carmichael refers to as “occupied in” is translated “meditate on” in most modern translations. Siyach carries an additional meaning beyond pondering or thinking. It also implies telling, speaking, and producing thoughts and words. As Carmichael implies, meditation is more than just privately “thinking” about God’s word. It is occupation—something that implies action.

Prayer and meditation are real for Christians not only because our relationship with God is real, but because the results of true prayer are tangible actions on our part, empowered by God to make a difference in our world.

This is illustrated in the biblical story Carmichael references. In John, Jesus is asking Phillip how to feed a large crowd. Feeding the crowd is impossible for Phillip. It is even impossible for the united power of the disciples working together. But it is Christ’s will that they act in faith—doing what little they can do. Christ accepts our ineffectual actions when accompanied by effectual faith. He then miraculously works his power through us to change the world.

In the Psalm, the writer is being slandered and attacked by rulers, representatives of government and this world’s systems of power. The psalmist’s response of meditation is not one of plugging one’s ears with God’s Word so as to retreat from the world. It is that of filling one’s mind, and then one’s mouth with God’s Word—speaking that truth to the powers of the world.

Whatever our earthly frustrations, and whatever the tactics of the powerful princes and rulers who would slander or attack us, our source of strength is not human wisdom. Only meditation on and occupation with God’s Word can bring us peace in our frustrations, and give us power to oppose evil and help the suffering in this world.

Prayer: The Request for Presence
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. — Psalm 43.3

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Prayers from The Divine Hours available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Daniel 10 (Listen – 3:19)
Psalm 119.1-24 (Listen – 15:14)

Additional Reading
Read more about A Discipline for the Anxious
The psalmist writes of being “too troubled to speak,” yet he cries to God…in the midst of doubts and fears, he remembers God’s faithfulness in the past. He meditates on these memories in the heated moment of stress.

Read More about Meditation in Spiritual Rhythm :: Throwback Thursday
Meditation is not new age, but old. However, in the modern age, it has often been forgotten on the shelf as many Christians and Christian leaders followed our culture into frenetic clamor instead of leading our culture from a place of peace and rest.

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Daniel 9.18-19
We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.

Psalm 118.21-22
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone

Reflection: Recognizing our True Position
By John Tillman

Daniel, despite his worldly comforts and esteem, had this in common with Jeremiah and Ezekiel—he felt deeply the shame and pain of his exile.

Though Daniel, in Babylon, moved in royal circles as Moses had in Egypt, Daniel was not an adopted son, as Moses was. He was not free, as Moses was, to escape to the desert. But, in this passage especially, we see that Daniel, like Moses did not identify himself with the wealth and privilege that surrounded him.

Daniel recognized his true position. He saw the reality that he was, in truth, a slave.

Daniel assimilated into the culture forced upon him but, as much as possible, refused to let it become part of his identity. One example of this is retaining the use of his Hebrew name, Daniel, rather than the name given by his captors, Belteshazzar.

Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other prophets never, to our knowledge, met face to face. But in suffering, in struggle, in exile, in pain, and through their writings, they are intimately connected.

From Ezekiel’s writings we know that Daniel was, during his lifetime, considered one of the greatest and most righteous men in history, held up in comparison with Noah and Job.

In today’s reading we see Daniel, this great and righteous man, devoting himself to the study of the writings of Jeremiah, referring to them as the Word of God.

In the world, we find frustration, pain, rejection, exile, and shame. Even Daniel, the most famous, privileged, powerful, and revered of the prophets felt these things. Daniel found comfort, wisdom, inspiration, and community through studying the scriptures and prayer and fasting. In this, we can follow his example.

We can, with Daniel, recognize that our position in this world is that of slaves and exiles, but our redemptive destiny is to reign with the coming, rejected King of Kings.

Stone and King Rejected
Rejected stone.
Rejected king.
In our sins, alone,
Exile stings.

Rejected king.
Rejected stone.
Sins to you cling.
Your justice shown.

The world rejects us, Lord.
We rage.
The world attacks us, Lord.
We cry.
The world enslaves us, Lord.
We weep.
The world murders us, Lord.
We die.

Rejected as you were.
Attacked because of you.
Slandered as you were.
Murdered, we join you.

Rejected king.
Rejected stone.
We lose all things
To serve your throne.

Rejected stone.
Rejected king.
We are your own.
To you we sing.

Prayer: The Morning Psalm
You have shown me great troubles and adversities, but you will restore my life and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth. — Psalm 71.20

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Prayers from The Divine Hours available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Daniel 9 (Listen – 5:22)
Psalm 117-118 (Listen – 2:52)

Additional Reading
Read more about In Praise of Christ’s Righteousness
God specifically tells Ezekiel that not even the greatest, most righteous men he might trust in would be able to save the nation. Not Daniel, not Noah, not even Job.

Read More about Resisting in Faith
Daniel lived undefiled, resisted the whims of an evil government, and influenced the course of an empire through simple faith and regular practice of spiritual disciplines.

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Each month over 22,000 Park Forum email devotionals are read around the world. Support our readers with a monthly or a one time donation.

Psalm 116.11
…in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”

Reflection: What to Expect when Suffering :: A Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

When in suffering, we can at times be surprised by the emotions that are stirred. We can encounter deep sadness, anguish, and even rage.

Suffering comes in many forms and many intensities. But our response follows a predictable pattern. Hope, impatience, despair, rage, doubt, rejection, redemption, and praise are all a part of the template of prayer that the psalmists show us. There is comfort in acknowledging the emotional rollercoaster that is the the psalmists’ testimony.

Don’t be surprised or ashamed of the emotions that come in times of struggle and pain. With faith in God, we can move through cycles of emotions to the peace that God gives us in his presence.

Today we will follow a guided prayer with portions of Psalm 116 from today’s reading.

What to Expect When Suffering

The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

Oh God, in times of stress, despair, and struggle
We are overcome and need your comfort.

I trusted in the Lord when I said,
“I am greatly afflicted”

But the world frustrates us, teaching us that any degree of suffering is waste.

in my alarm I said,
“Everyone is a liar.”

You are the only trustworthy one, Lord,
But in our alarm, amidst fear and emotion
We sometimes call the wrong things lies

May we not reject community, simple kindness, praise, and loving words from those around us.
May we not reject being reminded that we are loved.

Instead we call the world a liar.
When they say a good life is pain-free
When they say pain proves God is not with us

Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, Lord;

Rarely are our current sufferings deadly.
But, Oh God, even when they are…
You are with us now and in the hour of our death
We are precious to you at all times and in every outcome

And if the worst the world can imagine should happen to us
In our death, we simply enter your precious presence in “the courts of the house of the Lord.”

May we not wait until death to experience the peace of walking in your courts.
Help us to live, bringing the reality of your courts, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek his face. — Psalm 105.4

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime by Phyllis Tickle.

Prayers from The Divine Hours available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Daniel 8 (Listen – 4:39)
Psalm 116 (Listen – 1:34)

Additional Reading
Read more about When Suffering Lingers :: Readers’ Choice
Early rabbinic writings understood the bush to be a symbol of ancient Israel—persevering under the flame of Egypt’s brutality. Though we burn, we are not consumed. This is the mere beginning of God’s grace.

Read More about The Crucible of Suffering
In the midst of suffering—when we don’t sense any positive change in our circumstances—we can start to question God’s goodness and his love.

Support our Work
Each month over 22,000 Park Forum email devotionals are read around the world. Support our readers with a monthly or a one time donation.