Refuel, Reframe, Recalibrate: A 7-Day Devotional for Business ExecutivesПримерок

Living From Intimacy

Sometimes work feels like we're walking on quicksand. We can't get our footing, and with every step we only sink deeper. No matter how hard we try, we can't seem to get on top of our workload or ahead of the crises. The antidote to this rat race mentality is to live in the secret place of intimacy with God. Daniel lived from intimacy. Daily, he would kneel in his upper room praying to Yahweh. God knew Him. God took care of him. God loved him. When the king made a law that promised death for anyone who prayed to any god or man besides the king, Daniel simply went up to his room to pray as usual. No fuss, no drama. He didn't try to appeal to the king, get a petition signed or have a hissy fit on social media. He simply prayed. I think it's fair to say that Daniel did not suffer from anxiety.

In a later chapter, when an angel appeared to Daniel in response to his prayer, the angel started with, "O Daniel, man greatly loved..." What a greeting! This life of intimacy that Daniel cultivated cannot be separated from the amazing revelations that God shared with him. Neither can it be separated from the way angels responded to his prayers or the way that God protected him in the lion's den. The victorious and thriving life that Daniel experienced outwardly (in the midst of his Babylonian captors) was evidence of the inward life of intimacy that he enjoyed with God.

The ability to be at peace in the midst of a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous and hyper-connected world comes from staying connected with the timeless, all-powerful, unchanging One. In His arms alone are we safe, secure, and able to act from a place of equanimity and objectivity in the midst of the storm.

Eternal God, thank You for the ability to come into Your Presence. Holy Spirit, come. I put my trust in You, Jesus. When everything seems uncertain and I don't know how to sift through the information overload, I turn to You. You are my Rock, my hope, my strength. You are my fortress and the light that gives me a sure footing in the darkness. You are my peace in the midst of the storm. Help me, Lord, to cultivate a life of intimacy with You. Help me to live in the secret place under the shadow of Your wing. Show me how. Help me to live in love with You and from love in You. Help me to live from my core identity as the one greatly loved by God. Amen.