During this Covid-19 national quarantine have you got up a few mornings in a fog of stress, unable to focus because you are pulled in multiple directions? The stress of work, unsolved issues at home, unanswered emails, sickness, tiredness, financial pressure, and so many other things that are happening to us currently. These pressures can leave us feeling emotionally flat and unable to focus in the morning. This stress you are feeling today may seem like it is a modern dilemma, but I want to offer an ancient solution.
Literally for thousands of years, Jewish believers have spoken a prayer the minute they wake up that focuses their attention on God rather than the things of the world. This prayer comes directly from Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 4 “Hear, O Israel: dThe Lord our God, the Lord is one.2 5 You eshall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And fthese words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 gYou shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 hYou shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 iYou shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Shema is the Hebrew word that means to hear and obey.
When God says Shema, He is giving us an invitation to listen, respond, appreciate, understand, act.
What do you hear God saying? Leave a comment below and let us encourage one another with the voice of God inside of us during this national quarantine.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching. Shepherdsadvantage@gmail.com
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