Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Now, if you are a parent or if you have ever had a child in your care, one thing that gets your attention very quickly is the sudden sound of silence.  As I was reading and studying Revelation in preparation for this assignment, I couldn’t help but notice the transition at the end of Chapter 7 with loud and jubilant worship that escorts in the sound of silence that stopped every mouth and every sound in Heaven for half an hour as Jesus broke the seventh seal in Chapter 8. Sit in silence for three full minutes and notice how odd that feels; now, imagine the world being completely silent for an entire 30 minutes.

Do you sometimes feel like the things going on in the world right now are either some type of diversion or distraction?  The older I get the more I realize that busyness in our lives divides our time such that nothing gets our attention fully. Our families, our jobs, and distractions on our phones - these get a little more of this expendable time. Sadly, our scripture and prayer time gets what’s left (if any).

In chapter 8 of Revelation, we see that God is beginning to reveal to us how He will get the attention of the people and draw them back to Him.  As a matter of fact, John’s vision shows God working to get the attention of people on earth in numerous ways — silence in heaven, trumpets, fire, thunder, and lightning.  Sadly, people still curse God and continue with their evil ways. But we have an opportunity to choose; will we give our attention to the world or will we give our attention to Jesus? Make a choice today.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Have you noticed a way that God is particularly trying to get your attention?
• What are some of the things fighting for your attention today?  Of those things, which of them are important to your future?  Which will impact you this time next year?  In five years from now?
• Are there perhaps some things that you need to avoid (or say no to) to give more time to your faith and our Heavenly Father? 
• Prayer: Dear God, we know that You communicate with us best when we can be still and listen.  There is so much distraction and busyness among us that we often fail to give You Your fair share of access to our thoughts and our hearts.  Please help us to be more intentional with stopping and scheduling time to spend in Your presence.  Whether in stillness, Bible study, or simply in prayer, help us to draw nearer to You. Amen.

Family Devo: Revelation 8

By: Carrie Hobson

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.   

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset  

Head 

Chapter 8 is a little overwhelming and scary when you read it! John is telling about his vision of the 7th seal being opened. It says that there was silence in Heaven for about half an hour when it was opened. Then angels sounded 7 trumpets that brought judgment to the earth. The first trumpet brought a plague to vegetation. The second brought a plague to the sea. The third one brought a plague on fresh water. The fourth one brought a plague on the heavens and darkness on earth. These first four trumpets show us how severe God’s punishment is. He attacked all the things that brought the people comfort. God only brought these punishments on one-third of the people. You know what’s neat about that? Even in God’s judgment, He showed mercy. He could’ve taken out every person on earth, but in His kindness, He wanted to give people a chance to turn to Him before they couldn’t.  

Heart

Think back on all the times in scripture when God has shown mercy. Would you be able to show mercy to someone who repeatedly does something wrong even after they’ve been told not to?  

Hands 

As a family, find some of the stories in scripture that show God’s mercy. Thank God for all the times He’s shown you mercy when you’ve repeatedly made mistakes. 

Prayer: God, thank You for Your mercy. I don’t know where I would be without it. You are so kind and good to me even when I don’t deserve it. Amen.