one step: water break

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
    “May they be secure who love you!
Peace be within your walls
    and security within your towers!”
For my brothers and companions' sake
    I will say, “Peace be within you!”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

Psalm 122:6-9

The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.

What is it to have peace in your life? In Psalm 122:6-9, two words relate to our understanding of peace. The first is shalom, which refers to a general, all-encompassing peace in life.* The second, translated here as “secure,” is shalah, which means “to be at rest” or “to be undisturbed.”*

All of us want a peace in our life that extends into every area; we want to be at rest, without fear of disturbance. How do we get there?

Psalm 122 links this kind of peace with praying for the peace of Jerusalem. How does that work?

In the time when Psalm 122 was written, the people of Israel had just returned from exile in Babylon, and, according to Nehemiah 1:3 and Nehemiah 5, lived in very difficult circumstances.* Just because they were free, it didn’t meant they had no troubles. They needed peace and security in the most intense of ways.

When the psalmist connected love for Jerusalem and prayer for peace for Jerusalem to personal security, it wasn’t because there was a magical machine in Heaven that had a “love and pray for Jerusalem’s peace” button that would output personal security.

No, the psalmist connects love and prayers for peace for Israel to personal security because of the importance of Jerusalem to the community.* Have you ever heard, “when Mama’s not happy, ain’t no body happy?” When the center of Israel’s civic, religious, and community (Jerusalem) was at peace, so were the individual people as their connection to Jerusalem was purposeful, meaningful, and multi-layered.* The connection between a love for and prayers for the peace of Israel was logical, not mystical.

So what about us today? Should we pray for the peace of Jerusalem? If we do, will it impact our personal security? Yes. As believers in Jesus, we are grafted into the family of God (Romans 11:11-24). As a part of the people of God, the center of our history, the place of the origin of our faith, and our familial roots extend deeply into Jerusalem. Logically, if there is no peace in Jerusalem, we will also be impacted.

Today, take a step. Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to pray for peace in Jerusalem. Perhaps today God wants you to remember that peace and security are possible in Him. Maybe today God wants you to reflect on your connectedness to His people as a member of His family. Perhaps today God wants you to pray for peace in your city, nation, or capitol.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Tucker, W. D., Jr. (2018). Psalms 107–150. In T. Muck (Ed.), Psalms (Vol. 2, pp. 743–744). Zondervan.
Allen, L. C. (2002). Psalms 101–150 (Revised) (Vol. 21, pp. 214–215). Word, Incorporated.
VanGemeren, W. A. (2008). Psalms. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms (Revised Edition) (Vol. 5, p. 899). Zondervan.
Fausset, A. R. (n.d.). A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Job–Isaiah: Vol. III (pp. 377–378). William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited.

one step: Luke 1.14

My soul magnifies the Lord,
    and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
Luke 1:46-50

How do you view yourself in relationship to God?

In these verses, Mary begins to reflect upon the magnificence of God to welcome her into the salvation of this world. She notes the eternal and world-encompassing impact of God’s plans through her.* Seeing His greatness next to her lowliness, we see in these few words that Mary did not hold an elevated view of herself.* Though we venerate Mary today, she saw herself as socially low and insignificant.* Coming from a little-known town (see previous devotional for more information about Nazareth), it was not surprising that she saw her self as unimportant.

This lowly status in society allows for a great gratitude to emerge from her soul as she realizes the truth and magnitude of the call of God on her life.* Mary did not expect to be used by God in any significant way.* She did not earn His grace by some human means.

Mary serves as a model to us all as an example of how God desires to work through “the least of these.”* Mary shows us how to take what God is doing in our lives and reflect it back to Him as praise and gratitude. Mary reminds us that God wants to do amazing things through us as well… not because of our works but because of His grace.*

What do you expect God to do in your life? Mary did not think God owed her a thing.* How do you respond when God does something in your life? Do you believe you are too lowly and insignificant for God to work through you? You might be just the person He’s looking for.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to praise Him for all that He has done. Perhaps today God wants you to pause long enough to take account of what He’s done and the positive, eternity-shifting ramifications of His actions. Maybe today God wants you to see yourself honestly low while honestly seeing the heights of the work that He wants to do through you.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:46–49). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 93–95). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 54–55). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, pp. 65–66). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 65–66). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 148–152). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 68–71). Word, Incorporated.

one step: water break

Return, O my soul, to your rest;
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

Psalm 116:7

The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.

2024 was quite the year. 2025 is shaping up to be one for the record books as well. Rest for our mind, will, and emotions can feel out of reach. When we fear the coming of a next difficulty, or if we can see the next difficulty coming, or if we are in a new difficulty already, rest may feel like something reserved for others. Furthermore, even when the difficulty is over, our souls may remain in overdrive, attempting to protect us from a danger long-gone.

No matter if difficulty lies before us, behind us, or around us, just as the psalmist did, we need to tell our souls, “hey, it’s okay. You can relax now.” How can one rest?

Whether difficulty lies behind us, before us, or around us today, the source of our rest does not change: God.

God gives us rest during difficulty:

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies

Psalm 23:5a

Paul instructs,

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:5-7

Surely this verse invites us to avoid anxiousness about whatever difficulty we think may come in the future. Also, the psalmist showed us that we have a part to play in allowing our soul to rest after difficulty.

How can we do this? God is with us, and as the psalmist tells us, the Lord has dealt bountifully with us.

Today, take a step. Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember how bountiful he has been toward you. Perhaps today God wants you to release your anxiety about the difficulties to come. Maybe today God wants you to tell your soul to rest, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps God wants you to remember that He is with you and ready to give you rest.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Tucker, W. D., Jr. (2018). Psalms 107–150. In T. Muck (Ed.), Psalms (Vol. 2, p. 660). Zondervan.
Goldingay, J. (2006). Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Psalms 90–150 (T. Longman III, Ed.; Vol. 3, pp. 341–342). Baker Academic.

one step: Luke 1.13

 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
Luke 1:39-40

Luke just finished sharing the stories of the visitations of Gabriel to Zechariah and Mary. Now, in Luke 1:39-40, we see their stories converge. The placement of their stories next to each other, coupled with the importance of their convergence and upcoming interaction, lend themselves to a compare-contrast.

Elizabeth and Zechariah*

  1. Zechariah and Elizabeth have proper credentials

  2. Gabriel appears to them in the temple in Jerusalem, which served as the center of Jewish religion, culture, and economics

  3. Zechariah enjoys the prestigious status of a priest

  4. They are well connected and financially secure

  5. Zechariah and Elizabeth are likened to noble Abraham and Sarah

  6. Zechariah doubts and responds from a natural, human perspective: he and Elizabeth are too old for children

Mary*

  1. Mary has no credentials

  2. Gabriel visits Mary in rustic, little-known Nazareth

  3. Mary is unmarried, and to be unmarried or widowed in Israel was seen at that time as less-desirable than being married.

  4. Mary is neither connected nor financially secure.

  5. Mary is likened to the outcast and vulnerable Hagar (Genesis 16:11).

  6. Mary responds from a supernatural, heavenly perspective: she hears the heavenly promise and asks, “How can it be?” rather than in doubt.

So why do I share this?

Have you ever wondered if you qualify for the things that God is calling you to? Have you ever wondered if your background, family of origin, place you live, economic status, or marital status disqualify you from God’s plans?

The differentiated stories of Mary and Elizabeth and Zechariah tell us that God, by His amazing grace, includes each of us into His story of redemption no matter our “status” or context.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to know that He chose you; thus, you need not earn to qualify. Perhaps today God wants you to see your story and your life as a conduit for His story as opposed to a disqualifier from His work. Maybe today God wants you to look at your own life through filter of the grace of God toward all of us: we have the amazing opportunity to partner with Him. Perhaps today God wants you to stop comparing-contrasting your life to others.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 50–51). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.

one step: Luke 1.12

And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Luke 1:36-37

Hearing that nothing is impossible with God can sound too good to be true, especially if the weight of impossibility is crushing your shoulders. As mentioned in yesterday’s devotional, Mary was very aware of the impossibility of her situation. She knew what must be overcome for God’s Words to come to fruition.*

While Mary did not ask for confirmation or a sign to believe, God in His mercy supplied some information to help encourage her faith: her relative Elizabeth was impossibly pregnant in her old age.*

Life can feel very impossible some times, and God wants us to hear that it’s not too much for Him. Do you know what else God wants us to hear? The stories of those around us who are living out the impossible by His power. While their stories may be a bit different than ours (Elizabeth was old an old, married woman; Mary was a young, engaged virgin), we worship the same powerful, impossible-working God.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to share your impossible story of God’s goodness in your life to someone who needs to be encouraged. Perhaps today God wants you to ask someone you know about their God story of impossibility. Maybe today God wants you to be encouraged. Perhaps He wants to encourage your faith.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:29–38). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 82–83). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; p. 49). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 61). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 58). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 125–126). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 56–57). Word, Incorporated.