Sometimes it takes a dramatic pause in life to teach us what really matters, and what really matters is our relationship with Jesus. When I look back, I realize that all of my troubles could have easily been avoided if I’d never drifted in the first place. Drifting sounds so easy, dreamy even, but drifting spiritually can lead to dangerous places. It can rob you of your true destiny on earth and pull you right out of the center of God’s will for your life. Don’t waste a single second. Repent now. Ask for God’s sovereign forgiveness, and yoke yourself (tie yourself) to Jesus.
He wants to help you. He will not desert you. He assures us of that plainly. He has not forgotten you. He knows exactly where you are, and He holds the solution to get out of all your troubles. Trust Him to do so.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for reassuring us You have not left us alone or forgotten us. Your Word is a great comfort in times of heavy trial, and we are so grateful for Your daily presence in our lives through Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Praise You for loving us, for making it known that we are Your children. We look to You in our suffering, and we thank you for seeing us through this storm.
In Jesus’ beautiful name,
Amen
Day 5
The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.
—Exodus 14:14 (NASB)
The Lord has a great plan for our lives, and when we walk in obedience with Him, we experience the fruit of that exceedingly good plan. But like many of our Bible patriarchs, we humans go astray, we make mistakes, big ones. It might be daunting to consider the great mess you’ve gotten yourself into, but once you surrender, repent, and get back on that path of obedience, the Lord assures us that He will fight for us. Even if we made the mistake (James 1: 2-3).
He is willing to make things right in our lives and get us back into the center of His will. Trusting and relying on the Lord is the very first step in the right direction. So often our flesh demands that we rehash our mistakes before Him again and again, but in truth, that’s not necessary. He understands your pain and your requests the very first time you laid them at His feet. Yes, Jesus does build a case of the repetition of needs, and he gives a clear example of this through the parable of the persistent widow who wore down a judge in her own city by asking with tenacious persistence for justice (Luke 18: 1-8).
The Lord is all-powerful and can do all things. Once we lay our requests before the Lord, we should still ourselves, cease our chaotic spirits, and revel in His peace while He works out every situation for our good (Romans 8:28).
God only wants the best for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11). Today, join me in laying it all at His feet and trusting in Him to make our crooked places straight. He is, above all else, our loving Father, and every loving father is inclined to help his child when they are in desperate need.
Lord, thank you that we can come to You with such boldness and lay at Your precious feet the mess we have made of our lives. Thank you that You care enough to smooth the path before us and get us back onto the road You set out before us. Thank you for Your lovingkindness. Jesus, we know that all authority on heaven and earth is in Your capable hands. We pray Your authority over the situations we have embroiled ourselves in and ask for Your mercy and grace to be shed upon our lives. We humbly offer You our obedience, repentance, and worship, now and forever more.
Amen
Day 6
Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
—1 Peter 5: 6-7 (NASB)
There’s that word again. Anxiety. The Lord certainly understands how vicious this world can be, and He also understands how easily that translates into distress and worry. This verse plainly tells us to drop the load of our worry at His feet and to carry your burdens no more. When Jesus was on His way to His crucifixion, carrying that lumbering cross—the ultimate burden—He could not withhold the weight of it. After the infliction they bore upon Him, He could only carry it so far and no more, so they sent a man from the crowd called Simon to carry it the rest of the way.
Jesus understands more than anyone how heavy the burdens of life can be. He has wrestled with them Himself. The Holy Spirit, the true author of the Word, charges you to do the same. Hand your cross over to Jesus and He will carry it the rest of the way. He wants you to. He implores you to. Furthermore, He adds a blessing to it. If we humble ourselves before Him, He will exalt us at the proper time. How amazing is that? The Lord of all is willing to do such a great thing for us in exchange for humble hearts, in exchange for our anxieties. He truly is an amazing God, the one true living God, the one who calls us His children.
Lord, thank You for blessing us with Your Word. Thank you for giving us hope each and every day through Your living Word. Thank You for caring enough to bear the weight of our cross. Thank you for Your Son who has already carried us all the way through with the gift of salvation. We know that this life is but a whisper in comparison to eternity. And we are truly humbled that You care for us so well during our time here on earth. Help us
