🙏🏻 Heavenly Father – We call you Father and we know You love us… but sometimes we don’t don’t understand Your Will. Our faith feels weak and doubts start to creep in. We know these feelings are from the enemy, but sometimes we are just left feeling a little lost. I thank you that while I’m considering the difficulties of this Christian life, You bring this in my daily devotion today. I just love when You do that! All praise and honor to You!
When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. [Job 23:10]
If you keep experiencing the same type of trial repeatedly, it means the Lord is instructing you. Most likely you have a pattern of thought or behavior that is contrary to who you are as His child and He must bring it to the surface to heal you of it. In order to set you free, He targets areas of self-will, destructive attitudes, and anything in your life that does not honor Him.
Take heart. This is painful for the moment, but the Father is liberating you from your self-sufficiency so that He can demonstrate His sovereign power and wisdom through you. Unfortunately, its only through brokenness that you’ll truly stop depending on your limited resources and start relying wholeheartedly upon Him.
So what is it in your life that the Lord keeps addressing? What is keeping you from trusting Him fully?
Friend, He is God – wise, loving, and always working for your ultimate benefit. So surrender control of every area of your life to Him and allow Him to determine what can remain in your life and what must go.
Father, I don’t want to keep going through these trials. Please teach me and help me rely upon You wholeheartedly, amen.
In His presence… learn from your brokenness.
Every Day in His Presence – Charles F. Stanley, p152 devotion for May 21st.
I am not even done thinking about all that is said here, but I’ve been reflecting recently on our new identities as Christians… about being children again… about needing to mature… about Romans 5:3-4… about ‘glorying in our suffering’ because it produces hope.
When I read this devotion this morning it felt like a wise grandfather instructing me, personally. ☺ Guiding me gently… from experience… to learn the ways of God. I must ask myself during these times, am I holding on to something from my old way of life? Are there thoughts or habits that are holding onto me? Things that should no longer be associated with a child of God?
Dr. Stanley evokes powerful language of the need to be healed and to be set free. Perhaps this is the question I need to be asking myself daily…
What is keeping me from trusting God fully?
🙏🏻 Abba, Father, when we are lost or frightened, remind us that You have all things under control and the future that we cannot see is already determined, and it is good. We can be still and we can live in peace. 💕 Amen.
You offered such a great prayer.
“Lord, increase my faith,” is also good prayer request.