In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
—Psalm 5:3
I think some people don’t begin their day talking to God because they don’t realize what a great honor and privilege it is to be invited to do so. We hear so often that we need to pray that perhaps we tend to over-spiritualize the idea and end up seeing it as something that is a job or an obligation rather than an honor.
It doesn’t have to be eloquent, or even necessarily long, but trying to live without it is foolish. It’s asking God to meet your need or someone else’s. It’s praising Him and thanking Him. It’s about committing things to Him and honestly sharing your worries and concerns with Him.
There is no subject off limits with God—you can talk to Him about anything without the fear of being misunderstood, judged critically, or reproached for your faults.
When we talk to God, we open the door for Him to come into our day—into our problems and situations—and do what we cannot do on our own. We are actually inviting the power of God into our lives. Talking to God about your life doesn’t immediately change your circumstance, but it does change something in you and it gives you the strength you need go through your day with a smile on your face. It helps you believe that you are not alone, and that is important for all of us.
Trusting God When Things Go Wrong
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”
Job 2:9–10
When Satan came before God, God held up Job as an example of a man who truly loved and served Him. What a compliment that would be! Perhaps you know what it was like to be held up as an example of productivity at work or of success in some other setting. The difference here is that it was God saying that Job was righteous and true to Him. But Satan objected to God’s mention of Job; he pointed out that Job had been greatly blessed and argued that Job was only out for the good things serving God brought him. And so, God allowed Satan to take away all that Job had. But, as you know from the book of Job, Job still remained faithful and trusted God just as much in bad times as he had done when things were going well.
The faith that only works in times of abundance, success, and blessing is not a real and grounded faith. While God loves us and wants the best for us, there are many times when what He knows we need conflicts with what we would choose. I came across this prayer of submission to God’s will: “Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And, Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen.”
The God who knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground and loves us as His children is not blind to our hurts, and His grace is always sufficient.
Job 2:9–10
When Satan came before God, God held up Job as an example of a man who truly loved and served Him. What a compliment that would be! Perhaps you know what it was like to be held up as an example of productivity at work or of success in some other setting. The difference here is that it was God saying that Job was righteous and true to Him. But Satan objected to God’s mention of Job; he pointed out that Job had been greatly blessed and argued that Job was only out for the good things serving God brought him. And so, God allowed Satan to take away all that Job had. But, as you know from the book of Job, Job still remained faithful and trusted God just as much in bad times as he had done when things were going well.
The faith that only works in times of abundance, success, and blessing is not a real and grounded faith. While God loves us and wants the best for us, there are many times when what He knows we need conflicts with what we would choose. I came across this prayer of submission to God’s will: “Lord, I am willing to receive what you give; to lack what you withhold; to relinquish what you take; to suffer what you inflict; to be what you require. And, Lord, if others are to be your messengers to me, I am willing to hear and heed what they have to say. Amen.”
The God who knows when a single sparrow falls to the ground and loves us as His children is not blind to our hurts, and His grace is always sufficient.
Today’s Growth Principle:
If we only believe God is at work when things are going well, our faith will not withstand the storms of life.
Have You Talked to God Today?
by Joyce Meyer - posted April 04, 2017In the morning You hear my voice, O Lord; in the morning I prepare [a prayer, a sacrifice] for You and watch and wait [for You to speak to my heart].
—Psalm 5:3
I think some people don’t begin their day talking to God because they don’t realize what a great honor and privilege it is to be invited to do so. We hear so often that we need to pray that perhaps we tend to over-spiritualize the idea and end up seeing it as something that is a job or an obligation rather than an honor.
It doesn’t have to be eloquent, or even necessarily long, but trying to live without it is foolish. It’s asking God to meet your need or someone else’s. It’s praising Him and thanking Him. It’s about committing things to Him and honestly sharing your worries and concerns with Him.
There is no subject off limits with God—you can talk to Him about anything without the fear of being misunderstood, judged critically, or reproached for your faults.
When we talk to God, we open the door for Him to come into our day—into our problems and situations—and do what we cannot do on our own. We are actually inviting the power of God into our lives. Talking to God about your life doesn’t immediately change your circumstance, but it does change something in you and it gives you the strength you need go through your day with a smile on your face. It helps you believe that you are not alone, and that is important for all of us.
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