Daily Devotions are Not Easy
‘What do I do when everything seem to be going against me?’
This sounds like a self-pity statement already.
God is good, God is faithful and just, the Lord is merciful. God is love. If all of these things are true, and I am a child of God, then not everything is against me. It is only the adversary of God who is against me.
There is also unconfessed sin that will eat away at both my body and my spirit.
‘So I confess my sin to You O God. I repent from my unrighteousness. And ask for Your forgiveness for my sin. I belong to You, O Lord. I do not belong to the enemy. You are my God and there is no other.’
This is what I do whenever I feel like I am abandoned by God. His truth resounds over me. I am reminded of who God is and what I have become because of Him. The circumstances surrounding me that made me declare my first statement will not necessarily change. Rather, God changes my attitude towards my situation.
There is renewed hope.
Faith is restored.
And then something happens:
God moves.
He makes all things new. If there is a misunderstanding between husband and wife, He reconciles. If there is need, He provides. If there is anxiety, He reassures. If there is mourning, He comforts. The Lord has proven Himself time and time again. And yet, we still manage to grow anxious and lose our faith in God our Father.
Walking with God is a daily occurrence. It is so easy to get distracted. It is so easy to stop thanking and start complaining. In a heartbeat, I can cease to be patient and start to judge others, which is not my place. The hardest thing about being a Christian is that the evidence of our faith must be proclaimed daily through our words, thoughts, and deeds. God gives us the strength to walk with Him, but we must be willing to do so in His power.
‘What do I do when everything seems to be going against our family devotions?’
We have gone through several ruts in our time with the Lord as a family together and God has been faithful through each one. There were times when nobody wanted to pray. Other times, somebody wants the devotions to finish up quickly so that he or she can do something else. One member almost always falls asleep during prayer. Many times there would be bickering or fighting while doing devotions.
In all of these situations, God proved to be stronger. God consistently honors and upholds His good will for our family. And through all of these scenarios, our Father teaches us to be faithful and persistent to do what is right. He will never leave us nor forsake us. We are His children. He is our Father in more than every sense of the word. More than we know how a Father is to His own. We need Him more and more each day.
‘So what do I do when everything seems to be going against our family devotions?’
It is not just me this time, but four other individuals who each have their own struggles with their daily walk with the Lord. As I lead my family in our time together with God, I say a quick prayer composed of one word: “Help!”. And God is faithful. We are reminded that we do not do this for His benefit. Yes, such prideful thoughts are not alien to my family who prays together everyday for the past several months.
God reminds us that we pray and study the Bible together to be blessed by His presence. We remember that we have done nothing to deserve the salvation that was freely given to us by Christ who was crucified for our sins. And by His resurrection we will be with Him forever. It is all about God. He is what our lives are all about.
Modesto Mendoza and his wife, Haydee, live in Houston, Texas with their three children. He is a teacher, engineer, and yokefellow who is, most of all, a child of the Living God.
