Daily Devotional - 9/12/10 (10/12/09)

Prayer Focus - Family



Day 5


Pray for:
One family member that you feel close to
One family member that you are not close to
One family member that lives far away from you
One family member that lives near to you
One family member that you are concerned about


Pray about:
Their physical needs
Their mental needs
Their emotional needs
Their spiritual needs



Dear Lord - Help me to listen to You each and every day and please grant me the strength to obey.




Psalms 42




"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" (vs. 1-2)



God's desire for us is that we live in Him; that we hunger and thirst for Him and His righteousness. We can not live by bread or worldly things alone, although we try (Matt 4:4).  We turn to so many things to fulfill us and yet we are still empty since only God can suffice.  When we begin to truly realize this, then we will be on the path to restoration. We need to take a look at our priorities and align them with God's will.  Perhaps we are so frustrated because we are trying to force our own will to happen in various situations.  We want that job or that person.  We long for marriage or children, fame or fortune.  We struggle our whole lives for these things and often tear down what God is trying to build in our desperation.  We need to stop looking for love and fulfillment in this way.

We need to fall in love with God instead. Think of all the dreams we have had over the years about that "special person" we would find someday. The excitement and thrill we experienced in just being with them or thinking about them. As young people, we are filled with hope about this love of our life, who will be our everything. Obviously, at first, a person may meet many of these expectations but in time we all fail. We can not be the ultimate love for anyone nor can anyone meet these expectations for us either. But God can.

Then as we get older, the desire for this all encompassing love often fades away as discouragement and disillusionment takes its place. Love fails us and so we accept that we have to go on with our lives, taking care of business and making ends meet. Sometimes, we become roommates with our spouses. Sometimes we give up and leave them. While it is extremely important that we keep working on our marriages and keep trying to rekindle a lost or fading love, there is a better solution.  What we ultimately need to do is turn to God and allow Him to fulfill those need for deep love that still exist. He is our ultimate and perfect groom and He longs for us with the deep affection of a perfect love. If we can cultivate our longing for and relationship with God, all the other relationships will then improve as well. We will be able to truly love our spouses in a way greater than the way we did even as newlyweds. Our relationships will be deeper as well because of  the ups and downs we have been through and for how we have grown to know each other so well. But it all depends on us coming back to God, however, and letting Him fill us up so that we can in turn fill up others, including our spouses.



"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." (vs. 5-6)


This is not always easy to do, however. When we have times of sadness, this is especially the case. This psalm and other places in the Bible make it clear that there will be down times. It is how we deal with them that makes the difference. We can turn inward, or we can turn to God. We need to put our hope in God and praise Him despite our emotions. Our feelings do not dictate truth. Only God's word can do that. We need to remember God and turn to Him for the love and security that we need to get us through the troubled times. We need to remember the victories He has brought us in the past (vs. 6a). We need to figure out why this is a down time as well. If we are being refined, we need to turn to God for comfort. If we have done wrong or sinned, we need to repent. If we are just tired or sick and so are more emotional, we need to sleep and strengthen our physical body. If there is really no reason for how we are feeling, we need to just move on and continue to do what is right. Our emotions will soon follow. God has not forgotten us. It will be alright. We need to let Him comfort us and lift us out of our fog. It will happen as we deal with what we need to. God is here. God is always with us.


We cannot let our enemies whisper in our ears, "Where is your God? Where is your God?" God is right here. So put your hope in God! He is the answer.



Prayer of the Day



Dear Lord,


You know that we are often lonely and downcast. We pray that You will help us to put our hope in You, today and always. Help us to remember the victories that You have brought about in the past in our lives. We are grateful that You are bigger than our emotions and that You do hold the truth. We are glad that truth is not relative or subject to our shifting emotions. We can be so unstable. Thank You for Your stability and unchanging nature. You are truly our Rock and our Refuge. We ask to fall in love with You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We want to cling to You and be consumed with You. We know that in falling in love with You all over again, there is hope for all of our other relationships to be rekindled as well. You are love and if we have You, we will be able to love so much more. We are so incomplete without You. Surely we do pant and long for You as a deer pants for water. We will come to meet You. Please wait for us to be there.


In Jesus' name,
Amen




QFT



1. Am I hungry and thirty for God? Am I longing for Him or fitting Him into my schedule when I have time?

2. What are my dreams for the perfect spouse? Do I see God in this manner? Am I letting Him love me as He desires? Am I in love with Him as I would be a mate?

3. How can I cultivate this type of relationship with God? How do I think this will help my other relationships?

4. How do I deal with my down times? Am I able to discern why I feel down most of the time? Do I turn inward or to God when I feel this way? How can I turn to God next time?

5.  What situations make me feel that God has forgotten me?  What victories can I remember to rekindle my faith?