Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
As I was praying today, I thought of many people in my life who have some heavy challenges. I empathize with them and want to help them. However, in some cases there is little I can physically do, and in others where I can help, some are not interested in help.
So, in these times, I pray harder and longer. I seek God fervently and I ask him to help me see his path ahead. This faithfulness allows me to leave these burdens at his feet. And he will see them through in the right way.
I can then have a “longsuffering”-type of patience. I can see that in challenging relationships, God has a long game that is better than my short-term comfort.
Finally, I can have the joy of the Lord as my strength and be filled with this joy.
What weighs you down today? Take it to the Lord and pin yourself in prayer to a place until his Spirit releases your heart of this burden. Lay it down at his feet.
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (I Peter 5:6)
Lord, thank you for these verses today. They are a treasure. Build up my confidence in you and teach me to trust you with the outcomes. Fill me and use me!
