Joy: Week 1 - Day 4
OPENING PRAYER:
Lord, help me live this day with hope and not despair. Let me see the world as you see it – a temporary residence for those who follow Christ. Amen
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourself in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.” Philippians 1:27 (New Living Translation)
REFLECT:
It is easy to allow temporary – day to day life – to occupy all our attention. It takes deliberate effort to let the eternal provide a foundation of peace. One of the last things Jesus discussed with his disciples at the close of his earthly ministry was their eternal future. John 14:1-2 says, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If there were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” C.S. Lewis stated it another way, “All that is not eternal is eternally useless.”
In II Kings 6:17, the prophet Elisha’s servant was overwhelmed by the number of soldiers and chariots their enemy was about to unleash on them. Elisha prayed for God to open the man’s eyes to see the reality of their situation. When the servant looked again, the hills were filled with chariots of fire. God was greater than the enemy. Our prayer in times of stress and challenges should be for eyes to see God’s view of eternity – the big picture.
APPLY:
Some in this world reject God because of the suffering they see around them. They consider faith in the midst of suffering as failure. Their vision is earthbound but those who follow Christ see things differently. Christ followers understand that God uses suffering to produce in us a longing for the better place he has prepared for us. Our vision is not earthbound. The world is a temporary residence. Hardship and struggles are meant to prepare us for our eternal home.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father God, I am claiming your promise to be with me no matter what I experience in this life. Help me be aware of your Spirit within me. I will depend on you knowing that you have eternity in mind and my circumstance as defined not by this world but by your plan and your purposes. Amen.