Shine: Week 3 - Day 4
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, please forgive me for all the times I have neglected you. Please help me to keep my focus on you, and to seek you for strength when I am weak.
“For this reason I kneel before the father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
REFLECT:
I’ll shoot straight with you all right now: I feel terrible. I’m in a funk. I want to write a great, inspiring devotional that lifts you up and glorifies God but I just can’t seem to find anything to say. I feel weak. I feel disappointed. (Here is a point where I pause and stare off into space blankly for a while)
Fortunately, in my listless, stationary mind-wandering, I decided to read through the scripture for today again and then several times more. If you’ve just read it through once, I would like to encourage you to read it a few more times. For me it became clearer each time.
God is everything. The word ‘power’ is used three times in the passage above. God is power. He has the power to do all things. He loves us. He wants us to need him and to seek him. He wants us to ask him for help. He is the greatest father ever who loves us beyond measure. As the scripture says, kneel before him and pray for him to strengthen you. With his power flowing through you, anything is possible. With renewed focus on him my energy level has already risen tremendously.
APPLY:
If you’re feeling weak and discouraged, or even perfectly normal, be intentional about praising and thanking God for all you have. The scripture above mentions kneeling. Next time you want to focus on God consider literally kneeling before him, giving him attention with both your mind and body.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you God for being all powerful, and for being everything we could ever need and being available every time we need it. Thank you for sacrificing your son, Jesus, to create a way for us to connect directly with you.
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