Ever wake up anxious? Maybe you know an appointment is coming up you have been dreading. It could be a big project is due and you aren’t ready. Work may already feel like a heavy weight and the day hasn’t even started yet. You dread the challenge of getting everyone up and going when you want to stay in bed too. You just don’t want to face whatever is awaiting you this day. When we find ourselves feeling this way, it can be difficult to think about trusting God in our situation. It can be hard to remember God is with us and he cares about us. It can feel impossible to place God’s love in our situation which seems to be just way too much. Here’s the deal – this ISN’T the time to start trusting God and hearing how much he cares. This needs to begin long before we find ourselves overwhelmed.
Trusting in God begins when we are open to hearing, to learning, to receiving what God has for us. When we are anxious or overwhelmed, we are not open to anything – we are actually in survival mode. We are just trying to make it through the day – through the next challenge. God is not our emergency button. Sure, he is with us in our difficult times. He is always there for us. But our relationship with him is not built on the challenging times only. Our relationship with God is built on everyday experiences with our Creator. We develop this relationship by learning more about him, by listening to him, by experiencing him in our lives on a daily basis. When we build the relationship, we are more prepared when the difficulties come – and they always do. When we have learned to trust God in the good times, we are ready to receive him in the bad times too. We will already be equipped with his word, his truths, and his love.
Today is the day to work on the relationship with the One who created you, loves you beyond measure, and cares for you. Today is the day to walk a little closer, listen a little more intently, and find a place with him. He is with us always. That should bring comfort and peace to our over-anxious minds and hearts.
Focus Scripture:
Psalm 31:14-15
14 But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 