Happy Wednesday!
I love knowing I'm halfway through my week :) This week started off as a rough one. I found myself feeling very lonely, nothing to look forward to, and being upset about not being with the people who I loved who are so far away. So of course, I called Josh, and he helped me through it. His best piece of advice:
"It's great that you come to me, and I love listening and helping you, but the person that will help you through this the best is your Lord and Savior Jesus."
This is the number one reason why I love him! He reminded me how I need to take everything to God in prayer and put my hope and trust in him. I NEED to be better at my personal devotion life and diving into the scripture more often! So here's a few passages that truly uplifted me and have gotten me through the past couple of days!
"The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them." {Psalm 145: 18-19}
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." {Psalm 46:1}
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" {John 16:33}
"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
God is good! I have to remind myself everyday and be thankful for the countless blessings he has given me.
ONE MORE THING :)
In my Teaching Religion Class I had to write a devotion as my assignment for today. I was inspired last night to write mine about Prayer. Let me know what you think!
The Blessings of Prayer
Hymn 411 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
Psalm 50:15 “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
When we are hurt, sad, stressed out, or angry, who do you usually go to for comfort and support? You may talk to your parents, your good friend, or maybe even your teacher or pastor. All those people can provide great advice and comfort, but the most wonderful advice and comfort we can receive is when we take our troubles to our Lord and Savior in prayer.
In our Scripture reading for today, God tells us that he wants us to come to him when we need his help. We are all sinners, and constantly need to go to the Lord in repentance and ask for forgiveness. This world is a sinful world, and we will go through many struggles while we are in it. God wants us to be relentless in our prayers to him. We should call upon God in prayer everyday, for everything.
God also gives us a promise in this passage; he lets us know that he will deliver us and help us. He promises to hear and answer our prayers. Because of this, we thank God by honoring him—by loving, praising, and obeying him. We have comfort that God will always answer our prayers, it might not be right away, or the way we think it should be answered—but he promises that he does answer them and will bless us.
Prayer is such a blessing and comfort for us as Christians. Praying is an awesome, easy, and inspiring thing. Some of us might think that prayers should be formal, which in some cases like a church service they are, but in our personal prayers with our Savior you can say and do anything you want. Prayer may take place while you’re brushing your teeth, doing your chores, getting dressed for the day, or lying in bed at the end of the night. It may also be helpful, and even more personable, to think that Jesus is sitting right next to you—hugging you, sitting in a chair listening, or putting His hand on your back while you poor out your anxieties to him. It is such a powerful and comforting thing to know that we have an almighty friend and Savior who can listen to our problems, and has promised to deliver us from them. Let’s take advantage of prayer, and pray to our Savior and friend freely and continually!
Prayer:
Our dearest friend and Savior,
We come to you now with renewed and fervent hearts—praying that you strengthen our faith to fearlessly and continually come to you in prayer. You have blessed us with the ability to talk to you, and with your ability of answering the requests we bring before you. Allow us to rely on you for requests and comfort. Grant us the belief in the power of talking with you, and give us renewal and comfort in our hearts when we pray to you. In your name we pray and will continue to pray. Amen.
