Today’s devotion sent to survivors:
Have you had the experience where you thought you were praying and talking to God about your situation and then realized you were only talking to yourself…mulling over in your thoughts some situation or the struggles you are having in a relationship, possibly only getting more and more riled up about the situation as you think about it? And then you realize you are not really praying to the Lord at all, but just talking to yourself? I had that experience just yesterday. I was driving in my car and was going over in my head both a situation that happened and some dynamics in a relationship. I was feeling discouraged, burdened, and stressed. Then, I realized, I was not praying To God; I was just talking to myself. At that point, I turned my heart to the Lord and started praying to God. When we pray, things start to change. I almost instantly experienced a shift in my emotions. There was a slight lifting in my heart of some of the burden. I “felt” lighter. I also had some different thoughts “pop” into my head that gave me some hope and direction with what to do next. Honestly, it wasn’t anything huge that happened, but I did not feel all alone anymore in my struggle. I had a small amount of peace, knowing that God was with me! This experience reminded me of some of the verses in Psalm 86:
“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me.” V1
“Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.” V3
“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.” V4
“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” V5
“Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, listen to my plea for grace.” V6
“In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” V7
I don’t know what is happening in your life situation right now or what is happening in your relationships. But God does! He wants to show you His grace. He wants to “gladden your soul”, He wants to show you His goodness, forgiveness and steadfast love. He wants to answer your prayers! So, with whatever is happening in your life right now, I urge you to turn to the Lord in prayer! I would love to hear how He answers you!
