17/21 Days of Prayer & Fasting
READ:
PSALM 38 (NIV)
Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.
My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.
All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
Those who want to kill me set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.
I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak;
I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
Lord, I wait for you;
you will answer, Lord my God.
For I said, “Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”
For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
Many have become my enemies without cause;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.
Lord, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.
There have been times in my life that it felt like God was so far away from me. I think we all go through seasons like that. David was certainly not exempt, but feelings can’t always be trusted. We know the Bible says, “God will never leave us or forsake us.” So if God hasn’t left us then why do we feel like He has? For me it is usually one of two things.
1. I have moved away from God. Meaning that I feel far because I have stopped drawing near to Him; He has not moved at all.
2. My circumstances are controlling my emotions. Meaning that life isn’t going well, and because life isn’t going well, I feel like God has abandoned me.
Both of these things can be fixed. Notice I didn’t necessarily say they could be fixed easily, but they can be fixed. To fix the first just draw near to God and He will draw near to you. To put it in simpler terms, start doing the things you did when you felt closest to God: read your Bible, pray, go to church, get in a community group, etc. The other is a little more difficult, but surrender your circumstances to God and take control of your emotions. Realize that God is near, no matter what you feel. The reason you know this is because the Bible tells you that He is.
He has never left you and He will never forsake you.
PRAY:
Lord, thank you for never leaving me. Thank you that you have never abandoned me. I draw near to you and ask that you draw near to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.