A Prayer to Restore Fun in Your Life - Your Daily Prayer - June 12
A Prayer to Restore Fun in Your Life
By Brad Rymer
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 8:15
What about fun? Is it okay for Christians to have fun? How much fun? What kind of fun? God wants us to enjoy ourselves. But pleasure can be serious business. In today's scripture, an assembly of Israelites is instructed to enjoy themselves. They had just listened to a reading of the sacred Scriptures and were crying and mourning over how poorly they had been paying attention to God's Word regarding how to live purposefully and reverently. It is interesting to see how preceding and following a time of pleasure were periods of studying the "Book of the Law" (See Nehemiah 8:1-2, 13).
After hearing the reading of Scriptures, the Israelites were told to have a feast, to celebrate. They were celebrating with the joy of the Lord.
To pursue pleasure sensibly, we need to include God. We need to be grounded in God's life instructions.
Consider this…
When we leave God out, we tend to revert to our sin nature. Our priorities get out of balance. Pursuing pleasure can become more important than anything else. We tend to revert to our sin nature and may even pursue evil desires leading to addictive and destructive behaviors.
How do we include God? By finding joy in His love for us and our walk with him. By asking him to help us find balance in our lives. By finding ways to have fun that don't lead to disobedience to the Scriptures. By always putting him first in our lives.
Father, I thank you that you want me to enjoy times of fun and celebration. You are the creator of fun and you love to see your children enjoying the world and gifts you've given them. Help me not be afraid to have fun. Help me pursue fun in ways that honor and bring you joy. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
*Editor’s Note: The following is an abridged version of the November 28th Living Free devotional. To read the full article, follow this link.
Related Resource: Establishing a Routine of Rest
For a long time, rest felt less like a gift and more like a guilty indulgence — something to be earned, something to feel vaguely ashamed of, something that productive, faithful people did not really need. In a world that measures worth by output, the idea of stopping feels dangerously close to falling behind.
But what if rest is not optional? What if it was never meant to be? Tonight, lay down the hustle. Receive the gift. This is exactly what you were made for. Your Nightly Prayer is a daily Christian prayer podcast from the LifeAudio Podcast Network and Crosswalk.com. Each night, the team behind Crosswalk.com brings you a devotional and prayer to help you end your day in conversation with God. May these nightly prayers help you find the words to pray and focus your heart and mind on the love of God as you end your day. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
