Resting in What God Has Done - Your Nightly Prayer - April 20th

Lynette Kittle

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Your Nightly Prayer

Resting in What God Has Done
Your Nightly Prayer
By Lynette Kittle

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” - Philippians 2:13

SOMETHING TO PONDER

Sometimes we can feel discouraged by what feels like our lack of spiritual progress and growth. We may think we’re growing by leaps and bounds, only to have the enemy throw something unexpected at us, leaving us behaving in a less-than-godly manner and feeling discouraged and defeated in our Christian walk. Failing to meet our own spiritual expectations can cause some of us to want to give up altogether, asking, "What’s the point? Why do we even want to keep trying to live godly lives?" But that is exactly what the enemy of souls is shooting for when he sends those fiery darts our way. Although God calls us and desires us to be like Jesus, He knows our weaknesses better than anyone else. He understands that it takes time for us to grow, often a lot more time than we like or want to put into it to mature in our faith. Yet, as the Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 12:9,

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Paul says that when he boasts in his weaknesses, it demonstrates Christ’s power resting on him, revealing that the key to resting in His work in us is recognizing that we’re weak and need Him. Again, Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:13 that our power to rest comes from the fact that “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” We can rest in what God has done and is doing in our lives because we rely on His strength and His power at work, knowing we’re not alone. Yet, resting in what He’s doing doesn’t relieve us from doing our part and participating in the work He’s doing within and through us, because Scripture describes our faith walk as a race, and calls us to do our part, relying on God. As 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 explains,

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Dear Father,
My heart is full and overflowing with gratitude for the work You’re doing in me to fulfill Your good purpose for my life. Help me, like Paul, not to strive on my own, but to gladly boast about my weaknesses, so that the work You’re doing within me, releases Your power to rest on me. Lead me to look to You for strength in all that I do, so that I may run and receive the prize.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

Are there areas in your faith where you’re currently striving, feeling it’s all up to you to grow and do better in your daily and overall walk? If so, let God know you don’t want to deal with them on your own and welcome His help.
Take time to rest in what God has done and is doing in your life by writing a list of the things He has done and is doing, to encourage yourself in your daily walk.
Write a list boasting of your weaknesses, following Paul’s example, to prove how God’s power is working in you despite their presence in your life.

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

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