God Is with You in the Ordinary - Your Nightly Prayer - July 29th
God Is with You in the Ordinary
By Sophia Bricker
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." - Matthew 28:20b
SOMETHING TO PONDER
There are years when the summer offers adventures to faraway places and journeys that take you on a mission that is greater than yourself. Challenges arise that make you grow as an individual; events bloom into memories; and you keep returning to that summer to unearth new lessons and reflections that nourish your faith in the years to come.
Yet, there are other summers where the days are filled with the normal activities that mark our lives. Instead of trips to fascinating destinations, there are car rides to work and the store. No planning for events or campfires – only careful scheduling for doctor appointments or sitting down to budget the month’s expenses. In these times, the ordinary seems bland and even pointless. What can God possibly use in these mundane summer days to grow our faith?
Well, actually, quite a bit. We just need a renewed perspective.
The Lord is with us in the whirlwind summers of vacations and camping trips, but He is also present in the workaday months of jobs, bills, laundry, and quiet service in care of others. Our Lord has promised to be with us always (see Hebrews 13:5). And that means He is present in the ordinary just as much as the extraordinary (see 1 Kings 19:11-13).
If we consider the example of those in the Bible, we discover that it was in the long work of everyday obedience that they learned to trust and obey God. They became well-known women and men of faith only because of those mundane days – like Ruth who diligently worked in the grainfields patiently gleaning (Ruth 2:23), or David who herded his father’s sheep through repetitive days and nights in the outdoors (1 Samuel 17:34). Those moments were no less important than the ones for which they are better remembered.
The ordinary days of our lives are just as significant as the eventful ones, and since our Savior is with us, these days of summer are transformed into holy days of eternal value. They have the power to shape our faith and make the darkness in the world a little less dim.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
God of every day and season, renew my vision so that I can see these ordinary days in the way You view them. Your Word tells me that You are present with me no matter where I am or what I am doing, so even these mundane summer months are holy when lived with You. Enable me to approach this season of my life with an awareness of Your presence and the opportunity for greater communion with You, for I know that it is through the daily acts of obedience that I grow more into a person of faithfulness and integrity. In Your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. An everyday item that you think is beautiful – perhaps a mug, a trinket, or merely a houseplant. How might that ordinary (yet lovely) aspect of your life remind you God is present even in the average moments?
2. A specific activity that you do not commonly associate with holiness (brushing your teeth, washing dishes, cleaning a child’s room, etc.). When thought of as something you do for the Lord and with Him, how can this change your perspective of the activity?
3. The many chores and tasks that people in the Bible had to do each day, including individuals like Ruth, David, Paul, or even the Lord Jesus. In what ways do their quiet acts of faithfulness encourage you today?
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Vichien Petchmai
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