Hope for an Unsettled Home - Your Nightly Prayer - August 26
Hope for an Unsettled Home
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest. Isaiah 32:18
SOMETHING TO PONDER
When I come home after work, run errands, or even go to church on Sunday, the first thing I do is put on my comfy house shoes and favorite sweatpants. I think it’s safe to say that home is the place where we should feel most relaxed. In fact, when hosting our closest friends in our home, my husband and I now encourage them not to dress up, but to wear their comfiest attire instead. It’s a compliment when friends feel as relaxed in our home as we do.
However, my family recently walked through a season when our home felt so unsettled that no worn-in sweatpants or plush slippers could touch the tension we were all feeling. We were in a season of transition, and our futures felt so unpredictable. Would we be relocating or staying put? Is God going to answer our prayer for a particular job, or are we waiting for the next opportunity to come along? The only thing that felt certain was that when everyone walked through the door, they were on edge.
In tonight’s scripture, Isaiah 32:18, God promises that His people will live peacefully in secure homes and undisturbed places of rest. Just hearing and reading these words almost feels like an invitation to lean back, drop your shoulders, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. What a delightful promise from the Father to His people following years of suffering.
However, before describing this peaceful outcome, God first promises in verse 15 that their difficult circumstances will change only after they encounter His Spirit:
“...till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field...”
Before they experience peace and God-given rest, they experience His Spirit. In the second half of verse 15, we see that the outpouring of the Spirit is linked to growth and abundance. What was once a wilderness becomes a fruitful field. A harvest has replaced the parched, dry land.
If your home feels as uncomfortable right now as living in dry and parched land, seek God’s presence more earnestly. David gives us language for that prayer in Psalm 63:
“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."
Tonight, find rest in the promise that God responds when we draw near to Him. James, the brother of Jesus, writes in James 4:8, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” And Psalm 16:11 reminds us that in His presence there is fullness of joy. The peace that we long for isn’t found merely in our changed circumstances, but in the presence of the One who first changes us.
YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER
Father, I thank You that Your presence not only brings forth growth in dry places, but also leads us to peaceful dwellings, rest, and even joy. My hope for a settled home is found in You alone. Tonight, I give You my house. Though it is not perfect - neither am I, nor is my family - I dedicate it to be used for Your Kingdom purposes.
Lord, have Your way not only in my heart, but in my home. I pray that every person who walks through these doors would experience a glimpse of “on earth as it is in heaven.”
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
When I walk through my door, am I ushering in peace or chaos?
What is one habit I can begin tomorrow, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to make my home feel like a place of rest?
How am I already using my home for His Kingdom purposes? How am I already using my home for His Kingdom purposes? How could I expand its impact?
Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/AlexanderAndrews
Related Resource: Praying Through Psalm 68: When God is Bigger Than Your Problems!
What happens when the giants you are facing—whether overwhelmingly massive or seemingly insignificant—trick you into believing God doesn't care about your daily struggles?
Join Jaime on the Praying Christian Women Podcast for an inspiring devotional on Psalm 68, a triumphant and powerful psalm that celebrates the unmatched bigness of God and reminds us that no earthly enemy or obstacle stands a chance against Him. If this episode helps you connect with God through prayer, be sure to follow Praying Christian Women on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below!
