Find God In Prayer
SUNDAY, August 9
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
It was 4 a.m. and texts began coming through for a need at the hospital. I was an on-call crisis chaplain and knew texts coming through at 4 a.m. are rarely a good thing. The hospital called me, which meant I needed to call out to God for help, for strength, for wisdom, and for guidance. There are times when we immediately know we need help, whether for vindication in the case of David or simply for peace or guidance for whatever we are facing.
Who do you call when you need help? Who can you count on to always answer your call?
David knew who to call on, the one true God. Only God answers every single time. God is found every time we reach out to him in prayer.
Prayer
God, help us turn to you first in our times of need. Help us to seek your help in all situations. Help us to see you working when we trust you for an answer. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.
Find God Even In Caves
Monday, August 10
1 Kings 19:9-18
“What are you doing here?” (v. 9, NIV). I love that God loves Elijah enough to meet him in his cave and ask him twice, “What are you doing here?” Elijah answers the same way each time. He thinks he’s alone and in danger. Yet God meets him in the midst of his concerns. He reassures Elijah that he isn’t alone. God is with him in the cave. God still has plans for him outside of the cave.
When you are scared and feeling alone, where do you go? Where does God meet you?
Stepping outside and listening to nature can instantly calm me. I need silence with Jesus daily. The noise of social media and the world’s concerns lead me back to needing silence with Jesus. What am I doing here? Nothing worthwhile if I listen to fear over finding Jesus. Praise God he is found even in my cave.
Prayer
God, thank you for meeting us in our fear and loneliness. You remind us you are with us always. Help us to find you wherever we find ourselves. In Jesus’s name, amen.
Find God In Weakness
Tuesday, August 11
Romans 8:26-27
When my children were little, they would mimic my sighs. I would find my toddler-aged daughter sighing at a moment when I was at a loss. I may not have known what to do, or it may have simply been a frustrating situation. Regardless, I did not have words and thus I sighed.
When have you found yourself without any words? The situation is so painful, you can only sit with the person facing it. The grief is so deep, there is nothing to say. We may try to say something to make ourselves feel better, but only the Holy Spirit can help in those dark moments of deep or complicated grief. Even the Holy Spirit, Paul writes in verse 26, “intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words (RSV).” If the Holy Spirit intercedes with sighs and without words, we most certainly can rest in the fact that we do not need to have words for every situation.
Prayer
God, guide us to trust your Holy Spirit in our weakness. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.
Find God As Faithful
Wednesday, August 12
Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21
My friends are faithful women who are gracious and compassionate toward me. They are near to me when I call them, even those living in different states. They are generous, giving to me whenever I have any kind of need. Yet their grace, their nearness, and their generosity are nothing in comparison to the Lord.
David describes the character of the greatest friend we could have, the Lord. Our Lord desires to be gracious, good, compassionate, generous, and “near…to all who call upon him in truth” (v. 18, NRSVUE). Verse 19 states, “He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.” No one else can ultimately fulfill our desires, hear us, or save us. May you find the Lord to be a faithful friend and Savior. May you give out of the faithfulness found in God, our Lord and Savior.
Prayer
God, thank you for your grace and compassion. Thank you for hearing us and saving us. May we know you and receive all you have to give. In Jesus’s name we pray, amen.
Find God In Struggles
Thursday, August 13
Genesis 32:22-31
My husband and I taught for several years before we had our first child. With so many student names in mind, we struggled to choose our son’s name. Names are important.
Jacob already had a name. Yet in struggling with God, he was given a new name. Struggling with God until he received a blessing allowed him to move forward with a new name, a new identity. Through struggling with God, Jacob recognized that he had seen God and found him in the midst of the struggle.
When have you found God in your struggle? In what area do you need a new identity to move forward?
Names are powerful. Naming our struggle allows God to bless us. Naming God as the one who is found in the struggle invites others to find him in the midst of their struggles.
Prayer
God, help us to find you in the midst of our struggles. Help us to be open to an identity given by you as we move through the struggle. In Jesus’s name amen.
Finding God Everywhere
Friday, August 14
Romans 8:31-39
My son studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, an opportunity that enriched his life with new experiences and relationships. Still, I was nervous to have an ocean separating us.
Paul writes in verse 35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” (NRSVUE). The answer is that nothing is “able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul names all the possibilities we may suggest, from persecution and death to “anything else in all creation.” Nothing separates us from God. He is present everywhere for those who know him as Savior and Lord. The Atlantic Ocean may have separated me physically from my son, but nothing separated him from my love. More important, nothing separated him from God’s love.
Prayer
God, help us to know you are present wherever we go and in any situation we face. Thank you for your love that is always with us. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
Finding God In The Word
Saturday, August 15
Romans 10:5-15
When I was a teenager experiencing challenging times, God’s word brought me comfort. Going to daily Mass helped me find God and name him as Savior for my own life. God’s word was near me both in written and spoken form. It went from the written page to the priest’s mouth, to my own voice calling on the name of the Lord.
With whom will we each share God’s word? It can be challenging for some of us. Yet Paul writes, “How are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?” (v. 15, NRSVUE). God speaks through his word, through his Spirit, through his people. The word is near us, on our lips and in our hearts, all because of God. Share God’s word as he leads you. It may help a teen call on God to be saved and to serve him with her whole life.
Prayer
God, use us to share your word with all who need to hear. In Jesus’s name
we pray, amen.
