Place yourself in a position before God whereby…

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”

Our Bible verse for today: “Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Place yourself in a position before God …”

In Isaiah 40:30-31 Isaiah paints a verbal picture of how refreshing and rejuvenating it is for our souls when we come and place ourselves in a position before God whereby the Holy Spirit can minister to us. He says that even youths and young men (who are typically full of strength and energy), even they will become weak and will stumble. It happens to all of us – even to the strongest and most able. However, Isaiah was not really talking about physical strength. That was a metaphor for mental, emotional, and spiritual strength.

Anyone of any age who will come before the Lord will find themselves renewed and refreshed. In other words, you will discover that the stress and pressure ebbs away; a sense of peace washes over you; and soon you are feeling mentally, emotionally, and spiritually refreshed. That happens when we stop stressing and striving and trying to deal with everything in our own strength, and we instead fall on our knees and lay it all before the Lord. Then He ministers to our weary soul. This is why, in Philippians 4:13, the Apostle Paul wrote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

The best and fastest way to place yourself in a position before the Lord so that He can minister to your weary soul is in individual prayer, Bible reading, and listening to uplifting Christian music. You can do that virtually anywhere at anytime and therefore it is always available to you.

But another important way in which we place ourselves in a position before the Lord is by gathering with our church family every Sunday for Sunday school, worship, and fellowship. In a good church, the atmosphere is spiritually rich. When groups of mature Christians come together, all bringing their own deep and rich relationship with the Lord and adding it to the group dynamic, it is a spiritually charged environment. The combined spiritual factor is often much greater than what we can experience alone. Therefore, this is one of the times when the Lord typically speaks to us the loudest and clearest.

I encourage you to place yourself in a position before God whereby He can minister to your soul. A good way to do that is by gathering with your church family this Sunday. That is one of the best things you can do to take care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Research consistently shows that those who are regular church attenders are, on average, happier, better adjusted, and they report being more satisfied with life overall than those who do not attend church on a regular basis.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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