Verse: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Devotion
Today is day 18 of our family being in quarantine. Obviously, worse than that is the fact that we all got sick during that time. It has not been pleasant. Somewhere in the middle of it, I not only was struggling physically, but I began to struggle emotionally. It’s been on and off since that night.
Yesterday I woke up feeling a darkness to my thoughts and feelings. I just felt down, sad, and almost despairing. And it wasn’t just about Covid. It began to spread out, like a water drop on a piece of paper, to start touching all parts of my interior life. (Ironic that we are doing a series on mental health, right?)
I want to share this verse with you as it was an encouragement to me yesterday. It didn’t fix how I was feeling actually. But it was important to remind myself, and to sit with this truth. I love how Paul puts it: Jesus Christ himself will encourage my heart. Honestly, that’s what I need(ed). He’s not going to send some substitute, or delegate it to someone, Jesus Christ himself will encourage me.
I prayed this prayer with my heart open to him: “Please fill me with your encouragement. Encourage my hurting heart. Encourage my sad heart. And strengthen me for today. Fill me with your strength. I need you, and I can’t do this on my own.”
I’m praying that prayer this morning as well. Do you need to pray that prayer today? Maybe take a moment this morning and sit with the One who loves you, and allow his encouragement and strength to slowly seep into your heart. Listen if he speaks to you words of encouragement. And act if he prompts you to do other healthy things (like call a friend, go for a walk, etc). And know that right now, I am praying for you too. You are not alone.
Prayer
See above.
Author: Christian Dunn
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