Bible Devotions

MacDonald Hamba's Bible Devotions

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"The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts."

Richard Alleine

Dark Valley Prayer

Psalms 102:17 states: "He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer."

There are times from within the life of every Christian, when one finds it difficult to pray. In such times, one feels as if they're losing their grip on the only permanent anchor in their life. An anchor that deals with being able to have a living awareness, when it comes to the abiding presence of God. In such times, one is often spiritually starved and barren. For one begins to think, the God who has always been true and near, faithful and present, now seems to be far off and in hiding.

Many disciples of Christ spoke on these types of times, seeing them as "seasons of drought." For they simply dismissed these quiet periods, as one simply struggling, while focusing to much on their current life issues. They warn, that one need to recognize the significance of these sort of times... and don't make the mistake of thinking, that God has turned His face from them, and that He no longer cares.

Now I'll tell you this, prayer calls on one to have the type of faith, that believes God is always near, willing and ready to act on your behalf.

Make no mistake, faith does not, depend on your emotions, or what you can see in the natural.

Your faith, deals with you simply trusting in the Lord.

I'll tell you what, it's no different, when it comes to an earthly father.

For you see, he must at times, let go of his beloved child's hand, in order to teach that child, how to have the courage and confidence, to be able to walk on their own.

And although God will never let go of your hand, He stills wants you to be able to have the courage, and faith, to be able to live your life (walk) as a representative of His eternal kingdom.

For this means, that you're not only walking in faith, as you walk in the light of the Lord, but that you're also walking with this same type of faith, even though you may find yourself walking in the midst of a dark valley. And like I stated earlier, we must be willing to make this walk, even though at times, we don't feel as if God's guiding hand is not with us.

BIBLE DEVOTIONS

Trusting & Believing

This is why we must learn how to trust, and have the type of faith, when it comes to knowing that the Lord will never turn away from us. Make no mistake, when we learn how not to rely on our natural instincts, and emotions; but instead, learn how to lean, connect and be lead by the Spirit of the Lord, I believe that we will finally be able to experience the presence of God, in a way that we've never experienced before. Therefore having the presence of the Lord, becoming a living reality to us.

Know that the season of darkness will eventually pass, so don't make the error of abandoning your prayer life. But instead, try to discover what God is really trying to convey to you doing those hard times. For if you don't, your feelings could change for the worse, as your season of struggles intensifies. But never forget, God's love for you, will never waver or falter.

I'm trusting God, that you've been blessed by this Bible devotion. I'm also praying, that you'll continue to seek the Lord's Spirit, as you give yourself over to a fervent prayer life. I'm believing that you won't regret learning how to trust and wait on the Lord.