God Says, “Come” – Beloved Women – September 4, 2020
READ: “For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away, through my groaning all day long.” (Psalms 32:3 ESV)
TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Remember your mom’s directive, “Speak when spoken to”? Every child knew exactly what that meant - practice silence. Whether we were successful or not, that’s a whole different story and there are consequences that we recall all too well. Sometimes we take our childhood behaviors into adulthood because they have become so ingrained in our being. We may remember other instances and how we felt when vocal, and how it wasn’t well received. We then decide to stay away from speaking up; we would much rather keep it bottled in.
Thankfully, our Heavenly Father encourages us to speak to Him and confess our sins (1 John 1:9), to draw near (James 4:8), in the good times and in the bad. In this verse, through the psalmist David, we learn one of the physical consequences of not confessing sin - it manifests in our bodies. May we know that God wants us to come to Him and may we know that He can handle our humanity. Let us come to Him bare, open, ready to receive His forgiveness. David, in the same passage, (keep reading all of Psalm 32 for encouragement), confessed his sins, was forgiven, and his shame was removed. We must not put on God the same characteristics of other humans who may have silenced us. He’s not keeping score. Allow God to remind you that the score was settled when He gave us His son, Jesus. This very act allows us to come to Him freely and directly. What an honor! May we not be silent and keep things bottled up; may He continually invite us into Holy communion and may we humbly oblige.
PRAY: Father, I pray that You would remind me of this relationship I get to have with You because of Your sacrifice. Remind me that it is not one sided. You are a loving Father beckoning me to come to You because Your desire is for me to prosper. Being authentic and not being silent allows me to continue to grow in You, for all have sinned and fallen short. Guide me Lord, thank you for Your forgiveness and for Your promise that nothing can separate me from Your love. Where I feel shame and guilt, I pray that You would replace that with Your truth - that I am forgiven, fully loved, fully known and fully seen. In Jesus’ name, amen.
REFLECT: Are you bare before the Lord? Or are you covering yourself up with fig leaves as Adam & Eve did? Is there something eating away at you because it is unconfessed? Now is the time to come to Him.
SHARE: May we know that God can handle our humanity. Let us come to Him bare, open, and ready to receive His forgiveness.
CONNECT: Find more encouragement from Jenn Fernandez on Instagram @rubia115 and her website https://jfer.org/,where you can find a link to her spoken word EP: Step + Repeat.
MORE BELOVED: If you like the Beloved Women Daily Devotional you will love the Beloved Women’s Online Conference. This a one-day event is filled with speakers, worship, workshops and more to refresh, refuel, and empower women like us to find rest for our souls, peace for our minds, and hope for the journey. Our mission is to replenish the women who do so much for their families and communities so they can continue to build better futures for themselves and those they love and serve. If you’re ready to energize your relationship with God learn more and register today at https://www.belovedconference.org.
© 2020 by Jenn Fernandez. All rights reserved.
For more Beloved encouragement including Daily Devotionals, practical advice for everyday Christian living, Bible Studies, and more be sure to visit us at www.belovedwomen.org.
Listen to Beloved Women's Founder & President on her new podcast, Teach Us to Pray!
