Prayer to Quiet Your Mind and Remember God’s Promises
By Kyle Norman
Bible Reading:
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” – 1 Corinthians 1:20
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Have you ever experienced this? Have you ever found that your faith feels stuck despite your robust commitment to Jesus?
Such experiences are hard; in those moments, it can be easy to spiral down a path of self-condemnation. We fear that, somehow, we have done something wrong. Maybe God is angry at us? Perhaps we are not as forgiven as we think. These thoughts or fears plague our reflections.
We want to assume that such experiences don’t occur – that faith improves everything. Believe in Jesus, and the ills of life magically disappear. But sadly, this is not the case. We all face it. So common is this experience that John Bunyan depicted this scenario in his classic book “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Moments into his spiritual journey, Pilgrim falls into a thick and miry bog named the “Slough of Despond.” Bunyan describes this mud pit as a place of fear, doubt, and discouraging apprehension. The Slough of Despond stops us in our tracks because it makes us believe that there is no possible way forward and that our faith is not as strong as we would like.
But here’s the good news: this miry bog, which appears threatening and oppressive, is the very place where we learn to rely on God's promises. Bunyan describes how God's promises are the very steps upon which we can stand. The “promise steps,” placed deep in the bog, provide the pathway forward.
See, God’s promises are spoken precisely for those moments when we need them. They hold us up when our faith feels shaky and unsupported. They provide strength and hope for our Christian walk. The times of discouragement, therefore, are not a denial of our faith; they are moments wherein we learn the strength of God’s eternal word and the constancy of God’s presence.
What promises do you need to stand upon? God’s promises are sprinkled throughout the scriptures and extend over every area of our lives. Find the one that speaks to you and hold that verse in your heart. Speak it over yourself or write it on a note and post it where you will see it. The parishioner mentioned above took God’s promise and made it her phone's screen saver. Keep God’s promise before you because you may find that, after a while, the path through your personal despond will begin to become apparent, and you will start to walk with Christ in freedom.
Let’s Pray:
Gracious God, I thank you for the promises that you make – that I read in scripture again and again. When I fear that you are not with me, you promise your presence to the ends of the world. When I fear I am unloved, you promise that you love me with everlasting love and have written me in the palm of your hands. When I fear that my sins make me unforgivable, your voice echoes from the cross: “Father, forgive them.” All your promises are YES, never revoked, denied, or curtailed.
Lord, I thank you for your promises about who you are, not who I am. They are held in your nail-pierced hands and graciously offered to me when I feel I am in desperate need. When I find myself in those times, I pray that you give me the strength to stand upon your promises. As steps set in the slough of despond, help me stand upon your word—may your promises provide me with the foundation that I need to move forward in faith.
I believe and trust that your word, O lord, is life. It is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. And so in my life today, with all that I face and all that life throws at me, draw my attention to the promise I need to hear. Father, quiet my mind from racing; stop the voice of self-condemnation from rising within me. Soften my anxious heart and open my ears to hear your promise spoken not as a word from the past but as a reality for my life today. Lord, I choose to stand upon your promise and walk in your way. I pray all these things in the name of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Nathan Dumlao
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