Most Devoted Lord, I am thankful for the fact that in whatever circumstances I find myself or wherever I am, there You are too. You stand at the ready to guide me through my difficulties with encouragement to never give up. Each morning I find myself rejoicing because I am awake to a new day with You. I have come to understand that through Your awesome power my problems, struggles and turmoil can be turned to rubble if I act in faith and persevere until they are gone. I am grateful that when I cry out You are listening and are moved by compassion to come to my aid. A problem I must resolve is the one of finding myself adrift and out of touch with You. When I am, worry and fear take up residence in my life and thoughts. I become pessimistic and I stop going to church regularly, eliminate fellowshipping with those who lift my spirits and drop regular prayer. At times such as these, it is hard to remember that I’m Your child and dearly loved. So how do I find my way back to the closeness that we once shared?
When times get tough and circumstances weigh me down, is the perfect time to find my way back to You. When worry and doubt will not relinquish the foothold they’ve gained in my life, it’s time to come a little bit closer to You. For in You dwells all power, all knowledge and the ability to make even my impossibilities become possible. In close harmony with You, I am able to hear and comprehend the truths that set me free. As I make my move toward You, I have the assurance that you will be waiting for me and, in turn, will come closer to me. Help me resist the insisting of my pride that tells me that I can make it on my own. If that were the case, You never would have had to come in human form to free me from the shackles of sin, death and the grave. I believe that, if I come a little bit closer, many of the problems I face will melt away and I will live in contentment.
I have come to believe that if I want to walk in Your ways and serve others … I must be willing to do what it takes for a close connection with You and regular fellowship. To learn Your ways of purity, selflessness, unconditional love and abiding faith requires an intimacy like I’ve never had undergo with anyone before. What does giving You my all require? I think it requires a decision to change and be transformed into something new … it requires a desire to follow and not try to take control … it requires dying to self and allowing selflessness be resurrected … it requires accepting You as My Shepherd and my role as one of Your sheep … it requires abandoning everything that separates me form You. I need Your love, compassion, tenderness, mercy and grace. These things cannot be added to my life if I exclude You and go my own way. Help me make the vital steps I need to take in order to come a little bit closer to You. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
John 15:4 Abide in me and I will abide in You. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must abide in the vine. Neither can you produce fruit unless you abide in me.