A Key to Great Devotions

"Lord, why don't I set time aside to spend with You?" Barb prayed.

To her surprise, she sensed the Lord's reply, Because you don't expect Me to meet you there!

Barb pondered His answer. Why don't I expect God to meet me there?

She remembered James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." This used to be one of her favorite scriptures. It assured her that God was there when she sought Him. Why would she no longer expect God to draw near?

Barb remembered times when she couldn't wait to spend time with Him. She'd rush home from work, grab her guitar and Bible, and enjoy sweet fellowship with Him for hours. "Where did the passion go, God?"

God's gentle Spirit impressed her with this thought: You don't expect Me to meet you in quiet time because of disappointments from your past.

Barb remembered the most disappointing thing in her Christian life--her abusive marriage that had ended in divorce. She had prayed fervently for God to restore their marriage and had secretly hoped that they would eventually be in Christian ministry.

Now she faced the real issue behind her loss of desire for God's presence--hope deferred!  She remembered Proverbs 13:12: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick."

She had no idea a sick heart could hinder her fellowship with the Lord. Tears streamed down her face. "I was so heartbroken, Lord. How could I have experienced such failure when I had You in my life?" As she expressed her grief to the Lord, God began to heal her sorrows, cleansing the stain of failure. God removed her apathy and restored her to a place of sweet fellowship with Him again.

Thank You, Jesus, for filling my heart with expectation that You will meet me in prayer.

"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation" (Psalm 5:3).