Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
I’ve been reading the Bible since I was a child. I’m familiar with all the major stories and incredible people God used to do His will. What I have to be careful of, though, is missing the fascinating, human side of these people. It can be easy to zip past the fact that these are real people experiencing the same doubts, emotions, and fears we would experience if we went through what they did.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul is a great example of this. He is struggling with the difficulties and negativity coming from the Corinth church. No different from the difficulties and negativity we face today. In verse 7, Paul says, “...so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” He is speaking of someone who had sinned, encouraging the people of Corinth to forgive him and help him in his journey to know Christ, while knowing that there were false teachers speaking negatively about Paul and trying to dismantle the work he had done. Paul is navigating, trying to help the lost people of Corinth come to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ while being undermined by false teachers and non-believers. Sound familiar?
It’s incredible. This story takes place a couple of thousand years ago, but we still experience the same things today. We strive to follow God’s will and work hard to fulfill our purpose every day. But there always seems to be someone, or some form of negativity, trying to push to the forefront.
The great news is we aren’t alone! As long as we are here on this earth, the devil will work to hold us back just like he did to Paul. But James 1:2 says, “Count it joy when you meet trials of many kinds.” Our work on this earth will never be easy. But it's not supposed to be! Lean into our Father in prayer and stay in His word, and the peace He brings as we do His work is beyond understanding. Embrace the difficulty this life brings and allow God to do His work through you. Be the man or woman the devil worries about; when you wake up, make sure the devil says, "Uh oh, (s)he’s up!"
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.