Renewal

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

I recently took the time to read some of my older devotions and I couldn’t believe what I read! My first thought was “Who was that person who wrote these? Where did she go?” I was amazed at the depth of my faith during that time. And I wonder now where it all went. While I feel that my faith is strong today, something is missing in my recent devotions... there’s a difference between writing with your head and writing with your heart.

I remember some of my older devotions just pouring out of me like streams of water. Like the above verse from Jeremiah, I wasn’t worrying about what was going on in my life. Writing devotions became---and still is a way to worship God. I just prayed, meditated on a verse, and wrote. It was effortless.

I’m not sure what happened between then and now, but what I’m realizing is that I can’t force my faith because it’s a gift from God. It’s already there and was from the moment I accepted Jesus into my life. Unlike what I’ve been trying to do lately, there’s no effort needed. I need to accept and treasure His gift of Life-Giving Water.

I still need to study God’s Word; I still need to pray, meditate, and look for the open doors to take myself out of the picture and find ways for God to use me so I can bear fruit for His Kingdom. But I need to do it with my eyes on my Savior.

He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.

Psalm 23:3

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10