In early September I’ll be releasing a 40-day devotional called She Laughs: A 40-Day Journey to a Heart Filled with Joy and Peace!!! My heart in writing this devotional is that as you dive deeply into God’s Word, you will experience a deeper joy and peace than perhaps you ever have before.
Beginning with last week’s post (which you can find here) I’m sharing a few clips from the Devotional so that you can get a *SNEAK PEEK* at what I hope and pray will be a helpful tool as you navigate the challenges of not just this season but in the years to come as well.
Today, we’ll look at Day 18 of the Devotional! You’ll notice that the day is broken down into several sections (most of the days of the Devotional follow this pattern):
Search My Heart: a time for you to write out everything on your mind that is causing you stress, anxiety, or fear
Scripture for the day: the most important part of each day!
Devotional: a short commentary on the Scripture
Meditation: a way to think deeply and intently on that day’s Bible verse (several meditation styles are used throughout this Devotional)
Reflect: ask yourself, “How does this apply to me today?”
Pray: a prayer thanking God for that day’s truth and asking him to help impress it on your heart and put it into practice
Let’s dive into Day 18!!
Search My Heart
(Really pause and take a moment to think about what is on your heart and mind. If you have a notepad or sheet of paper, jot down all of the things that come to mind.)
Scripture
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)
Devotional
Do you feel weak today? Do you feel utterly incapable of doing everything on your plate? Do you feel like you don’t have enough in you to make it through another rollercoaster day? What if I were to tell you that the place that you are in right now is actually a great place to be? It’s a place that Paul (the writer of 2 Corinthians) and many other believers for centuries have found themselves.
The beauty in feeling weak is that in those moments of weakness, we have the opportunity to turn to the Lord in full dependence and reliance on him and him alone. In our verse today, Paul says that when he is weak, he is actually strong. How can that be possible? Because when Paul stopped relying on his own insufficient power, the Lord filled him with his ALL-sufficient power.
So come to the Lord in your weakness today, sweet friend, and humbly seek his power. He will strengthen you with the power of the One who raised Jesus from the dead! Isn’t that just incredible? Allow his power to sustain you today.
Meditate
Memorize the first part of verse 9: ”My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Commit this verse to memory so that you can be encouraged when you are feeling weak physically, spiritually, or emotionally. (In the actual devotional, there’s a list of memorization strategies.)
Reflect
(How does this verse apply to you today?)
Pray
(You can pray silently, out loud, or by writing down your prayer.)
I hope you enjoyed getting a second Sneak Peek of my brand new Devotional!! I hope that even this little peek helped you feel more peace and joy! Next week, stay tuned for one last peek inside!
Pressing on in faith, Jennifer