Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.
If you’ve been doing life long enough, you know that there are seasons and circumstances that are really painful. There are moments when we don’t understand and don’t feel like we can withstand the storm we’re in. And if we’re being truly honest, there’ve even been moments when we’ve questioned whether God was doing anything amid the storm. Today, I want to encourage you that not only is He active in your storm, but scripture goes as far as to say that we are anointed in our affliction.
In verse 3, scripture states, “...that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this.” Destined can also be translated as “anointed,” which tells us that God has appointed us to something according to plan. The storms and the trials that we experience in this life are not a surprise to God. In the midst of what feels like chaos, God is in control of it all. Not only is He in control, but He wants to use the storms of life to draw us closer to him, show us that He is trustworthy, and strengthen our faith!
The Christian life is not one that is free of pain and suffering. The reality is that we live in a broken world and are surrounded by broken people - us included! Jesus never promised us that life wouldn’t be tough once we follow Him. However, He did promise to send us a helper - the Holy Spirit. God promised us His presence, comfort, and guidance that could never be taken from us. He has given us every reason to trust Him even when circumstances might make us feel like we can’t. Even though our circumstances feel too messy and too big for us to handle, the truth is that God is holding it all together. He’s got a plan. Never once has He not been in control or not been faithful in the storm.
Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.
Reflection:
- What storm are you currently facing?
- What does your spiritual life look like when you are in a storm? Is your prayer life stronger? Does it make it hard for you to go to God in prayer?
- A great way to remember God’s faithfulness and power is to think about all that He has promised us in scripture! Take some time to write down the promises of God and meditate and maybe even memorize them. Storing God’s promises in our hearts and minds helps us to trust Him and endure the valleys of life.
- Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for being a sovereign God who is always in control. I pray that we will seek Your understanding and plan for the dark season of life. Remind us that You always have a plan for our circumstances that is for our good and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Family Devo: 1 Thessalonians 3
By: Cindy Ogilive
When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.
Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset
Head
1 Thessalonians 3 is about trials and troubles and overcoming them. Paul had experienced trials when spreading the Gospel in one place, so they sent Timothy to a new place to spread the Gospel and share his faith. Even as believers, we will experience trials and troubles, but when we trust in God, then we have hope. God doesn’t promise that suffering will stop when we put our faith in Him. He gives us the power to learn and grow when we experience hard times.
Heart
In reading this chapter, you can feel encouraged that today when you believe in God, with that comes the power to grow through anything. See how I didn’t say get through anything? God wants us to grow through our trials. Not just get through it. You don’t learn anything from getting through it, but you can grow and flourish through it.
Hands
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for helping me grow in my faith in You even when I experience my problems. Help me to learn from you in these hard times. Lord, I pray that You will continue to give me the opportunities to grow in my faith. Amen.