Greater Love | Day 4
Podcast Intro [00:00:00]:
Are you experiencing greater things in this season? We want to hear about it. Share your story at transformation at soulcitychurch.com.
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Welcome to the Greater Things Daily Devotional where we're asking the question, God, what is the greater thing you want to do in me and through me? Wherever you are, quiet your soul and pray this ancient prayer after me. Come, Holy Spirit. This week we're meditating on greater love and what that could look like in our lives. Today's devotional is out of Psalm 13 verse 5. It says, But I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Falling in love in the movies seems simple and easy. As it did for this woman who said: The moment I knew I was falling in love was when he gave me his taco which had extra bacon on it.
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He loves bacon. I asked why and he said giving it to me was easy because it made me smile and that's all he wanted. Another woman shared her story about falling in love. When my younger brother was a toddler he was eating a messy chocolate covered cookie when he bit his tongue and started crying. My boyfriend picked him up and hugged him. But my little brother got snot and chocolate cookie slobber all over my boyfriend's new shirt. My boyfriend didn't even care. That's when I knew I loved him.
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And 10 plus years later, I still have that shirt as a reminder of how fortunate I was to find him and not let him go. But is love always as easy as sharing a favorite taco in a sweet moment with a slobbery shirt? I don't think so. The larger context of our scripture for today begins in verse 1. I'll warn you here, the words David uses don't feel like easy, simple love which is one of the reasons I love the psalms. He writes: How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord, my God. Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death And my enemy will say, I have overcome him. And my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love.
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My heart rejoices in your salvation. While the idea of falling in love may seem simple, we know that in any lasting relationship, love learns how to be really honest and work through conflict and missed expectations. It's the same in our relationship with God. He isn't expecting us to be robots without feelings, just willing ourselves into loving and trusting him. God invites us to bring our questions, laments, longings, and disappointments. That is a part of a loving relationship, pouring out our heart and soul to God. David, the author of this psalm, didn't portray a trust in God's love that always came easily. Before he gets to verse 5, he takes 4 verses to honestly question God, beg for him to speak, and lament over the sorrow in his heart.
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Even though the circumstances in his life may not have been what he had hoped for or preferred. After being honest with God he says: but I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation.' How much richer is his trust in God's love? That it isn't just a statement, but something that he had wrestled with and landed knowing that God is who he says he is. Where are you today in relation to trusting God's unfailing love? My guess is that you have had examples of loving your life that were not trustworthy. It is not uncommon to have this experience in human Maybe past hurts are standing in the way of your ability to trust in the goodness of God. If you haven't already, I encourage you to name with God anything that may be standing in the way of you trusting His love. He wants to know you. Your doubts, your hurts, your fears.
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And He wants to reveal more of Himself to you so that with authenticity you can trust in his unfailing love that he freely offers. Now I invite you to pray this prayer after me. Come Holy Spirit. I welcome your presence here. But I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Father, we pause and welcome more of you. We slowly breathe in and breathe out to be fully present with you in this moment.
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I thank you for your unfailing love. In the midst of my challenging circumstances and doubts, I lift my voice to you. I thank you for welcoming my questions, fears, and laments. I offer you what is hard and confusing right now. I ask that you empower me to trust in your unfailing love and find refuge in your faithfulness. Remind me of what you've already done in my past. In Jesus's name.