Hungry for God; Starving for Time
When was the last time you sobbed? I mean heartbroken, gut-wrenching sobs - the kind that erupt from a crushed and broken heart.
Maybe someone close to you drove a knife into your heart and then walked away.
Perhaps you had been betrayed.
Or abandoned.
Or forsaken.
Or lied to.
Maybe someone you loved had died, and all your dreams died with them.
You were left hopeless.
Alone.
Afraid.
Mary felt that way. As she walked to the tomb early that Sunday morning, her heart ached for what might have been. All the dreams. All the promises. All the hopes. Gone.
How could things have gone so wrong?
By the time she reached her destination, grief and sorrow overwhelmed her, and she sobbed. Gut-wrenching, heartbroken sobs.
The kindly gardener's words did little to soothe her grief, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
Forming an answer required her to acknowledge the reason.
"God is gone, and I don't know where to find Him."
Has sorrow ever made you feel this way?
When the resurrected Christ encountered a heartbroken Mary outside the tomb that first Easter morning, he spoke one word that changed Mary's life forever. It righted her world. It brought comfort and hope. It eased her sorrow and soothed her pain.
"Mary."
If you, like Mary, are heartbroken, close your eyes and open your heart. Picture the Savior stepping into your grief and your pain and calling you by name. He knows you. He loves you. He IS alive in your life.
Allow the hope of that first Resurrection Day to push everything else out of your heart.
REJOICE!
"He is not here! He is risen, just as He said!"
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness." (Ps 30:11)
"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." (1 Cor. 15:14)
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day.
Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.
Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
It was one of the hardest times of our married life.
Seventeen years later, I still remember the nightmare. When my husband had awakened that morning, he was on top of his career. He was upwardly mobile, growing a nice retirement fund, and making more money than he'd ever made before. His nice salary enabled me to only work part time, spending the majority of my days with our two sweet daughters, ages 5 and 2.
Two hours later, it all came crashing down.
He had been laid off.
The next day, planning to go job hunting, he awakened with violent stomach pains. When we went to take him to the doctor that we could no longer afford to pay for, the car wouldn't start. Feeling like Job, we were afraid to even look at our young daughters lest a whirlwind swoop down and carry them away.
"What else can go wrong?" we wondered when one trial after another rocked our world. Worse than the trials were our feelings of abandonment. We felt forsaken by God. We wondered if He saw our pain. We wondered if He cared.
Jacob felt this way. Estranged from his family, he was alone and fearful.
During the daylight hours, he managed to keep his thoughts at bay, but at night, when all was dark and quiet around him, the doubts would return. On one such night he was dozing, fearful thoughts nipping at the edge of his consciousness like a pack of hungry wolves. Suddenly, the dark thoughts vanished into the brightness of a dream. In his dream, Jacob saw God.
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will not leave you,"God said.
Upon awakening, Jacob remarked with amazement,
"God was in this place and I did not know it."
Do you ever feel like Jacob, terribly alone and fearful, wondering if somehow your situation has escaped God's all-seeing eyes? I did that horrible morning when my world seemed to be falling down around me.
Looking back though, I can trace God's hand all the way through our trial. When things were darkest, and I didn't even know how to pray, God's brightness showed up. Looking back I can say,
"God was in this place, and I did not know it."
If you are in the midst of a trial, take comfort. God sees. God cares, and God is able to work in even the darkest situations.
Two thousand years ago, Emmanuel, "God with us" was born into our world. Will you look for God in your situation today? I pray that you will say with Jacob,
"God is in this place."
Hungry for God is on Facebook! Will you take a moment and LIKE my page? CLICK HERE to help HFG share 5-minute devotions.
You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.
You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:
• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day.
Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.
