I was feeling drained, overwhelmed and demotivated. One morning I felt like something needed to be done. I couldn't keep going through the motion of fighting daily to pray and read the Bible. Spending time with God should give me great pleasure and be something I look forward to. I want to tell you that I was instantly motivated, but that was not the case. In the following days, I had to push myself.
Seeking God
My husband spoke to me one morning and mentioned Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 13, "you shall search for me and find me when you search for me with all your heart." You see, I was looking for an instant fix to my problem, a sudden burst of energy and motivation, but this scripture reminded me that it's not the case. We want more of God, but we want it on our terms without any real effort on our part. There comes a time when we must seek Him with all our heart.
Make time for him
I realized that for the previous months, I had been caught up with various challenges in my life. During those times, all I had were rushed prayers and rushed readings of scripture. However, for any relationship to work, it doesn't take one person. It doesn't take God giving us everything while we do our own thing.
Though there's nothing we can do to deserve his grace, we still have a duty. We have to make time for God the way we make time for everything. Take a moment during the day to tell him thanks and give him praise.
When we realise we're caught up in things that are not fruitful, things that pull us away from Him rather than towards him; when we recognise that God isn't at the forefront of our minds because we're occupied with other things, it's a sign that we need to step back, take time out and spend time with God.
Let's make a conscious effort daily to abide in His presence. Tell him thanks and give him all the glory until it becomes second nature. As the psalmist stated, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God" (Psalm chapter 42 verse 1b).
May we desire God the way we desire air - we can't survive without it. Seek him through his word and prayer. God wants to do so much through us, but until we give him control and get to where he wants us to be, those things are put on hold.
Praise Him
Sometimes we have to praise through our feelings of sadness, lack of motivation and depression. Like the psalmists state, "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Psalm chapter 103, verses 1-2).
David had a deep desire to praise God for all that he had done. He wanted to praise God with his all. David had been through a lot and had many experiences that revealed God's love, deliverance, provision and protection for him.
In the rest of Psalm 103, he listed all the reasons and benefits of praising God, like he loves us, is compassionate, and redeems us. Sometimes like David, we have to reflect on God's awesomeness. It's good to remember what he has done in our lives. This helps us to abide in him.
When we feel alone, let us remember this Psalm and reflect on the words. God loves us, and he wants what's best for us. However, it's easy to forget and become distracted. For some, when everything is going well, they forget him. In contrast, others become angry when things aren't going well, as they forget that he had previously delivered or provided for them.
Life is unpredictable, we don't know what will happen next, but God promised that he'll always be there and nothing can separate us from his love. "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans chapter 8, verses 38-39).
Let us embrace his unconditional love and seek after him daily, even when we don't feel like it. Always pray, seek God more each day and praise even when you don't feel like it. God loves you.
