Daily Devotion – a matter of prayer
Ever been frustrated? It’s a most annoying experience. Just what is frustration – the dictionary describes the word – (adjective): frustrated
1. feeling or expressing distress and annoyance resulting from an inability to change or achieve something. “young people get frustrated with the system” – “jealousies and frustrated passions”
2. (of a person) unable to follow or be successful in a particular career. “a frustrated actor” prevented from progressing, succeeding, or being fulfilled. “years of frustrated attempts to regain control of the site”
I take special notice of the description as being the result of an inability to change or achieve something and prevented from progressing! That sums up my frustration pretty well.
When you’re frustrated do you find yourself talking over and through the situation in your head? Thinking such things as, “Why do I bother, why am I giving something my time, why am I wasting all this effort and getting nowhere?”
It is at such times that the Bible truly is a blessing to read and seek wisdom from to help find a way to be rid of my frustration.
But the real key to times and matters of frustration in our lives is to go before the Lord in prayer. Yes, this is the answer to so many if not all of our problems.
The Bible tells me – James 1: 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.
The Bible gives me the wisdom of what to do but I need to back it up with the actions of prayer and put all this into place – 1Pe 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Could it be that God allows doors to be closed, things not changing how I would like, not proceeding how I would like it, to come my way so I will learn once again that I need to allow God to sort out the situation, and He will.
But I must make the situation a matter of prayer, I must see once again that the problem is spiritual and not one of mechanics or any other such matter.
When I take my frustration to the Lord in prayer, God also opens my eyes to the real perspective of what my issue of frustration is. Often it is such a minuscule thing, something that really is not that important in the overall scheme of things.
Tonight, as I view the invasion of the Ukraine by Putin’s Russia, my frustrations really do seem tiny and insignificant in comparison.
If you are frustrated with some matter right now, take it to the Lord in prayer and let Him open the door, remove the blockage, bring things to a success, and then let us rejoice in the wonder of our precious God working in every area of our lives – even in our times of frustration!
Pray for the Church in the Ukraine, they need us to support them in their greatest hour of need.