“Storms of conflict are best navigated when a foundation of trust and intimacy has been established.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 23, 2022
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, ESV
A few days ago, after completing an extended workout session on a rowing machine, I took five minutes for a guided cooldown. As I did, the guide said something that stood out to me, not only for my physical health, but for my life with God and the habits I cultivate to sustain my relationship with him. They said, “When you are tired your muscles are most tempted to revert back to bad habits. So it is here at the end of your workout that you must give extra attention to your posture and form, both to resist those bad habits and to solidify new ones.”
Our life of faith is often defined by poor habits and to stick with the analogy, bad posture. We throw up a prayer here or there, but do not have a defined and predictable rhythm of daily time with the Lord. Perhaps we reach out in a time of crisis, but if life is peaceful and conflict free, the Lord can quickly be pushed to the margins of our thoughts and lives. This neglect leaves our prayer life anemic and undeveloped, which leaves us fragile and frail when life’s storms do in fact crash in upon our lives.
Like any relationship, storms of conflict are best navigated when a foundation of trust and intimacy has been established. You intentionally invest in your spouse, children, and close friends in regular and ongoing ways, so that when trouble comes or the relationship is tested, it can weather the storm with grace, trust, and love. It is no different in our life with God.
Undoubtedly, you will have moments and even extended seasons of life in which you struggle to sense the nearness of God. Similarly, you may wrestle with deep feelings of doubt, questioning his goodness and care for you or those that you love. If these moments of weakness and exhaustion have not been balanced by extended times of intimate trust, your faith, like a home built on sand, is prone to being blown over by the force of the storm.
Take the time now to “correct your form” and build habits of prayer, study, and worship that can nurture and sustain a lifelong journey of faithfulness to Christ.
Prayer
Father, give me the strength to cultivate a daily habit of time in your presence, that I may be steadied and able to weather whatever may come my way, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
How’s your form? What adjustments and tweaks need to be made so you can continue to mature and grow in your life with Christ?
Related Reading
1 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 5:11-14
Worship Resource
New Life Worship feat. Cory Asbury: All To Him
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