August 26, 2026 Devo

We’re in a sermon series right now on the Lord’s Prayer called “Praying Jesus’ Way.” This past Sunday, I preached on the verse, “Give us today our daily bread.” I talked about how Jesus teaches us that God wants us to ask Him for help. It’s one way that He demonstrates His Love for us. It’s also His way of teaching us to be dependent upon Him. I talked about how growing up in our faith is the exact opposite of growing up in our earthly families. In our families, we raise our kids to become increasingly independent so they can live without us. With God, He wants us to grow increasingly dependent so that we’re wise enough to seek Him in all things.
Jeremiah gives us a great example of how God hears and answers our prayers. He was thrown into a cistern for speaking God’s truth. As you can imagine, he felt abandoned, helpless, and alone. But instead of just curling up in a fetal position in a corner and dying, look at what he did. “I shouted your name, LORD, when I was in the well. ‘Please listen to me, LORD,’ I shouted. ‘Help me! Save me!’” Did it do any good? Absolutely. “I shouted, and you heard me. You came near to me when I prayed to you. ‘Do not be afraid,’ you said. Lord, you have given me help. You have paid the price to keep me alive.” Jeremiah was overwhelmed by his circumstances, but he made a powerful discovery. God was only a prayer away.
Some of us may be able to relate to Jeremiah right now. We’re in a hole that we can’t seem to get out of. We’re in a pit of despair, and it feels like the walls are closing in. Maybe, like Jeremiah, we’ve been mistreated, unfairly judged, or even punished for things we never did. My guess is that some of us feel hopeless, lost, and all alone. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. God is NEAR.
For some of us, God’s just waiting for us to come to a place like Jeremiah, where we cry out to Him. Sometimes God allows us to come to the end of our rope so that we’ll finally take hold of HIM. Do you really believe that the God who sent His Son to die for you did so to abandon you now? He SEES you. He CARES for you. But sometimes God can’t take hold because we won’t let go. Turn to Him today. Cry out to Him today. Shout those words that Jeremiah shouted: “Help me! Save me!” I’m not going to presume to know what God wants to do in your situation, but I do know that sometimes God is waiting on us. James says, “You receive not because you ask not.” God is still just a prayer away. That’s God’s Word for you today.