"Then David continued, 'Be strong and courageous and do the work. Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the temple of the Lord is finished correctly.'" I Chronicles 28:20 (NLT)
A dear friend of mine shared this wonderful devotional while both of us were supporting each other through a challenging period. I just wanted to be reminded again and again the lesson I learnt through this devotional written by Marybeth Whalen titled Do the Work. I hope it would be as much a blessing to you as it was for me.
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Devotion:
I pushed the computer aside, convinced that the task I was attempting was impossible. I couldn't fathom completing the work I had ahead of me and I needed a mental break. Picking up a Christian book I was reading, I carried it upstairs to the treadmill, deciding to pound out my frustration and read at the same time. I had no idea I was about to have my own personal revival.
Several pages into the book I read today's verse. Have you ever had a verse jump off the page at you? Well, this one did. I thought back to my frustration with the work I was facing earlier and felt God speak to me through this verse. Quit telling me how impossible the task is and just do the work, He said. Don't forget I will show up each time. Not so you can boast about your abilities, but so you can boast in Me.
After my time on the treadmill, I raced downstairs to email a friend of mine who I had complained to earlier that day. I told her how the verse had ministered to me, and how I was going to simply do the work. She wrote back that she had been praying for God to speak to me about the task that was overwhelming me. I had a new motto as I recommitted to the task at hand: Do the work. Whenever I started to get discouraged or overwhelmed by the hugeness of the task, I reminded myself: Do the work—three little words that got me through one of the biggest challenges of my life. Perhaps you need to hear those three little words today.
Are you facing a challenge in your job? Do the work.
Does your marriage need to be rebuilt? Do the work.
Are you worried about your ability to be a good mother? Do the work.
Are you dealing with a personal hardship that just seems too big to overcome? Do the work.
Are you struggling with debt and financial issues? Do the work.
Do you want to eat healthier, commit to regular exercise or lose weight? Do the work.
Is there a dream that God has planted in your heart that seems too big for you? Do the work.
Make no mistake: sometimes the work will be hard. Note that our verse today didn't say "Lay around and hope things get better." The challenge we face is not in focusing on how hard the work is, but in seeking the God who has promised to show up as we work. We offer our best efforts and trust that He will multiply them. We will see Him supply the words, the resources, the energy, the time, the patience, the grace we need. But first we must do the work. Just like the priests had to first step into the water before the Jordan could part in Joshua 3:15-16, so we must begin working before we can see the solution appear.
What work do you need to start doing—or keep doing—no matter how discouraged or disheartened you feel? I pray that you will see Him at work on your behalf today as you do the work He has called you to do.
Do the work, and He will be with you.
Dear Lord, help me to look to You and not to the hugeness of the work I have ahead of me. Help me not to be afraid or discouraged. I thank You for Your promise that You are with me and that You will not fail me or forsake me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Spend time journaling about a challenge you are facing in your life. What work can you do today towards that challenge?
Reflections:
What discouragement or fear keeps you from doing the work? How can you avoid those crippling feelings?
Power Verses: Haggai 2:4, "But now be strong O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord, and work. For I am with you, declares the Lord almighty." (NIV)
Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power." (NIV)
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I have done the best I know how, Dear God, and may only Your mighty will be done.
