Daily Devotional for Wednesday, July 3

The Confession and Commission

“For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance,” Psalm 32:6, 7.

Confession of a parent of many children: sometimes I pretend like I do not hear them call my name. I know I am not the only one. Occasionally, I do not want to be found. I want time to myself without questions and problems and wants. I am not above hiding, if only for a few moments, in the closet or the bathroom or out in the garden.

When we read in this psalm about praying to God in a time when He may be found, we may get the mistaken impression that God is like us in the same regard. Maybe God is tired of trying. Maybe God wants to be left alone. Or maybe God gave us our chances, and our time is up.

There certainly is an opportune time for us to hear God and respond to Him. We read in 2 Corinthians that now is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation. From this and other passages like this, especially in the Gospels, we discover that it is not so much that there is an opportune time for us to reach God because of a limiting factor in God, but rather there is an opportune time to reach God because of a limiting factor within ourselves. We are not always open to reaching out to God. We are not always receptive to His invitation. So, if you know that God is moving you to pray—for whatever reason—do not waste the opportunity. Pray to Him while He may be found.

REFLECTION
You have heard the expression, “Strike while the iron is hot.” We also should pray while the Spirit is leading.

Jason Rutherford