Topic: Don’t Leave God Waiting[RICK WARREN Devotional 15 SEPTEMBER 2024]
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Don’t Leave God Waiting
by Rick Warren — September 15, 2024
From 40 Days of Prayer
“So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion.”
Isaiah 30:18 (NLT)
God longs to be close to you.
If you’re away from somebody you love for a long time, you can’t wait to talk to them. If you have not been close to God, he can’t wait for you to talk to him—because he loves you so much. And he’s always available! He’s got a 24/7 drop-in system. He’s never offline. You can talk to him any moment of the day.
Did you know that every day you go without prayer and spending time with God and his Word, God is waiting for you? Isaiah 30:18 says it like this: “So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion” (NLT). You were made to know God and have a relationship with him. God is waiting for you—not so he can condemn you but so he can show you his love and compassion. It’s the whole reason you exist!
Some parents know the unique pain of a child who can’t talk for a physical or emotional reason. When you love them but can’t have a conversation with them, that’s a heartache. Other parents have a child who can talk but refuses to talk with them. They’ve been shut out of their child’s life. When you long for a phone call that may never come, that’s a heartache too.
That’s the way God feels about you when you don’t talk to him. Do you go days or weeks without sharing your heart, what you’re feeling, and what you need—your doubts and fears, your highs and lows? When you go that long without talking to him, God is thinking, “I created you. I love you. I want a relationship with you. Why do you turn away from me?”
Don’t miss out on talking to the God who created you. You weren’t put on this planet to mark things off your to-do list. You were put on this planet to be loved by God and to learn to love him back. You were chosen to be his child. You were formed for his family. You were created for companionship.
God says, “I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6 NLT).
God is waiting for you to talk to him. Don’t make him wait any longer!
Talk It Over
- Does prayer feel like a burden or a blessing to you? Why do you think you feel this way?
- Try talking to God as if you were talking to a close family member or best friend about your day. What difference does it make?
- How does knowing the purpose of your life is to love God and be loved by him change your priorities?
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