Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

I think we’ve all had that friend. You know, the one that does all of the taking while you do all of the giving? The friend that you consistently pour into with thoughtfulness and intentionality and, while this person may love what you give them, they are never going to be the one initiating. The heartbreaking truth about these kinds of relationships is that they never fully meet their potential. Some might even argue that these aren’t even true friendships at all. This is not to say that the friend doing the taking is a bad person or doesn’t care. This friend might just struggle with knowing how to initiate or may even be fighting internal battles that none of us are aware of. 

In today’s scripture, we are told that the Lord will always answer us and show us what we do not yet know. However, the first part of verse 3 gives us a command: “Call to me”. You see, while the Lord is there to keep His promise of showing us what He has for us, He first requires us to reach out to Him. I think if we are all honest with ourselves, each of us has had moments of our lives in which we have just sat back and waited on the Lord to show us what our next steps should be. We have hoped for them to be revealed because we have a desire to make the right decisions and to walk in His will. Yet, we have often forgotten the most important part: the fact that His answer is a response to our call. Without the call, the response remains silent because a relationship with our Heavenly Father is not a one-way street. As remarkably good as He is, He is not the friend that is there to dote on us while we kick back and do all of the receiving. He calls us to more, because He loves us. He knows that when our relationship with Him is reciprocated, it is so much more powerful than it could ever be when we choose to remain silent. 

With the start of this new year, as we are all full of hope and excitement for a fresh start, allow the Lord to renew your heart and your mind. Maybe you’ve been quiet in your relationship with Him because you struggle to know how to begin. But, you see, the best part about this whole prayer thing: God doesn’t care what it sounds like. He doesn’t care if you fumble over your words or if you can’t even muster them up to begin with. Call to Him. Seek His presence and be present with Him. He will never fail to fulfill His promise of answering your call. 

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflections:

• How does this understanding of a reciprocal relationship with the Lord impact the way that you prioritize prayer?
  
• Take a moment to be still and present with the Father. Feel His spirit in the room with you. Slow down. Don’t rush off to the next thing on your to-do list. Just sit and allow him to embrace you as you begin to connect with Him through prayer. 
  
• Prayer: Lord, I come to You now knowing that You are always here to respond to my call. Father, help me to reach out to You when I feel lost in what my next steps should be. Show me Your will for my life so that I may be walking in the ways that You have for me. Teach me to long for Your presence and remove my distractions so that I may experience the relationship that You desire to have with me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Family Devo: Jeremiah 33:1-3

By: Jana Whittington

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.     

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset  

Key Verse: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3  

Head

• What does this scripture tell you about God?  
  

Heart

• Verse 3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you.” How is this verse encouraging to you?  
  

Hands

• Because you know God will always be with you, how can you share this truth with others? Who can you share these verses with this week? 
  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for You! Help me to share who You are with others. I love You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.