A Prayer to Depend on God - Your Daily Prayer - October 19

Audio By Carbonatix

A Prayer to Depend on God
By Tammy Darling

Bible Reading
“…His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful.” 2 Chronicles 26:15, NIV

Listen or Read Below

It has been said that sin is man’s declaration of independence against God. What a profound definition of sin!

In the Old Testament, it says that Uzziah was greatly helped by the Lord until he became powerful (2 Chronicles 26:15). It was then that Uzziah put forth his own declaration of independence. No longer did Uzziah rely on God, but instead he relied upon himself—his power and his position.

We have nothing to gain from our disobedience, but we have everything to lose by it. A regular diet of junk food, for example, will eventually harm our physical bodies. Likewise, a spiritual life devoid of healthy disciplines will do harm to our souls. Before long, we will experience a loss of love for God, a loss of fear of the Lord, and a loss of faith in God. Oh, it doesn’t happen all at once; it happens bit by bit, and we don’t even see it happening until the effects have accumulated.

It’s all too easy to drift away from God when we neglect repentance for our sins. The process can be so subtle that we fail to recognize the problem. But over time, our independence from God becomes glaringly obvious.

An aversion to prayer and God’s Word is a sure sign that we have been disobeying God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, they immediately tried to hide from the God whose fellowship they had once so naturally enjoyed (Genesis 3:8). We tend to go into hiding as well.

In the early stages of disobedience, we foolishly think that somehow God won’t know what we’ve done as long as we don’t talk about it. And so, like Adam and Eve, we try to cover it up. We push it down deep and hope that we can forget it ourselves. If that doesn’t work, we deny responsibility just as Adam and Eve did; we play the blame game and try to justify our actions.

When we’re walking in disobedience, we may even avoid God and fellow believers. We just don’t want to be around those who remind us of what we’re trying not to think about. Time once spent with God will be devoted to other pursuits that yield little or no spiritual fruit.

Repeated disobedience is the result of a lack of proper fear of the Lord. Since the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), the loss of that fear is the beginning of a dangerous path to disobedience.

If we put off repentance for too long, we will find that our conscience becomes seared (1 Timothy 4:2). We cease trying to hide sin, make excuses, or delay our dealing with it. Instead, we try to convince ourselves that it isn’t really sin after all; we call it a character flaw or perhaps just a simple mistake.

Disobedience is no small matter. Unrepentant sin can eventually lead to unbelief and a disastrous rejection of God. The children of Israel hardened their hearts in the desert and persisted in sin until their faith was as lost as they were.

God still calls the unworthy, however, present company included. Isaiah discovered he was a man of “unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5), and yet God used him mightily. In fact, God may have called him precisely because he was as sinful as the rest of them. Who better to speak concerning the sins of the people than one who has also sinned and then turned back to God?

God is so patient with us because He doesn’t want anyone to perish but to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Although we may suffer consequences of our disobedience, God will never leave us on our own; He wants us to depend fully upon Him, as He is always there for us and knows what’s best.

God is ever waiting for us to return to Him. The very spiritual disciplines we may have forsaken—prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship—can help rekindle our love and a healthy fear, directing us toward repentance and a new beginning.

To genuinely live for God requires that we declare our dependence on Him, recognizing that we are nothing and can do nothing without Him. This declaration of dependence will set the standard in our lives for obeying God, not only because we should but because we want to out of love and devotion to Him.

Let’s Pray

Lord,

Today, we seek forgiveness for trying to do things on our own, and we turn back fully to You and Your ways. A new declaration of dependence is what we speak and choose to live by. You know what’s best for us, even when we don’t understand. We trust You thoroughly and depend fully upon You.

In Your Holy name, Amen.

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn

Tammy Darling is the author of 1,600 published articles and three books. She writes from her home in rural Pennsylvania.

Want More Encouragement for Your Day?

Story Behind is a Christian podcast sharing true stories of God at work in the lives of ordinary people: from answered prayers and unexpected miracles to everyday heroes, extraordinary courage, and the good news happening in our world today.

Each episode goes beyond the headlines to uncover the remarkable people, moments, and circumstances behind these stories. Discover how God is moving through people, families, and communities, and find hope in the places you might least expect it.