By Christine Drews.
A couple of weeks ago my pastor preached about running to God instead of away from Him. The timing felt perfect. The following morning, after a pleasant weekend, I made a relational mistake—not a small slip, but a repetition of a long-standing pattern. Remembering the sermon, I resolved to run to God.
Some years back I decided to kneel when I prayed, but my knees protested, so I started using a small stool. I don’t use it often—maybe once every couple of weeks when I want to pour my heart out. The stool isn’t required for prayer, and you don’t need it to approach God. I use it because the posture feels like humility and helps me focus.
That morning, though, it felt like everything fought against me finding that stool. I left my workstation, went to my room, and realized it wasn’t where I expected. I searched throughout the house, upstairs and down, frantically checking every room. My throat tightened with emotion; I felt like my world was collapsing, and still I hadn’t prayed. I kept looking as if I couldn’t speak with God without that little piece of furniture.
I finally found the stool outside on my potting table—exactly where it might have been left.
I dusted it off and carried it to my room. I sat down and began to ask God to change my heart. As I stretched my arms across the bed in my distress, I aggravated a muscle in my back—another sharp reminder that this moment wasn’t going smoothly. Up to that point I had barely formed a complete sentence to God.
Why is it so hard to go to God when we have blown it? And why would anything want to keep us from seeking Him? The answer is simple and painful: the enemy does not want us to approach our heavenly Father. He knows the healing power of honest prayer and confession, and he prefers to see us stuck in shame and misery.
The Bible describes the devil as “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) and warns that he prowls “like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He uses deception and schemes (Ephesians 6:11) to keep us from the grace God offers.
In my moment of failure I had spoken words I shouldn’t have, and the enemy wanted me to stay immobilized—searching for a stool, clinging to the feeling that my world was ending—rather than seeking forgiveness and healing. The enemy thrives on our misery, but God offers a different path.
We need to resist that lie. Stand firm, persevere, and go to God. Do whatever it takes to open your heart to Him. When we come to God honestly, we find mercy, restoration, and the help we need.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
I found my stool, I cried out a few sentences, and my world didn’t end. God met me with forgiveness, and the person I had hurt extended grace as well.
What mistake do you need to take to God? Be brave and refuse the enemy’s schemes. He wants you to remain miserable, but Jesus reaches out in mercy and forgiveness no matter how big the mess.
Chris enjoys spending time in Scripture and noticing God’s work in everyday life. She works remotely as a senior developmental editor for a small publishing house and in her free time gardens, bicycles, enjoys sporting events, and invests in the children in her life. This is the fifth post in a series about Growing in Trusting God.
Chris shares more devotions at Digging Deeper with God.
- Zip Lines and Trust Cries
- Noticing God’s Hand
- Trusting God with Who You Are
- Trusting God When We Mess Up: Part One
- Trusting God When We Mess Up: Part 2
- Trusting God in the Midst of Troubling World Events
- Trust on the River