Choosing God as Your Center - Your Nightly Prayer

Your Nightly Prayer

Choosing God as Your Center
Your Nightly Prayer for Feb. 5, 2025
by Chelsea Ohlemiller

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“…but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.” - Psalm 1:2, NIV

SOMETHING TO PONDER

We live in a world where technology can be front and center– at work, at home, and at school. It often distracts us from the things that should be a priority. Things like family and also God. This weekend as our pastor displayed Psalm 1:2 on the church screen, I wondered: is God truly the center of my life? Is His word what shapes my actions and my thoughts throughout the day?

As I pull out my bible, I read the words of Psalm 1:2 and fixate on their lessons and their purpose. This piece of scripture shows that God’s word should be a place of continuous engagement in our lives. Interacting with God’s word should be a constant cycle and rhythm each and every day. Because when it is, I always find that it nourishes the soul and strengthens my faith. It becomes both a force of information and a source of transformation. Don’t we want to be transformed by the engagement of God and not the engagement of technology and worldly things?

I think about each person I spoke to and each place I interacted with throughout the day. I wonder if my actions and my character were shaped by His word or by the quickness of time and the messiness of emotion. I think about the moments I’ve planned today and wonder if I took the same bold intention with my schedule for the Lord and the Bible as I did every other appointment on my to-do list. Did you?

God’s word isn’t a burden or a mindless task. It’s a source of guidance, wisdom, and nourishment. The key is interacting with it with bolder design and determination than our other tasks throughout the day. And the beauty tonight is that your peace, your time, and your goodnight are shaped by just that– His word and His counsel.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Lord, please make your word my center. Allow me to find continuous engagement with your wisdom and your teachings. Allow me to be both informed by your word and also transformed by it. May both my thoughts and my actions be consistently shaped by you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1 A place in your daily life where you can read and receive God’s blessing. Is it peaceful? Does it bring you joy? How can you craft the space so it can be both treasured and retreated?

2 A time when your soul has been nourished by the word of God in undeniable ways when your heart has been soothed, and your mind put at ease.

3 One way God spoke to you today—was it through a stranger, was it through nature? Knowing there is no coincidence, only God and his sacred work.

Chelsea Ohlemiller Chelsea Ohlemiller is an author and speaker passionate about raising awareness of grief’s impact on life and faith. She has an active and engaging social media presence and is well-known for her blog, Happiness, Hope & Harsh Realities. Her first book, “Now That She’s Gone,” will be released in August. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and three children, who are the driving force behind all that she does.