Walking Differently by Walking with God - Your Nightly Prayer 

Walking Differently by Walking with God
Your Nightly Prayer for Dec. 12, 2024
by James Spencer

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:8-9 

SOMETHING TO PONDER

My son was seven years old when my family and I moved to Chicago in 2012. Up to that point, he had never lived in a city. He’d grown up in a small town with shorter buildings, slower traffic, and fewer people. These differences became evident while my son and I were walking on Michigan Avenue. Having grown up downstate, my son had never needed to walk close to me. In a small town, he had been able to run to the next corner and wait for me.  He didn’t have to stay by my side. A crowded Michigan Avenue, however, brought different challenges. 

I watched as my son tried to navigate the Chicago crowds on his own. He was dodging shoppers and hugging walls to avoid being trampled. I watched him for a bit before calling him over to walk closer to me. At the time, I was 6 ft, 250 lbs. People saw me coming. I didn’t bully my way through the crowds, but I was certainly more visible than a seven-year-old. At my side, my son was able to walk as if he was also 6ft, 250 lbs. He walked differently because he walked with me. Just as my son walked differently next to me, Christians can live, move, and think differently because we know God is with us. 

When Joshua takes over for Moses as the leader of Israel, he is encouraged to meditate on God’s law and to live according to it. God’s commands were not burdensome or oppressive. They offered Joshua the means to understand God, himself, and the world around him. As he followed God’s law, he could be strong and courageous. Joshua didn’t have to make something happen on his own. He needed to walk with God by obeying God… and responding faithfully to God instead of responding to a situation as if God were not present. 

We have the same option. God is with us. We don’t need to respond to the situations in which we find ourselves. Instead, we can respond to God from within those situations. In doing so, we show ourselves willing of trusting our Lord who can do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. 

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Lord, remind us that you are with us. Give us the courage and strength that comes from depending on you and knowing that even when we are hurting or confused, you are our comforter and our sure foundation. Help us to develop a stronger sense of your presence so that we can walk differently in a world that does not know you. Allow us to exhibit the sort of strength, confidence, peace, and courage that pique the curiosity of the lost. Prompt us, O Lord, to remain at your side rather than running ahead of you. Guide us, lead us, and transform us by your presence and through your word. We pray these things in Jesus’s name, amen. 

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. A time when you have served as a protector and guide to someone dependent on you. How does that picture, like the picture of my son and me on Michigan Avenue, help you understand what it means to walk with the Lord?

2. Remember the moments in your day when you are struggling to navigate a broken world alone rather than depending on God. Can you remember the feeling of being alone, frustrated, or afraid because you were ignoring God?

3. The many times throughout your life that God has been with you as a comforter, encourager, and sustainer. Has God been there for you in the past? Has he brought you through difficult times and drawn you closer to him? He is always with you, caring for you and preparing you to worship him for all eternity. 

Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Tobi 

James Spencer earned his Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He believes discipleship will open up opportunities beyond anything God’s people could accomplish through their own wisdom. James has published multiple works, including Christian Resistance: Learning to Defy the World and Follow Christ, Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody, Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, and Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology to help believers look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear as they consider, question, and revise assumptions hindering Christians from conforming more closely to the image of Christ. In addition to serving as the president of the D. L. Moody Center, James is the host of “Useful to God,” a weekly radio broadcast and podcast, a member of the faculty at Right On Mission, and an adjunct instructor with the Wheaton College Graduate School. Listen and subscribe to James's podcast, Thinking Christian, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LifeAudio! 

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