3 Ways to Snuggle Up with God

Psalm 56:1-4—Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

A great paradox of life, is that as we grow in faith, the persecutions in our life often increase, too.  One of the many reasons for this is that the people around you, the world, your friends, and your family, often will not understand your transformation.  They are used to interacting with you in a certain way, but as a Christian you have been changed in a way that you can never completely go back to who you were.  Change is frightening for people – it rocks their world.  Even if they are happy for you, they may lash out when they don’t know how to relate to you anymore.  God offers us solace and peace when we are persecuted.  How does He do this?  There are at least 3 ways we can curl up in God’s arms.  1. Read His Word. He offers us comfort through His Word by revealing how many others throughout time have endured many of the same persecutions we endure even now.  God never left their sides, and He will never leave ours either.  2.  Relate to others who know Him.  I have found over the years that God always places exactly the right person in my path.  There are times when you might feel afraid or anxious, and God brings along an old friend or a new relationship that reveals the Holy Spirit to you in such a special way.  The Holy Spirit moves through all kinds of circumstances and uses others to ease our spirits.  We are really not alone, and we can feel surrounded in His Love by being open to the love He sends us through certain people.  3.  Pray.  Prayer is not just a time when we are talking to God.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  A conversation necessarily involves give and take, talking and listening.  God does speak to us during our prayers if we are silent and listen.  Finding a quiet place in our mind is essential to hearing God.  Sometimes, He will even talk to us in our sleep through dreams or in that half-awake place late at night or early in the morning.  As Christians, we should train ourselves to listen to God when we pray so that we might find comfort, peace, and illumination.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, thank God for His abiding comfort and peace.  Pray that He would reveal Himself to you through the Holy Spirit.  Thank Him for making you different through the blood of His Son, and praise Him for the persecutions that push you closer to Him.  Ask Him to make you fearless in His Power and to fill you with His Love.