A Prayer to Step Out of Atrophy - Your Daily Prayer - March 2

A Prayer to Step Out of Atrophy
By Meg Bucher

“I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.” - Leviticus 26:12 NLT

Maybe like me, you’re in a current war with your physical state. The desire to be active is there, but the cooperation from a body riddled with old injuries is lacking. Atrophy is “a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage. Degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse.” 

Degeneration. Decline. Decrease. Disuse. The reality of those words sting, but maybe like me, you refuse to believe them, nor let them define you. Where there is a will there is a way. And all things are possible through Christ who gives me strength …right? Right! Today’s verse reminds us, God is among us. Jesus promised: 

“Be sure of this: I am with you always, , even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:20 NLT

He said to be sure of it! Not maybe, sometimes, or conditionally. Always! Dane Ortlund, in his book, “Gentle and Lowly,” wrote: “Beyond what we are conscious of at any given moment, the Father’s tender care envelopes us with pursuing gentleness, sweetly governing every last detail of our lives. He sovereignly ordains the particular angle of the flutter of the leaf that falls from the tree and the breeze that knocked it free (Matt. 10:29-31), and he sovereignly ordains the bomb that evil minds detonate (Amons 3:6; Luke 13:1-5). But through and underneath and fueling all that washes into our lives, great and small, is the heart of a Father.” (Ortlund, 2021)

Let’s pray, today for the healing strength we need from the Lord to step out of atrophy against all odds and into the full life we are meant to live as God’s children.

Father, 
Today we are so glad that what You say is more powerful and effective than the way we think. When we see a dead end, You proclaim a part of our journey toward becoming more Christlike. Hopeless situations beyond repair, You promise good will come from. Ok, God! Help us to trust You! Because when our physical bodies are broken down and uncooperative with the way we want to activate them, frustration temps us to give in to atrophy. Degeneration. Decline. Decrease. Disuse. We get tired of fighting the good fight of our physical health … and mental battles in our thought life. We know we will experience a stunt in our spiritual growth if we do not seek You in these atrophic situations and proclaim Your victory over them. So, help us to do that, God! Rearrange our lives and thoughts to be obedient to Your will for our lives and the Truth Your Word proclaims. Establish in us healthy habits of spiritual discipline- of prayer and time Your Word. But also, time to meditate on and just be with You …free and full of peace.

Father, You are our Healer. Heal the things tempting us to give in to degeneration, decline, decrease, and disuse. Increase our trust in You, our belief in who You are, and the promises You make over our everyday lives. In the same way, we can become atrophic physically and mentally, our spiritual lives are also at stake. We can become stuck in a deep hurt, a chasm that we cannot resolve. This can cause spiritual atrophy. Degeneration. Decline. Decrease. Disuse. Oh, Father, do not let this happen to our souls. 

We pray for Your guarding of our hearts and purity of our minds. Unravel any unforgiveness in our hearts, and obliterate all bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, and pride preventing us from experiencing the full freedom we have in Christ Jesus to live our lives to the full. Take care of our enemies, as You promise. Pry them from our hands as we obediently pray for them and allow You to exact justice and mercy. We want to step out of spiritual atrophy, God, and so we yield to You and let go of our own efforts to right wrongs and mend bridges. Thank You for protecting us, God. Enliven us today physically, mentally, and soulfully, to persevere in the will You have marked out for our lives. 

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Additional Resources:
Ortlund, D. C. (2021). Gentle and Lowly Journal. Crossway.

Photo credit: ©Playbackmedia.com/Sparrowstock

Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ at megbucher.com. She is the author of “Friends with Everyone, Friendship within the Love of Christ,” “Surface, Unlocking the Gift of Sensitivity,” “Glory Up, The Everyday Pursuit of Praise,” “Home, Finding Our Identity in Christ,” and "Sent, Faith in Motion." Meg earned a Marketing/PR degree from Ashland University but stepped out of the business world to stay home and raise her two daughters …which led her to pursue her writing passion. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the editorial team at Salem Web Network. Meg loves being involved in her community and local church, leads Bible study, and serves as a youth leader for teen girls.

Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.

Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith

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