“And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for Him.” Isaiah 30:18
Today’s Christian daily devotional
“John, I have to quit my job.” I say the words quickly, as if somehow they’ll lose some of their sting if I do.
“It’s killing me.” I mumble the last part, despite the fact that I’m desperate for him to know that I am dead serious.
“That means we will only have my income.” A flash of panic scrolls across John’s usually stoic face.
“Jules, with the way that you spend money; I don’t that as a reasonable possibility.” John starts to shake his head. Then, he locks eyes with me and abruptly stops himself.
“You’re right. The dancing has got to stop. It’s not good for you, and it’s definitely not helping our marriage.” It felt like a load of invisible bricks has just fallen off my slopping shoulders.
“But if you quit, that means that things are going to have to change around here.” I nod my head like a five year old. John is only telling me what I should have heard a long time ago.
Before, when he would attempt a shenanigan like this, I would be quick to throw my flashy job in his face. Rightfully defending and claiming my independence, I would take my vengeance out on my poor little MasterCard with a pricey little trip to Saks.
My credit card balance always ended up being more painful than my leg workout. I definitely proved my independence; even if it actually ended up killing me slowly. (In the form of extra shifts in miserable circumstances.)
The truth of the matter is, when John and I made our marriage commitment ten years ago, we both promised to be an equal part of a team, not two separate lone rangers.
It was sobering to realize that I could no longer be the master of my credit card universe. If we were both going to come out winning; John and I needed to work together on managing our budget, saving my health and restoring our marriage.
During those long and painful months of credit card withdrawal symptoms, Isaiah 30:18 was a major verse that kept me grounded. Like any “rehabilitation” period, it wasn’t easy. But I waited on the Lord just as the verse suggested. I couldn’t afford to do it any other way. God knows I tried.
If you are waiting for things to get better in your life, I challenge you to also involve God in your waiting. Now, that is an investment that you can count on seeing a return on.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I have so much to be thankful for. There are blessings all around me. I feel you are leading me away from my normal comfort zone.
This is scary for me. I want to be comfortable! Lord, you know that I am miserable even within the confines of my comfort zone. This is the sad catch.
Help me to learn to lean on you, to trust you, to follow your gentle lead out of my miserable state.
I know you want better for me, I can feel that there are some great things on the other side of this current struggle. Help me to get past the initial discomfort and show me see how capable you are of turning my life around.
I have nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. I’m sorry that it has come to me reaching the end of my line to finally turn to you. In Jesus’ precious name, give me the patience I need to continue to keep trusting you more every day. Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s Christian daily devotional on verses: Isaiah 30:18
Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan