Rest and Reset: A 30-Day Devotional to Revive JoySample

A home for your heart

When there is no stability in your home, your peace and joy are at risk. But Jesus’ arrival into the world shows us that even in the manger, God is Sovereignly in control of the circumstances and the purpose for where we lay our heads for a season and the home we live in. God cares about where you live. He is intricately involved in the details of where we move and why we choose to move. Relocation has always been a reason to seek God and pray if His hand is in the transition. But the home also matters. The Lord works behind the scenes, orchestrating our lives so that we may fulfill His purpose in serving our local church and in shaping the lives of our children, ensuring that they receive the experiences necessary to cultivate a life of faith within a community of people He has chosen to build their faith with.

I grew up in East St. Louis and moved to the projects when I was a teenager. I saw a lot: poverty, fights, drug use, abandoned kids, shootings, and even my sister, who was a victim of a drive-by shooting that left her paralyzed a week before her eighteenth birthday. When I looked around at our run-down community and school system, I didn’t understand why God would place us in a home in the middle of what often felt like a war zone. Of course, God didn’t make my mom accept the voucher or force us to go under some divine order, but I do believe God would use the experience of what we lived through to dream of a life beyond the despair of what we were accustomed to.

As a teenage mother, I moved into my first government assistance apartment, and although I was thankful, I knew I wanted more for myself and my family. But still, God was using that apartment and that income level to foster relationships with people, because He knew He would save me, and I could be a beacon of light to those who needed it the most. A decade or more later, after the passing of my daughter and soon after my divorce, God opened the doors for us to move to a small town. I have witnessed God’s hand and revelation in numerous circumstances, which is truly mind-blowing. Even in the moments when I struggled, financially, mentally, and spiritually, God used this home as a place to restore my heart and redeem my life.

You may be in a shelter or in a dire situation where you need a place to live or are staying with someone else. Be encouraged, God has a plan for you even there. Throughout scripture, Jesus has redirected his servants to places that felt uncomfortable and didn’t look important in the grand scheme of things.

·Abram was instructed to leave his country and his kindred. Genesis 12:1

·Joseph was sold into slavery. Genesis 37:23-28

·Elijah was instructed to go to Cherith, where the Ravens would feed him. 1 Kings 17:3-4

·Mary found a manger to give birth to Jesus. Luke 2:16

·God prepared a place for us in heaven. John 14:2-3

Regardless of your current living arrangements, trust that God always has a plan in place. He promised that if we cast our burdens on Him, He will sustain us. Sustaining happens internally, even when there is a lack of stability around us. God has made His home in your heart; therefore, wherever you are, He is right there with you, protecting you and guiding you. Don’t let the adversary steal your joy because of perceived limitations. Rest in God’s faithfulness. God cares.

Be Encouraged.