It is time to Dig deep
by Ruth Hawkey
I was passing an estate agent’s window the other day and I was surprised to read a notice which said: “You don’t need to dig deep”.
I have to admit that I didn’t understand what the notice meant, but it really struck me very forcibly as not being a true statement! That could have been because there are so many times and seasons when I have personally had to dig very deep indeed, and the present situation of lockdown is one of them.
For example, in the present circumstances, I have needed to dig deep in order to find the resources to combat the effects of loneliness creeping in, or of sustaining my faith when churches are closed. There are of course different ways to enable one to dig deep, a phone call to or from a friend, a visitor in the garden, or an email which helps to lift one out of despondency. There are so many reasons, ways and encouragements to dig deep.
But the main reason for me to dig deep is to keep my relationship with the Lord alive and flourishing, which through lockdown can be really challenging. This raises the question, “If I need to dig deep, where do I dig?”
For me, the answer is that I need to dig deep in God’s Word so I can keep standing firmly on God’s truth, which will sustain me. I also need to dig deep in God’s Word to find the encouragement, which will keep me going. However, the main reason for me to dig deep in His Word is to keep my relationship with the Lord alive and flourishing.
Lockdown is not a modern problem. I believe that those who sat down by the rivers of Babylon were in a similar lockdown situation and they would have had to dig very deep indeed in order to sing their songs of praise through difficult circumstances. I wonder what challenging circumstances you are facing. Whatever your situation, I encourage you to dig deep and you will find that God is all sufficient.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that You encourage us to come to You, whatever situation we find ourselves in. So, we come to You in confidence today to seek Your help. Be to us all that we need and help us to be aware of others that need our encouragement as well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Ruth Hawkey has had the privilege of working alongside Ellel Ministries from the very beginning. She and her husband Joe helped to begin the work in both Glyndley Manor and Canada. She has written a number of books including Healing Emotional Wounds, Healing the Human Spirit, Generational Blessing and Generational Sin, and Praying for Children. She and her husband also helped to develop prayer ministry teams in the local church.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
