Devotional Resources

Campbellsville Baptist Church offers many resources to help you grow in your own relationship with God, or assist you in reaching others. Here you will find devotions that include words of encouragement, inspiration, and wisdom to help you walk closer with God. Written by some of our church members, these works can become a special part of your day.

For more information about devotional resources, please contact Brad Lauer, Discipleship Pastor.

Ceiling Prayers

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seek finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8

Why do our minds wander so much at night, in the middle of the night when we wake up from a dead sleep? Many of these nights I wonder to myself why my prayers seem to hit the ceiling. Why is it that God is silent? Is He really listening to me? What is God trying to teach me?

I believe some of my questions are meant to go unanswered for a time because God is teaching me perseverance. So, let’s explore why God delays:

Reason #1: God may see an attitude within us of rebellion, bitterness, or unforgivenss. God may also notice a certain unhealthy habit on our life style. God will not and cannot answer prayer until we are in a spiritual position to receive it.

Reason #2: God may be in the process of testing our sincerity in order to build into us a persistent spirit. If we are really earnest, we will not make our request known just once and then give up if it goes unanswered for a time. That is why God says to pray and to keep on praying, asking, seeking, and knocking.

Reason #3: God may be building our faith. As we begin to ask, seek, and knock, something happens in our walk with God. When we talk to Him, we are building and nourishing our relationship with Him. We are getting to know Him, who He is and how He operates.

Reason #4: God may delay to develop patience with us as we endure in prayer until His timing is right. God’s timing does not always (seldom in my life) match our own.

Examine your prayer life against these four reasons for delay. More than anything, don’t give up praying. Prayer is our communication line to the King of Kings, the Creator, our Lord, and our God.

Growing Together,

Brad Lauer, Discipleship Pastor
Campbellsville Baptist Church

Applying Our Hearts
(by Susan Harris Howell)
Read Proverbs 2:1-6
If you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding…then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-2, 5 (NIV)
My college students sometimes complain about exam questions. I often ask them for answers they won’t find word-for-word in their text or notes because I want them to understand the material well enough to apply it to new situations. In fact, when students study the text, accept my help, and participate in class discussions, they usually understand the material so well that they can apply it to a question they haven’t seen before.
When faced with difficult life questions such as a complicated social issue or moral dilemma, we sometimes offer the same kind of complaints students offer their teachers. “I don’t know what to do; the Bible doesn’t specifically address that.”
Yet if we study our text, the Bible, as we’ve been “assigned,” if we pray for God’s help and make the most of opportunities to talk to other Christians, we may not be so confused when confronted with life’s difficult questions. We can understand the “material” so clearly that we will be prepared to respond in ways that please God.
Prayer: God, help us to grow in knowledge of you so we can respond to life as you want us to. Amen.

published in The Upper Room, January-February, 2009

A Prayer for Peace
(by Diana Derringer)

Lord, why can’t we see that peace is better than conflict,
That love is better than hate,
That following your way means giving up our way,
That daily we are to be like you?

Why can’t we see that giving is better than receiving,
That help is better than hurt,
That talking about others hurts everyone involved,
Especially the one who talks?

Why can’t we see that disagreeing does not mean destroying,
That our opinion is not the last word,
That a crisis, though dangerous, is also an opportunity,
That we all are important to you?

Lord, keep our eyes ever on you.
Live through us as never before.
Help us remember St. Francis’ request:
Lord, make us all instruments of peace.

published in devozine, November-December, 2008