Week 1: Concluding Thoughts

Training for Today: Run 4 Miles (Oh yes you can!)

Devotion: Concluding Thoughts

Congratulations on surviving your first week of training! I’m praying that the Lord used our theme for the week to draw you closer to Him. “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” We’ve done quite a bit of wrestling with what it’s like at the beginning of the grief cycle: the numbness and shock, the isolation, the questioning, the kicking and screaming, and our perceived distance from God.

But, through it all, we have come to a place of hope (miles of hope!). Our numbness and shock are warmed and calmed by our loving Savior. Our isolation is overcome by a God who connects with us at every point of our suffering. Our questions will be answered in His timing. Our kicking and screaming are settled by a merciful, gracious, and understanding Father. And, through the whole process, God draws us ever closer to Him.

As you run today, meditate on the words of Psalm 119:49-50. I thought they were incredibly fitting for the conclusion to our first week:

49 Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for leading me through this first week of spiritual and physical training. Fill me with a spirit of power and perseverance as I continue down this path. I praise you for the hope you’ve given me through your Son, Jesus Christ! Amen.