Pray To Believe (Pray21)Sample

Belong

An amateur once challenged a golf pro to a round … on one condition. The amateur requested two “gotchas.” The pro wouldn’t admit he didn’t know what a gotcha was, so he said okay. The amateur’s opening drive was horrible, sliced into a thick grove of trees. The pro teed up, eyed the fairway, and drew back. That’s when the amateur dug him in the ribs and yelled, “Gotcha!” Later, the other golfers learned that the amateur had won by five strokes. When they asked the pro, all he said was, “You have no idea what it’s like playing eighteen holes, waiting for a second gotcha.”

We all have gotchas in our past, no matter how long that past is. Trauma, family wounds, painful relationships, sin, failures, labels. We live with ongoing insecurity, waiting for our gotchas to jump up at any moment. They can hinder our relationship with God and our ability to serve him. If you’re a Christ follower, you confront your gotchas by learning that you belong. You were chosen by God to be his forever, and to be part of his mission. You have a secure home waiting in heaven and a church family here on earth. You’re completely forgiven and accepted. And Jesus is with you through everything.

Challenge: Pray through Scripture and ask God to help you trust that he will be with you today.