40 Day Devotional to Tend the Fire of Your Faith
Devotional
Date Published: 09-26-2024
Publisher: Victory Now Consulting
Have you ever felt overwhelm, as a Christ follower? Have you blamed
yourself for not praying hard enough, fasting more, serving harder? Are you
in a season of life where you long for more of the Lord but you just cannot
seem to find the time or the energy? This Devotional of Song of Songs was
written for you. Over the next 40 days you will experience breakthrough into
a deeper level of intimacy in your relationship with God. I refer to God as
Papa. Along these pages you will be challenged by invitation after
invitation to know and be known by The King of love.
Come Away with Me
Day 1: Let Him
The Shulamite: Let him (her invitation, her surrender) smother me with kisses—his Spirit-kiss divine. So kind are your caresses, I drink them in like the sweetest wine! Your presence releases a fragrance so pleasing—over and over poured out. For your lovely name is “Flowing Oil.” No wonder the brides-to-be adore you. Draw me into your heart. We will run away together into the Kings cloud-filled chamber.
The Chorus of Friends: We will remember your love, rejoicing and delighting in you, celebrating your every kiss as better than wine. No wonder righteousness adores you!
The Shulamite: Jerusalem maidens, in the twilight darkness I know I am so unworthy—so in need. (Song of Songs 1:1–5a)
In your faith journey with God, you may find yourself burnt out from serving and hearing the same old sermon. Devotion turns into an empty routine—well, this is, after all, what is expected of me. Exhausted from pouring out, you long for a touch, for time away from the pressures and stress—time away from your circumstances, your toil, your suffering, your pain. You wonder, “Is this religious duty or a relationship? Does God really love me? Does He care? Does He see me? Is He even listening? I’m doing all the things I’m supposed to be doing—church attendance, tithing, yada, yada—so why do I feel so crunchy, salty, tired? What’s missing?”
Maybe you remember when you were first saved and accepted Him into your heart. You felt so free, so alive, so loved. I know I did. I felt a thousand invisible bricks fall from me. I love how this book of Songs starts out with a representation of this exact concept. Here we find the Shulamite woman recollecting on her once-upon-a-time relationship with the Lord. As she recants what His love is like, her friends chime in and encourage her with their recollections as well. She tells her friends how she is so over it, so burnt out, so sick and tired of being sick and tired. I can hear her now. “Why am I going around this same mountain again?”
“I feel as dark and dry as the dessert tents of the wandering nomads” (Song of Songs 1:5c). She had lost herself. Maybe she was in a season in life and realized, “This is not what I signed up for. This is not what I was expecting or what I had planned.” Maybe she had broken dreams, broken expectations. Was she depressed, anxious, fearful? She was willing to recognize her need, her longing. Her reminiscing was where we find her. Let Him. She recalls His kindness, His Spirit kisses, and His presence. She has known intimacy with Jesus.
About the Author
Amy Buchanan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in
Northern California providing Christian Counseling to women. Through
consulting, Amy is able to provide non-therapeutic care, strategy, and
insights that have proven successful with women, couples, and other medical
professionals.
After graduating in 2006 with a Masters in Social Work, Amy began working
with older youth and supporting families through Child Protective Services.
She has worked with inmates in CDCR institutions in Northern California.
From there, she was able to serve her community as a clinical social worker
within her local hospital. There, Amy was able to assist the overwhelmed
caretakers who had limited resources. Today she loves providing support to
women and couples that need to reconcile themselves back to God, to
themselves, and to their families.
Amy’s life message, that she feels is needed for women at this time,
is LOVE YOURSELF as much as you love others! This important Kingdom
principal can be overlooked within church culture and even in the culture of
family. As women, we tend to nurture and think of others first, but there
must be a balance—a guilt- and shame-free balance.
Having raised five children, two are children of love through her marriage
of 29 years. Much personal experience has been gained to offer support to
couples with blended families. Amy currently has three grandchildren with
one more on the way. She enjoys spending time with God, her family, and
friends, and she loves being outdoors and in nature as her schedule allows.
To learn more, visit Victorycounseling.com,
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