Bible Verse
Here, you’ll know & learn:
・Verse Context
・Key Words
・References from Other Verses of the Bible
・Main Message
・How to Apply This Verse in Your Life
・How to Further Study the Verse
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to talk to God when you need something? We pray when the bills pile up, when relationships crack, when health scares us, or when decisions feel too big to handle alone. But what about the days when everything is fine? When nothing hurts and nothing's broken? Those are the days that reveal what we really think about God—whether we see Him as someone to know or just someone to use when life gets hard. Today, we're going to look at why so many of us struggle to enjoy God's presence, and it might not be the reason we think.
Short Devotional
Most of us read today’s verse backward. We focus on getting our desires met and miss the whole first part about delighting in God Himself. Think about your closest friendships—the people you actually enjoy being around. You don't just call them when you need a favor, right? You hang out with them because you like them. Yet somehow, we've turned our relationship with God into something that looks more like a business transaction than a friendship.
Jesus told His followers in John 15:15 that He doesn't call us servants anymore—He calls us friends. Friends don't just show up when they need something. They show up because they want to be together. The reason many of us can't delight in God has nothing to do with not being spiritual enough. It's because we've trained ourselves to only approach Him with a shopping list. We've never learned to just be with Him—to talk, to listen, to rest in His presence without asking for anything. That's not a relationship. That's treating God like a resource.
Let's Pray
Heavenly Father,
I'm sitting here right now realizing something uncomfortable about how I've been treating You. I come to You when I need things. I pray when I'm scared or stuck or desperate.
But the quiet days? The normal days? I forget about You. I'm honest enough to admit that I've turned our relationship into something transactional. You're the problem-solver I call on, not the friend I want to spend time with.
Your Word says to trust in You, do good, and take delight in You—and then You'll give me the desires of my heart. But Father, I've been so focused on my desires that I've missed the whole point. I've missed You.
I don't know how to just enjoy being with You without needing something from You. I've reduced You to a resource manager when You've been inviting me into friendship this whole time.
Forgive me for the times I've treated prayer like a wish list instead of a conversation. For the days I've ignored You because everything was going fine. For measuring Your goodness by whether You give me what I ask for instead of being grateful that You give me Yourself.
Teach me what it means to delight in You—not in Your blessings, not in Your answers, but in You. Help me learn to talk to You when nothing's wrong.
Show me how to enjoy Your presence the way I enjoy being with people I love. Transform my heart so that knowing You becomes better than anything else I could ask for.
I trust You to reshape my desires as I learn to love You better.
In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
Journaling Prompts
When was the last time you prayed without asking God for anything? What does your answer reveal about your relationship with Him?
If God granted you one hour of His undivided attention but you couldn't ask Him for a single thing, what would you talk about? Why is that question hard to answer?
What would change in your daily life if you truly believed that knowing God was better than getting anything from God?
Learning to delight in God instead of just depending on Him is a journey, not a switch we flip overnight. But recognizing that we've been treating Him like a resource instead of a relationship? That's the first step toward something so much better. As you go through your week, try talking to God when you don't need anything—you might be surprised by what happens when you stop managing transactions and start building a friendship.
Until next time,
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May He make His face shine upon you;
And be gracious to you and give you peace.
God Bless!
PrayerForMe.org
If you or a loved one needs prayer, click below to share and receive a personalized devotion and prayer.
Sign Up To Our Newsletter
Loved today's devotional? Don't miss out on future inspiration! Join our growing community of believers by signing up for our newsletter. We'll deliver these uplifting messages straight to your inbox, helping you stay connected and grow in your faith.
P.S. It's free, and we promise to respect your inbox. You can unsubscribe anytime, but we hope you'll stick around for the blessings!