Devotional - Grace for the Semester Ending

He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why I delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. When I am weak, He is strong. -2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

We are human. We have limits. Yet there are those times, like the end of the semester, when we feel we need to be superhuman to do all that is required of us. I remember when I was really overwhelmed and said to a friend, “But God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, right?” Her reply changed how I look at struggles ever since, “No, God doesn’t give us more than HE can handle.” So we have two choices; try to power through on our strength or recognize our limits and lean on God’s strength. No, that doesn’t mean setting aside books and expecting God to fill your head with knowledge or blowing off clinicals! It means before you study, pray. Admit your challenges to God and invite him to free your mind of distractions and open your mind to your studies. As you await assessments, pray that God will give you peace and acceptance. Take a break to breathe and allow God’s grace to be the voice that guides you.

Here are some ideas to help you lean into God’s grace and strength:

• Are you breathing? I don’t mean the shallow, functional kind but taking deep, cleansing breaths. Try our Wednesday breath prayers on Instagram. Better yet, practice breath prayer as a group and share the graphics we have created here.

• Who can you talk to about your end-of-term stressors and ask them to pray for you? Keep them posted on how you are doing and new prayer requests.

• What are you letting go of for this short time? For example, if you are not eating well because you are too busy, schedule a healthy, leisurely meal with friends or family after your last class. 

• As a group, hold each other accountable for staying connected to God. Something like sharing a verse a day of encouragement (make a list in advance) or all choose a time to set the alarm for daily prayer (something like 3 minutes at 3 pm).