Finding Courage in His Presence

I love the courage the blind man had in today's Gospel reading—to continuously call out for Jesus, to continuously ask for His pity, for His healing. He was desperate, and it seems like being in Jesus' presence gave him the courage to speak and to act. It gave him that which he needed to do something different—to do something, anything.

This makes me think of all the times in my life when I felt lacking in courage, and it shines a light on maybe one reason why: was I in the presence of the Lord when I was trying to have courage, or was I trying to muster courage on my own? Did I call on His name in those instances or was I trying to be overly self-reliant?

This also reminds me of all the times in my life when I felt I had what I needed: courage—to make a move. I remember that they all happened during a time in my life when I was praying consistently.

When I decided as a journalist that I wanted to cover stories more related to my Faith.

When I decided to quit a job that I felt was becoming a little toxic.

When I decided to leave my career in TV news altogether.

The seeds of desire to do these things all came about after spending time in prayer, in the presence of the Lord at Adoration. And the courage to act on them—I'm certain that also came from spending time in His presence.

If you've been wanting a change in your life—a transition or some type of movement in any area of your life, have you laid that down in the Lord's presence? Have you allowed yourself to be desperate in front of Him? Take that risk of calling out to Him over and over again. He is present and He is faithful. He is the key to the courage you may be looking for to make a change.

He is present and He is faithful. // Annie Deddens @praymorenovenasClick to tweet

listen to today’s devotion

Lord, give me courage today.