Steadfast, Part 2: Anchored in His Presence
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” —Psalm 51:10
Anybody tired yet?
We are moving quickly into the fall season, one of my favorite times of the year. I love the pumpkins, the beautiful colors, and the promise of cooler days. But I am not ready for Christmas movies yet! I want to enjoy every season as it comes.
Fall also brings full calendars. We are launching Bible studies, attending football games, driving children to activities, caring for grandchildren, speaking at events, serving in our churches, and preparing for the holidays.
We are busy people!
But if we are not careful, we can become so busy serving the Lord that we neglect our time with the Lord.
Our time with Him anchors us for the hard places of ministry, leadership, and life.
The Greatest Blessing Is God Himself
In Psalm 51:11, David prayed:
“Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
Sometimes we become so busy and distracted that God feels distant. We may continue attending church, leading Bible studies, helping people, and fulfilling our responsibilities, but inside, something is missing.
Years ago, while raising money for Contagious Joy, I sensed the Lord asking me a piercing question:
“Do you love Me or do you love the ministry more? Do you love Me or do you love what I provide for the ministry more?”
That question stopped me.
Sometimes we want God to solve the problem, heal the relationship, open the door, provide the money, or relieve the pressure. Yet His most precious invitation is not merely, “Let Me fix this for you.”
It is, “Come near to Me.”
The greatest blessing is not the ministry. It is not the platform, the provision, or the opportunity.
The greatest blessing is God Himself.
Guard the Quiet Places
Steadfastness grows in the quiet, daily moments when no one is watching—when we are not standing on a stage, leading a meeting, recording a podcast, or caring for everyone else.
For this season, I am guarding my mornings and trying not to schedule meetings before 10:00 a.m. I realize that my schedule may be different from yours. Your responsibilities, family needs, work hours, and season of life may not allow you to do the same thing.
But we can all prayerfully set a boundary that protects our time with God.
A steadfast heart is cultivated as we:
- Remain in God’s Word.
- Talk with Him regularly in prayer.
- Respond to the Holy Spirit.
- Praise Him for who He is.
- Worship even when we are weary.
- Choose obedience—one decision at a time.
- Confess our sin and make things right with others.
- Forgive those who have hurt us.
In our family, we have often said, “Act out of obedience and let your emotions catch up.”
We will not always feel like obeying. We will not always feel like forgiving, worshiping, or doing what is right. But steadfastness is not built upon our changing emotions. It is built upon the unchanging character of God.
When Anxiety Threatens Your Peace
Philippians 4:6–7 reminds us:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
When we are wondering how we will get everything done, we must return to the basics.
Stay in the Word.
Talk with God.
Cast your cares upon Him.
Listen to the Holy Spirit.
Obey what He is asking you to do today.
You don’t have to solve next month’s problems today. You do not have to carry tomorrow’s burdens with today’s strength. God will give you the grace you need as you walk closely with Him.
Restore the Joy
David continued his prayer in Psalm 51:12:
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.”
Life can be sorrowful and hard. Unconfessed sin, disappointment, comparison, busyness, fear, and exhaustion can slowly drain our joy.
Our social-media-driven world makes comparison especially tempting. We see other people receiving opportunities we wish we had. We watch them do things we believe we should be doing. Before long, we become so distracted by what God appears to be doing in someone else’s life that we miss what He is doing in our own.
If we perform religious work with the wrong attitude, selfish motives, or our own agenda, ministry becomes nothing more than work.
I do not want to do religious work for its own sake. I want the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. I want the joy of the Lord to fill me and change me.
The joy of salvation is not shallow happiness based on everything going our way. Gospel joy is the settled confidence that God our Father loves, forgives, redeems, and holds us.
Friend, remember who you were before Jesus rescued you. Remember what He has forgiven. Remember how He has carried you.
Then ask Him to restore your joy.
Restoration Does Not End with Us
When God restores our joy, we become the fragrant aroma of Christ to the people around us.
When we have received grace, we extend grace.
When God has comforted us, we comfort others.
When we have been rescued, we offer hope.
When we have been renewed, we encourage the weary.
Our broken places can become windows through which others see God’s grace. Your story doesn’t have to be perfect to glorify Him. It simply needs to be surrendered.
Failure does not make you permanently useless to God. He welcomes the heart that comes to Him in humility and repentance.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” —Psalm 51:17
Confess. Receive His forgiveness. Let God cleanse you then stay anchored in His presence and His truth.
One Strong Old Bird
Several weeks ago, my husband, Preston, and I traveled to Colorado to rest. I used our points, arranged a lovely place to stay, and rented e-bikes so we could ride twelve miles from Avon to Vail.
What could go wrong?
We repeatedly told the young man renting the bikes that we hadn’t ridden bicycles in a long time. He assured us, “You’ll get the hang of it.”
Well, we didn’t get all the instructions we needed!
Early in the ride, Preston ran into a pole. His helmet was pierced, and he definitely “got his bell rung.” Thankfully, he was okay, so we continued.
Later, I approached an uphill curve in the wrong gear. I pushed the throttle, and the bike shot forward. Suddenly, I had three options: slam on the brakes and fly over the handlebars, skid out, or hit the pole directly in front of me.
Ironically, the pole had a sign on it with a turtle that said, “Slow down.”
I hit the pole.
I immediately knew I had injured my rib and shoulder. The pain was intense, and I could barely breathe. People rushed over, and one man kept assuring me that the bike was fine.
Inside, I was thinking, I do not care about the bike!
After I regained my composure, put ice on my injuries, and ate a little pizza, I got back on that same e-bike and rode the twelve miles back.
Later, sitting on the edge of the bed, I said to myself, “You are one strong old bird.”
Please do not repeat that to me if you see me in public!
But the Lord reminded me: I will not remain steadfast simply because I am strong. Neither will you.
We remain steadfast because God is faithful.
Like our e-bike adventure, we sometimes discover that we have been trying to move through life without the instructions we desperately need. God has graciously given us His Word, His Spirit, and access to His presence. We are not meant to navigate life in our own strength.
I still want to ride an e-bike again, but next time, I want to do it correctly!
And as we move through this busy season, I want us to walk with God correctly: remaining in His Word, confessing our sin, worshiping Him, responding to His Spirit, and cultivating a genuine relationship with Him, not merely performing religious activity.
Steadfast Because He Is Faithful
We do not remain steadfast because we are strong enough, talented enough, organized enough, or spiritual enough.
We remain steadfast because God is faithful.
His hesed love, His faithful, covenant-keeping love, will never let us go. He knows our hearts better than we know ourselves. We can trust Him with every part of our lives.
So, as life speeds up, guard your time with Him.
Stay close to His presence.
Anchor yourself in His Word.
Let Him restore your joy.
Keep your eyes on Him, friend. He will carry you through.
A Prayer for a Steadfast Heart
Father, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Search me and reveal anything that keeps me from walking closely with You. Forgive me for the times I have loved ministry more than I have loved being with You.
When circumstances change, anchor me in Your unchanging character. Restore the joy of Your salvation. Teach me to guard my time with You, remain in Your Word, listen to Your Spirit, and obey You one decision at a time.
Make me steadfast not because I am strong, but because You are faithful.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Steadfast Reflection
- Has serving God begun to replace simply being with God?
- What boundary could you establish to protect your daily time with Him?
- Is comparison, disappointment, fear, exhaustion, or unconfessed sin draining your joy?
- Where is God asking you to obey Him, even if your emotions have not caught up?
- How could God use one of your broken places to offer grace and hope to someone else?
Until next time, remain anchored in Him. He is faithful, and He will make you steadfast.
