Devotional: Ever Since

More and more people are plagued by things they experienced in their childhood or their distant past. David was no different. In Psalm 129:2-4, David recalls things he endured ever since he was a child. But God was ready to bring healing and redemption from the very start. In this capstone to the Faith, Hope, and Love series, 1 Corinthians 13:11-13 shows that walking in those three graces requires replacing the ways of our past with the ways of the spirit. The ways of the spirit are the keys to our freedom. When we face those “ever since” experiences with God by bringing them into the light of the Word of God and letting the truth of what Christ has done wash over us, the power of those passed experiences is broken. Faith, hope, and love means that we can say, like David, “but the Lord, the righteous one, has freed me from slavery.”

Questions for Meditation

1. Read Psalm 129:2 (GNT). What was your “ever since” moment or experience in your childhood or some other point?
2. Read Psalm 129:4. Was God surprised by your “ever since” experience? Or was He already planning something? What was He planning?
3. Read 1 Corinthians 13:11-13. Why does maturity involve walking in faith, hope, and love? That means that the ways of our childhood are replaced by the ways of the _________? What does that mean?
4. Read John 8:32 (NLT). Does maturity in the ways of the spirit mean looking back to the “ever since” lies or looking to Christ’s power to set you free? Where do you fill yourself with the Truth that crushes the curse?
5. What does facing your “ever since” experiences with God mean? How do you bring them into the light? Is there a connection between the Truth that sets you free and bringing things into the light?
6. Are you strong enough to do all this on your own? Where does our faith, hope, and love come from and who is it in? Who can accomplish more than we can ask or imagine?