Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,
Speaker 1: where we help you find the words you need to
Speaker 1: connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening
Speaker 1: in your life today, you can trust that God wants
Speaker 1: to hear from you. Right after this short word from
Speaker 1: our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer for when your
Speaker 1: daily routine feels meaningless. A Prayer for when your daily
Speaker 1: routine feels meaningless, written by Tammy Darling, read by Lea Gerard.
Speaker 1: You do work at it with all your heart as
Speaker 1: working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you
Speaker 1: know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord
Speaker 1: as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Speaker 1: Colossians three twenty three through twenty four. When my husband
Speaker 1: inevitably asks each evening, what are your plans for tomorrow?
Speaker 1: There is little variance in my answer. Laundry dishes. Write
Speaker 1: an article. You know this and that some days it
Speaker 1: brings tears to my eyes. Don't misunderstand I am grateful
Speaker 1: for these things. I give thanks that I can wash
Speaker 1: laundry in a washing machine instead of beating my clothes
Speaker 1: against a rock at the creaker, even using a ring
Speaker 1: er washing machine, as I help my aunt do so
Speaker 1: many years ago. I'm thankful that I have a dishwasher
Speaker 1: that makes that job faster and easier. And I love writing.
Speaker 1: Even the pay for freelance markets has plummeted in recent years,
Speaker 1: I am grateful, though many days what I do seems
Speaker 1: so meaningless. I mean, what's really happening when I'm doing
Speaker 1: the dishes and taking care of the laundry, sort, wash, dry, fold,
Speaker 1: put away again and again day after day. The monotony
Speaker 1: gets to me sometimes, and because the daily routine feels
Speaker 1: so meaningless, I tend to seek out things that entertain me,
Speaker 1: such as scrolling through social media, watching a movie, and
Speaker 1: swimming in my heated pool. Distraction is the enemy of
Speaker 1: the soul. I don't need a distraction from my routine.
Speaker 1: I need to embrace it for the gift it is.
Speaker 1: Nothing done for the Lord is meaningless. Our lives are
Speaker 1: in the ordinary days, the days where nothing spectacular happens,
Speaker 1: but faithfulness expands nonetheless. And while it's possible to move
Speaker 1: from sunrise to sunset without ever becoming fully present to
Speaker 1: the day, I don't want to do that, because that's
Speaker 1: precisely what causes a routine day to become meaningless. Living
Speaker 1: on autopilot isn't truly living at all. Busyness isn't the
Speaker 1: answer either. Doing does an equal being. Productivity may even
Speaker 1: be at an all time high, but I can still
Speaker 1: fall into bed and think along with Solomon Ecclesiastes one
Speaker 1: one meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless. Everything is meaningless. Pity party aside.
Speaker 1: I am coming to realize that not every day has
Speaker 1: to have fireworks to be stunning. Life is beautiful and
Speaker 1: meaningful no matter what the day holds. When my children
Speaker 1: were young, I learned experientially that kids thrive on routine.
Speaker 1: As adults we shun it. When did that shift occur
Speaker 1: and why? I believe we've bought into the lie that
Speaker 1: for life to be meaningful, it must be successful. But
Speaker 1: by whose definition of success, Societies or God's. A day
Speaker 1: spent doing dishes and laundry with a focus on God
Speaker 1: is a day well spent. When we worship, pray, and
Speaker 1: praise while doing the monotonous everyday stuff we call routine,
Speaker 1: intimacy with God deepens, faith grows, and our love for
Speaker 1: God increases. A day can easily disappear if we let
Speaker 1: it moments never before seen or to be seen again,
Speaker 1: happen in the present tense, and if we're not present,
Speaker 1: we'll miss it. Even the routine and mundane carry possibility
Speaker 1: that will not pass our way again. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1: If your schedule stays full but your soul stays empty,
Speaker 1: meaningless is the word you'll use to describe your life.
Speaker 1: And before long, complacency becomes apathy, and apathy becomes a
Speaker 1: meaningless life. Perspective becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. But God
Speaker 1: says that whatever we do, when we work at it
Speaker 1: with all our heart as working for Him, will receive
Speaker 1: a reward. He further reminds us that we are serving
Speaker 1: the Lord Christ. When our perspective shifts, our soul refills.
Speaker 1: Routine days are never meaningless when we go about all
Speaker 1: we do with the Lord at the center of it all.
Speaker 1: And that kind of meaningful life requires attention. It requires
Speaker 1: that we think upon all things Philippians. For as it
Speaker 1: means that we stay close enough to God to recognize
Speaker 1: his continual presence, it demands that we never forget to
Speaker 1: live deliberately. Awareness of our daily routine gives us the
Speaker 1: wisdom to choose while we're waiting for a significant life
Speaker 1: God gives us today. This day is significant, This day
Speaker 1: is meaningful. This day is a stewardship to receive and
Speaker 1: walk out life becomes faithful and full in the ordinary.
Speaker 1: It's the quiet, repeated steps that enable us to walk
Speaker 1: through the fire when that day arrives, and through it
Speaker 1: all we walk by faith, one god focused, attentive day
Speaker 1: at a time. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, thank you for
Speaker 1: the dailiness of life, even in the routine and mundane activities.
Speaker 1: You're there. May we be ever reminded of your faithful
Speaker 1: presence and work in our lives. And whatever we do,
Speaker 1: may we do it with you in mind for your glory,
Speaker 1: in humble gratitude for this day. Amen. Your daily Prayer
Speaker 1: is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If
Speaker 1: you liked what you heard today, be sure to follow
Speaker 1: our sister show your nightly prayer. You can find your
Speaker 1: nightly prayer at lifeaudio dot com or in your favorite
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Speaker 1: you can be sure that your day begins and ends
Speaker 1: centered on the Word of God and prayer