More From Bryan Young

May 6, 2020 by Bryan Young (Texas, USA)
Bryan, his wife, Jenny, and their son, Xander

It has been about two years since I wrote today’s devotional. A lot has happened to me since then. My two-year-old son is now four. I’ve changed jobs three times. And more recently, like everyone else, I’m spending what feels like three times as much more time stuck at home than I used to a month ago.

But the focal points I discussed in the writing remain as important as ever. Pastor Thomas still stresses regularly the tenets of sharing our faith, giving of your time and talents, and faithfully tithing 10%. I still struggle with keeping this up. 10% of my paycheck is a lot, no matter what the actual dollar amount is. The demands of a busy schedule don’t always guarantee I will be able to get away to volunteer at the shelter every month. Sharing my faith is infinitely easier with other believers than with non-believers, so the former happens a lot more than the latter.

What ares beleaguered Christians to do? Pray! Pray like our lives depend on it. I’m very lucky that I don’t have to pray alone. My wife, family, and church friends support me prayerfully frequently. We are lucky that we have virtual meetings and other tools to stay connected during this time of mandated social isolation. And of course we can pray right here at upperroom.org. 

It is so easy to tell our friends, loved ones, and church family “we’re praying for you” or “we’re here for you.” And while ostensibly better than saying nothing at all, such platitudes too often ring hollow, at least in the mind of the recipient. A friend of mine recently welcomed his third son into the world. Instead of just saying “let me know if you need anything,” I said, “I really want to do something nice to celebrate your new arrival. Can I buy your family dinner or something like that?” A few days later, I experienced such tremendous joy as I delivered a meal to his home. So my challenge to everyone who is reading this is to do the same thing. Let’s be there for each other in a real way. And if you feel there is no one to hear your prayer requests and you want something more than a public prayer posting forum, then please, drop me a line. 

Thank you for reading my devotional and this blog post today. I welcome your prayers, reactions, feedback, etc., and can be reached at [email protected]. I am beyond grateful that we have these resources to share our faith and uplift each other.


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The Upper Room magazine's mission is to provide a practical way to listen to scripture, connect with believers around the world, and spend time with God each day.

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