John 14:8 Devotional for a Homesick Heart

Your Nightly Prayer

Comfort for the Homesick Heart
Your Nightly Prayer

TONIGHT'S SCRIPTURE

“Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” John 14:8 (NIV)

SOMETHING TO PONDER

I thought marriage would fix my loneliness and grant my broken heart emotional healing. I was sure that once Mr. Right was holding a diamond ring, down on one knee, my homesick heart would finally feel safe and secure. As a Christian school kid with all the Sunday school answers, my soul knew this wouldn’t be the case, but life seemed a bit more whimsical when buying into the romantic lie that being swept off my feet would keep me from falling on hard, lonely times.

Six months into marriage, my husband left his steady nine-to-five job to become an airline pilot. He makes great money with great benefits, but he’s gone half of the year. I’m consistently alone with our two sons. Thus, marriage didn’t fix my loneliness. It only exacerbated it.

God constantly reminds me that while temporary things feel safe—healthy relationships, a steady income, a sturdy house, etc.—nothing preserves the soul but God. A relationship with the Extender of mercy, grace, and forgiveness is the only thing that anchors me because He is the Creator and Sustainer of all good things. He is the essence of eternity, the beauty of heaven, the keeper of our souls, and the only cure to a homesick heart.

It’s my prayer that each of us never looks to anything but God and His mercy and grace to call home, that we look to Him with a heart like the Psalmist’s, who says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7, NIV).

Praise God and His goodness, He strives with us when we fall into the trap of believing today’s “chariots” and “horses” can gift us lasting fulfillment. God offers open arms when we return to Him, our true home, where we will never be alone and will always be safe and sound.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Jesus,
Thank you for granting us John 14:8, a beautiful prayer crafted for the believer who struggles with loneliness, who feels displaced, whether by time and location or by broken relationships.
It’s my prayer that each of us lets the words of this prayer settle deep in our bones, as we hold things on earth with a loose grip but desperately cling to your love. Let us praise you for the good gifts you provide, like trustworthy family and friends, financial blessings that offer comfortable homes and living, and all other good things, but don’t let us look to those things as our anchor.
Be our love, our safety, and our home. In your holy name we pray, Lord God,
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Take a few minutes to sit in the quiet to determine who or what in your life you look to for complete fulfillment.
2. If the answer above isn’t God, go to Him in prayer and ask Him to grant you the wisdom and strength to repent and look to Him as your heart’s anchor.
3. Consider several ways that you can keep your heart in check to ensure you don’t allow other people or things to become your sense of safety and security. This might look like keeping a prayer journal or having an accountability partner.

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/EmilyNorton

Peyton Garland is an author, editor, and boy mama who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee. Subscribe to her blog Uncured+Okay for more encouragement.

For the one who is weary without answers. If you’re still showing up and still praying — but starting to wonder if it’s working — this 90-day devotional will meet you right there, with honesty and Scripture in place of easy answers.