Perhaps you know the feeling.
You start the day with good intentions. Then something goes wrong. Someone annoys you. Plans change. You become short with people. Before long, you are frustrated with them and disappointed with yourself.
And then comes another thought: I probably shouldn’t come to God like this.
Perhaps we imagine that we need to calm down first. Say sorry. Become more patient. Get ourselves back into a suitably spiritual frame of mind.
But Nehemiah 9 gives us a very different picture of God.
Israel had complained, rebelled and turned away from him in the wilderness. Yet God continued to guide them. He gave them food. He gave them water. His presence remained with them.
God’s care was not a reward for good behaviour.
His mercy moved first.
That matters on our difficult days.
Sometimes irritation is only the surface. Beneath it may be fear, hurt, hunger, loneliness or simple exhaustion. God sees beyond the sharp words and frustrated thoughts. He knows what is happening underneath them.
So prayer does not need to begin with polished words.
It might simply be:
“Jesus, I’m tired.”
“I’m frightened.”
“I need help.”
That is not failed faith. It is honest faith.
And grace changes how we treat other people too.
The colleague who sounds sharp, the child who is struggling or the friend who keeps complaining may also have a need hidden beneath the noise.
Perhaps compassion needs to come before advice.
Today, when you notice yourself becoming frustrated, pause for a moment. Take one slow breath and pray:
Jesus, meet the need beneath this noise.
Then name what you really need.
You do not have to earn God’s attention.
His grace has already moved towards you.
Watch today’s 5-Min Daily Devotional: