Devos with Davis

Have you ever had one of those days where everything that could possibly go wrong, does? You may think to yourself, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a great day; I’ve got everything under control,’ and then the trainwreck happens. Suddenly, you catch the sickness that is currently running rampant around campus, and what you thought was going to be an easy group project ends up being a large presentation worth over half of your grade. Next, your innocent Plus Swipe coffee from Starbucks quickly becomes a sinister culprit of destruction as it spills all over your expensive textbooks. 

In your delirium from the flu, simple red socks get intertwined in the laundry room’s dryers and all your white dress clothes morph into a cluster of pink attire. Although, throughout what has felt like the 10 plagues of campus, you pick yourself up and continuously look to the horizon, setting your sights on a positive atmosphere until the final storm sweeps in. As you emerge from your dorm for the first time since being sick, you make the fatal mistake of looking at your phone while walking and crash into an innocent passerby. 

You brace for impact as you fall to the ground and watch in horror as your laptop slides out of its place of sanctuary. Your optimistic attitude shatters into a million pieces just like your newly broken laptop. 

Not all college students will encounter this exact same set of “campus plagues,” but there can be many moments in which we all feel burnt out. After returning to campus from winter break, many students may feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle their next set of courses, but it is also okay to admit that returning to a constant stream of lectures, papers and presentations is downright overwhelming.

Sometimes it can feel like you are Christian from John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” trudging through the slough of despond on campus with your bag of burdens strapped to your back. Like the allegorical traveler, we will encounter situations that are not ideal, but we have hope because the Lord will always be right there with us as we continue taking steps closer to him. 

The key is to let the Lord lead you as you go through life, one step at a time. Humanity tends to feel the need to take total control, but there is no sense in trying to override the creator and designer of the universe. There is nothing in this world that lies outside of God’s control or perfect plan. 

God already has the GPS coordinates mapped out; we need only to align our maps with his. There may be many unknown difficulties and traffic stops along the way, but with the Lord as your guide, you will reach your destination right on time. 

When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness on their way to finding the promised land, they had to rely on God to lead them through the barren desert. Following God diligently was the only possible way for the Israelites to survive and flourish throughout that season. God met every one of his people’s needs because he cared for them and did not abandon them even when they were unfaithful to him. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

While the initial context of this verse was meant for Joshua since he was about to take over for Moses in leading the Israelites to the promised land, the principle remains. God will never leave or forsake us.

It is when we try to run from the Lord that we become perpetually lost. It is like running away from a fresh water source and embracing a deserted wasteland. Eventually, we will become thirsty and need to return to the source that sustains our lives. 

I’ve had many moments in my life in which I pleaded to God to give me an escape route, an open side door, a place to run away. However, if God fulfilled my anxious request, I would not have grown in my relationship with him or learned how to trust in him wholeheartedly. 

I have learned that you will not have peace if you are constantly running away from the Lord. If you run after the things of this world and try to find satisfaction outside of God’s will, then you will never be content. After all, the only way to have absolute peace is by seeking the Lord every day. 

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

A solid foundation of faith and peace comes from recognizing who God is and trusting that his way is much better than yours ever could be. Only God can fill the gaps that you feel are missing from your life. All the Lord asks of us is to lean on him and trust that he has everything under control. 

So, my goal for this column, Devos with Davis, is to take a deep dive into Scripture and offer some encouraging insights into the realm of theology. I am excited to begin this journey, and I hope you are too. There is much to be explored in the Bible, and together, we can all grow closer in our relationships with the Lord by simply getting to know who God truly is. 

Davis is the feature reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X