Today I’m happy to share with you an excerpt from my long time friend Renee Fisher’s latest ebook Dream Devotional: 40 Days Of Hope. Renee graciously allowed me to take an entire day from her devotional to give to you. The word EXPOSED just stuck out to me. Here is what Renee has to say…

Day #9 ~ Exposed

“‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, “Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?” But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian’” (Judges 6:13, NIV).

Have you ever felt emotionally drained to the core? Exposed. Your life is on display for all to see like a tree showing its roots. It seems like every negative habit from your life has reared its ugly head. Even the way you respond to pressure, criticism, loneliness, etc. It’s like you can’t do anything right.

When I couldn’t handle the pressure of an incident at work, I locked myself in my room for about four months with little to no social interaction. It was my way of coping with the drama. I didn’t want to lose my job by speaking out, but I didn’t want to stay quiet either. But maybe you do. Maybe you know the feeling of helplessness and the sting of abandonment. What it feels like to read about God and be tested on it almost immediately. If you’re anything like me, when that happens, God has to reach down and press deep into your soul to help you get it into your thick skull that you need to know Him.

But how? It’s hard to know how to receive God’s love when you feel exposed and abandoned. It’s also hard if you deal with anxiety like me. I stayed quiet for so long that my anxiety turned into depression. Maybe your present troubles are triggering an event in the past that you thought you had dealt with already. Have you ever been there?

It’s like Gideon and his priceless reaction when the angel of the Lord arrived and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“But why?” Gideon said.

Isn’t that so typical? Gideon asked why, and why do we ask it too? Gideon didn’t feel powerful. When God allows certain situations in our lives, we certainly don’t feel confident either. I can’t answer that in your life, but I can point you back to the scriptures.

“When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet” (Judges 6:7–8a, NIV).

God heard their cries. It can be hard to sit and wait for God to answer when the situation is desperate. I don’t know about you, but when I feel exposed, I want God to fix it right away. It hurts. But maybe there is a reason that we can’t see yet. Maybe God is working out a plan behind the scenes that requires courage now, but we will reap the benefits later.

Take time to wait for the Lord and give Him your feelings of abandonment in order to express your concerns. Go to God and get alone with Him. Pray in your prayer closet. Search the scriptures for your promise.

Dear Dream-Giver Jesus, I am feeling exposed and abandoned. I don’t feel like I have the confidence to continue. Help me to know that it’s okay to speak up and do the right thing, even if it means I will face resistance. Thank you for showing me the example of Gideon and that today with your help I can be a mighty hero too! Amen.

Have you ever felt abandoned? What triggers it today, and how do you deal with it?

What do you think? So inspiring!

**Be sure to click HERE to order your copy of Dream Devotional ebook.

Renee Fisher is an adoring wife to Marc and mom to their pit bull named Star. She is a spirited speaker and author of five books, including Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me (Harvest House, 2013). Renee is the editor and founder of DevotionalDiva.com, and loves nothing more than to spur others forward. She is on the Advisory Board for ChristianMingle, creator of Quarter Life Conference, and a Biola University graduate. Renee lives in CA and loves running on sunny days. A Dream Coach, she loves connecting with new people daily. Connect at ReneeFisher.com.