On last year I wrote a devotional titled “Shut down to start up” and while sitting at my desk this morning communing with God on what to write all that kept repeating in my head is you’ll restart. See, I’ve come to understand that God doesn’t take us through trouble to pay us back for the mess we sometimes get ourselves in but sometimes God allows us to fall just so He can show you that you can get back up. Yea, sometimes God shuts you down in order to restart you. When your computer is acting crazy, don’t you shut it down and restart it and it works fine? When your car is acting crazy, don’t you turn it off and restart it? When your phone has locked up, don’t you power it off and restart it? It’s the same thing God has to do to us. When sickness attacks your body and you feel like giving up is the only option; that’s God shutting you down to restart you. When your job gives you a termination notice after you’ve dedicated years of your life, that’s simply God shutting you down to restart you. When your best friend turned out to be the enemy, your spouse is acting like a stranger, kids acting brand new, co-workers hating and church folk manipulating; that’s simply God shutting you down to restart you.
I know you’re asking why God needs to shut us down only to restart us, well I am glad you asked. See, sometimes we become so attached to people that we forget about praising God. We start working and worshipping gets pushed back. We start hanging out and helping is no longer an option. We get promoted and then become a problem, get sick and then start sinning, get blessed and then become a burden and get a gift from God only to give it away. This is why God has to shut us down because we start acting like we don’t want to work. And you know as well as I do that when you shut stuff down, it usually works well when it restarts so why shouldn’t God shut us down? Baby, being shut down doesn’t mean you’re shut out; it’s just your cool down period that gives you time to put stuff into perspective and prioritize those things that need to be. When you can’t understand why it seems like your life is in chaos, why all hell is breaking loose around you, why nothing can go right, why it seems like you’re walking in circles or no matter how much you work you can’t get your head above water; that’s simply God shutting you down to start you back up. So, go on through your sickness, pain, unemployment, disappointments, being talked about/lied on, being knocked down and used because after the shutdown you’ll restart in the Savior’s secure mode where you won’t mind shouting about God’s significance, serving the spiritually sick, saving those who are still sinking in sin, sharing the strength you now have and striving to be stronger so that you never stumble over the same situations again. Yea, sometimes God has to shut us down but that’s simply to start us back up the right way and even though you don’t see it now, you’ll restart!
Lakisha, the Author 
Amen!!