Category Archives: Studies

Receive. Remain. Respond.

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Receive. Remain. Respond.
By Meg Bucher

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” – 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

“Did you even stop to notice what I was doing before you barged into my space, here?” I abruptly asked my daughter mid-sentence.

We often share descriptive discussions, but when she bursts into my train of thought unannounced, I struggle to keep up with the conversation. I prefer to be an active participant in these épilogues, but she often launches right in without any warning. When I ask her to start over, confessing I wasn’t listening, hurt and frustration fill her sweet face. She simply does not understand why I can’t instantly drop everything to give her my full attention.

1 Peter 3:15 encourages believers to do the diligent work of developing our faith in Christ. We do this by allowing the Lord to capture our attention, and by leaving room in our lives to listen to Him as He speaks. Our relationship deepens as we pursue Him daily in His Word and through prayer. He will also place other people perfectly in our lives to speak Truth to, love, and challenge us to step up and respond to them with love. The firm foundation of our faith prepares us to react in the way this verse commands. When we follow Christ, it’s important to be approachable, and interruptible! Only He knows what each day will hold, and He faithfully prepares us to respond when we make time to receive, and remain in, His Truth.

prepared-answer-sq

Acts 16:14 tells the story of a woman named Lydia: “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” (ESV)

Lydia responded immediately, and was baptized alongside everyone in her house! Why does it sometimes take longer for some to respond than others? Moses doubted he could fulfill what God called him to do. Peter denied Jesus. Thomas doubted. Sometimes, we fall under the mistaken impression that God’s calling to serve, especially in ministry, only looks a certain way or is attached to a specific set of talents. We’re not responsible for the way others respond to God, but for following His unique call on our lives.

The prophet Ezekiel sat for several days after the LORD called him to prophecy. He had experienced the glory of God, and it has physically drained and spiritually challenged him! He needed time to sit and digest what God had revealed to and instructed him to do. Our response to God will reflect the One abiding in us when we open our ears to hear and receive His Word. When we remain with Him, allowing His presence, wisdom, and truth to envelope and adjust our perspective to align with His, we are better able to submit our gut response for one obedient and aligned to His will for our lives.

Jesus didn’t wait until we were sinless to die for us, because it never would have happened. He has never required our perfection in exchange for His perfect sacrifice.

We are all missionaries, purposed workers for the Kingdom of God. It’s important to let our minds marinate with their Creator. He may have a quick response prepared for us today, or a slow mulling over. However He chooses to work in our lives, His timing always trumps our gut response.

Receive His Truth. Remain in His presence. Respond in Love.

A Prayer for When You’ve Lost EverythingBy Jennifer Maggio

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“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

It was 3:30 in the morning when I received the call that changed everything. “Jennifer, you need to get out of the house. Your neighborhood is flooding,” my friend sobbed hysterically. Unsure if I was dreaming, I stumbled from my bed, down the hall, and out my front door. Floodwaters were pouring into my neighborhood, more quickly than I can even describe. Within 20 minutes, we were loaded in the car and fleeing the scene. It took only a matter of hours for the Great Louisiana Flood of 2016 to overtake my home and wash away virtually everything I owned – baby pictures, wedding albums, my children’s first letters, everything.

There is someone reading this who is there, right now. You have lost everything; you feel you can’t go on, you are certain no one sees you. I’m writing this for you, today. I’m writing to tell you some important things for you to know when you lose everything.

You haven’t lost everything. It may seem like it, today. It may seem like the dark cloud has followed you way too long. Maybe you’ve lost a great deal in a short period of time. Maybe you’ve lost your job and your health is failing, and your mom just died. I don’t know what your loss looks like today and I wouldn’t dare minimize it. Take your time to grieve the loss. Take your time; let time heal the wounds of the loss. But please know: you haven’t lost everything. God is with you. As a born-again child of the King, your salvation isn’t lost. Your future beyond this earth is secure.

It doesn’t matter how you feel today. It doesn’t matter if you can’t feel God’s presence. Feelings are temporal and fleeting. What is true is that He is with you. Satan would like nothing more than to convince you otherwise. There are thousands of lies that Satan will whisper in your ear. But that’s just it. They are lies – lies from the pit of Hell, designed strategically to hold you down, destroy you, steal you your hope, and kill the joy of your future. Do not stand for it.

You have been given the authority to stand firm against the lies of the enemy. You have the authority to cast down his plans of attack against you. Know that you are God’s beloved. He sees you. He loves you. You are not alone.

A Prayer for When You’ve Lost Everything:

Lord, I’ll just be honest: I feel like everything good has been taken from me. And I feel like You’ve let it happen. Can I admit that to You? Thank you for being big enough to handle all my fears, angers, and uncertainties.

Lord, thank you for this truth: I am afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, struck down but not destroyed. 

Lord, help me- give me Your Spirit, help me know Your goodness even in the midst of this pain. Help me out of this pit, Lord, and onto steady ground. 

Thank You, God for never leaving me. Help me only have hope in You. 

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Get the Power to Go after Your GoalsBy Rick Warren

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“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it” (Proverbs 16:9 The Message)

Proverbs 16:9 says, “We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it” (The Message).

You get to plan the way you want to live, but only God gives you the power and energy to actually experience transformation. Why? Because God provides the three things you must have to reach your goal and change your life.

1. You need God’s Spirit to empower you.

You need God’s help to make changes you can’t make on your own. It’s not based on willpower. It’s based on God’s power. It’s not based on trying. It’s based on trusting.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “‘You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord All-Powerful” (NCV).

Zechariah 4:6 by My Spirit say the Lord, Bible Postcard | Zazzle.com

2. You need God’s Word to guide you.

The Bible is the owner’s manual for life. The more you read it, study it, memorize it, and meditate on it, the more successful and fulfilled you’re going to be in life.

When Joshua was given the great dream of taking over the Promised Land—a goal that would take him the rest of his life—God spoke these words to him: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Joshua 1:8 NASB).

3. You need God’s people to support you.

You will not be able to reach your goals on your own. It takes a team to fulfill a dream!

A crowd can’t support you, but a small group can. The people in your small group know when you’re sick, when you’re having a tough time, when you need a break. You can share your goals and successes and failures, and they will rejoice with you and encourage you to keep going. You’re going to need that when you make the right kind of goals and pursue them wholeheartedly.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, “By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped” (The Message).

Your Life is Your Time

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Charles Stanley

Ephesians 5:14-17

Our lives are governed by time. That’s why we’re surrounded by clocks and calendars that dictate our activities. As the minutes tick by, we wonder where the day went. When responsibilities and pressures mount, we complain, “I just don’t have time to get it all done!” But the reality is that God has given us enough time to do exactly what He’s planned for our lives. Perhaps the bigger issue is whether we are using our time to do our will or the Lord’s.

Time is a gift from God, and He has allotted each of us a measure in which to live and accomplish His purposes.

We have only two options—to spend it temporally on our own interests or invest it eternally. Since time can never be retrieved or reversed, it’s critical that we make the most of every opportunity the Lord provides.

The key to investing in eternity is following God’s plan for your life, not just filling your days with activities. Jesus was allocated just thirty-three years of life on earth, but only the last three were spent in fulfilling His Messianic ministry. To us that seems like a waste of time. Yet Christ accomplished everything His Father gave Him to do. That’s why on the cross He could say, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Scripture compares earthly life to “a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14), but eternal life never ends. It’s foolish to spend your life on a vapor when you can reap everlasting benefits by following God’s will for your time here. Each day is an opportunity to choose.

Where Is God When I Need Him Most?

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By Melissa Spoelstra

Today’s Truth
Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”) (Exodus 17:15 NLT).

Friend to Friend
During her kindergarten year, my daughter had a variety of puzzling symptoms that caused her organs to start shutting down with septic shock. During the days on the ventilator in the ICU, I felt God’s presence and power in a way unparalleled to any other time in my life. But I wasn’t prepared for the battles I would face after going home.  

My other children had been displaced during the long ordeal and needed extra attention. My daughter was getting better but still required daily shots in her stomach because of a blood clot that resulted from a central line IV. To say I was weary would have been an understatement. But the crazy thing was the battle going on in my mind. I had stood firm in faith in the midst of the scary parts of the journey, but now that things were mostly better, I began replaying the original incident over and over in my mind.  

What if I had gone to the ER sooner? What if I had pressed harder with questions and advocated harder for her in the early days of her symptoms? I knew that playing out these scenarios accomplished nothing, yet I was plagued with a battle in my mind. 

God’s character revealed in His names can help us stand firm when we find ourselves in the midst of a battle – whether the struggles are mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. One of His names is Yahweh Nissi: the Lord Our Banner. The first mention of this name is found in Exodus 17. After the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, sang a song of praise, and complained about bitter water, they stood face to face with an enemy army. They were weary from travel and harsh conditions. They were asking a question we sometimes ask when we face challenges: Where is God when I need Him most?

When we find ourselves here, we can complain or we can seek God. When we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, we often are called to battle. While we may not have a physical army in front of us, we may be battling bad habits, addictions, and choices. 

Yahweh Nissi reminds us that we have a source of strength in our weakness. In scripture, a banner was an object that represented something greater. In Exodus 17, Moses’s staff served as a banner to remind the people of God’s power. This “banner” was an object to lift high so that, during a weary season of battle, the people could remember that God had performed supernatural works in the past to give them strength in the present!  

The people were to look up at Moses’s staff – the object associated with the plagues, the Red Sea, and the water they drank out of a rock. Then they would remember that God was bigger than their enemy. After they won the battle, Moses worshipped God. 

Exodus 17:15 says, “Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means ‘the Lord is my banner’).” Like a flag that represents a nation, God wants us to set our eyes on symbols or reminders of His power rather than the strength of the enemy or our own personal weariness.

When we want to quit, we can look to Jesus Christ. He is the banner that shows us how greatly God loves us, and the cross is the symbol of His sacrificial death for us. Through Jesus we have the power to fight every battle. 

Some things that have helped me raise a banner of faith include calling a friend and asking for prayer, memorizing or meditating on a Scripture, writing in a journal, and thinking about the cross. 

What are some symbols or reminders of God’s help in the past that bring you hope and strength in the midst of today’s challenges? Click on the comment button and let’s share. 

Let’s Pray
Yahweh Nissi, help me to remember often how You have worked in the past so I can trust You in the present! Show me what it would look like to raise a banner today remembering all that You have done in my life. Reveal to me those alongside me who need strength and support today. I want to point them to You and support them as they seek You. Give me wisdom also to know how prayer and action are needed in my weary seasons.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer for the Pursuit of Perfection

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By Meg Bucher

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48 NIV

“Why do you expect me to be perfect?” Every teenager asks this as they are being disciplined or held accountable. The pressure they, and we, put on ourselves to be better than we are is more immense than we like to admit. Buried under denial, shame, and guilt, lies a sinner in everyone in need of a Savior.

“I don’t expect you to be perfect,” I repeatedly explain to my daughter. “But I do expect your best effort.”

Our heavenly Father expects, and holds us accountable, for no less a standard. The same effort one student applies to achieve straight A’s could lead the next to barely passing grades. The effort is the most important lesson in character development.

The above verse commands us to be perfect, or complete and whole. “Jesus sets up the high ideal of perfect or complete love- including both attitude and action,” the NIV Study Bible explains of Matthew 5:48. “This is God’s high standard for his people, empowered by the presence of Jesus in their midst.”

Perfection is an illusion for humanity, but not for God. We strive for it, because in every human heart lies the desire to be closer to God. To be close to our holy God requires the pursuit of perfection. “The future tense holds out an emphatic goal that is to shape the disciples’ entire life… the future tense also implies a promise, because the Father is not only the divine goal but also the divine enabler,” the NIV Application Commentary explains, “Jesus puts his command in such a way that disciples may look for divine help as they press toward God’s goal for them.”

Matthew 5:49, inspirational image

Life within the love of Christ Jesus allows us tap into divine power to achieve a level of obedience and success which we could not accomplish in our own strength. Jesus’ use of the word perfection was in the context of an objective goal. (Strongs) We can and do achieve great things without a thought towards God. But in this verse, Christ is calling us to do more than just reach a worldly benchmark. The perfection He is commanding us to aim for is complete: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Perfection is achieved by the Spirit of the living God living in us. Paul also wrote, “But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.” (1 Cor 13:10). God doesn’t ask us to be perfect here on earth, much like I don’t expect my children to be perfect. But He does command we stay on the path toward perfection, and seek Him with all of our hearts.

Let’s pray now for God to persevere us until the day we are finally and completely made perfect.

Father, 

We praise You for this day, and Your purpose for it. This is the day that You have made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Father, let the chains of our sins fall off so we may run unhindered after Christ Jesus today, and always. Remove the self-condemnation, shame, and guilt we feel when we sin, mess things up, and fall terribly short. Renew us each day, Father God. Restore us on the road to perfection, which will culminate when we meet You in heaven for eternity.https://1745ebd2b426722f1469d56d412e4205.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Oh, God! Help us to focus on Your perfection and rely completely on You as we journey through this day. Help us to forgive ourselves alongside others, Father. Enable us to run free and hard in the race You have set for us to run… not for earthly crowns, but the eternal reward and rest of heaven.

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen.

The Best Beginning for the Day

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By: Lynn Cowell

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” Psalm 143:8 (ESV)

As the morning sun peeks over the hill, spilling sunlight into the room, I want to soak in this moment, for I don’t how many more I’ll have.

I take in the scene that is not new to me but is ever so precious.

With my Bible in my lap, I sit on one end of the couch. There on the other end, also with her Bible in her lap, is Mom. Quietly, side by side, we begin our day with Jesus, each practicing the words of David: “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).

After a while, a natural conversation begins as we share with each other what we’re learning.

For over 50 years, my mother has begun her day this way, and I have had the privilege of seeing her do so. When she came to know Christ in an intimate way in her mid-30s, she began this practice, building the firm foundation of faith she stands on today. It’s the same discipline she taught me by simply modeling how to spend time with Jesus first thing in the morning.

Though my kids are now all grown and have homes of their own, I’m continuing the pattern of modeling what I learned from Mom. When my kids wake on the mornings they’re visiting, they find me in my chair, reading God’s Word and talking to Jesus. Often, my “good morning” greeting as they come down the stairs leads to a conversation about what I’m reading and what Jesus is teaching me that day. We’ll talk about what God is up to and how we see Him at work.

These are my very favorite mornings, when I have the opportunity to live out Psalm 145:4, which says, “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power” (NLT). I cherish these moments with my children, just as I cherish my moments with Mom.

You may not have learned from your mom to make reading and studying God’s Word a daily habit. Maybe your spiritual teachers have been neighbors, friends, Bible study leaders and pastors. Maybe you’ve joined Bible studies, read His Word through an app and memorized Scripture sent by text from a friend. The important thing for each of us is to make the Lord and His Word our priority. God’s Word sets the course for our day, empowering us to live out the day before us while honoring Him.

I’m so grateful for what Mom lived out before me. I see the benefits of poring over God’s Word day after day. Nowadays, when Mom doesn’t feel well or strong, she can shut her eyes, and her heart can recall His words. She can meditate on His Truth because she has hidden it in her heart for years and years, and we can continue our conversations of where we see God working.

I hope Mom and I have many more opportunities to read our Bibles side by side, but even if we don’t, I can rest assured that, as I keep talking to Jesus on earth, Mama will be talking to Jesus face to face.

Jesus, thank You for all of those in our lives who have taught us Your Word and taught us how to study Your Word for ourselves. Bless them. Show us who we can in turn teach as well as proclaim Your power to. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Succulents of Hope By Bronwyn Lea

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These past few months, I decided to try my hand at creating a succulent garden. “Oh, they’re so easy to grow!” friends said, and I sighed. I have not found succulents easy.

My feeble attempts at re-potting healthy-looking plants were rewarded with the leaves plummeting off the plants within a week of my handling them, even as others just turned yellow and sort of shriveled. I was deeply discouraged: was I overwatering them, or under watering them? Were they getting too much sun or too little? I didn’t know how to fix it, but I suspected they were failing, and the sallow, slumped leaves seemed to confirm this. I looked at the pile of fallen leaves lying in the potting soil and grieved. I studied the rotting ones still attached and tried to WILL them back into health… only to be discouraged when yet another one fell the following day.

Of course, it was never just about the succulents. Those little plants seemed symbolic of so much going on. I was trying so hard to make distance learning work, and while I could *see* our kids weren’t flourishing, I wasn’t sure how to fix it. Except, with children (and work, and church, and the malaise of the world), the problems are a lot more complex than getting the wrong ratio of light and water.

But God recently surprised me with hope in the most unexpected places. After weeks of watching leaves droop, drop, and start to decay and wondering whether my plants were going to make it, I realized I have been looking in the wrong place. My eyes had been focused on the old leaves falling off, but I hadn’t looked to the tips of the plant, to see if any new buds were forming. And when I looked, there they were! My efforts at readjusting had not been the failures I’d thought.https://363fac87c9954954fa6cbc611a862e9d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Hope sometimes doesn’t look like the old thing recovering. Dying leaves don’t un-yellow and re-green themselves. Hope, as it turns out, sometimes looks like a tiny new thing sprouting. And so, when a mentor showed me Isaiah 43:18-19, God immediately brought the succulents to mind:

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up! Do you not perceive it?

Isaiah 43:18

I was so focused on worrying about what was being lost, and whether it could be salvaged, I was NOT perceiving the new thing. But when I started to look for buds, I realized there were tiny new nodes all over the place. And earlier this week, I clapped my hands with joy when I noticed yet another surprising new place of growth: tiny green tendrils of growth shooting from the edges of the dead leaves that had fallen!

How to Make Succulent Container Gardens | Midwest Living

Jesus said the same thing, but I’d forgotten: unless a kernel of wheat (or a succulent leaf!) falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24).

I am looking at our children, at our community, at our church with a new set of eyes. Rather than focusing on the things which have drooped and dropped, I’m asking God to help me notice the new thing he’s doing. Because he is. He is always advancing his Kingdom. He is always nurturing his children. He is doing a new thing among us: inviting us to see buds of growth, and find places of new life.

What might he be sprouting in me? And in us? What new budding opportunities are there in how God is forming us in our walk with him? Where are there opportunities for evangelism and neighborliness there weren’t before? What new ways might there be to build community we never imagined? How might his plans to reach children, youth, students, neighbors, and our city be freshly reimagined? How will God keep his promise to build his church in this season?

We are invited to keep our eyes open together: He’s the God who brings growth, and he is doing a new thing.

The Need of the Day

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by: Jeff Schreve

But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13

A few years ago, I was going through a rough patch in life. It seemed as if everyone was against me. My main job at that time was trying to keep the 50% of the people who didn’t like me away from the 50% who were not sure. (I’m joking of course, but it felt that way.) During those dark days, I would sit down to read my mail and often find anonymous letters full of discouragement. Have you ever been there? Have you ever experienced a host of discouraging voices?

As I was sinking into the pit of despair, a dear friend of mine spoke into my life. He said, “Jeff, quit focusing on those people who are upset at you, and start focusing on the people who love you. So what if you had three people gripe and complain about you this morning. You have over a thousand who are pleased with you and the job you are doing. Focus on them!”

That was GREAT advice. That was an encouraging word. That was a message I needed to hear.

ENCOURAGEMENT

God makes it clear in His Word that we are to encourage one another each and every day. We are to speak wholesome words that edify and build up, not rotten words that discourage and tear down (Ephesians 4:29). Encouragement can make all the difference in the world to someone who is struggling. Mark Twain once said, “One compliment can keep me going for a whole month.” WOW! There is power in an encouraging word!

Perhaps you are not much of an encourager. Perhaps you tend to see the negatives and not the positives. Perhaps you are a perfectionist who is never really pleased enough with anything or anyone to voice a word of encouragement. Well, perhaps you need to change! God wants you to start encouraging people. He wants you to start TODAY!

NOTES, CALLS, MEETINGS

How can you obey Hebrews 3:13 today? Why not start with an encouraging note, or e-mail, or text, or phone call to a friend or loved one? Why not go into a work associate’s and brag on him/her for a job well done? Why not sit down with your child and brag on his/her good qualities. Why not sit down with your wife and let her know how much you appreciate her for all she does? (Why not say it with flowers?) Why not sit down with your husband and brag on his sacrifice in providing for the family? (Why not say it with lingerie? Man, I hope my wife reads this!)

And while you are at it, start encouraging yourself! Fill your mind with words of faith and victory. Practice Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” You are someone who is special and precious to God. He has great and wonderful plans for you. Believe it and receive it this day! BE ENCOURAGED, in Jesus’ name!

Love,

Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries

A Prayer for When You Can’t Decide

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by: Kristine Brown

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” – Psalm 55:22

“Are you going to enroll your son in public school, or do you plan to homeschool?” the realtor’s question hung in the air for several minutes. I hadn’t even considered our options. Now as we searched for the perfect place to call home, panic threatened. How had we forgotten possibly the single most important detail of our relocation?

Until then, our son happily attended part-time preschool at the local church. If we could’ve just stopped time and stayed in this place forever, I would’ve been fine with it. But life doesn’t stop for job changes, growing kids, or moving to a new town. And with changes come tough decisions that must be made.

I’ve never been a stellar decision-maker. In fact, letting my husband handle all the big decisions had become a habit. But learning to trust God begins when we learn to take our decisions – our cares – to Him. Give God control, and trust Him with the outcome.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22 NIV

Psalm 52:22 sq

There are times in our lives when we take our problems to God in prayer, then hear clear direction from Him on which path to take. Then, there are those other times. When we pray continually but feel like God doesn’t hear us at all. We may think He’s letting us figure it out on our own, but if we know God will never leave us or forsake us, why doesn’t He answer? How do we make a decision without hearing from God?

God’s Word distinguishes between His plan and a path. We know He has a plan for us, as it states in Jeremiah 29:11. We can also rest assured there may be choices to make. So whether our family chose homeschooling, public school, or private, God would be with us as long as we kept Him at the center of our lives. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)

When we bring our decisions to Him, God assures us of His steady, guiding hand. He will help us decide.

Are you agonizing over a big decision today? Do you fear making the wrong choice? God hears us. Let’s take those cares to Him in prayer. We can trust Him with the decision, the direction, and the outcome.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Your Word tells me “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16) Thank you for the good plans you have for me and for guiding me through every difficult decision.

Lord, forgive me for taking control of this decision, agonizing over which path to take. I’ve let so many voices drown out Your voice. I want to hear You above all else, but the weight of responsibility over this decision consumes me. You “know my anxious thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23) I give this burden to You today and trust You to guide my path.

“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5) I have nothing to fear because You are with me. As You help me to choose the right path today, I pray You will bless the journey and use it for Your glory alone. Thank you for your promise to protect me and my family. I trust you with the outcome of this decision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.