HOW DO I KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

How do I know which way to go?

Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

Psalm 25:4-5 NLT

Pay attention and grow wise, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my teaching.

Proverbs 4:1-2 NLT

I will teach you wisdom's ways and lead you in straight paths. If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run.

Proverbs 4:11-12 NLT

Facing options

Sometimes we're faced with several options, and we don't know which way to go . In Psalm 25, David asked God for guidance. Perhaps he remembered when, as a shepherd boy, he had to show the right path to his sheep who were wandering away. Just as he knew which path would lead to safety for his sheep, God knew the path that would lead to everlasting life. Just as those sheep that looked to him for direction were in the least danger, so David knew he needed to look to God for direction.

Today, God still leads us by his truth — his written Word and his Spirit, which helps us to understand it. Are you not sure which path to take? Pray as David did and read what God has already said in his written Word. He will show the right road to follow.

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for September 9

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW CAN HOPE FOR THE FUTURE HELP ME LIVE TODAY?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

How can hope for the future help me live today?

What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse. All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently.

Romans 8:18-25 NLT

"Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life."

Matthew 19:29 NLT

Facing trials

We have strength and courage to face the trials of this life because we can look beyond them to the glory that God has in store for us. We know the sacrifices we make now will be rewarded by God.

Adapted from The Promise Bible
(Tyndale House) p A53

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW DOES GOD LEAD?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

How does God lead?

"My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish."

John 10:27-28 NLT

Hearing His voice

As our Good Shepherd, Jesus promises that we can hear and know His voice. This does not, however, have to be some mysterious, mystical process. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that God speaks to you quite often. I would venture to say He has spoken to you lately and may be speaking to you right now in some way.

God speaks to us through His Word. God will never lead us contrary to His written Word. It is our litmus test, our bedrock, our absolute.

God speaks to us through circumstances. Those circumstances can include failure. Jonah certainly heard God through his mistake. God may even speak to us through tragedy or hardship. C. S. Lewis wrote that, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to arouse a deaf world."

God speaks to us through His peace. When we live in God's will, we enjoy His peace. Do you need God to make a crucial call in your life? Then listen for His peace.

And once we have heard God's voice, what should we do? We must follow. Jesus calls, we respond. He whispers, we move. We follow — and then we keep on listening.

Adapted from Breakfast with Jesus by Greg Laurie (Tyndale House) pp 243-45

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR YOU?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

What's in store for you?

The Lord will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too.

Isaiah 58:11 NLT

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

William Williams

A step at a time

Wouldn't you like to know now what is in store for you a year from now? God leads us a day a time, a step at a time. No need to worry about distant events. The Welsh hymn writer William Williams compared the Christian life to the Israelite's trek through the wilderness. We may not know the route by which God is leading us, but we humbly count on His guidance.

As a college student, Williams prepared for a career in medicine. But one Sunday morning he heard a man preaching in a Welsh churchyard. Williams responded in faith, and his life was radically changed. For forty-three years he preached and sang throughout Wales. "He sang Wales into piety," said one writer. He was the poet laureate of the Welsh revival. Soon, all of Wales was singing their way to the coal mines and soccer matches. And their favorite hymn was this marching song by one of their own: "Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah.…Songs of praises I will ever give to Thee."

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for January 12

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

DO YOU SEEK THE COUNSEL OF OTHERS?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

Do you seek the counsel of others?

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of good sense to the godly. He is their shield, protecting those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:1-7 NLT

Accepting advice

The degree to which people will listen is determined by the degree to which we have wise counsel for them. If you want people to listen to you, you yourself must listen to the right adviser. Like Samuel, listen to the Lord's counsel — read his Word and hear what he says. There is no wiser counselor than he who knows every moment of every tomorrow and knows how you will fit into those moments.

If you think you know it all, you probably know less than you think. If, in humility, you recognize how much help and counsel you need, you will likely seek it and get it. No one wants to waste time counseling a fool, because the fool doesn't want counsel. We all enjoy sharing wisdom with the wise, and when we do, we discover new wisdom for our own needs. Proverbs 14:7 tells us that we should stay away from fools if we are looking for wise counsel.

From the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) pp 241, 558

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT APPEARS BAD MAY BE GOD'S PLAN FOR GOOD

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

What appears bad may be God's plan for good

"I am Joseph!" he said to his brothers. "Is my father still alive?" But his brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in front of them. "Come over here," he said. So they came closer. And he said again, "I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt. But don't be angry with yourselves that you did this to me, for God did it. He sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. These two years of famine will grow to seven, during which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh — manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt."

Genesis 45:3-8 NLT

About this week's promise

Homespun wisdom says, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Although you won't find it put just that way in the Bible, you will find many stories of both effective and poor planning. The Bible teaches that God is a God of both purpose and planning. His purpose is to draw all humanity to himself in order to forgive and redeem. His plan — from Creation, to the Law, to the Prophets, to Jesus and the church — is what we are seeing when we read and study the Bible. Planning is part of all of our lives. The only question is if, in all our planning, we ever consult his perfect and eternal plan.

From the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 1243

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHO IS REALLY POOR?

Today's promise: God helps those who help the poor

Who is really poor?

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT

Plow Work

Dr. Roy L. Laurin tells of a Christian businessman who was traveling in Korea. In a field by the side of the road was a young man pulling a crude plow while an old man held the handles. The businessman was amused and took a snapshot of the scene. "That is curious! I suppose these people are very poor," he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party. "Yes," was the quiet reply, "these two men happen to be Christians. When their church was being built, they were so eager to give something toward it, but they had no money. So they decided to sell their one and only ox and give the proceeds to the church. This spring they are pulling the plow themselves." The businessman was silent for some moments. Then he said, "That must have been a real sacrifice." "They did not call it that," said the missionary. "They thought themselves fortunate that they had an ox to sell!"

When the businessman reached home, he took the picture to his pastor and told him about it. Then he added, "I want to double my giving to the church and do some plow work. Up until now I have never given God anything that involved real sacrifice."

From 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale House) p 177

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

DOES GOD REALLY CARE ABOUT THE POOR?

Today's promise: God helps those who help the poor

Does God really care about the poor?

Who else protects the poor and needy from those who want to rob them?

Psalm 35:10 NLT

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord is thinking of me right now.

Psalm 40:17 NLT

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him; he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.

Psalm 72:12 NLT

"I'll just have to go blind"

A man was having a lot of trouble with his eyes. His doctor examined him and recommended the name of another doctor he should visit, saying, "I would advise you to go at once and take plenty of money with you, for it's going to cost a lot."

The man had eighty dollars in the bank, so he got his money and went to see the other doctor. After examining him, the doctor said, "I never accept less than five hundred dollars for this particular operation."

"Well, then," said the man, "I guess I'll just have to go blind, because I have only eighty dollars."

But the good doctor said, "There is one other way to solve our trouble. You don't have enough to pay the bill, and I can't charge you as little as eighty dollars, but there is another way open to us — I will do the operation for nothing." And that is just what he did.

adapted from a story by Kenneth N. Taylor, quoted in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale House) p 180

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

DOESN'T GOD CARE THAT I'M POOR?

Today's promise: God helps those who help the poor

Doesn't God care that I'm poor?

But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the storm. To the needy in distress, you are a shelter from the rain and the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are a storm beating against a wall, or like the relentless heat of the desert. But you silence the roar of foreign nations. You cool the land with the shade of a cloud. So the boastful songs of ruthless people are stilled.

Isaiah 25:4-5 NLT

Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you, I will never forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Can anything separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?…No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Romans 8:35-37 NLT

All the silver

In his book, The Life of Johnson, James Boswell describes how Johnson would frequently give all the silver in his pocket to the poor, who watched him, between his house and the tavern where he dined. Johnson would walk the streets at all hours and said he was never robbed, for the rogues knew he had little money, nor the appearance of having much.

Quoted in 1001 Great Stories and Quotes by R. Kent Hughes (Tyndale House) pp 176-77

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

IS GOD NOT HEARING YOU?

Today's promise: God is faithful to those who love Him

Is God not hearing you?

Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!

Exodus 14:15 NLT

When God waits

There are a lot of why questions that we lift up to God. Every day people are looking to heaven and crying out in frustration, "Lord, why aren't you doing something about this? Why is this happening to me?" We saturate the airwaves with the why questions of life.

I'm convinced that God has one answer for almost every one of those questions. He says, I'm just waiting on you.

When Moses and the Israelites stood on the edge of the Red Sea watching the Egyptian army close in on them, they cried out to God in fear. They began praying that God would somehow rescue them. And look what God said: "Tell the people to get moving!" (Exodus 14:15). To paraphrase, "I'm just waiting for you."

Too often we spend our days waiting for a miracle. When trouble comes, we cry out to God for help. When things don't move fast enough, we blame God for taking his time. And all the while God is saying to us, I haven't gone anywhere. I'm just waiting on you.

And what is it that God is waiting for? Often he is waiting for us to lay aside our own agenda and trust him.…Whenever God waits, he waits for a purpose.

And when we finally come to our senses and do the thing that we know he wants us to do, he moves with a vengeance. The Red Sea parts, and things start to happen.

From a devotional thought by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 289)

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW DOES GOD SHOW HIMSELF TO YOU?

Today's promise: God is faithful to those who love Him

How does God show Himself to you?

To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. You rescue those who are humble.…As for God, his way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true.…

Psalm 18:25-27,30 NLT

Faithful and dependable

A hot morning shower, a fresh cup of coffee. The lights in your kitchen and bathroom. What would you do if you were deprived of the basics of your dependable morning routine? Many of us would start shutting down. It's easy to take hot water and electricity for granted. The same is true of faithful love. It's easy t o take for granted the person who is always there to listen to your problems. It's easy to take for granted the person you run to when you're frustrated or in trouble. It's even easier to take for granted God's faithful care for you and your family. Every day God sustains the world in which we move and live. He provides food, clothing, and opportunities for employment. Most important, he showers love and concern on us every day. Our God is a faithful God. He is entirely dependable.

That same type of faithful and dependable love is the foundation of every strong relationship. Love is cheap if it's given only when things are going fine. Our love for others must be consistent and dependable.

Adapted from Praying God's Promises for My Marriage by Jon Farrar (Tyndale House) pp 24-25

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

IT'S ALWAYS A NEW DAY

Today's promise: God is faithful to those who love Him

It's always a new day

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends!…Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided —
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm

Astonishing gratefulness

Insurance agent Thomas O. Chisholm certainly had his share of disappointments in life. His health had been fragile, forcing him to resign as a Methodist minister after only one year of service. But he enjoyed writing and submitted his poetry to various Christian magazines. Sometimes he got rejection slips, sometimes acceptances, but he seldom received any money. He earned his meager living selling life insurance.

When he was seventy-five, he wrote, "My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness."

From The One Year Book of Hymns (Tyndale House) entry for October 15

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO YOU?

Today's promise: God is faithful to those who love Him

What does freedom mean to you?

What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord, whose people he has chosen for his own.

Psalm 33:12 NLT

"I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, regulations, and laws."

Genesis 26:4-5 NLT

The source of liberty

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances — to choose one's own way.

Victor Frankl

---

For Americans, July 4 has special meaning as we celebrate Independence Day. There will be parades and picnics and fireworks. It is a day to celebrate freedom — and to recognize God as the true source of freedom and blessing for any nation.

So much of our freedom today seems bound up in a world driven by material possessions, yet those who died for the liberty we enjoy often did so to obtain or preserve freedoms of conscience — speech, religion, assembly, among others. And much of the blessing we enjoy today began with the promise God made to Abraham.

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW IS YOUR PRAYER LIFE?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

How is your prayer life?

The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Psalm 145:17-19 NLT

Then Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them." His men replied, "We'll do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God first."

1 Samuel 14:36 NLT

The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.

Mark 1:35 NLT

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

About this week's promise

The most universally practiced yet least understood of human experiences, prayer is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. Its simplest definition is communication with God. Yet so often we approach prayer like a one-way telephone conversation, forgetting that God also wants to speak to us. Prayer appears nearly on every page of the Bible as the very essence of a faith relationship with the living God.

From the TouchPoint Bible (Tyndale House) p 1246

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM NEHEMIAH?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What can I learn from Nehemiah?

When I heard [how things were going in Jerusalem], I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, "O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel.

Nehemiah 1:4-6 NLT

The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?"
With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your majesty and if you are pleased with me, send me to Judah to rebuild the city when my ancestors are buried."

Nehemiah 2:4-5 NLT

Nehemiah's example

With little time to think, Nehemiah prayed to God. Eight times in this book we read that he offered a spontaneous prayer. Nehemiah prayed at any time, even while talking with others. He knew that God is always present, always in charge, always listening, and always ready to answer.

Nehemiah could confidently pray to God throughout the day because he had established an intimate relationship with him during times of extended prayer. If we want to be confident about our brief prayers, we need to take time to cultivate a strong relationship with God through times of in-depth prayer.

From the TouchPoint Bible (Tyndale House) p 422

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO PRAY?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What is the best time to pray?

We can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for.

1 John 5:14-15

I love the Lord because he hears and answers my prayers. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:1-2

Seize any time

And talking of sleepiness, I entirely agree with you that no one in his senses, if he has any power of ordering his own day, would reserve his chief prayers for bedtime — obviously the worst possible hour for any action which needs concentration. The trouble is that thousands of unfortunate people can hardly find any other. Even for us, who are the lucky ones, it is not always easy. My own plan, when hard-pressed, is to seize any time and place, however unsuitable, in preference to the last waking moment. On a day of travelling — with, perhaps, some ghastly meeting at the end of it — I'd rather pray sitting in a crowded train than put it off till midnight when one reaches a hotel bedroom with aching head and dry throat and one's mind partly in a stupor and partly in a whirl. On other, and slightly less crowded, days a bench in a park or a back street where one can pace up and down will do.

C. S. Lewis in Letters to Malcolm

Quoted in The Quotable Lewis edited by Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root (Tyndale House) p 493)

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE IN PRAYER?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

What should be our attitude in prayer?

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Yes, Lord, your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, your servant is listening."

1 Samuel 3:8-10 NLT

Speak, Lord, in the stillness, while I wait on Thee; hushed my heart to listen in expectancy.

Speak, O blessed Master, in this quiet hour, let me see Thy face, Lord, feel Thy touch of power.

Emily May Grimes

God revealed

God revealed himself mightily to the prophet El ijah, sending fire to burn the sacrifice on Mount Carmel. But later, as Elijah moped on the mountain, the Lord taught him an important lesson. There was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire — but the Lord was not in any of these. Then came a still, small voice. That was how God chose to speak to His prophet.

The same is true today. We long for fire from heaven to silence the skeptics once and for all, but God doesn't usually work that way. Long ago He revealed Himself as a helpless baby sleeping in a dirty feed trough, and today He speaks quietly to ordinary people like you and me—if only we are still enough to listen. That is the sentiment expressed by Emily May Grimes in the words of the hymn, "Speak, Lord, in the Stillness."

From The One Year Book of Hymns (Tyndale House) entry for September 5

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW CAN I MAKE MY PRAYERS EFFECTIVE?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

How can I make my prayers effective?

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks. Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 NLT

Praying effectively

Paul urges Timothy to lift up requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving.

A request is a need, a deep desire for something we don't have — something only God can supply.

A prayer is a word of praise and adoration. A more accurate translation of this word from the original Greek might be to "worship in earnest."

Intercession is praying on behalf of others. Our prayers should regularly reflect this kind of selfless lifestyle.

Thanksgiving involved remembering those past prayers that have already been answered, acknowledging that we not only trust God's supremacy and involvement in our life but also how his hand has moved and guided us in the past.

When we pray effectively, we do more than communicate with God — we commune with him. We become one in mind and spirit and purpose. Today, let the focus of your prayer time be to connect with God in a very real and personal way, not as a slave would petition his master, but as a son would enjoy the company of a loving and gracious father.

Adapted from a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 36

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

WHERE DO WE FIND GOD'S PRESENCE?

Today's promise: Our prayers bring us into God's presence

Where do we find God's presence?

Open for me the gates where the righteous enter; and I will go in and thank the Lord. Those gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there. I thank you for answering my prayer and saving me!

Psalm 118:19-21 NLT

The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.

Psalm 145:18 NLT

Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God's presence, assured of his glad welcome.

Ephesians 3:12 NLT

Prayer brings us to His presence

[Psalm 118] pictures a victorious yet battle-weary king at the helm of a throng o f grateful people entering the gates of the temple to thank God for saving them. During those times, the temple represented God's presence — the place where followers would go to pray to the Lord. Today, we enter into God's presence in a car, at work, or in the aisles of a grocery store — wherever we take time to pray to him. We can be sure God hears our prayers and answers each one wherever and whenever they are uttered. And by doing so, he gives us even more reasons to pray.

Just like the victorious king in this psalm, we should enter God's presence by thanking him for answering prayers. What answers to prayer are you thankful for today?

Adapted from The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale House) entry for November 28

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

HOW CAN I DEAL WITH FEELINGS OF HOPELESSNESS?

Today's promise: God has wonderful plans for your life

How can I deal with feelings of hopelessness?

"The truth is that you will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:10-11 NLT

A future and a hope

Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse of many, but it comes in a context that may add even greater meaning.

It appears in the middle of the prophet's announcement. The people of Israel were going to spend a long exile away from their homeland — 70 years — as God's discipline. After that, God would return them to the land. In other words, God had a plan for their future.

Our sinfulness often leads to dismal situations and feelings of despair. But we must always remember that hopelessness does not come from God. God is the author of hope. Even the Exile, with its seeming hopelessness, was part of God's long-range plan for his people. And his plans were good.

If you are facing hopelessness, you may be inheriting the results of some other person's sinful decisions and actions. Or you may be reaping your own bad rewards. You may not have really discovered the hope that is found in God's love for you through Jesus Christ. Reject despair and seek out God's plan — and his hopes — for you.

Adapted from the TouchPoint Bible
(Tyndale House) p 660

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House

LIVING BRIDGES

LIVING BRIDGES

READ:

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Blessed is the man who trusts

in the LORD.  –Jeremiah 17:7

People who live in Cherrapunji, India, have developed a unique way to get across the many rivers and streams in their land.  They grow bridges from the roots of rubber trees.  These “living bridges” take between 10 to 15 years to mature, but once they are established, they are extremely stable and last for hundreds of years.

The Bible compares a person who trusts in God to “a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river” (Jeremiah 17:8).  Because its roots are well-nourished, this tree survives soaring temperatures.  And during drought it continues to yield fruit.  

Like a firmly rooted tree, people who rely on God have a sense of stability and vitality despite the worst circumstances.  In contrast, people who place their trust in other humans often live with a sense of instability.  The Bible compares them to desert shrubs that are frequently malnourished and stand alone (v.6).  So it is with the spiritual lives of people who forsake God.

Where are our roots?  Are we rooted in Jesus? (Colossians 2:7).  Are we a bridge that leads others to Him?  If we know Christ, we can testify to this truth:  Blessed are those who trust in the Lord (Jeremiah 17:7). –Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Jesus is all the world to me,

My life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

Without Him I would fall. – Thompson

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Even strong trials cannot blow down

a person who is rooted in God.

INSIGHT

The heart is the very basis of character, including the mind and will.  Because of our sinful nature, the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” Jeremiah 17:9).  Jeremiah debunked the popular belief that people are basically good (cf. Job 25:4, Psalm 51:5).  That God examines and test the heart is the consistent teaching of Scripture (1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 6:30; Psalm 139:1-2; Jeremiah 11:20; Romans 8:27; Hebrews 4:12-13).  Although we might try to hide our innermost thoughts and motives from others, God sees.  He alone knows the true character of every person.  God searches and knows us, but loves us despite our inherent sinfulness.

Have a blessed evening and weekend.

God Our Creator’s Love Always

Unity & Peace