Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Proverbs 19:21 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
21 The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Life rarely follows the path we imagined.
We create timelines, set goals, and chase dreams — only to face unexpected setbacks, delays, and heartbreaks.
Whether it’s a lost opportunity, a closed door, or an unforeseen crisis, these detours can leave us questioning everything.
We may feel disoriented, disappointed, or even forgotten.
But even when our carefully crafted plans unravel, God’s purpose remains steady.
His sovereign hand is never shaken
Proverbs 19:21 Amplified Bible
21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).
This powerful verse grounds us in truth: while it’s natural to dream and plan, it’s God’s overarching purpose that ultimately comes to pass.
And that’s good news.
Why? Because God sees and shapes the bigger picture.
He knows the end from the beginning.
While our plans may be well-intentioned, they are limited by what we can see and understand.
His purpose, however, is rooted in divine wisdom, love, and eternal perspective.
When life feels like it’s falling apart, God is often assembling something better — something aligned with His perfect will and timing.
If you’re feeling uncertain, behind, or heartbroken over dreams that haven’t come true, let this prayer guide you back unto God’s peace and perspective.
Proverbs 3:5-8 Amplified Bible
5 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 [a]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. 8 It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts] And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.
The Bible is chock full of stories of people who have made plans for their lives but who never saw it come to pass because they did not sufficiently take into account the greatest outside influencer of their lives that being the will of God.
If we apply the same principles we learn from these stories, we can see the same thing in the lives of many from secular history as well. God is in control, not us.
In our lives, my wife and I have seen times that we thought we were headed one direction, only to find out that what seemed so sure and so secure (so good) to us was redirected into a dead end and life took us in a completely different way.
Sometimes it was because we made our plans without asking God and at other times, we just couldn’t contemplate nor understand what he had in store for us.
What makes this even more interesting is that some of the worst tragedies (at least it seemed it was to me at the time) turned out to be exactly just what we needed to redirect us and take us in an unseen but wonderful direction in life.
Seek his will for your life and he will lead you.
Seek his guidance and he will show you the way.
Follow his teaching and he opens doors for you that you never thought nor ever considered were possible. Trust God to lead you. Pray for him to guide you.
Open your heart to his response.
In absolute faith, give Jesus your life and he will use you in his way.
He has a place for every one of us in his plans.
Let him lead.
Let him guide.
Let him direct your steps.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Praying …
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.
A Psalm of David.
138 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods. 2 I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word together with Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.
4 All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O Lord, When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]. 5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the Lord [joyfully celebrating His wonderful acts], For great is the glory and majesty of the Lord. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever— Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
God’s extravagant grace was present before the beginning of time, has been revealed in Jesus, and continues unchanged and unchangeable for eternity.
Can we somehow, in someway, finally let God’s grace overwhelm us today?
2 Timothy 1:8-12 English Standard Version
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,[b]10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.[c]
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Grace is a gift most of us do not know how to receive.
We’ve been so inundated with our earthly systems of give-and-get and work-and-earn that grace is a concept few ever fully grasp.
Yet it’s grace alone that has the power to transform lives.
Grace alone has the power to bring freedom to the captives.
By grace alone we are saved.
There could be no better use of our time than consistently and passionately pursuing a greater revelation of God’s grace.
I remember becoming transfixed with the transforming power of grace while watching and then re-watching the movie Les Miserables.
Jean Valjean was arrested for stealing a simple loaf of bread.
Finally released after 19 years in prison, he could not find any place to stay until a Bishop graciously offered him lodging.
But then Valjean stole some silver from the Bishop’s home and fled.
Captured by the authorities next day, he was brought back to face the Bishop.
But instead of accusing him, the Bishop said he had given Valjean the silver, and then in addition to the silver, Bishop also gave Valjean two silver candlesticks.
Overwhelmed with the extravagance of grace, Valjean’s priorities changed.
He surrendered his life to God and worked to help others.
God’s extravagant grace was present before the beginning of time, has been revealed in Jesus, and continues unchanged and unchangeable for eternity.
Can we somehow, in someway, finally let God’s grace overwhelm us today?
Transformation-Extravagant Purposeful Grace
2 Timothy 1:8-12 The Message
8-10 So don’t be embarrassed to speak up for our Master or for me, his prisoner. Take your share of suffering for the Message along with the rest of us. We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work. We had nothing to do with it. It was all his idea, a gift prepared for us in Jesus long before we knew anything about it. But we know it now. Since the appearance of our Savior, nothing could be plainer: death defeated, life vindicated in a steady blaze of light, all through the work of Jesus.
One of the greatest gifts we have been given by God is purpose.
From the time of Adam, God has always made clear the purposes we were created for.
In Genesis 1:28 God says, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Throughout time our purposes have changed, but God has made it clear that we all are to have lives that are valuable and effective.
Have you lived days where you’re simply going through the motions?
Have you had days where you feel as if what you do doesn’t matter?
Those days in my life are my absolute worst.
It is clear I would rather go through trial and persecution with purpose than live a meaningless day.
It’s in purpose we find satisfaction.
In purpose we find out our lives matter.
And in purpose we discover the reason we were created.
2 Timothy 1:9 says, “[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”
Because of God’s grace and purpose we have been called to a life of wonderful and satisfying works.
The Bible teaches us a truth in opposition to the teachings of the world.
The world says to work enough to live a life of comfort and ease.
Work is done for the purpose of relaxation and comfort.
God says that we are created for a life of eternal value in which everything we do is to have purpose higher than our own comfort and relaxation.
God has placed highest value and worth on our lives to an extent we have yet to discover.
He has a plan and purpose for your life that God’s assigned to no one else.
Our life is meant to make an eternal impact for his kingdom which will reign for all time.
But in his grace God has also given you control of your own life.
You can choose to live your life according to his purposes or your own.
And you can choose to pursue comfort and meaningless relaxation or a life of true rest and satisfaction that comes only from living entirely for God.
My fervent hope is that in looking at two purposes God has for our life, we will choose to live our lives completely with and only for our heavenly Father.
And in doing so, we will steadily discover the incredible joy and passion and the purpose the Holy Spirit longs to birth in you and bring to maturity for the Lord.
The first purpose for which we were created is abiding relationship with God.
Jesus says in Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”
The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it this way: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”
Loving God is your highest calling, and in loving God we will experience the fullest joy and satisfaction available.
When you stand before God in judgment, God will not look for our possessions, promotions, or social status, but rather at the fervor with which you loved Him.
We will be rewarded for acts of love, not self-seeking glorification.
And this chief purpose of loving God is the only path to the abundant life he has in store for you here.
The second purpose for which we were created is loving others in response to your love for God. Mark 12:31 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Ephesians 5:1-2“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Acts 26:16 says, “But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.”
We are called to love others out of the amazing love we’ve been shown by God.
As our hearts and souls are filled with love for God through their encountering God in their secret places, we will be filled with a longing to see his desires for others around us come to fruition.
God’s greatest longing is for relationship with his crown of creation, and God wants to use us to guide others to himself.
In loving others we will discover the incredible satisfaction of seeing the lost and hurting be found and healed.
Incredible passion and irrepressible joy comes from seeing a life transformed through the Holy Spirit interceding, ministering, working in and within us.
How incredible is the grace of our God that his purposes would be entirely rooted in love.
We who are God’s Children are called to simply love him and others with the very first love we have been shown.
He’s like a father who gives his children money to buy him a present.
He fills us with the love and enjoyment he feels for us, and then in response we can love him and others.
He fills us with the breath of life and then patiently waits for us to live our life as a beautiful song of praise and worship unto him.
May we finally come to experience today all that God’s grace has afforded us.
May we finally choose drop all of our lame pretenses to imitate, choose to live our lives with purpose and passion that only comes from loving him and others.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire to lead you to a life of abundant purpose.
“[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” 2 Timothy 1:9
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
2. Reflect on your own life.
Where have we been living with the purposes of the world rather than God?
In what areas are you living for yourself rather than him and others?
And in what areas of your life do you feel meaningless and passionless?
3. Receive the rejuvenation that comes from living with his purposes as your chief goals.
Allow God to gradually but steadily revive relationships that seem to be tired, without purpose and without passion – feel empowered for God and neighbor.
Allow God to fill you with desire for your work, friendships, or marriage.
Ask for the Holy Spirit to reveal specific ways he desires to use you today.
Psalm 36:5-6 The Message
5-6 God’s love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.
The passion and purpose God has for us never ceases.
There will be days or seasons God leads us to rest for the purpose of renewing, loving, and filling us, for empowering us, for inspiring us, for transforming us.
There will be times of work and striving, of trials and of hardships in various and diverse manifestations, in which God purposes to mold, shape, and use us.
Psalm 138 English Standard Version
Give Thanks to the Lord
Of David.
138 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; 2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.[a] 3 On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.[b]
4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth, 5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
Wherever God is leading any one of us today, choose to believe trust that God absolutely has only the very best best plan and purpose for you.
Come, Holy Spirit, breathe on me, that I may Choose to live your life with God’s purposes weaved deeply and intricately weaved within my heart and within my soul, and may I experience the passion that can only be found in living for God.Father, focus our eyes and our ears on your extravagant grace. May we become spellbound with the mercy of Jesus Christ so that we offer ourselves totally to your service. Amen.
62 1-2 God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.
3-4 How long will you gang up on me? How long will you run with the bullies? There’s nothing to you, any of you— rotten floorboards, worm-eaten rafters, Anthills plotting to bring down mountains, far gone in make-believe. You talk a good line, but every “blessing” breathes a curse.
5-6 God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.
7-8 My help and glory are in God —granite-strength and safe-harbor-God— So trust him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for him. God is a safe place to be.
9 Man as such is smoke, woman as such, a mirage. Put them together, they’re nothing; two times nothing is nothing.
10 And a windfall, if it comes— don’t make too much of it.
11 God said this once and for all; how many times Have I heard it repeated? “Strength comes Straight from God.”
12 Love to you, Lord God! You pay a fair wage for a good day’s work!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Psalm 62 … God and God Alone is Our Only Rest and Salvation
When you wait on God, you find He is your salvation and provider of all you need. Only God can fill the need of your soul.
Your Salvation
If you are like me, my first response when faced with a significant problem is to gather up all my resources and do everything I can to fix it.
The bigger the problem, the more frantic and anxious I become.
King David wrote this psalm during a particularly difficult time in his life.
He was facing constant attacks from his son, who was trying to overthrow his rule as king.
Instead of gathering his army and advisors, the first thing he did was go to the Lord.
David understood that trusting in men was foolish.
It was not about his strength or wisdom but God’s deliverance.
David saw God as his only true source of salvation.
He stopped everything to get with the Lord.
David didn’t come to God with loud cries or pleas for help.
He came to God in silence.
He waited before the Lord without speaking.
When I face a problem, I want to tell God all about it.
Too often, I come before Him filled with fear and anxiety.
David came before God in complete rest.
David had a quiet confidence that God would see him through.
So often, we think prayer is about what we say and how we say it.
If we can just use the right words, God will surely see our needs and answer our prayers.
David understood it was not about his words but his faith.
When you set your mind and soul to wait silently before the Lord, it’s not only an expression of your openness to God but a complete dependence on Him.
Salvation and deliverance are always gifts of grace from God and God alone.
David didn’t trust in his strength or the wisdom of others.
He didn’t panic and try to fix everything.
He went to the source of his salvation and waited silently for Him to provide.
One of the great truths of life—if not perhaps the greatest truth—is that when all else fails, when everything else falls apart, there is one and only one person on whom you and I and everyone else can absolutely rely.
And that person is not yourself: it is God. God and God alone.
That is the theme of this psalm. “For God alone my soul waits in silence”(62:1).
“He alone is my rock and salvation” (62:2).
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence” (62:5).
“He alone is my rock and my salvation” (62:6).
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my H.O.P.E. comes from him.” Psalm 62:5
As Christians, we are called to hope.
Not wishful thinking, imagining things, or pining for better days.
Hope.
Hope is not a pipe dream or a fairy tale.
It is a strong action instead of a reaction.
Hope is always alive in Christ Jesus, Our Lord and Savior.
When we choose to live in Christ Jesus …
When we choose to live and choose live in our Savior’s complete hope we:
H – Heed His Word. Hang onto encouraging verses in Scripture in times of trouble, stress or doubt. Recall His promises, read, mark and memorize helpful verses, and repeat them often.
O – Obey. Sometimes we have to do things simply because someone in authority says so. If we can trust God and obey, then in hindsight we may look back and see more clearly why He told us.
P – Pray. Instead of fretting, if we can drop to our knees and lay it at the cross we will find an inner peace which, as Paul states, surpasses our understanding. Much better than jogging in a hamster wheel of worry and churning it over and over in our minds. Pray, lay it down, walk away.
E – Expect. The more we rely on God’s promises and His timing, then experience will show us things work out for the best when we “let go and let God” handle it.
So pry your fingers off the situation and relax.
A Prayer for the Sabbath – Your Daily Prayer
Exodus 20:8-11 Amplified Bible
8 “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath [a day of rest dedicated] to the Lord your God; on that day you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock or the temporary resident (foreigner) who stays within your [city] gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [that is, set it apart for His purposes].
Rest is so important to God that he put it in the Ten Commandments.
He wants you to take a day off every week.
That’s called the Sabbath, which literally means a day of rest, and God wants us to do it every seventh day.
The day isn’t important.
It doesn’t have to be a certain day, just every seventh day.
It’s so important that even God rested on the seventh day when he created everything — not because He was tired but to give us the ultimate example of how we should be more like God and take that gift of the seventh day to rest.
What do you do on this Sabbath day to actually have it be a day of rest?
1. Rest your body.
God has made us so that we need rest.
If your car engine heat light were showing red, you would stop because you would know it’s going to damage the engine.
God says if you don’t take one day out of seven to rest, if you keep pumping the adrenaline all day, every day, seven days a week, your engine is going to break.
So for your heart to be at its best, your body, mind and soul all requires rest.
You have to take the time to rest.
2. Recharge your emotions.
Just Be Still and Know only God can be, and is God … Psalm 46:10-11
Just be quiet before the Lord!
David’s Prayer
18 Then King David went in and sat [in prayer] before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord [a]God, and what is my house (family), that You have brought me this far? 19 Yet this was very insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of Your servant’s house (royal dynasty) in the distant future. And this is the law and custom of man, O Lord God. 20 What more can David say to You? For You know (acknowledge, choose) Your servant, O Lord God. [2 Samuel 7:18-20 AMP]
Like King David, take time for God, just sit still, be quiet before the Lord God.
Maybe you need to reconnect in your relationships.
Maybe there’s some kind of recreation that rejuvenates you.
I’m not talking about competitive recreation.
Some of you are not recharging your emotions out on the golf course.
You are just getting angry at your golf clubs or at the other guys golf clubs!
3. Refocus your spirit.
During your Sabbath, you do not take a day off from God.
You worship!
Worship puts life into perspective.
If you’re too busy for God, you’re just too busy.
To make this happen, you have to schedule it.
Psalm 127:2 “It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?” (MSG)
God enjoys giving rest to those he loves.
Be intentional about taking your Sabbath, and make it count!
62 1-2 God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I need comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.
5-6 God, the one and only— I’ll wait as long as he says. Everything I hope for comes from him, so why not? He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul, An impregnable castle: I’m set for life.
11 God said this once and for all; how many times Have I heard it repeated? “Strength comes Straight from God.”
12 Love to you, Lord God! You pay a fair wage for a good day’s work!
be quiet, sit still, Make these confessions.
My salvation comes only from the Lord.
When I face troubles, I look to the Lord.
It’s not about my words but about God’s grace.
I will sit still in the Presence of God my Savior.
I will wait quietly before the God of my salvation.
I will shut my mouth, close both my eyes and open my ears.
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.
A Psalm of David.
138 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I sing praises to You before the [pagan] gods. 2 I will bow down [in worship] toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word together with Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; And You made me bold and confident with [renewed] strength in my life.
4 All the kings of the land will give thanks and praise You, O Lord, When they have heard of the promises of Your mouth [which were fulfilled]. 5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of the Lord [joyfully celebrating His wonderful acts], For great is the glory and majesty of the Lord. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, He regards the lowly [and invites them into His fellowship]; But the proud and haughty He knows from a distance.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me; Your [unwavering] lovingkindness, O Lord, endures forever— Do not abandon the works of Your own hands.
Have faith God will see you through it, and claim His promise as your own.
In the name of God the Father and God, the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father God, let us always choose to hope in You instead of fretting, or getting stressed over things we have no control over. Replace our qualms with quiet, our fears with faith, and our worries with wisdom. Dear Lord, help us make every Sabbath about you alone. Quiet my heart, give rest to my soul, refocus my spirit—for true renewal, true revival, comes only from you. Holy Spirit please help me to be intentional with my time and worship, and encourage me to find rest in you alone. In Jesus’ name.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 