Everything Is Okay
Sunday, November 17
Psalm 16
It is easy to believe that God will provide and that Jesus is a rock to stand on, while at the same time feeling tension in our body and spirit about what is not yet done, about the things in life that do not have a solution yet, and about responsibilities that feel greater than our capacity.
Psalm 16 expresses the priority of trust in the Lord with everything. This trust leads to greater intimacy with Jesus and greater understanding of the place our circumstance has under God’s sovereignty.
This psalm ends with a statement about a path of life being revealed and a life filled with Joy. When we trust God as our provider of all things, we can say, “Everything is okay.”
Lord, I trust you. You are greater than whatever can harm me. All that I need is secure with you. I know that I am okay today because you are with me, and I choose to be with you. Amen.
More Than What We See
Monday, November 18
Daniel 1
Have you experienced a circumstance that does not seem to fit a calling from the Lord? Have you experienced a difficult season in a place that does not feel like favor? We may ask God why he allows hardship to come to us, or why we go from hope to resistance. Yet we find great encouragement knowing that with God is a greater reality than what
we can see or experience.
In captivity, Daniel was trained and strengthened. God caused favor and compassion to fall upon him. God gave him knowledge, understanding, and the ability to discern dreams and visions. God “caused” and “gave,” and Daniel served God in an environment of oppressors. We give God our trust and he provides power, purpose,
and his plan. There is more than what we can see.
Lord, thank you for your purpose that is greater than what I can see. I trust you to provide me strength and favor for your plan. Amen.
More Is Available
Tuesday, November 19
Daniel 2:20-23
“He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things” (vv. 21-22, NIV).
Walking with Jesus often includes an assignment or circumstance that requires wisdom, knowledge, and understanding beyond our present levels. In today’s passage we are reminded that God is the one who richly provides all that we need for our circumstances. This provision includes wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for which we depend on God. It is a high calling to do exactly what the Lord calls us to, and it is also encouraging to know that he is the one who provides all that we need.
Let us move forward into the day asking the Lord in humble and joyful dependence for his provision of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.
Lord, thank you for the abundance of grace through which you provide all that I need today. I confess my need for you, and I ask you to give me the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding that I need for today. Amen.
The Behavior Of Trust
Wednesday, November 20
Daniel 3:8-18
How can we trust God when insecurity points us to a threat? The answer is, we determine to trust God with the condition of our life as a goal and not just for a solution. Today’s passage teaches us that we must trust God with the outcome of our faith. Our relationship with God is more than one rescue after another, one provision after another. When we proclaim who God is and trust him with whatever may happen in our life, we will be able to live outside of the parameters of our circumstance. We can live into the provision of God. In this passage we see the setup for the provision of God’s deliverance. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego we can trust in God, without worrying about what we can’t control. Our trust in God directs people to the one true God.
Lord, I put my trust in you alone. Lead me away from my insecurity. I trust you with the deliverance that I need. Amen.
The Provision Of Presence
Thursday, November 21
Daniel 3:19-30
“I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (v. 25, NIV).
The deliverance that was needed did not come from a removal of threat or by influence over worldly authority. In this passage we see that Jesus himself was the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He was with them, and he was greater than the threat around them.
Sometimes our greatest need is not for our circumstances to change but for our focus and source of hope to change. God provides his presence, a table in the presence of our enemy (Psalm 23), and we can trust that he is more than enough for our circumstance. Sometimes we are delivered into his presence.
Lord, I need you. I know that you will provide your presence and companionship for my protection and deliverance. Help me to enter into your presence in the midst of my trouble. Amen.
Trust Unleashes Love
Friday, November 22
Psalm 146
Uncertainty is an opportunity to practice trust. Without trust, relationships are limited. Psalm 146 expresses an intimate relationship that comes from trust. When we trust God, we see him more. When we trust God, we receive a greater revelation of who God is. When we see God, we fall in love with him, and our troubles are placed where they belong.
I once heard a woman share that she read the whole Bible in one year but did not feel more in love with God. Her pastor challenged her to read for another year, but to do so asking one question, “Who is God?” After another year she reported that she had fallen in love with God.
God is more than what we receive from him. He is provider. He is gracious, generous, merciful, and wonderful.
Lord, I want to know you more. Help me to know you as the one I trust. Amen.
Nothing Is Impossible
Saturday, November 23
1 Samuel 2:1-10
When we are praying for a miracle, we are faced with a decision to continue to trust the Lord for what we need and long for, or to reduce our hope and prayer. This passage is a reminder that God is above all things, he can do all things, and he is far greater than our fear. The result of Hannah’s trust in God was not only the miracle she longed for. She also received clarity and focus of who God is.
Perhaps we need to long to know God as much as we desire his intervention. Perhaps his greatest provision is his very self (Jeremiah 29:12-13). What we truly need is to know him and worship him as the one who is our provider and protector.
Lord, I worship you and adore you. You are the one I feel secure and safe with. You are the one I find myself within, and with you I have all that I need. I trust you with all my heart. Amen!
