Week of July 29, 2019
Photo by Ian Stauffer
MONDAY
Your Prayers Are Powerful
Isaiah 64:3 (NIV)
For when you did awesome things that we did not expect,
you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Do you expect God to listen to your prayers? Or in the back of your mind, do you kind of expect that nothing will happen?
God loves you more than you expect, so your prayers are not empty things to Him. On the contrary, He treasures the sound of your voice, and your requests have great value to His heart.
The next time you go to pray, remind yourself that the God of Heaven is listening. Build your faith, maybe even saying out loud, “Father, I know You hear my prayers and You’re responding.”
Decide today to put your full expectation in God—knowing that one day in the near future, you’ll be able to give testimony of His extraordinary acts in your life.
Today’s prayer: Father God, thank You that my voice and the desires of my heart matter to You. Today I trust that You’re hearing me and acting on my behalf. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Monday be blessed!
TUESDAY
God Isn’t Afraid of Your Mistakes
Jeremiah 18:3–4 (NLT)
So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
All of us know what it’s like to fail. We make the wrong decision and find ourselves in a situation we don’t want to be in. Shame lurks at the door when we’ve messed up, and if we don’t guard our hearts carefully, we can start feeling worthless, like complete failures.
But God is doing something new with you. You don’t have to stay where you are right now, doing the same things you did in the past. You get to step into the brand-new life He has for you—a life that is good, pleasing, and perfect (Rom. 12:2).
Today’s prayer: Father, thank You that You can take the bruised places in my heart and completely heal them. I wait in expectation for You to do something extraordinary with me. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Tuesday be blessed!
WEDNESDAY
Like a Little Child
Matthew 19:14 (TPT)
Jesus overheard them and said, “I want little children to come to me, so never interfere with them when they want to come, for heaven’s kingdom realm is composed of beloved ones like these! Listen to this truth: No one will enter the kingdom realm of heaven unless he becomes like one of these!”
Relationship with God is pretty simple. He loves us and wants to go through life with us. He’s pleased with simple things—He just wants our hearts and our trust. We often make it so much harder than it really is.
Do you feel like you need to perform well in order to get God to really notice you? The next time performance comes and whispers to you, remember God wants you to approach Him like a little child. It isn’t hard—it’s easy.
Today’s prayer: Lord, please open my eyes to see Your love for me. I don’t want to miss Your whispers to my heart. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Wednesday be blessed!
THURSDAY
Trust God to Be Amazing
Psalm 55:22 (NIV)
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.
God can do amazing things with what you entrust to Him!
He wants to take the “injured” places of your life and turn them into something extraordinary—something deep and beautiful and of better quality than anything you ever expected. He sees who and what you really are, and everything He does in your life lines up exactly with the person He made you to be.
His plans for you are good. In every situation, you can trust Him to do something awesome.
Today’s prayer: Father, thank You for this opportunity to trust You. Please help me to give You completely the burden that weighs on my mind today. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Thursday be blessed!
FRIDAY
Beauty for Ashes
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
…provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
When we set our affection on God, the darkness is broken in our lives and everything changes. We get to leave hopelessness behind forever! Finally our hearts can take a breath and really come alive.
God rewards those who choose Him (Heb. 11:6). That simple little thought carries huge weight in the spiritual realm. If something needs to change in your life, if everything feels like it’s going wrong—determine in your heart to choose God.
He will take the broken pieces and all the ashes and give you life instead.
Today’s prayer: Father, You’re the One who exchanges my ashes for beauty. Thank You for taking the burden of my pain and filling me with Your hope. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Friday be blessed!
SATURDAY
The Humble God
Matthew 11:29 (NLT)
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
It can be a little weird to think of God as “humble,” yet that’s how He describes Himself—He is the Humble God.
Are there places in your life where you feel like you need to act a certain way or do something good before God will be happy with you?
Give Him those fearful, uncertain places today, and just rest in His love for you. His love is bigger and stronger than anything the human mind can understand. It’s like space—it just keeps going on and on, full of secrets waiting to be uncovered and explored.
It’s ridiculously beautiful and freeing when we realize that resting in His love is God’s heart for us.
Today’s prayer: Father, please open my heart to a deeper understanding of Your love for me. Teach me what it means to rest in You. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Saturday be blessed!
SUNDAY
Worship and Waiting
Romans 4:20 (NLT)
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.
God doesn’t think about time the same way we do. He isn’t afraid when something takes months or even years, and He is honored when we wait for Him to move (Ps. 27:14).
What are you waiting for God to do for you? Are you waiting for your future spouse? For a much-desired pregnancy or another dream to come true?
Abraham grew stronger in his faith the longer he waited, and he got to step into an incredible realm with God that can be found only in waiting. As he waited, the wait became worship—he brought glory to God as he put all his trust in Him.
If waiting feels like an inconvenience to you, choose to change your perspective. Start seeing it as a way to connect with God and worship Him. He is good to the one who seeks Him (Lam. 3:25).
Today’s prayer: Father, I’ve waited a long time to see You fulfill my dreams in this area: _________. Today I give this desire to You and choose to worship You in the waiting. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Sunday be blessed!
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