From Head to Heart
Read John 10:10
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10)
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Insight for Today
Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
Think Theologically
Read Romans 8:26–28
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:26–28)
Gold in the Making
Read Proverbs 20:24; Job 23:9, 23:10
The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (Proverbs 20:24)
Focus on God, Not Circumstances
Read Colossians 3:2; Isaiah 26:3
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. (Colossians 3:2)
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3)
There is a mystery, an aura, about the living God that is designed to force us to trust Him, even when we cannot figure Him out (which is most of the time). Why? Because He is inexplicable. He is unfathomable. He is infinite.
Accepting a Closed Door
Read Revelation 3:7
What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. (Revelation 3:7)
If you’re struggling with a closed door, I have four guidelines to share with you—guidelines that have helped me in my own process of dealing with the doors Christ has opened and closed.
God’s Preferred Method
Read Job 28:24
For he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. (Job 28:24)
Our idea of the will of God is often that He leads as we would lead and plans as we would plan.
But that’s not the case. His will is not like that at all. In fact, here are four simple principles we need to keep in mind regarding God’s leading.
First: God’s preferred method is surprise. So expect surprises. I repeat, surprises are the rule, not the exception.
Acquainted with All Our Ways
Read Proverbs 5:21; Job 28:24; Psalm 139:3
For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. (Proverbs 5:21)
In the mystery of God’s will we sometimes come to a place where we cannot explain why things turned out as they did; yet, amazingly, we are still right in the middle of His will. It’s not that you or I created a problem; it’s that God is in the process of surprising His people on a regular basis. The Scriptures are full of stories like this.
What God’s Holiness Means for You
Read Psalm 24:3–5; 1 Peter 1:14–16
Who may climb the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the LORD’s blessing and have a right relationship with God as their savior. (Psalm 24:3–5)
Sitting Quietly Before the Lord
Read Lamentations 3:25–26, 28
The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25–26)
If you want to trust Him to remember you, first, stop running and start waiting! “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him” (Lamentations 3:25 NASB). Stop running! Wait patiently.
Fresh Mercies
Read Lamentations 3:21–24
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” (Lamentations 3:21–24)
