When God is on your side you have nothing to fear. Even if you find yourself in the deepest chasm of your life, God will be beside you and He will carry you to safety. Put your hope in the Lord, He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Angus Buchan and Christian Art Publishers
Day 1
Scriptures: Joshua 1:8, Psalms 62:5-7
PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD
The word expectation in the dictionary means “a strong belief that something will happen.” Is your expectation – your hope – in your business? The degree you are going to get at the end of the year? Your marriage? The medal you are hoping to win?
I have walked this road a long time, and every time I put my hope and expectation in man I have been disappointed. Put your expectation and hope in the Lord and you will not be disappointed.”
When we put our expectation and hope in our family, our company, or our sporting abilities, we get disappointed and put tremendous pressure on our loved ones. Expecting our spouse or our children to excel where we didn’t is putting an unnecessary burden on them. Your spouse is not your provider: God is.
He may use your spouse to provide for your family, but ultimately it is God who cares for you. Let’s prevent frustration and disappointment by placing our hope and our trust in God alone.
Dear God, You are the only one I can trust with my hopes and dreams. Help me to put my expectations in the right place. Amen.
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 72:6, John 3:7
A NEW BEGINNING
He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. Psalm 72:6
When the grass in our gardens gets long, we take the lawn mower and cut the lawn. After this, the grass sometimes looks as though it is absolutely devastated. But if we fertilize it right away, and if the rain comes down from heaven, new growth comes up and looks so much better than before.
Sometimes we feel like freshly mown grass that doesn’t look so good. Maybe you have just been diagnosed with a terminal disease. Maybe you have lost a loved one and you don’t know if you can carry on anymore. Trust that the Lord is going to send rain from heaven. It will stimulate you to live again. In fact, you will live better than before.
That is why the Lord says in John 3:7 that we must be born again. It is a new beginning, a new start in our lives. Before you are born again you may feel just like that mowed grass. However, then the Holy Spirit comes on you, revitalizes your soul, and causes new growth in your life.
When we go through a testing time and we think we will never recover from it, God reassures us that we will. Mowing and fertilization may feel violent and unpleasant, but in due season God will send refreshing, invigorating rain from heaven, rain full of goodness and grace. Just keep talking to Him and keep the door open.
Remember that our God is a good God. He is for you, not against you. So go out today and say, “Lord, I am expecting a new beginning!”
Jesus, I rely on You to bring freshness and new growth. When I am dry and withering, I wait dependently on Your miraculous mercy. Amen.
Day 3
Scriptures: Proverbs 10:25, Acts 27:13-17
TRUST GOD TO SEE YOU THROUGH
When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation. Proverbs 10:25
At any given moment, each of us faces a whirlwind in life. It might be financial difficulties, sickness, depression, marital problems, or conflict with our children. During times of testing, people are often not sure what they should do. Should they go or stay, say something or keep quiet? At these times, remember your calling as it corresponds with God’s will; God will protect you and keep His promises.
In Acts 27:13-17, a big storm hit as Paul was being taken by ship to Rome to appear before Caesar. It looked like smooth sailing at first, “But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose” (v. 14). Soon they were caught in big trouble. They were sailing close to an island when a strong wind took the ship right out to sea. The boat could not be controlled. Paul tried to tell the sailors that all would be well, but they panicked (vv. 21-38). They started throwing the cargo overboard in order to keep the ship afloat.
But Paul, a man of God, wasn’t worried because he knew he had a destination: he had to stand trial in Rome.
Paul knew that because it was God’s will for him to appear before Caesar, all he had to do was trust God to get him safely there. Maybe you are in serious trouble today. You are stuck, not knowing what to do next. As long as you trust God, you have nothing to fear. Cling to Him in your time of difficulty, and He will see you through.
Dear Lord, please build my faith in Your promises as I face my storms today. Amen.
Day 4
Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 6:13-17
CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
Have you ever lived in a state of fear? The devil wants to put fear into our hearts, to paralyze us so that we cannot think straight. Perhaps we don’t allow our children to play outside because something might happen. Or we don’t travel to new places in case we are mugged or get into an accident. We often stand panicked in the face of change or challenges.
This is why the Lord has given us the armor of God to put on when we get up in the morning (Eph. 6:13-17). Fears large and small can be fought by dressing your family every morning in the Spirit: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God. God longs to answer our prayers for protection and courage.
When city dwellers see black clouds approaching, they tend to get worried, or afraid about the bad weather that is on its way. Farmers, on the other hand, rejoice because rain is coming, and rain brings life.
It’s true that bad things might (and will) happen, but God is with us, and we can be assured that He is guiding our lives when we ask Him to. Let’s stand up to fear and trust in Him.
God, in the face of fear, I accept the gift of Your armor, which protects me. Thank You for Your ceaseless care for me. Amen.
Day 5
Scriptures: Ezekiel 36:26, John 3:3, Luke 9:62
NEW PERSPECTIVES
Recently I watched a heifer giving birth to a beautiful calf. The freshness of the spring morning, the birds singing, the cool breeze, the trees in leaf – all brought such joy and a sense of newness into my heart.
There is something invigorating and uplifting about the new life and new possibilities that God places all around us. It’s like the smell of the parched earth just after a thunderstorm; all is renewed and refreshed. In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Christianity is all about new beginnings. If we are not prepared to make a fresh start each day, putting the mistakes of yesterday behind us, we will never be fully open to the blessings God has in store for us.
We have all experienced good and bad in our lives, but there comes a time to leave the past behind. As Jesus said in Luke 9:62, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Everyone makes mistakes – and while it is easy to get stuck in the past, God invites us to face the future with anticipation, knowing that we are forgiven and that the Lord has given us a fresh start.
Lord God, please help me to learn from my mistakes, but to let go of them too – accepting forgiveness and the potential of each new day. Thank You for making me new through Christ. Amen.