In this passage in Jeremiah, you are given God’s assurance that He loves you and He will do all the heavy lifting. Trust in Him.
Finances, family drama, drugs, alcohol, bullying, sex, jealousy, abuse, illness, physical challenges, mental challenges. All the things which burden you, don’t burden Him. Fixing these might take some time while He gets all the players and pieces lined up. It might involve earthly helpers like doctors or lawyers or accountants or friends. If we wait for His perfect timing, He will work all things to our good. Why? Because He created us. He loves us. He wants you to rely on Him for everything. He wants you to come to Him about everything.
What you eat, what you wear, where you go, who you trust. All these things are provided by the God who made you. He wants you to lean on Him, even in the small stuff. He doesn’t think of you as a pest. He thinks of you as His child. Yes, YOU are a child of God! Isn’t that amazing?!
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayerandsupplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Proverbs 4:6
Devotion
“While it’s true the Bible says you get the desires of your heart through prayer and supplication, that does not mean you get what you want. If you read the entire chapter, Proverbs 4, it says you first have to align your heart with God. Once we do that, it changes the desires of your heart. When you’re aligned with God, your heart desires what God desires for you. God teaches us that He will “While it’s true the Bible says you get the desires of your heart through prayer and supplication, that does not mean you get what you want. If you read the entire passage (Proverbs 4), it says you first have to align your heart with God. Once we do that, it changes the desires of your heart. When you’re aligned with God, your heart desires what God desires for you. God’s Word tells you that He will ” supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Proverbs 4:19)
This is a hard concept to understand. You may have heard God referred to as a Sculptor. He forms you from clay, just as He formed Adam. When you pray for God to direct your path, you are inviting Him to teach you the things He wants you to know, and to do the things He wants you to do. It’s an invitation for God to change your heart. What you want becomes less important. At the same time, what God wants for you becomes all-important.
Yes, sometimes it hurts. There will be times when you fall to the ground in despair. There will also be times when you are so happy you openly weep tears of overflowing joy. As you grow and mature spiritually, the times of deep despair lessen. It’s not because your challenges vanish. It’s because you are more confident that God is with you and will see you through whatever it is.
Prayer Focus
Those struggling in their faith.
Prayer
Dearest Father, Maker of all things, Sculptor of my life, thank you for always being there with me in all things life throws at me. Strengthen me. Mold me. Help me to be more like Your Son, Jesus. Give me what I need to be what You made me to be, so I may bring You glory. Make me into a loving child who makes You happy. In the name of Jesus Christ, my God and Savior. Amen.
Final Thoughts
If I ask, God will bring my heart into alignment with Him.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 (ESV)
Devotion
We are taught, as citizens of this world, to be sheep. Sheep are like mindless drones. They travel together. They eat together. They dress alike. They talk alike. They have the same haircuts. They hang out together. They think alike. They blend in. They don’t stand out.
Black sheep, however, do. In a flock of sheep, it’s easy to pick out the black ones. Being the black sheep of the family is not considered to be a good thing. They dress differently. They act differently. They talk differently. They cut their hair differently. They don’t hang out with the other sheep often because the flock has shunned them. They do stand out.
The world wants us to blend in with the rest of the flock. Television and social media dictate how we should dress, speak, act, and think. We are expected to do “the expected.” Black sheep are expected to reform and conform. When they do, they are praised and rewarded, and accepted back into the worldly flock as a card-carrying, upstanding member of society.
As Christians, Jesus has also called us to be sheep. He wants us in His flock, which is full of black sheep. We care less and less about the worldly flock’s values. We dress differently. We act differently. We talk differently. We don’t follow the latest trends in fashion or hairstyles. We don’t hang out with the others, but not because we are rejected by society. We reject the rules and standards society tries to force upon us when those rules don’t align with God’s will. We stand out.
We follow Jesus. We act according to His teachings, though the world would have us fill our hearts with haughtiness, disdain, and hatred. We speak words of praise and thanksgiving, though the world would have us spew criticism, dissent, and profanity. We embrace the rules and standards God has given us. We know they are fair, just, and true. We follow by choice.
We follow because we know Jesus and Jesus knows us. We follow because Jesus, the Good Shepherd, chose us despite our weaknesses and flaws. He knows our names. He loves us. He wants to be with us in a close relationship. He even died for us! He calls to us. The longer we follow Jesus, and the closer we are with Him, the happier we are. How can we not follow Him?
Prayer Focus
Black sheep
Prayer
Lord, thank You for loving us, caring for us, and calling us to You. Every hour of every day, we praise and worship You. We strive to have a closer relationship with You because You love us so dearly and we love You. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen.
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