God's good plan

Friday, May 19, 2017 (5:47 a.m.)

Holy God,

(6:44 a.m.)

Thank You Father.

It's taken me almost an hour to smile. To hope. To know that You alone art God. Holy, Holy God, I confess to You the confusion I experience. I start to hope. I get excited. I anticipate with great joy. And then I am waylaid by pain.

There are so very many things I just don't understand. I want to hope. I want to trust. And I confess, I don't want to hurt. Take the good with the bad? I'd really rather take the good with the better.

So, You definitely have Your work cut out for You. I turn to You. Your Word. Searching. Seeking. Asking. Knocking. And finally, thanking!

Thanking You for being good. Faithful. Eternal. Always.

I honestly came out here tired this morning. Then I felt my spirit start to sag. Thank You that in searching Your Word I actually felt a spark. A sense that all is not lost just because I can't see passed my surroundings.

Jeremiah 31:25 The Message, “I'll refresh tired bodies; I'll restore tired souls.” Bless You Father. “Those who feel tired and worn out will find new life and energy” (Contemporary English Version).

We live in a fallen world. All is not right here. But YOU paint “a joyful picture of recovery, with all the elements of repentance, sorrow, forgiveness, laughter, restoration, and hope” (31:1-40 The Life Recovery Bible footnote).

Hallelujah Jesus! Thank You that Jeremiah was faithful in his call “to warn the people of Judah to turn from sin and denial, and to obey God's good plan for them” (THE BOTTOM LINE TLRB).

It is in confessing my powerlessness to circumstances beyond my control that I am freed to hope in You. Thank You. Praise You. Bless You.

Work in me this day I pray. With, by, through and for me.

But wait! There's more!!!

Psalm 86:10, “For You are great and perform great miracles. You alone are God.” Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Psalm 86. God's abounding love meets David's deepest needs (1-10) as he chooses to commit himself fully to God's Truth (11-17).”

The footnotes in The Life Recovery Bible speak to: our need for deliverance, the answers that don't come quickly, “and though we pray constantly, nothing seems to happen.” Impatience is listed, as well as our inclination “to begin to wonder if God will ever act.”

“86:11-17 We only know God's will as we seek to know Him through prayer and the study of His Word. The more we know about God, the more we know what He expects of us. As we get to know God better, we will discover that He gives us not only direction but the strength and encouragement we need to walk the pathway He has chosen for us.”

Yes Father. Direction. Strength. Encouragement. Your good plan for us. Align and empower me to follow You as You lead. Thank You God. I love You. Amen.

(498 words ~ 7:52 a.m.)