Next Steps Devo – February 5
Another bumpy start as we try to hit the ground running on a Monday. I don’t know about you, but I know that long-awaited plans being changed at the last minute are never a welcomed occurrence in my life. Shifting, and already packed, calendars can certainly lead to frustration. One more dance practice, a trip to the ball field, or a hurricane day at school sound like fun to anyone?
Paul gives us something quite interesting to consider as we see his plans change. He responds like we would. Fight the urge to see these “faith giants” of the Bible as somehow superior to you. They are equipped and gifted by God just like you are, and your invitation to live out your life for His glory is the same beckoning they received.
Paul’s response to his restlessness is interesting, though, as he pivots to gratitude. Even when my plans change, suffering arises, or seasons of prosperity show up at our door, we are reminded that our focus is not on the temporary, but on the eternal. Our hope is not in the calendar or the jobs and events that fill it up. Our hope and confidence are in Christ. Everything changes, yes, even your best plans, but Christ never will. This is an invitation to rest in Him no matter what. So bring on last-minute grocery runs, unexpected visits from in-laws, school weather days, and whatever else this crazy shifting life has for us. In the chaos, let’s cling to a God that is constant.
Our prayer today: Jesus, I am so quick to become restless. My attention so easily wavers from your constant grace and presence to the uncertainty around me. Help me develop a heart that holds onto you in the storms and shifting tides of life. Allow me, by your grace, to see every circumstance as an opportunity to grow in my affection and knowledge of you. Thank you that you are constant, and because of your work on my behalf, so is my hope. Help me live in and demonstrate that confidence in my life. Amen.