Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
February 25, 2024
Isaiah 55:6-9
6 Seek the LORD when he can still be found; call him while he is yet near. 7 Let the wicked abandon their ways and the sinful their schemes. Let them return to the LORD so that he may have mercy on them, to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness. 8 My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 9 Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans.
Good Morning! Seek the Lord!
As I sit and watch the birds in the tree, I ponder on these verses. More than once in my life, I started down a path that seemed full of possibilities. A few steps in, my future seemed bright, but as I continued along the way, I began to encounter resistance.
Now, I am not one to give up on something without a fight, and I have been known to have a stubborn streak. This certainly helps me persevere through my challenges, but sometimes I realize that my stubbornness blinds me to the inevitable closing of the door.
The closing of a door in your face can be devastating for even the strongest among us. The most important part is what comes next. How do we react to the closed door? We can sit there in despair as the tears start to puddle in our eyes, and this is an okay response as long as we don’t get stuck there. After all, maybe our lifelong dream has just been shattered!
Here’s where God, when we allow Him access, enters the scene. We slowly begin to pick up the broken pieces and start to rearrange them into a new dream. When we open our hearts and minds to God, we begin to see a new way, a new path, God’s way for our lives. God will not leave us sitting in front of a closed door when we ask for help.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. We easily become fixated on a pathway that might end unexpectedly. Thank you for being with us to find our way to You. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: We can trust God’s perspective in difficult circumstances.
Open your heart to God! Pastor Liz
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