Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 6, 2024
Isaiah 55:6-11
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. 10 Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and don’t return there without watering the earth, making it conceive and yield plants and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater, 11 so is my word that comes from my mouth; it does not return to me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend.
Good Morning! God makes all things beautiful in His time!
We are a funny lot! Some of us are great planners, and everything is projected well into the future. We have dates and times inked into the calendars of our lives. Of course, these dates and times do not account for all the unexpected or unanticipated tangents our life journeys inevitably encounter.
I remember a wedding that I was the musician for years ago. Three loving aunts were the joint mistresses of the ceremony. This was a large wedding with many participants, so they meticulously created a minute-by-minute timeline that included all the whens and wheres of the participants, including the musical selection timing.
When I reviewed their timeline, I smiled and said, “This is great, but from my experience as a wedding musician, there are often bumps along the way that might cause slight alterations to this list.” I thanked them for their timeline and then said, “My cue to start the Bridal Procession is the seating of the mothers.” If anything is off schedule, don’t seat the mothers, and I will know we have had a delay.
Like my mistresses of the ceremony, we can become so intent on filling in boxes with places and times that we lose sight of the big picture. We are on a faith journey to eternal life that will include many divergent paths along the way. Events we cannot fathom until they happen will brighten and darken our path. Yet, in the midst of this unpredictability, we can find reassurance in God's constant presence and guidance.
8 My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
Faithful God, Thank you for creating us. We work to plan our lives, but we are missing important pieces that will become part of that plan. Thank you for helping us when our plan stalls or goes a different direction. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: We don’t have to see the full picture to follow God faithfully.
First, Trust in God! Second, Trust in God! Always Trust in God! Pastor Liz
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