Oh God, far too many of my prayers consist of me talking to you and far too few of my prayers involve me listening to you! Thank you for reminding me that only in my silence will I hear your voice.
O Lord, do I glorify you in the way I behave? Do I acknowledge my faith in the way I speak? Do I reveal your Holy Spirit in the way I interact with others? Would someone recognize you when they see how I conduct myself? Would anyone want to know you when they hear my words? Lord, let my words and actions glorify you today and every day.
Paul assures us that God is always working in us and through the events in our lives. When we face adversity or suffer misfortune, however, it is difficult to see how our circumstances could possibly glorify God or serve His purpose. How do we make sense of sorrow or hardship? Where is God’s hand in our troubles? Why is there suffering or affliction?
Those questions are unnecessary because we don’t need to know the answers. Besides, even if we knew the answers, we would never be able to understand them! All we really have to do is trust God and know that He loves us. Remember, God knows what he is doing even though we don’t!
Thank you for this moment, this hour, this day, this week, this year, this very life you have given me! Let my heart sing with joy today and every day. Praise God from whom all blessings do, indeed, flow!
O Lord, it is so easy to tell you what I want, which often is not what I need. And it is so difficult to thank you for your response when you give me what I need instead of what I want. When you send me challenges, I rarely appreciate them and certainly don’t thank you for them when they arrive. Yet, those challenges are exactly what are necessary for my growth.
Teach me, Lord. Show me how to ask for what I need and give me a thankful heart for what I get.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection. I am life. Everyone who believes in me will have life, even if they die.” [John 11:25 (ERV)]If Easter says anything to us today, it says this: You can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!” [Clarence W. Hall]
The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances. [Robert Flatt]
