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by Martin Armstrong, Armstrong Economics: A football team has never endorsed a political candidate. Pennsylvania is a battleground state where the Democrats are losing favor, so it was peculiar to see advertisements around the city of Philadelphia stating: “KAMALA: Official candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles.” The posters featured a cartoon image of Kamala Harris in […]

September 5, 2024 When Life Isn't Turning Out Like You Thought It WouldLYSA TERKEURST Lee en español "Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.'" Jeremiah 18:5-6 (ESV) I want to be someone who trusts God no matter what. But when life isn't turning out like I thought it would, I can quickly shift from that place of wholehearted trust to one of desperately trying to be in control. How do we trust a God who allows heartbreak and pain to be a part of our story? Let's dig into a little further context around our key Bible verses for today. In Jeremiah 18, the prophet Jeremiah issued a warning to the house of Israel. Instead of turning to God, they continued to rebel against Him - fixing both their attentions and their affections on their false gods and high places. In response, God sent Jeremiah to the local potter's house, where Jeremiah received a message of correction from the Creator to His creation. "Then the word of the LORD came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel'" (Jeremiah 18:5-6). Because of how familiar pottery making was in the Ancient Near East, this imagery made God's message an easy one for His people to understand, although we soon see it was not one they obeyed (Jeremiah 18:12). But I'm praying we will let this picture of God as the Divine Potter speak to our hearts today. Specifically, I believe this image can strengthen our ability to trust Him when we allow it to remind us of three truths: We can trust the hands of the One who made us, the One who loves to use dust. The Hebrew word for "potter" in Jeremiah 18:5-6 is yoser and means "to form or shape." Jeremiah was making a connection between the way a potter throws and forms his clay and the way God shapes "human clay" - starting with how He formed Adam from dust into a man bearing His image (Genesis 2:7; Genesis 1:27). I am amazed that out of all the things God could have used to make humans, He chose to use dust. When mixed with water, dust becomes clay. Clay, when placed in the potter’s hands, can be formed into anything the potter dreams up. We can trust the hands of the One who has good in store for us. For those who believe in Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives, our time on this side of eternity is only the beginning of a transformation we all long to experience. The Bible reminds us that in eternity with Jesus, there will be no more death. No more crying. No more broken hearts or broken circumstances. No more shattered realities. Friend, the more we choose to hold on to this eternal perspective, the easier it becomes to live fully surrendered to God, no matter what we face. We can trust the hands of the One who loves us and knows what is best for us. Just like the children of Israel, we need to be shaped and formed as God sees best. We need to stay moldable as He works in our lives. And our willingness to yield to God starts with remembering we can trust Him because He loves us. I don't know what hard realities you're facing right now. But I do know this: We can trust our God. Our greatest disappointments and disillusionments, those things that shake us and break us and make us wonder about everything, don't have to mean all hope is lost. We can place our lives fully in the hands of the Potter. We can trust He is making something glorious out of us. Father, I confess there are days I allow heartbreak and pain to cause me to doubt You. Please forgive me for all of the times I have tried to take control of my own life. I know You love me. I know You are for me. And I surrender every worry into Your loving and mighty hands. I trust You. In Jesus' Name, Amen. OUR FAVORITE THINGS You can stop carrying the weight of holding everything and everybody together - surrender what you're most worried about into God's fully capable hands with the help of Lysa TerKeurst's FREE resource, "Am I Trying To Control the Uncontrollable?" This gentle, guided resource is filled with prompts, reflection questions, prayers and more! Download now. ENGAGE Find real-life encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram. FOR DEEPER STUDY Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (ESV). In what area of your life are you most tempted to reach for control, or where do you struggle to trust God? Which one of the three truths in today's devotion did you most need to hear today? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments. © 2024 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved. Proverbs 31 MinistriesP.O. Box 3189 Matthews, NC 28106 www.Proverbs31.org The post When Life Isn’t Turning Out Like You Thought It Would – Encouragement for Today – September 5, 2024 appeared first on GodUpdates.

A Prayer to Dive Deep into God’s WordBy Chelsey DeMatteis Bible Reading“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” – Psalm 121:1-2 As school was letting out at the end of May, I knew clearly what God’s desire was for me this summer. It was to sabbath. And not just a little sabbatical, it was so take a step back from everything in life and ministry. This summer has been filled with time in prayer, time in the Word, and time just “being” with God. So often, our schedules allow for a sliver of time with Jesus, a verse here and there, and a quick prayer when we’re feeling frustrated or anxious. While I don’t want to diminish those moments, I also know that God wants more for us and offers more for us when it comes to our time with Him. For me, this has meant spending more time with the Lord while my youngest naps and my oldest has free reign of the house. It has also meant reading books that remind me about who God is, what He says, and how I can live by His ways. It has meant opening my Bible at midnight when I can’t shut my mind off rather than looking up recipes or researching the best ways to accomplish a project I’m planning. Diving deeper into the Word of God can only mean one thing: In return comes a deeper love for God. This is what I’ve seen to be true in my life and in the lives of those around me. I keep coming back to Psalm 121 as I ruminate on all this summer has taught me and meant to me. I needed this Sabbath to be reminded all over again that God is my help, my fortress, and my everything. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:1-8 This Psalm concretes the calling of knowing God deeply all the more. Our help comes from the Lord. He will not let us be moved to places He does not want us to go as we walk faithfully with Him. He is our keeper in the highest highs and lowest lows. He is the shade over us; he covers and carries us. He keeps us from all evil and is the One who holds all of our days. We are promised that He will be with us in our coming and in our going today and forever into eternity. What a promise, what a gift. What joy we have in placing our hope in Him. Without knowledge of what God has given us through His Word, we miss these glimpses into the goodness He has for those who love Him. As summer comes to a close, I pray that not only for my life but for your life, too, we will draw more closely to God. This could be through a sabbatical or keeping a diligent routine for spending intentional time with Him. Whatever it looks like, give yourself time to get to know your Creator more deeply. He is faithful in showing Himself to us day in and day out. We need to be faithful to show up for Him to learn more about His heart and desires for us and those He has entrusted to our care. Let’s pray: Lord, thank you for the gift of your promises. All throughout the Bible, you reveal your heart’s desires for us, and one of those desires you have is that we would seek to know you more deeply. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and my steps so closely behind the leading of your Spirit that I never have to question where you are leading me. I submit the rest of this summer and the remainder of the year ahead to you. May I faithfully show up for you and experience the gift of your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen. Photo credit: ©GettyImages B-C-Designs Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women’s Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com. Related Resource: Remember God’s Enduring Love for You in this Guided Meditation on Psalm 100! This guided Christian meditation from Psalm 100 will help you experience and praise God for his unending love for you. Become aware of God's presence with you, and praise God for his loyal and enduring love from the beginning of time and into the future. Listen to every episode of the So Much More Podcast on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Now that you’ve prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below! Visit iBelieve.com for more inspiring prayer content. The post A Prayer to Dive Deep into God’s Word – Your Daily Prayer – September 5 appeared first on GodUpdates.

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