Author: astherainandsnow

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?..  We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles… And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him’—

“these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:20b,23,30a; 2:6-16

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” James 1:5; 3:17

These days call for wisdom. People wave it like a banner with hot puffed pontification, big words, accumulated information, and alphabets behind their names. But worldly wisdom is naught in God’s eyes when not filtered through His Spirit and grounded in Scripture. Accumulated knowledge- the world has plenty and varied to offer- apart from Christ and His truth, is empty and bears no lasting fruit. (Proverbs 9:10; Isaiah 33:6; John 15:5)

Are we eager to find wisdom and hone spiritual discernment? In our experiences, education, and industry, how do we actively seek the mind of Christ? Do we depend fully on the Holy Spirit, or human wisdom? When we enter any endeavor first through the door of Christ, and seek Him about our situation, aligning our will with His word, He will give wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to guard and guide us in His good way. The world may not understand it, or us, but the Spirit gives inward assurance. (Proverbs 2:1-11)

What am I specifically doing to build my wisdom repertoire and buttress my spirit in Christ? Then where and how am I passing it on? (Psalm 37:30-31)

Lord God, with You is the fountain of life and wisdom. Fill me with wisdom from above, help me see light in Your light, so I can bear Your truth distinctly in this needy world. (Psalm 36:9)

“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Timothy 1:17

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
    and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
    whose voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3

Glints of light beckoned outside, late, in the deep dark. Against solid black sparkled diamonds of strewn stars, bright white Jupiter like a hole punch, and a crisp white sliver of moon. They tilted my neck back and held it there for long moments, their unbounded habitation declaring God’s glory.

Early morning showcases another portion of that black blanket of sky, Orion standing guard before ushering in a new day. But when ink turns from black to faintest violet, to periwinkle, fading to palest cerulean, the heavenly lights go invisible. Still there, they remain suspended in splendor, yet invisible to eyes now accustomed to different light.

And so it is with our immortal God. Ever near, ever encircling, encompassing our known universe to its infinite edges, He is invisible, but at once present, often palpable. He who knows no limits or end makes His home in transient man, the eternal with the temporal, the unseen with flesh and blood.

“You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me…

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.” Psalm 139:5,7-12

We learn to know Him in His daily faithfulness, to trust Him in the quickening of His Spirit in us to convict, console, and guide. By His unseen power controlling the winds, upholding stars in space, and holding oceans to their boundaries, we grow to believe and appropriate His power for our thoughts and work, and reckon His resurrection victory our own. By His gravity, order, and regularity of orbits and tides and seasons, we can confidently practice and maintain disciplines. (Job 38:4-12; Psalm 104:5-9, Proverbs 8:27-31)

In what areas of our lives- relationships, ministry, scholarship, could we know and apply His ways better, and trust Him more? If He seems distant, is it we who have ignored His promptings, His grace shed into our circumstances, His leading hand, His clear word? “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Are we putting His gift of faith into consistent practice as we seek His guidance, go about our duties, and interact with others?

And when others observe our lives, day after day, what do they see of God’s immortality and invincibility? How clearly do I reflect and represent Him?

Amazing immutable God, may all my living make You visible and irresistible to all I meet.

“Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul, ‘Take one of the young men with you, and go and look for the donkeys.’ He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim,… [and] of Benjamin, but did not find them.

“When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, ‘Let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.’  But he said, ‘There is a man of God in this city..; all that he says comes true… Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.’ Then Saul said, ‘But if we go, what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring… What do we have?’ The servant answered, ‘Here, I have a quarter of a shekel of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way…’ As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them…

“Now the day before, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: ‘Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel…’ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ‘Here is the man of whom I spoke to you!..’ Samuel [said to] Saul, ‘I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place… As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found…‘

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? You shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies.'” 1 Samuel 9:3-8,14-17,19-20; 10:1

Saul had been looking for his father’s donkeys to no avail. No matter where he went, he hit a dead end, and anxiety overtook any fresh ideas. He never seemed to understand that he needed to get out of the way for God to do his work through him. He took the silver, but we not only have no record of his handing it over, but realize nothing could out-give what Samuel had for him.

So it is with us. We are desperate for help. We go from place to place on flesh-driven intuition and self-propelled effort. We think we must pay for or earn the help we seek. We want to contribute to our salvation. We focus on the small things when the Lord is urging us toward something much greater. All God asks is that we come on bended knee, with a humble, broken, contrite heart and open hands. When we acknowledge our emptiness, and trust Him for answers, He will fill us up and put us to use. (Psalm 51:16-17)

In our journeys of work and wandering, what drives us? What captures our eye, our effort? Do we waste time fretting over donkeys, and miss God’s greater kingdom endeavors? Might He be making us into shepherds?

Lord, keep me focused on eternal things, and ready always to be used for Your high and lasting causes.

“Or do you not know, brothers… that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

“Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” Romans 7:1-6

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16a

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

There is a profound transformation that takes place when our ownership changes. When once we no longer belong to ourselves, our bond to the law and self-interest broken, when we are crucified to that self and born again in Christ and are wholly owned as His child, all of life is redeemed, reoriented. We no longer live as we did, but Christ lives in us, His Spirit controls. We live by faith and bear lasting, spiritual fruit. (Romans 8:1-2,5; Galatians 2:20)

So why do we keep wandering back and living as if we have not been freed? Why do we tease and confuse with our former identity? Why do we wallow in old habits and stew in guilt? When will we take God at His word and reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to Him? While in the flesh we have an ongoing struggle, we can experience victory by the indwelling power of the Spirit as He leads and helps us. If we are in Christ, we belong to Him who triumphed over the grave. We are no longer under condemnation, but freed to live and bear fruit for Him. (Romans 6:11-14; Romans 7:15-25; 8:1-2,5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

Do we relish and rejoice in these truths today? How are we applying them in our decisions and activities? We have been imprinted with Christ’s identity, and instilled with divine inspiration. How might they influence or alter our mindset, motivation, and goals? Our fruitfulness is now borne not from selfish ambition but from abiding in Him. It is no longer temporal, but eternal. What specific evidence that I am Christ’s do others observe? (John 15:5)

Lord, help me live in and out the truth that I belong to You. May Your Spirit’s fruit in and through me bring You honor and renown.

“I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!” Psalm 40:10-11

“For the Lord God… bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
    from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Limitless love and goodness, generous wisdom for the asking, fresh daily mercies, infinite attributes that are unceasing. These are God’s gracious, bountiful flow toward us, His children. He gives us all we need to know and follow Him, restraining nothing good except to teach us hunger and wonder for more of Him. He intends that we receive, treasure, appropriate, and use His lavish gifts to bless His name, and others in that name. (Deuteronomy 29:29; Proverbs 25:2; Philippians 4:19; James 1:5)

When we live in a land of plenty, we often fail to see just how plenty it is. We can run two extremes: wasting what is ours in great measure, and not availing ourselves of all to which we have ready access. Once we adjust our focus and expectations on the Giver of all things good, we more readily respond as He intends. (James 1:17)

Do we habitually restrain ourselves from putting to use the resources God’s entrusted to us? Are we more concerned about saving for an unknown future than about asking how to exercise stewardship of His varied and generous graces? How are we putting into practice the gifts He has bestowed? (Romans 12:6-8)

And what restrains us from praising Him? Do we set time for worship and thanksgiving, offer our voice in song and prayer? Whom are we telling of His deliverance from sin habits and mental strongholds? His faithfulness to meet needs, allay fears, help in weakness, and answer prayers? His marvelous grace in our salvation? His steadfast, measureless, undeserved love that breaks through self-loathing and frees us to love others?

“Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount I’m fixed upon it
mount of God’s redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’ve come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
bought me with his precious blood.

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee:
prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Bobertson (1758)

Father, You have given to me so much that is good. May I honor You in the using of it, serving with it, and praising You for it all, so Your unrestrained glory shines.

“And you, O son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land. Now the end is upon you, and I will send my anger upon you; I will judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“Thus says the Lord God: Disaster after disaster! Behold, it comes. An end has come; the end has come; it has awakened against you. Behold, it comes. Your doom has come to you, O inhabitant of the land. The time has come; the day is near, a day of tumult, and not of joyful shouting on the mountains. Now I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you, and judge you according to your ways, and I will punish you for all your abominations. And my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord, who strikes.

“Behold, the day! Behold, it comes! Your doom has come; the rod has blossomed; pride has budded. Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain, nor their abundance, nor their wealth; neither shall there be preeminence among them…

“According to their way I will do to them, and according to their judgments I will judge them, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 7:2-11,27b

Man relishes sin- coddles it, strokes it, excuses it, makes it smooth, easy, accessible, and palatable. But not so Holy God. He abhors it. He hates how it wounds and scars His people and creation. It offends Him and He will not stand for it. He will surely judge it for the despicable, horrific, corrupt, depravity it is, and we best take note and be ready.

Identify the iniquitous ways: abominations, pride, violence, wickedness. Tremble at the warnings: judgment, disaster, doom, tumult, wrath, anger, punishment. God promises a coming time when we will face an accounting, and He will not withhold judgment. And He promises this that you will know that I am the Lord.

The glorious tie between His foretold judgment and our salvation is Jesus. All this punishment, every ounce of the wrath we deserve, every ripple of spreading pain from sin, was borne by our unblemished Savior. Because of His death, we can know Him and live free from sin’s promised penalty, our ransom paid in full. (Isaiah 53:4-6; John 3:16; 17:3; 1 Peter 2:22-25)

For today, what do we think of sin that is an affront to God? Do we make light of crude entertainment, profanity, idolatry, and gossip at expense of others? Have we slipped into self-righteousness by comparing ourselves with others? What if we looked at Jesus’s holy face, and held His nail-scarred hands- would we care more what He thinks? May we take heed lest we fall, and take Jesus as our Deliverer in both immediate and lifelong decisions. (Romans 10:6-14)

Lord, make me holy, ever vigilant for the day I stand before You. (2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Peter 3:9-12a)

“For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” 1 Corinthians 8:5-6

“In him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:28a

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” Colossians 1:15-18

Life is full of prepositional activity. We move by initiative, travel in and along and through, work under orders, live for our passions, rest upon our laurels, identify by our accomplishments. In the spiritual realm, prepositions all stem from and center around and end in the Lord. He made us to be captivated by and enthralled with Him so we can live for His glory and purposes.

What does it mean to have been made by the Lord to exist for Him and live through Him? What would I look and sound like if I decreased and Jesus increased in my plans and motivations and goals? How differently would I behave at church, in my workplace, among my family, if I was truly living all for Jesus? What transformation of mindset and heart and will it take to be less of me and more of Him? (John 3:30)

“All for Jesus! All for Jesus!
All my being’s ransomed pow’rs,
all my thoughts and words and doings,
all my days and all my hours.

Let my hands perform his bidding,
let my feet run in his ways;
let my eyes see Jesus only,
let my lips speak forth his praise.

Worldlings prize their gems of beauty,
cling to gilded toys of dust,
boast of wealth and fame and pleasure;
only Jesus will I trust.

Since my eyes were fixed on Jesus,
I’ve lost sight of all beside;
so enchained my spirit’s vision,
looking at the Crucified.

O what wonder! How amazing!
Jesus, glorious King of kings,
deigns to call me his beloved,
lets me rest beneath his wings.” ~Mary D. Power

God who fills the universe created and called us for a life that is full indeed. Only by Him is our way unobstructed, only in Him are we able to bypass distraction and progress through His next instruction. When we, as stewards, gratefully receive our days as a gift from Him, He empowers us to exercise our efforts for Him, through His Spirit’s strength, joy, and will. (John 10:10b)

Do I say I live for Jesus, but my world and mindset revolve around me? Do I identify as the Lord’s, but behave as though I and my resources are mine?

Jesus, please reorder anything that needs a shift in my loves and intentions. Fill me with the desire and courage to live all and only for You, to the magnification of Your power and glory.

“You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told…

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
    your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
    ever preserve me!
For evils have encompassed me;..
my iniquities have overtaken me;..
they are more than the hairs of my head;
    my heart fails me.

But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
    say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’
As for me, I am poor and needy,
    but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer, O my God!” Psalm 40:5,11-12,16-17

“The Lord has remembered us.” Psalm 115:12a

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it...

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb…
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.” Psalm 139:1-6,13,16-18

Knowing that someone is thinking of you with caring affection is a gift that bolsters confidence and caresses the heart, a surprise that smiles, affirms value, and squeezes with love. So to know that God thinks of us, and His thoughts are ever toward and always around us, is a unique, powerful reality for those who believe in Him. We never escape His perfect, infinite, compassionate mind.

Being made aware of the Lord’s thoughts necessarily draws ours to Him. When multiplied toward us catches hold, we stand amazed at the intricate and manifold ways the incomparable God understands, directs, protects, and is acquainted with us. We learn to marvel at His patience, tenderness, and nearness. We are buoyed in Spirit by the vastness of His knowledge and the breadth of His gentle, strong love.

Are we frustrated at the lack of others’ initiative, or their apathy or inattention? God is thinking about us. Are we wrestling with what to do next, too much to do, or how to do it all? The Lord is thinking about and in control of everything. Are we fearful for a diagnosis, a wayward loved one, the aging process, or personal finances? Our God knows us inside and out, and orders even the unseen and future in His thoughts. Do we struggle with loneliness, our identity, or lack of purpose? God holds us in His mind as His beloveds, and is never surprised or confused by our struggles. His thoughts for us are always good, and for our good. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Lord, may Your thoughts be precious to me always, and my thoughts be full of glorious You.

“God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present* help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
    God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Come, behold the works of the Lord,
    how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the chariots with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46

*Or, well proved

This psalm begins and ends with the Lord very present and ‘well proved,’ and in the middle is a whole lot of trouble. Since He is the Beginning and the End, He is also the midst of our here and now, always on the throne of the nations of the earth, always our fortress and help, no matter what turmoil roils around us or around the globe. (Revelation 22:13)

When the earth, skies, and sea tremble from disasters natural and manmade; when our family life, workplace, health, and relationships war and shake; when governments and factions roar, and stability totters, the Lord of nations says be still and know that He is exalted in and through it all. It takes turning from the thundering tumult and looking at Jesus to know the peace of our Potentate and the calm of His habitation with us. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Would we ask for eyes to see Him and recognize His works in every distress? Would we then sing of our great King whose throne cannot be shaken, and who reigns forever?

“Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o’er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of peace;
whose power a scepter sways,
from pole to pole that wars may cease,
and all be prayer and praise;
His reign shall know no end
and round His pierced feet,
fair flowers of paradise extend
their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.” ~Matthew Bridges (1851)

God of the nations, still me to know you, and fill me to sing Your praise in every trouble. (Psalm 47:6-8)

“Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
    he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
    the plans of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:8-11

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.” Proverbs 12:15

“Listen to advice and accept instruction,
    that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” Proverbs 19:20-21 

When we fear others and evil forces in the world, we tend to stand in awe of ourselves as superior and able to figure it out or overcome. We need no higher counsel because ours is the better opinion and right worldview. But when we fear the Lord as He calls us to do, (and of which He alone is worthy) our whole perspective shifts. We are humbled and bowed in awe of Him who made heaven and earth. We begin to see the world as He does, unseen forces as cruel and strong, and we know we are no match for the formidable and wily prince of darkness. We cannot on our own discern the Spirit’s mind and confidently make right decisions. We need God Almighty’s help. (Psalm 121:2; 124:8; John 8:44; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Ephesians 6:12)

All through history, man has elevated self to a throne of pride. Our Sovereign knows better when we calculate our plans, and though He allows us to choose our path, He holds contempt for our godless plotting. Man conferring with the counsel of man comes to ruin, never considering that will be his end. (Genesis 11:1-8; Psalm 2:2-4; Acts 4:26)

In the daily hum of life, whose counsel do we seek? In decisions with raising families, caring for the needy, dealing in our workplaces, managing hardship, whose counsel do we trust? The media, popular experts, thinkers, authors, and influencers will each offer a view, but are they aligned with Scripture? We may tend to follow our own gut instincts, yet they are imperfect and subject to the whims of emotion. The One who spoke the world into being speaks into our every situation and conundrum today, and His counsel deserves our ear. If we truly desire to know and follow God’s will, we must seek Him first.

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art–
thou my best thought, by day or by night;
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father; tI thy true son,
thou in me dwelling and I with thee one.“ Old Irish, translated by Mary E. Byrne (1880-1931)

Father, help me fear You above all, and seek Your counsel before all other. May I know and appropriate the plans of Your heart, for the unfolding of Your will and praise of Your glory.