TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Yesterday, I went to Costco. While my bank account took a hefty beating, I made it out unscathed (WHEW!). But on the way home, with beef, chicken, frozen food, yogurt, and cheese dangerously unrefrigerated on a sweltering hot NC afternoon, I got stuck in a poorly managed utility work nightmare.
Costco is normally about 10 minutes from my house, depending on the time of day. But I spent almost an hour in stop and start traffic while frantically repositioning my vents to point the A/C toward the groceries. Home felt far away when I was trying to keep perishables cool and the simple drive home was not going as planned.
And that’s the point today. We sometimes have unexpected interruptions that we are convinced are going to ruin everything. It’s frustrating, right? We have a simple plan. A step by step outline made. And then, out of nowhere, a curveball. Dare I say it? Even 2020.
Let’s look at a story from the Bible. Joseph, the one who would marry Mary, mother of Jesus, was definitely thrown a curveball. He was engaged to a nice Jewish girl, planning a nice normal life with her when he found out about her pregnancy. Their story is told in Matthew 1:18-25. Why am I telling a Christmas story in June? I’m not… I’m saying that our curve balls shape us in unexpected ways. And as evidenced by Joseph’s faithfulness and belief in God’s plan, God will take our unexpected circumstances and use them for His good purpose (Romans 8:28). Joseph was flexible enough to God’s will that when the curveball came at him, he stayed in the game and worked through it. And I’m certain that having Jesus as a son was a great joy to Joseph.
Let’s wrap things up with one of my favorite passages before I go get one of the brave little yogurts that survived NC’s heat index yesterday… “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). That promise means we never have to worry when our bulleted outline gets knocked out of order… when we trust in God, He promises to be with us.
Today, as you pray, thank God that the curveballs are never a surprise to Him. Thank Him that He promises to be with us. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray through the unexpected and trust God’s plan even when it interrupts yours.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
