“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.” Ps. 66:18-20
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
I remember one day I asked my goddaughter to clean her room. I was planning on surprising her by treating her to her favorite restaurant for pancakes. Jenna enjoyed getting dressed up whenever we had a special day together, so I was looking forward to watching her put on her “fairy best” tutu over her blue jeans. After giving her enough time to clean her room, I peeked into her “purple palace”. To my disappointment, not only was it a bigger mess than when I last inspected it, she was playing with her doll. Jenna looked up at me and defiantly squinted her eyes. She continued combing her doll’s hair and ignored me. I had such plans for the day; but with an attitude like that—I did not feel right about rewarding her bad behavior. So, unbeknownst to her, we missed a great opportunity to share some special memories together. I believe that example is a simple reflection of what we do to God. God has great plans for all of us. But, many, not believing in His goodness and love, chose to do what we want. We embrace rebellion instead of obedience. Just like any person that loves a child desires to help mold character traits that will secure a healthy future, God whispers on our hearts to obey Him. It is not because He is a “bossy” God; it is because He is a loving God. Defiance causes us to see from a selfish and cloudy viewpoint. God wants good things for you. Do you trust His wisdom more than your immediate desires? It is worth trusting Him; because in the end, nothing is more satisfying than knowing you avoided a life full of mistakes and regrets. Who knows what great things that you have already missed because you tried to “make things happen YOUR WAY”. Trust God. What do you have to loose by doing that?
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you with a humble heart. I have to admit, that in most of my life decisions, I hardly ever factored in what your desire was for me. I did not listen to wisdom but I sought satisfaction instead. What an un-satisfying and disappointing life I created for myself! I realize that my own rebellion hurt me from the things that you had planned for my life. I can only wonder where I would be today if I would have heeded your gentle tugs on my heart. Today is a new day. I will not live with regret and wonder. I will live day by day, listening to your gentle instructions of wisdom. Over time, I will see the beauty of blessing that will gently unfold over my life of mistakes. You can redeem my life. Your GOD! You can do anything. I want you on my side, because if God is FOR me, who can succeed at being against me? In Jesus’ precious name, I pray that the wisdom of God lead my daily decisions, Amen.”