I. Prayer to enter the Lord’s presence:
Be still for a moment. “Lord, I give the day that is now past to you. It is yours. I give the day that is to come to you; help me to see where you are working and to join you there. Speak to me during these moments. I commit them and myself to you.”
II. Prayer of Confession:
“Lord, you are faithful to forgive me and cleanse me of my sin when I confess it to you. I confess my sin(s) of ______________. Thank you for forgiveness.” (1 John 1:9)
III. Prayer of Thanksgiving:
Choose to be thankful, speak out loud of what God has done.
“Thank you, Father, for _________________. Fill my heart and my mouth with gratitude throughout this day.”
IV. Scripture Reflection
Read: Proverbs Chapter 3
Reflect:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6: it’s a familiar verse not only for believers but nonbelievers as well. It’s one of those verses that people like to put in a picture frame and hang in the entryway of their house. I get it. I think I even have this verse hanging in my own home. There’s a lot of truth in this verse, but sometimes we can let its familiarity dull the truth found in the verses. So, this morning I just want to steep in these verses for a bit.
“Trust in the Lord” means to put your faith, your full confidence, in Him alone. We trust God not only for salvation but also for the direction of our lives. Trusting is believing the promises of God in all circumstances, even those we may be confused about and don’t fully understand why we’re experiencing a particular situation. And trust goes deeper than just counting on someone; it implies a commitment to someone. In other words, following Him wholeheartedly. The Bible is full of examples of people who wholeheartedly followed the Lord: David, Hezekiah, and Caleb are just a few. Oh, they didn’t do it perfectly, but the direction of their lives pointed towards God. They continued to trust in God. Even in their failings, their faith never wavered. (See Numbers 14:24; Deuteronomy 1:36; Isaiah 38:3)
This kind of trust means that we can’t rely on our wisdom and insight because they are never enough. We are limited in what we know. For example, I could tell you what I’m going to do when I’m done writing this devotional. I can fill my afternoon with all sorts of things to do, but I have no real control over whether they will actually come to pass. I can’t even tell you what will happen an hour after I’ve written this. Human insight is limited. But, praise God, there is one we can trust fully! And yes, His ways are incomprehensible, yet He is trustworthy because His ways are far superior than ours!
Respond:
Will you trust in the Lord and walk in His ways? Give yourself to Him in obedience. Trust in the Lord!
V. Prayer for others:
Pray specifically for the concerns of your life and the lives of others.
VI. Prayer of commitment:
“Lord God, I commit to love you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind and to love my neighbor as myself. Empower me today to love you and others with everything that I am.” (Luke 10:27)
This Week’s Scripture Memory:
Proverbs 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.