"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit."
Psalm 51:10–12
This heartfelt psalm was offered by David when Nathan the Prophet came to him, addressing the weight of his actions after taking Bathsheba as his wife. In that moment of confrontation, David embraced his wrongdoing and turned to God in prayer, seeking forgiveness. Rather than shying away from God in his time of failure, he approached Him with the understanding that God is abundant in mercy.
When we find ourselves facing our own mistakes or shortcomings, it's important to remember to turn to our compassionate Heavenly Father. He does not cast us aside because of our failures (Hebrews 4:16). Instead, He opens His arms wide, ready to forgive us when we humbly reach out to Him. Let's find comfort in knowing that no matter how heavy our hearts may feel, God's love and understanding are always there to embrace us.
Prayer
Thank you, Father, for being rich in mercy. I come to you seeking forgiveness for any wrongdoings. Please cleanse me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Help me to walk in Your ways, in Jesus' name. Amen.
"What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint. And then God answered: Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming — it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time."
Habakkuk 2:1–3 (MSG)
Waiting on the manifestation of God's promises in your life can be tough at times. What does it mean to wait? To wait means to stay in a place of expectation of something.
Discouragement can set in — as the writer says "I'm braced for the worst" — when we are in our waiting season. Today the Lord is encouraging us to trust in Him and to put our faith in Him, because He won't let us down.
Promises to hold on to in your waiting season
- He hasn't forgotten about you — Isaiah 49:15
- Our God is a faithful God — Hebrews 10:23, Psalm 121:3, Isaiah 66:9, Jeremiah 1:12
- His promises are Yea and Amen — 2 Corinthians 1:20
- You have nothing to fear. The Lord will do just what He says. — Lamentations 3:55–57, Isaiah 55:11
The vision is worth the wait. Hold on and wait for it! I pray that your heart rests in the truth that God is not a man that He should lie.
Prayer
Lord, sustain me in this season of waiting. Let my heart rest in Your faithfulness and not waver in doubt. I trust that Your promises are on their way, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Song Recommendation
While I'm Waiting — Travis Greene
"Not everyone who calls me, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven; but only those who do what my Father in Heaven wants them to do. When the Judgement Day comes, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, in your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles! Then I will say to them, I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people."
Matthew 7:21–23
We need to run this Christian race according to the rules given. We are soldiers — as 2 Timothy 2:4–5 puts it — and we have a commanding officer, God, to please. There is a prize to be won.
In 1 Corinthians 9:27, it says "I discipline my body like an athlete." To be an athlete you must be disciplined. You run the race according to the rules lest you are disqualified. A charge to keep we have and a God to glorify.
It's very easy to think you are doing the will of God especially when it seems acceptable in the sight of men. However, you must make sure you are in constant alignment with the will of God so you do not hear "Get away from me." When you went out there preaching, were souls saved? Yes. When you sang, were people touched? Yes. Then He says, depart from me. Every game has rules and the game is the game.
A heart check
- It may be good — but is it really God?
- We must constantly evaluate ourselves with the lens of Scripture.
- We must know what we are supposed to be doing and know who we are doing it for.
- God is a God of order. Seek His heart, not what we want or think is right.
Prayer
Lord, may we be aligned to Your perfect will and plan. Help us to run this race so we may obtain the prize that You have set before us, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Song Recommendation
There Is a Race — Jabu Hlongwane
"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.' Jesus said to him, 'Shall I come and heal him?' The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed...' When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said, 'Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.' Then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that moment."
Matthew 8:5–10, 13
Do you know that the revelation you carry determines the faith in which you walk?
The Centurion knew and understood the Authority Jesus carried. As an officer, he held a position of authority which commanded much respect in society, and he knew — if Jesus was who people said He was — then He Himself must be a man of greater Authority.
The Bible tells us that they that know their God shall be strong (Daniel 11:32). Our walk in faith is based on what we know about God. So today I ask you: what revelation of God do you carry?
Do you know that He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you may ask or think? (Ephesians 3:20)
Walk in the revelation
- Like the Roman Officer, who knew the Authority Jesus had — may we know who God is and whose we are.
- May the revelation we carry about God cause our faith to increase.
- May we walk in the miracles that come from truly knowing Him.
Prayer
Thank you Lord for Your grace and Your power. May our faith in You increase as our revelation of You increases. May our faith cause us to walk in miracles. In Jesus' name, Amen.
"When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, 'Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.' So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son."
Hosea 1:2–3
From the Bible, we see a clear picture of what obedience to God looks like. There are times when God tells us to do something and it truly doesn't make sense to our human minds (1 Corinthians 2:14).
God asked Hosea the prophet to marry Gomer, a prostitute, as an illustration of Israel's idolatry. God needed to use this union as a symbolic representation of His relationship with Israel. And because of Hosea's obedience, we see God's mercy, unfailing love, and redemption — how far He was willing to go to restore Israel's relationship with Him.
How this is relevant to you today
- There will be times when we will have to obey God and it will not be easy — but we will have to do it because of our love for God.
- What God may require of us may inconvenience us, but because we love and trust Him, we can be assured He has our best interest at heart (Matthew 7:11).
- Our obedience will lead to the salvation of others.
Obeying God may seem very difficult or even absurd — but it is always worth it in the end.
Prayer
Lord, give us the courage to obey You even when it doesn't make sense. May our obedience be a vessel for Your glory and the salvation of others. In Jesus' name, Amen.
