10/3/21 Day 19

TODAY'S VERSE: 10/3/21 Day 19

“And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new!’ And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.’” - Revelation 21:5-6

 

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

When is the last time you stopped everything and thought, “Wow, God is really making everything in my world new?!”

If you are like me, that happens far less than I’d like to admit. Maybe you feel like God is making some things in the world new, but he seems to have forgotten you. Maybe it seems like nothing is really changing. This is an easy recipe for hopelessness and discouragement in your faith.

In this Lenten season of renewal, God is inviting us to do two things that can make the difference. The first is to “look.” In other words, God wants us to intentionally behold or take note of what is happening in our lives. I am usually too busy to even notice the blessings that keep showing up. It can be especially difficult to see incremental renewal God brings each day. That is why the second command in the passage matters so much. 

God also invites us to “write this down…” This means God wants us to find a way to remember the renewal he has promised us and that we have already experienced. When we stop to behold God’s goodness and promises and write down what he has done, it sustains us while we are in the winter of life, waiting on new life to arrive.

So here is your homework for today: Take a few minutes to write down four or five new blessings that have come into your life in the past year. What is on an upward and hopeful trajectory? Then write down four or five other areas of life you hope God will make new in the upcoming year. These are not goals, but prayers. Thank God for blessings and tell him about your hopes for the future as well.

Pastor Nick Brannen

TODAY'S PRAYER:

Lord, you are the only one with the kind of power it takes to make everything in this world truly new. Please, open my eyes to see where you are working to bring renewal in my life. I often miss your marvelous works because I am distracted, worried, and hurt. Thank you for not forgetting me and promising to bring your renewal in me and through me to the world! Amen!

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