God's Plan: More Than We Can Imagine

God's Plan: More Than We Can Imagine

READ: 1 SAMUEL 2:1-10; EPHESIANS 3:14-21; HEBREWS 13:8 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20SAMUEL%202%3A1-10%3B%20EPHESIANS%203%3A14-21%3B%20HEBREWS%2013%3A8&version=NIV] Have you ever prayed, Lord, what is your plan for my life? You’re not alone. Becoming an adult can be overwhelming, especially with all the unknowns ahead. A woman in the Bible named Hannah knew how it felt to face an unknown future. She didn’t know if God would give her a child. She prayed for years, until one day God spoke through the priest Eli and answered her with a yes—she would have a son (1 Samuel 1:17). Hannah was thrilled! But God’s plan for Hannah didn’t stop there. He worked through the details of her life in ways beyond what she imagined. As she thanked God for her son, her prayer showed a glimpse of a much bigger picture already set in motion: “There is no one holy like the Lord... there is no Rock like our God...‘He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed’” (1 Samuel 2:2, 10). Hannah’s prayer mentioned a king, but she couldn’t have known that one day her baby Samuel would grow up to anoint David to be king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). Not only that, but many years later Jesus Christ would be born from the lineage of David (Matthew 1:17). Jesus is the promised King of kings, and He came to save us from sin and death. Even as far back as the Old Testament, we see pieces of God’s design for our salvation. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As Christians, we don’t have to worry about the future—we can trust God with the details because He is working all things out according to His good kingdom purposes (Romans 8:28-29). So when you wonder what God’s plan is for you, be assured of this. In Christ, it’s more than you could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20). • Kristine Brown • Can you think of a time you were unsure about your future? How can Hannah’s story encourage us as we face unknowns in our lives? • Hebrews 13:8 talks about Jesus being “the same yesterday and today and forever.” How can this truth give us hope for our future—both our eternal future when Jesus returns to make all things new, and every day till then? Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

Eat Every Day!

READ: MATTHEW 6:11; JOHN 6:25-69 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%206%3A11%3B%20JOHN%206%3A25-69&version=NIV] The other night as I sat down to another meal, I got to wondering. As I ate with my family, I wondered even more: What’s with all this eating? Why do we require so much food? Why do we have to eat every day—several times a day? Wouldn’t it have been more efficient if the good Lord had made our bodies in such a way that we could store our caloric needs just a little longer? I mean, He made camels that way, with humps for extra storage. How about eating every three days? We’d get so much more done without all this constant need for nourishment! And yet, we know that God made all things good. He likes the way He made us, dependent upon our daily supply. He planned it this way. I’m sure God has many reasons for this plan. One might be to keep us humble. We can’t be too puffed up, we humans, if we grow weak and frail from just a few missed meals! Maybe another reason is because God wants to give us a daily (sometimes hourly) illustration, right before our eyes—like the meals in front of us each day—that we are utterly and totally dependent, needy, starved without the presence of God. We see this in John 6, when Jesus explains He is “the true bread…that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (verses 32-33). Without Jesus, we’re all dead in our sins. But if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know we have “crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). He says, “Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35), which means that believers have eternal life with Him! As we learn to follow Jesus in our everyday lives, we quickly discover we need the nourishment that time with Him brings. And often, the more we spend time with Him, the more we want to spend time with Him! How? He has provided us with His Word, the Bible. He provides His presence through the Holy Spirit (also called the Spirit of Christ), who lives inside every believer. And He provides the church, other believers who have the Holy Spirit too. He is that faithful. And He is that good. • Kristen Merrill • Our hunger points us to God, and we find that He desires to provide for us. For example, in Exodus 16, God provided manna—bread from heaven—when the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years. How can physical hunger point us to our need for Jesus? • We’re all sometimes tempted to think that regular time in God’s Word, in prayer, and with His people isn’t that important. Why is this not true? (Psalm 119:105; Luke 5:16; Hebrews 10:25) Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Bible Study Blessings

READ: ACTS 2:42-47; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:9-11; HEBREWS 10:23-25 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ACTS%202%3A42-47%3B%201%20THESSALONIANS%205%3A9-11%3B%20HEBREWS%2010%3A23-25&version=NIV] What do you picture when you hear the word church? Perhaps you feel a rush of excitement as you imagine worshipping alongside hundreds of other believers. Or maybe you’re envisioning a quiet sanctuary where a pastor is teaching from God’s Word. Many churches today look very different now than churches did in the book of Acts. Back then, believers often met in homes and took care of each other’s needs. If someone didn’t have enough food, the rest of the church would feed them. If someone was being persecuted for their faith, everyone would come together and pray for them. There’s beauty in large gatherings of believers, but there’s also something valuable about meeting in smaller groups. Often, smaller groups of Christians gather to study the Bible and pray for each other. Participants in a small group or Bible study have the opportunity to care for each other in practical and personal ways. In high school, I started a Bible study when my youth group disbanded. I was longing for godly community, and God provided. Over the years, He has blessed us with deep conversations, wisdom in understanding Scripture, and lasting friendships that continue outside of our meetings. In fact, my closest friendships were born out of these impactful moments of fellowship. How is this kind of community possible? Because Jesus has bound us to Himself and to each other with an everlasting bond. As Christians, we are united in His love for us. Romans 12:15 tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” In my Bible study, when one person shares that they’re struggling with anxiety, the rest of us will comfort them and pray for peace. If another person is celebrating an exciting new opportunity, we will praise God together. Participating in close-knit fellowship with other believers not only strengthens our faith, but it also allows us to experience God’s love in deep and tangible ways. • Hannah Chung • Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing in His death and resurrection, we are part of His church. His Holy Spirit lives in us, uniting us with other believers because we all have the same Holy Spirit. Together, we get to participate in His Kingdom as parts of His body, living in His love and sharing the truth of the gospel—the good news of Jesus. What are some ways you’ve seen God at work in and through the church? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)

The Peace of the Covenant

READ: GENESIS 15; ACTS 3:25; HEBREWS 13:20-21 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS%2015%3B%20ACTS%203%3A25%3B%20HEBREWS%2013%3A20-21&version=NLT] Have you ever worried about losing your relationship with God? I used to worry God would give up on me if I wasn’t good enough—and, of course, I was never “good enough.” Then I learned about covenant. A covenant is a binding, sacred agreement, and it’s one way God relates to humankind. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the rainbow provides a beautiful picture of covenant (chapters 6–9). Humankind was so steeped in wickedness that God, in His justice, flooded the earth and destroyed almost all life. Noah and his family, who were spared through their trust in God, built an ark and lived in it for about 370 days, surrounded by all different types of animals. When the flood was over, God sent the rainbow as a sign of His covenant: that He would never flood the world again. But God didn’t stop there. Years later, He made a covenant with Abraham, promising him descendants and leading him from his home to an unknown country and an unseen future, so the whole world would one day be blessed through the birth of Jesus (Genesis 15; Galatians 3:6-14, 29). Here’s some great news: God’s covenant with His people can’t be broken— because He is the one keeping the covenant, and He knows people are incapable of keeping it (Psalm 89:34). And God loves us so much that He has a covenant with you and me—and with everyone who puts their trust in Jesus—to rescue us from sin and death so we can live with Him forever. Covenant brings me comfort. It dispels any doubts about God’s love, forgiveness, and trustworthiness. Hebrews 13:20 tells us that Jesus is our great shepherd and we are His sheep through “an eternal covenant [ratified] with his blood.” God is the one who established the covenant through His blood, and God is the one who keeps His covenant. • Sharon Rene • Throughout our lives, we may experience fears that God might abandon us. Thankfully, God invites us to bring these worries to Him in prayer anytime. In addition to talking to God, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to about this, people who can pray with you and point you to Scriptures that remind us of God’s faithful love? • Why do you think we humans try to be perfect to earn God’s love? How can remembering God’s covenants and the symbol of the rainbow help us rest in His faithful love, instead of working to earn His favor? “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)

For Aid I Call: A Lament

READ: PSALM 7:1; PROVERBS 18:10; HEBREWS 13:6 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%207%3A1%3B%20PROVERBS%2018%3A10%3B%20HEBREWS%2013%3A6&version=NIV]Oh Lord, are Your ears stone? From times of old I have cried out for aid, but no answer have I received. To the left, fear plots for my life; affliction laughs at my right hand. Trouble is near me. But You, O God, O Lord of might and justice, You alone are my hope. Even when all hope seems lost, You keep me secure. Tears washed my bed, and a troubled sleep took me, but I awoke in joy, for Your steadfast love encompassed me. I call to You only for aid, and You alone I seek; I cannot save myself. Your sword alone can crush my enemies, and You alone can lay my foes at my feet. From my lips, Your praise builds its peak; higher than the mountaintops, To the depths of the sea and to the farthest star Your song reaches. For You are the Deliverer, the Faithful, and the Giver of blessings. I will praise You alone, for You are good. • Bonny Garlets • Today’s poem is written in the style of a lament psalm. Lament psalms are a mix of complaint, trust, and assurance. When our foundations are crumbling, we can talk to God with raw honesty, like the psalmists did, and we can trust Him to hold us safely even in the midst of suffering. Because Jesus suffered the cross for us, crying out in the words of Psalm 22, we can come to Him in any suffering. We can know that He feels our hurts with us, and He promises to save us and to one day make all things new. What kinds of hardships or trouble have you been experiencing lately? Consider taking some time to pour out your own lament to God. • If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 3:8; 6:6; 7:9; 16:9; 28:1-2; 30:5; 32:10; 33:5; 36:5; 45:4; 56:4; 71:5; 108:12; 146:3-5. LoORD, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Psalm 3:1-3 (NIV)