The word for the day taken from “The Verse of the Day” in Biblegateway.com is “Encourage.”
Once again, I begin my day by looking at today’s Verse of the Day for May 23, 2022, according to Biblegateway.com:
Romans 15:2 (New Living Translation)
We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition puts it this way:
Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually].
The Verse of the Day also brought to mind I Thessalonians 5:11 as rendered in the identical versions:
New Living Translation:
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition:
Therefore encourage (admonish, exhort) one another and edify (strengthen and build up) one another, just as you are doing.
These verses inspired me to write words of encouragement, expressed in this original poem:
Encourage One Another
So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
.
Don’t stop now—keep on pursuing
Keep seeking His face
Don’t get weary in well-doing
You must keep the pace
Seek and you shall find
The strength to be transformed–
Renewed in the spirit of your mind
Encourage yourself
And encourage one another
Build each other up
Every sister and brother
Speaking the truth, we grow up
Therefore, encourage one another
I found the accompanying video “Encourage one another” which is a compilation of the same verse from I Thessalonians 5:11 and other scriptures and words of encouragement from Kimberly Culpen. May we all be strengthened and encouraged today.
Instead of beginning our day with the Word of the Day posted May 19, 2022, on Biblegateway.com, I thought of a previously posted “Quote of the Day,” which we can apply today and every day, especially during these extremely stressful and overwhelmingly tense times in which we live. Brian Adams offers this remarkable statement about the “art of patience” which believers must learn to perfect:
“Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement, and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.”
As believers, perfecting the art of patience involves learning to wait on the Lord. The closing verses of my favorite psalm come to mind:
Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV)
I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Note the Bible offers this definition of patience, meaning endurance or perseverance, steadfastly bearing up under and remaining faithful while waiting. Patience or perseverance is a fruit of the spirit that should be evident in our lives, as we wait on the Lord.
James 5:11 provides an excellent example of the word for patience translated as a verb and as a noun in a particular individual who embodies the character trait of patient endurance. The New Living Translation offers this rendering containing a familiar phrase that encompasses a character trait most often associated with Job:
11 We give great honor to those who endure suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
The Book of Job is a classic example of the principle of first usage and first spiritual principle, which highlights as particularly important the first time we find a concept in the Bible. Some Bible scholars believe that the first book written was the Book of Job, believed to have been composed by Moses. Job, whom Chuck Swindoll described as a “man of heroic endurance,” was, indeed, a real person, and his story is one of the first demonstrations of spiritual principles, one of the first being that God is “full of compassion and tender mercy” and that he rewards those who demonstrate “patience.” Although we recognize that “Patience is its own reward,” God also rewards patience, as so clearly demonstrated at the end of the Book of Job. Recall Job 42:10:
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends: also, the
LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
The topic of the need for patience in our lives brings to mind a statement by Graham Cooke whose words inspired this poetic response:
A Prayer for Patience
“My suggestion for people in a season of birth or upgrade
is to write out a prayer for patience and pray it every day.”
Graham Cooke
For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance,
so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God,
and thus, receive and carry away [and enjoy to the full] what is promised.
Hebrews 10:36 (Amplified Bible)
We look back and pause and then look ahead to see
Clearly who God is and who He has called us to be.
We still journey down the road less traveled by
And pray that patience may serve as a trusted ally.
We must say “No” to the pressures of this life
And say “Yes” to the rest God gives, despite the strife.
As we stay our minds on Him, we abide in peace.
When we praise God, works of the enemy decrease.
May we remain and not fall by the wayside as some
But like Job wait until at last, our change shall come.
Patient endurance seems delayed for some reason,
But fruit abounds to those who wait in their season.
We pray that in this time of transition and shift
That we embrace waiting as a wonderful gift.
We close with another reminder from Scripture about patience from Hebrews 10:36-38 (NLT):
36 Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
37 “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. 38 And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
Karen Clark Sheard and Donnie McClurkin offer a stirring rendition of a song to capture the essence of our discussion on the art of patience: “Wait on the Lord.”
The Verse of the Day for May 15, 2022, comes from Ecclesiastes 11:5 in the New Living Translation:
Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.
This verse reminds us that God, the creator of the universe, is far beyond our ability to comprehend. In thinking about this verse, the word “unsearchable” comes to mind, a term uniquely applied to the Lord, God Almighty:
Romans 11:33-36 (NLT) also reveals His incomprehensible nature:
33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
34 For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? 35 And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?
36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.
In the Book of Job and in the Psalms, we find similar sentiments expressed:
Job 5:9 (NLT):
He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.
Job 11:7-9 (NLT)
7 “Can you solve the mysteries of God?
Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
8 Such knowledge is higher than the heavens—
And who are you?
It is deeper than the underworld*—
What do you know?
9 It is broader than the earth
And wider than the sea.
The Psalmist also notes the incomprehensible nature of the Creator in Psalm 139:1-6 (NLT)
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
And know everything about me.
2 You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
3 You see me when I travel
And when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
4 You know what I am going to say
Even before I say it, Lord.
5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
Too great for me to understand!
In describing the ways of God, one of the terms used is “unsearchable” which is also translated “indelineable, marked by being impossible to plot, travel, or trace to the end of, therefore, incomprehensible or impossible to understand.”
Today’s blog post also brings to mind a previous entry focusing on the “Word of the Day” which turned out to be “research,” whose root is “search,” a term related to what God continually does to the human heart.
Research, in its most literal sense, means to “re-search” or to “search again. God, our Father, as the ultimate “Researcher” conducts this grand “research project” whose primary purpose is for the advancement of human knowledge about God, that we might “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” In the process we discover, interpret, and develop knowledge, which we apply as we grow in our understanding of the Creator and His vast universe. This original psalm centers on “searching” or “trying,” as in examining closely and scrutinizing in detail in order to render some kind of assessment or evaluation. Introducing the work is a section of Scripture from Romans 8:27-28 (NKJV):
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
God Searches
Romans 8:27-28
God searches the depths of each soul and probes each heart,
To uncover each motive and extract the pure,
Discarding dross, thus perfecting the refiner’s art.
The word of prophecy stands as even more sure,
The touchstone to measure the essence of all life.
All else shall fail, but the Word shall ever inspire.
This two-edged sword, sharper than a finely honed knife–
Living, powerful, piercing each thought and desire,
Penetrating soul and spirit, joints and marrow–
Probing deepest emotions, dispelling the dark.
Life-giving and powerful, swift as an arrow
That finds its target and that always hits its mark
Reaching its own perfection, to its fullest extent,
The Word of God prospers wherever it is sent.
In thinking about God as “the ultimate researcher,” I also recall Psalm 139 where the Psalmist recognizes that God knows all about the most intricate and delicate complexity of His matchless creation. Spiritually speaking, we can view all of Psalm 139 as an invitation to deepest, divine inspection, as the celebrated psalm closes with this heartfelt request:
Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT} :
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
He who is unsearchable, whose ways are past finding out, searches the hearts of His creation.
We close with Gwen Smith offering a contemporary song of worship “Unsearchable”:
On today, Mother’s Day, May 8, 2022, I express my gratitude to God for my wife, Brenda, the mother of our two daughters, Melissa and Angela, and the grandmother of our grandson, Kingston. Happy Mother’s Day to a special Lady, affectionately called, Mom, Mommy, Mimi, and My Beloved Brenda.
I love you and God bless you
On Mother’s Day and Every Day
For My Beloved Brenda
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
On Mother’s Day and every day, I thank God for you.
At times words fail, and so I say, “If only you knew.”
I try to reassure you in all I say and do.
Again, I say, “God bless you. You make me feel brand new.”
Reflecting upon our lives since the day we first met,
His love still enriches and sustains us yet.
That He answered each of our prayers, how can we forget?
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
God deeply touched our lives so that we might also share
This “Sunday kind of love,” one that is, indeed, so rare.
Through every storm of life, He sheltered us in His care.
Though we try to describe it, it is beyond compare.
The world ever changes, but God’s love is always there,
Brenda Joyce, the wife of my youth in whom I rejoice…
On Biblegateway.com, the Verse of the Day for May 5, 2022, comes from Philippians 4:6-7 to remind believers not to worry about anything but to pray about everything. I am revising and re-posting a previous entry that we can apply today and every day of our lives.
Here is the rendering of this celebrated passage in the New Living Translation (NLT):
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV) also offers this reminder:
By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
The most dramatic reminder to live in continuous thanksgiving we find in I Thessalonians 5:18:
Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ.
The King James Version renders the verse this way:
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
To facilitate memorizing this particular verse, I composed a Scripture Memory Song “In Everything Give Thanks”:
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
Repeat
When things in life don’t seem to turn out
Just as we think they should,
We know that God still has a grand plan
And works all things together—
He works all things together for our good.
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
The sun shines bright or the darkest night,
No matter what the mood,
We still give thanks always for all things.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
We keep an attitude of gratitude.
In everything give thanks,
In everything give thanks,
For this is the will of God
In Christ Jesus concerning you.
Every situation offers an opportunity to be thankful, no matter how bright or bleak life may be. We can always find something to be thankful for, if for nothing more than that we are alive or that our situation could be worse. We can begin with thanking God that we are alive and then adding to the lengthy list of blessings we are enjoying at that moment. Each time we set our minds to be thankful, we are doing the will of God, which is the innermost desire of every believer. To give thanks is to do the will of God.
J. Rufus Moseley speaks of “an attitude of gratitude and boundless goodwill.” For believers, thanksgiving is a magnificent and joyful “response-ability;” that is, our ability to respond to God’s love and grace. We endeavor to demonstrate our gratitude to God from the fullness of our hearts, overflowing with thanks. More than merely occasionally expressing how grateful we are, we desire to maintain a continual “attitude of gratitude,” a lifestyle that some have called “thanksliving.” The essence of our attitude of endless gratitude I express in this original psalm:
Thanksliving
What shall we render to the Lord for all
His grace? What can we say to offer praise
Worthy of His glory? How can we call
With all our being upon His name and raise
A new song from the depths of our heart?
We must do more than mouth a platitude–
To express our soul in words is an art;
Yet words cannot express our gratitude.
Mere words are empty and without merit.
“Thank you” too soon becomes a hollow phrase.
So we must worship God with our spirit
And must give thanks well for all of our days.
To live is to give thanks with tongue and limb;
With each breath, each move, let us live thanks to Him.
Listen to this scripture memory song based on Philippians 4:6-7 from Integrity Music
In celebration of National Poetry Month, the American Academy of Poets has designated April 29 as National Poem in Your Pocket Day. Until the Pandemic, the idea was simple: people selected a poem that they loved during National Poetry Month and carried it with them to share with co-workers, family, and friends. People unfolded poems from pockets throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores. In light of the current COVID-19 circumstances, the celebration can continue digitally:
Here are ways to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day 2022:
Select a poem and share it on social media using the hashtag #pocketpoem.
Simultaneously participate in the Shelter in Poems initiative and select a poem that brings you solace during this time of distance and solitude. Share what it means to you and use the hashtags #pocketpoem and #ShelterInPoems.
Record a video of yourself reading a poem, then share it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media platform you use.
Email a poem to your friends, family, neighbors, or local government leaders.
Schedule a video chat and read a poem to your loved ones.
Add a poem to your email footer.
Read a poem aloud from your porch, window, backyard, or outdoor space.
Poem in My Pocket:
During times of crisis and personal upheaval, especially meaningful poetry comes from the Book of Psalms. David, my all-time favorite poet, has provided comfort, encouragement, and strength during my darkest days. The Book of Psalms continues to be a source of inspiration as well. Despite the devastating aftermath of the pandemic, including a personal encounter with the virus, I wake up each morning abiding in the safety of the Lord, thankful for life, health, and strength, being able to express in words my gratitude. In reflecting on being hospitalized and testing positive for Covid, I am grateful to God for bringing me through that experience triumphantly. Here is a personal poetic expression, an original psalm, “a taste of the blues,” that I would like to share on Poem in Your Pocket Day:
Beyond the Dark Night of Covid
Yet they don’t ask, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
the one who gives songs in the night?
Job 35:10 (NLT)
Like nothing we’ve ever known, the Covid Pandemic gripped the world in fear
Like nothing we’ve ever known, the Covid Pandemic gripped the world in fear
Bless the Lord, O my soul. What in the world’s going on down here
Twice they rushed me to the hospital—I couldn’t believe my eyes
Twice they rushed me to the hospital—I couldn’t believe my eyes
That low-down Covid pulled a sneak attack that took me by surprise
To steal, kill, and destroy—that’s always what the Enemy has planned
To steal, kill, and destroy—that’s always what the Enemy has planned
But be encouraged and don’t forget God’s got the whole world in His hands
Beyond the dark night of Covid, we shall walk in the light of a brand-new day
Beyond the dark night of Covid, we shall walk in the light of a brand-new day
We won’t be defeated, but we will survive and thrive, no matter what comes our way
God Almighty, our Father, our redeemer, delivers from Covid and every infirmity
Even this perplexing pandemic will work together for the good, just you wait and see
We conclude with a perfect music video: Matt Redman’s “Songs in the Night”
The Verse of the Day for April 25, 2022, like a beautifully wrapped package, provides enjoy a deeper appreciation of God’s wisdom and grace offered to believers. This passage reveals the concept of “the mystery” unfolded in Colossians 1:27-28 in the New King James Version:
To them, God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Derived from the Greek word musterion, translated as “sacred secret,” the essence of “this mystery” is that Jews and Gentiles would be united in one body, the Body of Christ. This God, our Father, hid this “great mystery” in Christ before the foundations of the earth. Had Satan known this mystery or great secret, the Scriptures declare that he never would have crucified the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ. God revealed this mystery to the Apostle Paul as the context of the Verse of the Day indicates.
In the Book of Ephesians, Paul also speaks of the magnificence of God’s new creation in Christ and describes the spiritual impact that the Church, the Body of Christ, would demonstrate. Our discussion of the riches of the glory of this mystery of the one body brought to mind an original psalm composed as an expression of my heart’s desire:
The words of Jesus Christ remind us of his unique position as the Son of God, raised from the dead, who is alive forevermore.
As we reflect on the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ this weekend, one of the most memorable accounts of that memorable event is found in Luke 24:1-9:
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
8And they remembered His words. 9Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
I thought of this account of the women at the empty tomb which inspired this original reflective piece: “Witness”
Witness
Luke 24:1-9
The account of the women at the empty tomb
Though we did not journey with the women
In the dark before dawn that first day,
Nor were we walking, weeping with them when
Two angels spoke, nor did we hear them say,
“He is not here but risen as he said;
Recall that on the third day he should rise;
Why seek you the living among the dead?”
Though we did not see with our naked eyes,
In our hearts, we know God’s desire to bless.
Though we did not touch Christ, nor did we see
The open tomb, yet we still bear witness.
We have a more sure word of prophecy.
By the spirit, fruit of our Promised Seed,
We surely know He is risen, risen, indeed.
We close with this music video by Keith and Kristyn Getty: “Christ is Risen He is Risen, Indeed.”
Combining and condensing excerpts from two previous blog posts, the Verse of the Day for March 26, 2022, with the Logos Bible software comes from Isaiah 55: 8-9 (NIV):
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The Message Bible says:
8-11 “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
The New Living Translation puts it this way:
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
These verses point out distinctions between the thoughts and ways of God and the thoughts and ways of people. The term “way” in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew word derek, meaning “way, road, path, distance, journey, manner” and also referred to as a direction, manner, habit, way of life, a course of life or mode of action, a lifestyle. The Greek New Testament translates the word hodos as “a way, a traveled way, road, and when used as a metaphor it means “a course of conduct” “a way (i.e., manner of thinking, feeling, deciding).
The passage from Isaiah 55 speaks of “the ways of God” and “the ways of man,” as we see a notable contrast between the two. 2 Samuel 22:31 and Psalm 18:30 provide the same rendering in the New King Version:
As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
Jeremiah 10:23 provides this reminder:
O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
The Prophet Isaiah also makes known: “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way.” The difference is striking, indeed. The ways of God are righteous altogether; whereas the ways of man are wicked and unrighteous.
The Verse of the Day from Isaiah 55 encourages the people of God to turn from their own unrighteous ways and follow the ways of God who is rich in mercy and who will abundantly pardon. A series of posts on the will of God also speaks of the will of God as a path that believers should ever seek to follow. To follow the will of God is to decide which path we are going to take. Many times, it is easier to follow our own path and seek our own way rather than God’s way or God’s will. Like the Psalmist, we should choose to follow the path of truth, and when we choose to follow that path, we take comfort in knowing that as for God, His way is perfect.
The following anonymous poem also provides assurance as to where the path that is the will of God will take us.
The Will of God Author: Unknown
The will of God will never take you, Where the grace of God cannot keep you. Where the arms of God cannot support you, Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs, Where the power of God cannot endow you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the spirit of God cannot work through you, Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you, Where the army of God cannot protect you, Where the hands of God cannot mold you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the love of God cannot enfold you, Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you, Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears, Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.
The will of God will never take you, Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears, Where the Word of God cannot feed you, Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you, Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
To follow the Will of God is to decide which path we are going to take. So often, it is easier to follow our own path and seek our own way rather than God’s way or God’s will. Like the Psalmist, however, we should choose to follow the path of truth, and when we choose to follow that path, we take comfort in knowing that as for God, His way is perfect. Indeed, His thoughts and ways are not our thoughts and ways, as this Christian Worship and Scripture Song from Isaiah 55:6-9 reminds us:
The Verse of the Day for today has become my “life verse” that I apply every day of my life.
The Verse of the Day for Biblegate software on March 13, 2022, continues to be especially meaningful for me. Over the years, I have designated this scripture as my “Life Verse.” According to the Middletown Christian Church, “Life Verses are those words from Scripture that anchor our faith and become touchstones that illuminate, assure, uplift and energize us to live out our faith.” Here are three of my favorite translations of my favorite verse:
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. [KJV]
We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. [Amplified Bible]
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [NIV]
Romans 8:28, my favorite verse in the Bible, offers this reminder that because God is good, “We know that all things work together for the good, to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.” So no matter how bad any situation may appear to be, we know that it will work together for our good.
The Verse of the Day also brings to mind another passage of scripture that has become especially meaningful to me at this time in my life:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV):
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way:
For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts, and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.
12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.
13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Although the words of Jeremiah were specifically addressed to Israel concerning their release from Babylonian captivity after seventy years, we recognize the truth expressed in Romans 15:4 (NIV):
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
The prophetic word from Jeremiah can certainly be personally applied, in that the plans that God has for each of His children are no less grand than those He has for the Children of Israel.
As we ask God for guidance and direction, He will lead us and teach us all along the path that unfolds as a shining light that shines increasingly unto the perfect day (Proverbs 4:18). Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11-13 also intersect to inform us of God’s concern for our future or “final outcome”, so that we need have no fear for our future because God is good.
Romans 8:28, one of the most often quoted verses, at least for me, is the inspiration for one of Don Moen’s classic praise songs: “All things Work Together”:
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