26th April Devotions
Read Jeremiah 29:11
Have you ever made a plan and then things don’t go the way you thought they would? Sometimes even careful planning can’t produce the outcome we want. Why? Because we can’t predict the future. But God can. He actually holds the future in His hands.
The promise in this verse isn’t that God will give you what you ask for the minute you ask for it. The promise is that God has a plan. Even when it seems confusing, or hard, or not at all what you’d hoped for, you can trust that God has a plan. And His plan is best.
Find a trusted adult who follows God. Read Jeremiah 29:11 together and ask:
When did you make a plan and it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would?
Can you tell me about a time when your plan was different from God’s plan for you?
What happened?
Pray that God would help you trust in His plan for your life.
Read Psalm 143:8
What time of day is mentioned in this verse? In your journal or on a piece of paper, write down your typical morning routine. What time do you wake up? What do you eat for breakfast? What time do you start your school work? Write it all down in your journal or on a piece of paper.
Okay, now that you have this routine written down, when could you add in some time to pray and ask God to help you follow Him? Could you pray while brushing your teeth? What about as you tie your shoes or make your bed?
Grab a sticky note or a scrap of paper and a pen. Write down a short prayer to God asking Him to remind you that He is with you and to trust Him today. If you chose to pray as your brush your teeth, stick your prayer on your tube of toothpaste. If you’ve decided to pray as you head out the door, stick it above the doorframe and give it a big high five before you walk outside.
Ask God to help you start your day by remembering that you can trust Him because He has a plan!
Have you ever wondered why you can’t see God? God is spirit and invisible. He doesn’t exist in a physical body that gets tired or breaks down. Since we can only see physical things that eventually wear out, we cannot see God. But God did send His only son, Jesus. He left heaven to come to earth and experience life just like us. And then Jesus died to take the punishment for sin. But death couldn’t hold Jesus down. Three days later, he rose again.
What are some ways we can know that God exists? Unscramble phrases below.
We have the ______________ to tell us about God.
I B L B E
We can talk about __________ with others that follow Him.
D G O
We can see the ______________ that God has made.
L W R O D
Close your eyes. Ask God to help you trust in Him, even when you can’t see Him
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve looked at the story of Joseph found in the book of Genesis. Number the events of Joseph’s life in the space below. We’ve numbered the first one to help you get started.
Joseph trusted God through the good and the bad. Even when things were really bad for Joseph, he always trusted that God was with him. And what an amazing plan God had for him!
Even when things happen to us that don’t make sense, we can always trust that God’s plans are good. When hard things happen, when the thing you were hoping would go right goes wrong, God is still in control and He loves you. God promises good things for those who follow Him. Just like Joseph, you can trust that God has a plan.
Spend some time thanking God for the story of Joseph. Ask Him to help you trust His plan for your life as you follow Him each day.