Do we have any idea what's going to happen today? It's 5:45 in the morning. As I sit here typing this, I think about what my plans are for the day. But will those plans actually happen? Or will something come along and cause me to have to re-prioritize my task list?

We, by nature, are creatures of habit. We like consistency. We like the "same ol', same ol'." We like to live under the facade that we have control over our world. But what happens when our world is rocked by change? You wake up one morning and find out that a loved one is gone and you'll never get to see them again. Or you lose your job. You get into your car and it won't start. You come home from work and the house is empty, your wife and kids gone.

There are so many events that can occur to remind us that our lives are completely out of our control. And that can be a terrifying prospect for people. You lose a loved one and you suddenly feel your own mortality. You lose your job and feel the terror of how to pay the bills. Your car won't start and you are faced with repair costs that you don't have the money for. Your empty house becomes a prison where you are trapped by your own failures as a spouse.

Too many times, we sit back and glory that life is good because things are going the way we planned them to go. However, when things go awry as they sometimes will, what is our response? How do we react to tragedy? With Harvey battering the Texas coast and so many homes destroyed and people displaced, one has to wonder what those people's reactions will be when they come home and have to start from scratch, rebuilding their lives again.

Do you know what's awesome though? We don't need to be in control. We don't need to have all the answers. We don't need to fret or worry. There is Someone out there who DOES know what's going to happen today. He DOES know if your plans for the day will happen. He DOES know if something will come along to thwart your plans. God knows all. He has complete and total control!

He's got our backs, too. He is by our side through every ordeal. And He's not some silent partner, sitting back, letting things occur. Life is not a random set of occurrences. I can look back over my entire 44 years of life and I can see God's hand throughout it all. I was once asked by a student of mine if I have any regrets about how my life has played out. Without hesitating, my immediate answer was "Absolutely not!" You see, every thing that has happened in my life--the good, the bad, and the ugly--HAD to happen for me to be the man that I am right now. If ANY event in my life hadn't happened, I would be somebody different.

And that's God at work right there. He goes before each and every one of us, He guides each one of us, even when we don’t believe He’s there. The full verse of Deuteronomy 31:8 is: "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you." As a kid growing up, I can remember something that my mom had hanging on the wall in our house... The Footprints poem. I've read that poem so many times over the years. And now, as I ponder my life, I realize how true it is. God, when our lives are at their lowest and saddest, doesn't abandon us. He carries us. He comforts us.

So folks, no matter what happens in your life, no matter how dark the day may be, no matter how hard the road, turn your heart to Him. Let Him guide your path. You will be liberated from worry and fear. Romans 8:31 reminds us that if God is for us, who can possibly stand against us? If the Creator of the universe is carrying you, how can you possibly fall? Psalm 91 reassures us of His protection. Isaiah 40:31 tell us: "But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Jeremiah follows this up. In verse 29:11, "'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.'" But God wants us to trust Him before those plans will happen.

He told Abraham that he would father a nation as countless as the sands of the seashore. Then He gave him a son... Isaac. God then told Abraham to sacrifice his only son to Him. Abraham willingly obeyed. He never once questioned the Lord. With complete and total faith, he took his son up Mount Moriah and had his son laying down. Abraham was holding the knife in his hand, literally on the verge of sacrificing his only son when God stopped him. God wants us to have unwavering faith in Him!

So run that race! Fight that fight! Don't you dare give up or quit! Life is a marathon race! Don't you quit on the 25th mile! You've got the Creator of the universe running right alongside you, pushing you to go further, to run harder! He won't let you go! He will stay by your side! He will do what people won't! TRUST HIM! GIVE IT ALL TO HIM! HE'S GOT THIS! He with neither forsake you nor abandon you! Don't worry! Don't fear! Trust the Lord with all your heart and all your soul. He WILL take care of you! I know He has taken care of me and He still does now!

Have a blessed day!

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