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God, sometimes I want a quick solution for my problems; an immediate answer to my prayers. It can be so hard to wait, but I know Your timing and Your ways are perfect. As I wait for You, help me to learn from the current situation I'm in, focus on the blessings I already have, and praise You for all the things You are still planning to do. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God is near, Ask Him to meet you where you are, and trust Him with your thoughts and feelings.

ISAIAH 6:3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Re-read that verse and think about what it means to have the entire earth filled with God's glory. Now, slowly read that passage aloud and make it your prayer. bring God whatever praise comes to mind.

JOHN 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

What do you need to be honest with God about today? Take a deep breath, and then talk to Him about what's on your mind.

God, I need a reminder of Your protection today. You know exactly what I'm going through, and You also know what I need. Please help me to see my situation the way that You do. Change the way I think, and remind me that You are always with me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE VERSE: PROVERBS 10-12 2 CORINTHIANS 4 THE PROVERBS OF SOLOMON THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. TREASURES IN JARS OF CLAY show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12So death is at work in us, but life in you. we have the same spirit of faith. we also believe, and so we also speak, he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

LAMENTATIONS 1:20-22 HOW LONELY SITS THE CITY “Look, O Lord, for I am in distress; my stomach churns; my heart is wrung within me, because I have been very rebellious. In the street the sword bereaves; in the house it is like death. 21“They heard my groaning, yet there is no one to comfort me. All my enemies have heard of my trouble; they are glad that you have done it. You have brought the day you announced; now let them be as I am. 22 “Let all their evildoing come before you, and deal with them as you have dealt with me because of all my transgressions; for my groans are many, and my heart is faint.” INSIGHT When we think of lament in the Bible, Jeremiah—known as the weeping prophet—comes to mind (see Jeremiah 9:1). However, he’s not the sole exemplar of lament in the Scriptures. Other examples are Job, David, and Jesus.

In Lamentations 1:20-22, the prophet Jeremiah expresses the rawness and weightiness of lament even in the choice of his words. It’s the consequence of something so powerful or heartbreaking—where something of value has been lost—that it prompts uncommon expression. Jeremiah exclaims, “See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed” (v. 20). The situation was such that it generated “groaning” (v. 21). Lament is the appropriate language of those who have personally come to grips with their pain and the conditions that caused it. As we grapple with pain, God invites us to express our honest, prayerful, and worshipful lament to Him.

Learn how lament can help you praise God in the midst of loss.

By: Arthur Jackson

LAMENTING TO GOD I viewed the opening displays of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City with curiosity but kept my emotions in check. That changed when we entered the inner exhibit, which the curators have wisely closed off from children and those wanting to shield themselves from the more heartrending images. As I encountered story after story of heartbreak and loss, waves of lament rose within me.

When we witness or remember such destruction and pain, we can join the cries of those who have voiced their distress to God. This includes the words of anguish found in Lamentations, which many scholars believe the prophet Jeremiah wrote after the destruction of Jerusalem. In the tightly formed structure of this poem, he releases his sorrow and grief over the pain of God’s people: “See, Lord, how distressed I am! I am in torment within, and in my heart I am disturbed” (Lamentations 1:20). And yet he looks to God as the ultimate judge, knowing that only He can deal with the sins and destruction: “Let all their wickedness come before you” (v. 22).

This kind of honest crying out to God can help us to grapple with painful atrocities such as what happened on September 11, 2001, or other current-day evil deeds. We look to God for help, hope, comfort, and justice.

By: Amy Boucher Pye

REFLECT AND PRAY When you witness wickedness, how do you keep your heart tender before God? How might He lead you to pray for those who are hurting today?

God of truth and love, I know that Your heart breaks over the pain in the world. Please envelop me in Your grace and mercy and heal my wounds. in Jesus' name, Amen.

BELIEVING FOR A MOVE OF GOD REFLECTION RETREAT WITH JESUS Today, we are reflecting that Jesus went to the solitary place on His own in Mark 1 to take His disciples with Him in Mark 6. It was E.M. Bounds who said ‘None but praying leaders can have praying followers.’ Jesus is inviting us to retreat into prayer with Him.

But we also read that the crowd followed them into the solitary place. How do we deal with the crowds that distract us as we enter the quiet place of prayer?

Sometimes our solitary place gets crowded, crowded by life, by all the demands we have on our time and energy, we lose sight of Jesus and his mission when we allow our lives to become crowded.

PRAYER Lord as we seek to pray for our world and cry out to you for change and transformation of the people we love and the communities we find ourselves in. Help us not to be distracted. in Jesus' name, Amen.