Scripture
Matthew 6:26·WEB Translation
See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?
Devotional
The Kept Cupboard
The boys came down this morning the way they come down every morning. Straight past me to the big chest of toys we have.
A quick route around for a transformer toy or two, then it was straight to shouting: "I'm hungry!"
The living room was tidy. They had clean clothes on. There was cereal in the carton and milk in the fridge. Not one of them stopped to wonder whether any of it would be there. Why would they? It always has been.
I don't blame them for that. They're small, and that is what it is to be a child, to live inside a provision so steady you never even see it.
But reflecting on how Theo reaches for the cereal without a second thought, it struck me that I am not always so trusting.
When I'm sure of the outcome, I'm fine. It's the not knowing that gets me.
Money that has to stretch further than it wants to. A choice I keep turning over and can't settle on. Something I've asked God for again and again, but I'm still waiting for an answer on.
In those stretches, I don't reach for the day the way my boys reach for breakfast. I lie awake doing the sums. I brace for the worst.
I keep wanting to see the end before I'll relax. But my boys never check before they trust.
Maybe I'm not meant to know how this turns out. Maybe I just have to trust Him with it, whatever this morning holds.
Of course, there have been times the answer was the one I feared. Times the cupboard looked bare and stayed bare far longer than I could make sense of.
Trusting God has never meant I always got what I asked for. It has meant I was never left to face it alone.
"See the birds of the sky, that they don't sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
The birds don't store up a thing, and still they are fed. My boys don't hold a scrap of proof, and still they trust breakfast will come.
Maybe that is all I'm being asked for too. Not certainty about the outcome, but a trust so calm it looks like a child reaching for cereal.
Whatever this morning holds, trust Him with it.
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Prayer
Lord, I've seen You work too many times to doubt You now, witnessed too much of Your faithfulness, experienced too many answered prayers to question whether You'll come through again.
My history with You is proof, evidence that builds a case for trust, memories of times You showed up, provided, healed, rescued, proved Yourself faithful when I needed You most.
Teach me to let my past experiences with You inform my present faith, to remember specific moments when You came through and let those memories strengthen current trust.
Doubt whispers when I'm facing something new, but I can counter it with testimony, with the reality that You've been faithful before and that same God is with me now.
Help me catalog Your faithfulness instead of dwelling on current uncertainties, to build my confidence on what I've already seen You do rather than on fears about what might happen.
Remind me that every breakthrough, every provision, every answered prayer is evidence in the courtroom of my doubt, proving You're trustworthy, reliable, faithful.
Give me courage to face today's challenges standing on yesterday's testimonies, knowing I've seen God work too many times to doubt Him now, that history proves who You are.
Let my past experiences with Your faithfulness silence present doubts, trusting the God who's proven Himself repeatedly will prove Himself faithful once more.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Journaling Prompts
- Q.What outcome are you unsure of right now?
- Q.Name one time God carried you through a valley.
- Q.Where do you take God's provision for granted?
- Q.What would trusting like a child look like today?
- Q.What has God kept stocked in your life lately?
Art Print
If this devotional has spoken to you, the art print and greeting card are available to bring into your home or send to a loved one. They're printed on quality art paper, unframed and ready to place wherever you need a quiet reminder that that He will come through. You can find them in my shop, with free shipping included.
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