Your Ever-Present Help

Trying to control everything is exhausting…but why is it so tempting to control or manage life? 

Isaiah 26 says, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.”

Peace doesn’t come from controlling more. It actually comes from giving that control back to God. That’s what trust is. Giving the right to control to God. 

So, the next time your mind starts racing, or your heart gets worried — Trust the One who is safe. The One who is reliable. The One who’s faithful. Gently bring your heart back to trusting God. Because on the other side of trusting Him, there’s peace. 

You can take this ONE step further and pray this with us…

Anger can feel like something you should hide from God. Like it makes you a lesser-than Christian. Have you ever thought anger disqualifies you from a closer relationship with God?

People get angry in the Bible. Sure, some anger is healthier than others, but the Psalms are filled with honest, angry, prayers. Complaints, protests, and raw emotion. Psalm 13 begins with “ How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

That’s not necessarily the nicest or most polite prayer. But it’s honest. And God hears it. He actually prefers honesty over silence. How you’re really doing instead of polished, insincere prayers. 

So here’s your one takeaway today: God would rather have your anger than your silence. If your frustration is piling up, there’s a guided prayer just for you:

Have you noticed how much time you spend trying to change certain unwanted behaviors? There’s probably something you’re trying to work on yourself right now. Maybe you’ve been working at starting or stopping something for a long time. Our strategies typically sound something like, “try harder, do better, just break the bad habits and start new ones.” 

God’s strategy, though, is not any of these things. It goes deeper. God says in Ezekiel 36 that He will “give His people a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). Meaning, before any actions can change, your heart has to change. Before new habits start, your spirit needs to be made new. 

Thank goodness spiritual growth isn’t about self-improvement. It’s about letting God transform you starting with what’s most important. If you let Him, He will reshape what you love, what you want, and who you’re becoming. 

Here’s your one takeaway today: God works from the inside out. If you want to invite God into this deeper, heart-level change, we have a prayer for you:

Are you a fan of “new?” New things can be exciting and unsettling at the same time. Is there anything new in your life? New school, new job, new relationship, new responsibilities, new challenges? Everything new brings a certain… uncertainty. Sometimes the hardest thing about anything new is the fear of facing it alone.

In Exodus 33, God invited Moses to do something new and wildly outside of his comfort zone. Moses is unsure and anxious. He goes back and forth with God a couple times but each time, God assures Moses, “I will be with you.” (v.12) 

God may be sending you somewhere new but He’s not giving these instructions from a distance. He goes with you. 

So, if you’re stepping into something new today like a conversation or decision, God walks with you. Not standing behind you, pushing you forward or yelling from a distance. God goes with you. 

If you want to pray before stepping into something new, we have a guided prayer for you below:

Growth rarely feels comfortable. Growing pains are called growing pains for a reason! Either literally or figuratively, growth is stretching and sometimes slow or frustrating. When growth happens in a difficult season, you can wonder, “is anything good actually coming from this?” 

James, one of the authors in the Bible, tells us that followers of Jesus can have joy whenever you face trials because these tests can strengthen your faith and actually produce perseverance. God doesn’t waste a single moment in a difficult season. (James 1:2-4)

When we avoid difficult things in life, we might be avoiding something God is leading us towards. He uses these things to form you into who He’s calling you to become. When you go there with Him, be confident He’ll create in you resilience, character and faith. Take this one thought with you: God uses challenges to shape something good in you. 

If you’re feeling these growing pains with God, we’ve created a prayer for you below:

One day you can feel strong, hopeful, somewhat in control. Other days, everything seems fragile. Maybe for you it’s not that emotions change day to day… it’s hour by hour, or even minute to minute. Emotions rise and fall, sometimes without warning. Is God this unsteady? 

Psalm 112:7-8 says it’s possible to have hearts that are steadfast and secure. It reads, “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear…”

A steadfast and secure heart comes from trusting the one who is safe, secure, and solid. Yes, our emotions shift, but God doesn’t. He’s reliable and steady, even when you feel anything but. 

So rest in this truth today, God remains steady even when you feel unsteady. If you need help grounding your heart today, we have a prayer waiting for you below:

There are times when life can seem incomplete. Like a chapter abruptly ending without resolution or a movie with a terrible cliff hanger. When life hits like that, you’re left wondering, “is this it?” “is this how the rest of my life is going to be?” 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “God has made everything beautiful in its time” and …”no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Beautiful in its time. Meaning not everything is going to be beautiful right now. But beautiful in its time. What might be complicated or unfinished will become complete and beautiful in God’s timing. 

God sees the whole story, not just the page you’re on. Instead of getting stuck on your current page, or current circumstances, take this one truth with you: God is not finished with you. He’s still writing your story. 

If you want help trusting God with your story, we have a prayer for you:

Sometimes questions feel off limits. Like “good Christians” shouldn’t have these kinds of questions or doubts. But here’s the truth: you’re not crazy for having questions.

You see this all over Scripture– people asking why, how long, where are you God, what are you doing, do you hear me? God never dismisses these questions. He leans in. 

Psalm 62:8 says, “Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” That means all of your “can I ask that?” questions, confusion, frustrations are welcome. Real faith has room for honest questions because these questions don’t weaken your faith…they deepen it. Your questions may not always be met with an answer, but Jesus will meet you there every time.

If you’re wrestling with something, will you pray this with us?

Most of life isn’t dramatic. It’s traffic, quizzes, conversations, emails, small choices, dishes. And sometimes your faith feels insignificant in all of that. 

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” One author’s paraphrased version says, “don’t just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God.” (MSG)

What small tasks do you have coming up today? What mundane act can you turn into worship? Yes, God still performs miracles. But He’s also just as present with you on this maybe unimpressive, ordinary Monday. Take this One truth with you: God loves to see your ordinary faith.

If you want a prayer to help you find God in daily life, keep reading…

There are moments when life feels painfully…ordinary. Routine days, unnoticed work. In the monotony of it all, you might wonder if any of the things you’re doing really matters or if God sees you. 

In Exodus 3, Moses is tending sheep in the wilderness when He sees a bush on fire. Now, tending sheep is not impressive and Moses wasn’t leading or performing here. Just another unimpressive day. But Moses sees this miraculous burning bush and goes over to look at it. 

“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

Before Moses ever speaks to God, God sees Moses. The same is true for you. God notices you in the ordinary places. The quiet, the boring, the hidden, and the in-between. Here’s one reminder you might need today: God sees you before you see Him. If you want to pray through that, we have a guided prayer for you below:

Do you know the story of Ruth in the Bible? It’s ok if you don’t. She didn’t perform miracles, preach sermons, or lead armies. Nothing big… at least on the surface. When you read about Ruth, you’ll see that she’s loyal, humble, and quietly faithful. She shows up, day after day, and does the right thing for God and the people around here.

God isn’t only present in dramatic obedience like we might think or dream for ourselves. He honors quiet faithfulness. The kind that no one applauds, but God always sees. So when it seems boring, God still sees your small, faithful acts of obedience. Remember this one thought: faithfulness matters even when it feels boring. If you’re getting tired of doing the right thing quietly, pray the prayer below.