There is something remarkable about the way God works.
He often reveals his heart in places where no one else bothers to look.
While people chase after status, recognition, and places of influence, the Lord leans into the forgotten corners of life.
He goes where the hurting are, where the broken gather, and where the rejected dwell.
And it is there among the outcasts that his love shines brightest.
This is beautifully captured in Mark 2 :15-17.
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples.
For there were many who followed him.
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
That is the essence of the gospel.
It reminds us that God is not afraid of our mess.
God is not intimidated by our failures.
God is not repelled by our brokenness.
Instead, God draws near.
God sits with us.
God calls us his own.
And this is exactly why I love God.
Because while people may measure worthiness by success, morality, or appearance, the Lord looks deeper.
He makes it his mission to pursue those who feel unworthy, unseen, or unloved.
Where others see shame, he sees a soul worth saving.
Where others see hopelessness, he sees a story ready to be redeemed.
The truth is, none of us deserve what he gives.
We do not deserve eternal life, yet he offers it freely.
We cannot earn his great love, yet he pours it out without measure.
We have not earned his grace, yet his grace continues to be more than enough.
And though we fall short of his glory, his mercy covers us day by day.
The book of Lamentations 3: verses 22 and 23 proclaims, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. "
Every sunrise is proof that God has not given up on us.
Every new day is a reminder that his mercy has not run out.
No matter what yesterday looked like, his mercy is still waiting for us when we open our eyes in the morning.
Yet life is never just sunshine and roses.
It is a mixture of highs and lows, joy and sorrow.
At times, life feels like an endless tug of war between victories and defeats, laughter and tears, love and heartbreak.
No one escapes hardship.
Every person, no matter how strong or faithful, will walk through seasons where the weight feels unbearable.
Pain becomes a language we all understand.
David, the shepherd boy turned king, knew this reality well.
In Psalm 119 verse 71, he confessed, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes, it takes spiritual maturity to see affliction as good."
But David understood that pain had a purpose.
Trials are not wasted in the hands of God.
They become classrooms where he teaches us, chisels us, and draws us closer to himself.
While comfort might make us complacent, hardship makes us desperate for his presence.
And that desperation often births deeper faith.
The Lord cares more about who we are becoming than whether we are always comfortable.
His eyes are not fixed on giving us a problem-free life, but on shaping our character, strengthening our faith, and refining our hearts.
In fact, I would say that God is more invested in the condition of your sou than in the fleeting happiness of your circumstances.
This is not telling us to enjoy pain for its own sake.
It is reminding us that there is a hidden treasure within trials.
The testing of our faith produces something eternal.
It gives birth to endurance.
And endurance produces maturity, wisdom, and peace.
Without the storm, we would never learn how to anchor ourselves in Christ.
Without the fire, we would never see what impurities need to be burned away.
Without the valley, we, sheep, would never realize how much we need the shepherd to guide us.
So when you face difficulties, know that they are not pointless.
They are opportunities for God to prove himself faithful.
They are moments for your faith to grow roots, deeper.
They are seasons where if you hold fast, you will emerge stronger, wiser, and more dependent on God than ever before.
So what should we do with all of this?
We should hold on tightly to the promises of God.
When you feel rejected, remember that Jesus sat at the table with outcasts and called them his friends.
When you feel unworthy, remind yourself that his mercy is new every morning.
When you feel crushed by trials, cling to the truth that affliction produces growth.
And when you feel like giving up, return to God's word that assures you he will never leave nor forsake you.
The Lord who stepped into Levi's house still steps into our broken homes today.
The Savior who embraced sinners still embraces us, no matter our past.
The God who allowed affliction in David's life still allows it in ours, but always with a purpose, to grow us, to refine us, and to lead us into deeper intimacy with him.
That is who he is.
The God who goes where others will not go.
The savior who calls the forgotten by name.
The Lord who uses even trials to shape us into vessels of his glory.
So if your life feels bright, give thanks and stay close to him.
If your life feels heavy, trust that he is with you in the storm.
If your faith feels tested, remember that it is producing endurance.
And through it all, keep your eyes on
Jesus Christ.
Now let's take a moment to pray 🙏
together.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of another day.
Thank you for life, for breath, and for the moment to walk once again in your grace.
I thank you for your mercies that are new every morning.
Each sunrise is a reminder that you have not forsaken me.
Your love carries me.
Your mercy covers me. and your grace sustains me.
Lord, I give you all glory for being who you are.
Father, as I step into this day, I ask that you strengthen my heart.
You know the burdens I carry and the silent battles I face.
You see what weighs heavily on my mind.
So Lord, I pray that the Holy Spirit would strengthen my faith today.
Holy Spirit, whisper to me, guide me, and remind me that when the troubles of life begin to overwhelm me, I am never alone.
Remind me that I have a friend in Jesus, a savior who never leaves nor forsakes his children.
When my problems are many and I feel surrounded by challenges, remind me, Lord, that I can run into the arms of Jesus Christ and find refuge.
When my heart is weary and my soul longs for rest, lead me to the one who promised, "come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "
Thank you, Father, that I serve a living God.
One who is not powerless, but one who carries my burdens and gives me peace that surpasses all understanding.
Lord, I acknowledge that you are all powerful.
There is nothing beyond your reach.
There is no problem too complicated for you to solve.
No sickness too strong for you to heal.
No mountain too high for you to move.
And no wall too strong for you to tear down.
You still move mountains.
You still calm storms.
You still cause walls to falI.
And for that I am grateful, Lord.
You are the same yesterday, today, and forever more.
Father, I thank you that you loved me first, even when I was far from you.
Your love reached me before I ever knew how much I needed it.
And today, I ask that you give me the strength to rise up every day and face the struggles that try to weigh me down.
Give me courage when fear whispers.
Give me hope when despair tries to creep in.
Lord, I lift up your holy name.
For you are the God of the impossible.
There is no challenge too great for you to overcome.
There is no situation too hopeless that you cannot redeem.
When I feel weak, Lord, let your strength be made perfect in my weakness.
Teach me to lean not on my own understanding, but to trust fully in your word.
Let your Spirit lift me when I stumble and remind me that in Christ Jesus' I am victorious.
Let me never forget that your grace is sufficient and that your power works best when I have no strength of my own.
Father, today I bring before you my burdens and my weariness.
You know the pain that cannot be spoken, the tears that fall in silence, and the fears that hide in the corners of my mind
Lord, I surrender them to you now.
Help me not to fear, but to trust in you completely.
Help me not to give in to discouragement, but to rejoice in you always, knowing that joy in you is my strength.
Holy Spirit, help me never to take for granted the goodness and kindness of the Lord.
May I always be thankful, even in the little things, for every blessing is a gift from you.
Lord, I declare today that my faith is not in my own ability, but in your promises.
I declare that you are faithful to fulfill every word you have spoken.
I trust that you will fight for me and that victory belongs to you.
You are mighty, you are powerful, you are righteous, and you are true.
And so, Lord, I bless your holy name.
Your word says in Psalm 121, "The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forever more."
Father, I hold on to that promise today.
I confess by faith that you are my keeper, the one who watches over my
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