Sep 27
Today’s Truth
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands” (Psalm 138:8 ESV).
Friend to Friend
I couldn’t believe my eyes. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined it would turn out this beautiful. I stared 
in amazement and kept coming back for another look. A tear may have even formed in the corner of my eye.
What I viewed seemed like a masterpiece to me.
This masterpiece was a family picture. Only a few weeks before, I had given birth to our baby girl. We positioned a small, white sofa in the middle of a field of green grass. We brushed our hair and dressed in coordinating colors. Reds, blues and creams brushed across the autumn background of our very first photo as a family of eight.
That alone was enough to make this photo special, but what really made this photo special is something only my family knew.
For example, only we witnessed the moment our 3-year old laid herself out on the floor of the kitchen because she didn’t like the big red bow in her hair … or the dress it matched; and only we ran to the rescue when our toddling son met up with a pile of ants on his way through the cascading green grass. We picked each tiny photo-buster off one-by-one, then positioned ourselves in the cascading grass and for the briefest of moments said cheeeeesssseeeee.
Yet there I was, without a hint of the chaotic memories that unfolded before we snapped the picture. Instead, I was lost in a moment I never wanted to forget. There was only one possible explanation for this … an artist.
The photographer we chose for the tall order of getting eight people (six of whom were below the age of eight) to look the same way at the same time, all the while displaying a pleasant expression wasn’t just anyone. She was a woman who knew us well, and she knew how to make it work.
Today’s Truth tells us about a master artist. One who knows us, and knows how to make our lives a masterpiece, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands” (Psalm 138:8 ESV). One translation writes the first part of Today’s Truth like this, “The Lord will work out his plans for my life.” It conveys the idea that God will not leave His work unfinished. He will not suddenly stop or break off what He has begun.
When we look around and life feels messy, it can be hard to believe God is working out His plans for our lives. If you’re like me, sometimes it feels like God is at work, and sometimes it feels painfully quiet. The author of this Psalm, David, knew these feelings well. Other psalms David penned included pleas for God to hear him and questions about his current circumstances. No matter what the lens of our perspective shows us, Today’s Truth tells us why we can be sure God will fulfill His purposes for us: His faithful love continues forever.
Today, if all you can see appears to be going wrong — if it feels like you’re walking away from God’s plans for you instead of walking in them or towards them — remember, when we can’t see how God is at work, we can still trust He’s working out His plans.
For most people who viewed our family photo, they only saw the smiling faces nestled together as one big family on a bright, white couch. We knew what it took to get there. Just like our family photo, there may be bumps and ant bites along the way, but God still sees the masterpiece He began, and He will fulfill His purposes for us.
How can the promise of God’s steadfast love help you trust Him in your circumstances today? Leave a comment and let’s share.
Let’s Pray
Dear God, I know You can see things I can’t see. Thank You for writing my story. Fulfill Your purposes for me, and help me trust You even when I can’t see how You are working out Your plans for my life.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Has there been a moment in your life where you could look back and see how God’s purposes were fulfilled?
Take a moment to record some of the circumstances you remember and how you witnessed God’s steadfast love. Thank God for what He has done in your life and keep your notes nearby. The next time you find yourself wondering about what God is doing, read what you wrote and let it remind you of His continuous love.
More from the Girlfriends
Katy would love to help you trade fear of the future for God’s purposes in the present with a free resource of 7 Prayers to Help You Smile without Fear. Click here to receive this free download today.
© 2022 by Katy McCown. All rights reserved.
Did someone forward this devotional to you? Click here to receive Girlfriends in God weekday devotions delivered directly to your inbox!
“Has there been a moment in your life where you could look back and see how God’s purposes were fulfilled?”
You bet there is. When I lost my 19 year old daughter because of an horrific car accident, I was so horribly lost and felt very alone. I felt abandoned by God. Why wasn’t he there for me and why did this happen at all? Did my past sins bring this on? Terrifying thoughts consumed me in addition to the shock and agony of losing my daughter.
As I look back, I know that God was with me the whole time. He carried me like the “Footprints In The Sand” poem. I never could have made it without him. He is a loving God that will take care of his children, even if we are in doubt about that. Praise his name and God bless you all.
Like Pamela, I too lost my 25 year old daughter in a car accident 5 years ago. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. I was angry. Why did this happen? While I don’t have all the answers, I do know my God was with me the whole time. He carried me thru the most difficult days of my life. And now, as I fight a terminal illness (MDS) I know my God is with me and will give me peace about the decisions I have to make (bone marrow transplant, chemo, etc). He doesn’t promise us a life without hardships, but He does promise us peace amidst the chaos.
I am actually going through something right now. My daughter has gotten into big trouble at school. She drew a picture where she said let’s kill so-and-so and two other people agreed. She showed it to a few people who laughed. It ended up in so-and-sos hands and he ripped it up. We told her it was inappropriate and not to do anything like that again, but someone told on her and now she is in big trouble at school. I’m not saying she shouldn’t because obviously what she did was very bad.i am just praying that they don’t expell her. She goes to a great charter school right now and if they expell her she will have to go to a horrible, dangerous public school where she will be lost and vulnerable. This behavior is really not like her and we believe she was heavily influenced by her friend. Regardless, I’m praying for mercy and have begged for mercy from the school. Today my verse of the day was about God fighting the fight and for me to remain calm. So, I’ve handed it over to God and I’m trying real hard to remain calm and let him do what is best for her. He knows what I want.
When my husband was told he is bipolar I refused to believe it. After several years of struggle I realized it would be a different life forever. I was so busy looking for the cure I missed the blessings of what I needed to help him and the rest of the family navigate this new time in our life. We cannot do life without the direction of the one who knows our path and waits for to take his hand to walk it.
Heavenly Father, I unite myself with Kami and we come before you to acknowledge that you are our God. You are the one we run to when we feel helpless. You know the beginnings from the ends. As a Mom and Grandma, I totally get her desperation, so we come to you knowing that you love her daughter more than Kami does, that you have plans for good and not for evil for her daughter. We pray for you to intervene in this situation. As she waits we pray that you will give her peace. Remind her that you are in control and you know what’s best. We pray for wisdom. We pray for favor. We thank you for I know that your plans are better than ours. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
What a wonderful, powerful prayer Sandy you posted for Kami…
and how great this devotion is?!
During dark times of my own, I can hear our praise team singing, “even though I can’t see it, I know You’re working….even though I can’t feel it, I know You’re working….You never stop. You never stop working….”
During the dark times, we all know Jesus knows; because He went through darkness in the garden, before He surrendered Himself.
Just remember Sister Kami, without peace there is no power. Father God is in control of this situation, and He will give you peace. Jesus is Peace.
A wonderful reminder that God is working behind the scenes, I am currently facing something horrible from my past, that I did wrong. 21 years ago my then husband decided to leave our marriage, our sons were 8, 11 and 13. My eldest son turned to drugs to numb the pain of loss, as we lost our family home as a result of the divorce. We lost life as we had known it. My eldest son started giving drugs to the 11 year old, and their dad wanted to take the 2 younger boys to live with him, leaving me to handle the eldest. What a trying difficult time it was. after moving house and establishing my son at a new school, he just hung out with the troubled druggy kids there & got into trouble again. I made the very bad decision to kick him out of home, thinking he could go stay with his Dad. He hated his Dad for all he had done to us, so my son chose to fend for himself on the streets. Now, 21 years later he wants to go over all this again. I want to get counselling with him, but all this is ahead of us. God has sustained me in a huge way but my son chooses to turn away from God. It’s so hard to accept I made that terrible choice years ago, that I never should have made.
Ok, now I NEED to see that picture!
Sally, you may never see this reply, but I feel strongly that you need to hear a word of truth.
Satan is not a name, it is a title and it means accuser. If you have come before the Lord and asked forgiveness for what you did, you are forgiven. To continue to hear that voice reminding you what you did wrong is not the Lord’s voice. It is the accuser. Do not listen to the accuser. Listen to Jesus say, “You are forgiven.” Continue to pray for your son and love him. The rest is not up to you. I realize this is easier to say than to do, but all things are possible with God…including miraculous love and forgiveness.
I pray your son’s heart will be softened and he will forgive both his earthly father and his Heavenly Father in Jesus’ wonderful and mighty name. Amen
The line in this devotional about feeling like you’re walking away from God’s plans for your life instead of walking toward them… it really hit me. After 19 years of verbal abuse and emotional neglect, I am walking away from my marriage, and it feels like I’m doing just that. It has been a really difficult decision to do this, especially with my kids, but I need to do it for my own mental health and well-being, and to protect my kids as well as myself from continued abuse and neglect. If anyone out there is a prayer warrior, or just has a few minutes, I could really use prayer. Prayer for strength, courage, and especially wisdom. And a covering for my kids during this difficult time. Thank you. I love your devotionals!