Built for His Presence, Sustained by His Word

 

Built for His Presence, Sustained by His Word 📖

Scripture First

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

God knows the plans He has for His people—plans for good and not for disaster, plans that give hope and a future.

Psalm 94:18–19 (NLT)

When we feel like we are slipping, God's unfailing love supports us. When our hearts are overwhelmed with doubts and anxiety, His comfort brings us joy.

Psalm 119:11 (NLT)

When we treasure God's Word deep within our hearts, it helps keep us from sinning against Him.

Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

We are called to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another, just as God has forgiven us through Christ.

John 15:7 (NLT)

Jesus tells us that when we remain in Him and His words remain in us, our prayers become aligned with Him, and we can ask according to that relationship.

A Little Scripture to Carry With Us

There is something beautiful connecting all five of these Scriptures.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God has a purpose and a future for us.

Psalm 94:18–19 reminds us that when we cannot hold ourselves steady, God's love can.

Psalm 119:11 teaches us to store God's Word inside us so that it is available when we need it most.

Ephesians 4:32 shows us what happens when God's grace moves from our hearts into our relationships.

And John 15:7 brings us to the heart of it all: abiding in Christ.

God doesn't simply want to visit our lives.

He wants to live there.

The Devotion

There are times in life when we look around and wonder how everything is going to come together.

We may have plans, dreams, responsibilities, disappointments, and unanswered questions all competing for space in our minds. Sometimes our circumstances seem so complicated that we begin to wonder if God has a plan at all.

But Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us of something we must never forget:

God isn't making it up as He goes along.

He already knows.

The Hebrew word often translated as "plans" or "thoughts" in this passage is machashabah (מַחֲשָׁבָה). It carries the idea of thoughts, plans, purposes, intentions, and designs.

God's plans aren't random.

He sees what we cannot see.

He knows where today's road is leading even when we can only see the next few steps.

And He says His intentions toward us are for shalom—peace, wholeness, well-being, and completeness.

That doesn't mean God's plan will always be easy.

Ross and I certainly know that.

Our story has included seasons we never would have chosen for ourselves. We have walked through things that could have convinced us to give up, yet somehow God continued bringing us forward.

Looking back, I can see things I couldn't see while I was living them.

There were moments when I thought everything was falling apart.

Sometimes God was actually putting pieces together.

That is the difference between our view and God's view.

We see the moment.

He sees the whole story.

When Our Feet Begin to Slip

Of course, knowing God has a plan doesn't mean we never become afraid.

Psalm 94 reminds us that there are moments when our feet feel like they are slipping.

I understand that feeling.

And maybe you do too.

Sometimes our circumstances shake us. Sometimes our finances shake us. Sometimes our relationships shake us. Sometimes our future shakes us.

And sometimes, if we're being completely honest, we shake ourselves.

Our minds start running.

What if?

What about tomorrow?

How will this work?

What if I fail?

What if I can't?

What if God doesn't answer?

But Psalm 94 reminds us that when we feel like we are slipping, God's unfailing love supports us.

The Hebrew word chesed (חֶסֶד) describes God's steadfast, covenant love—His faithful loving-kindness.

It is the kind of love that doesn't disappear when life gets messy.

It is the love that holds on.

When our anxious thoughts multiply, God's comfort meets us there.

He doesn't shame us for being afraid.

He steadies us.

Hide the Word in Your Heart

But how do we become steadier?

Psalm 119:11 gives us an important answer:

We hide God's Word in our hearts.

The Hebrew word tsaphan (צָפַן) carries the idea of storing up, treasuring, or keeping something precious.

Think about that.

We don't merely read God's Word and close the Bible.

We store it.

We carry it with us.

We let it become part of who we are.

Because there will be days when we don't have our Bible open in front of us.

There will be moments when fear comes before we have time to look up a verse.

There will be conversations when we need wisdom immediately.

There will be mornings when we wake up discouraged.

There will be nights when our minds refuse to become quiet.

That is when the Word we've stored inside us begins speaking.

A verse comes to mind.

A promise rises up.

A truth pushes back against a lie.

And suddenly we remember:

God is still here.

That is why Scripture isn't simply information.

It is preparation.

We are filling our hearts today with truth we will need tomorrow.

Abiding Instead of Visiting

Then Jesus takes us even deeper in John 15:7.

He tells us to remain in Him and allow His words to remain in us.

The Greek word is menō (μένω), meaning to remain, stay, dwell, or continue.

Jesus isn't inviting us to stop by occasionally.

He is inviting us to abide.

There is a tremendous difference between visiting someone's house and living there.

A visitor comes and goes.

A resident settles in.

And that is what Jesus wants with us.

He wants His presence to become home.

When we abide in Him, something begins to change.

Our thoughts begin to change.

Our desires begin to change.

Our reactions begin to change.

Our prayers begin to change.

We don't simply ask God to bless everything we want.

We begin asking Him to shape what we want.

That is where spiritual maturity begins.

And I think I'm learning a little more about that myself.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of speaking in front of three speakers whom I admire greatly.

Honestly, there was a time when something like that would have made me want to crawl into a corner!

But yesterday I realized something:

I'm becoming a little more comfortable delivering God's message.

Not because I suddenly think I'm some great speaker.

Not because I have everything figured out.

But because I'm beginning to understand that God didn't ask me to be someone else.

He asked me to be faithful with what He placed in me.

And maybe that's what God is asking you to do today, too.

Stop comparing your voice to someone else's.

Stop comparing your journey to someone else's.

Stop wondering why your story doesn't look like theirs.

God has given you your story.

Your testimony.

Your voice.

Your assignment.

And when you abide in Him, He can use all of it.

What Happens When We Are Filled With Him?

Finally, Ephesians 4:32 reminds us that what God puts inside us eventually comes out of us.

If we receive grace, we learn to give grace.

If we receive forgiveness, we learn to forgive.

If we experience God's kindness, we become kinder.

The Greek word translated "forgiving" is charizomai (χαρίζομαι), which is connected to the word charis, meaning grace.

It carries the idea of graciously giving or freely forgiving.

And isn't that what God has done for us?

He didn't wait until we had everything together.

He didn't wait until we deserved His grace.

He gave it freely.

So when someone irritates us today...

When someone disappoints us...

When someone doesn't understand us...

When someone says something that hurts...

We have a choice.

We can react from what happened to us,

or we can respond from what God has already done for us.

That is what abiding looks like in real life.

It isn't just what happens during Sunday worship.

It is what happens in the kitchen.

In the car.

At work.

On Facebook.

In difficult conversations.

When nobody is watching.

God's presence changes the way we live because His Word changes the way we think.

Putting It Into Practice Today

In your mind:

When anxiety begins to spiral, stop and remind yourself:

"God knows the plans He has for me. I don't have to know everything He knows."

In your heart:

Take five quiet minutes today and treasure one Scripture. Don't rush through it. Read it slowly. Repeat it. Let it settle into you.

In your relationships:

Think of one person who may need extra patience today. Before reacting, remember the grace God has extended to you.

In your walk with Christ:

Don't just visit God's presence.

Abide there.

Make His presence home.

One More Thing

Maybe today you feel like your foundation is shaking.

Maybe you're waiting for an answer.

Maybe you're carrying something nobody else knows about.

Maybe you're wondering whether your best days are behind you.

Please hear this:

God is not finished writing your story.

Ross and I have learned that sometimes the chapters we would have skipped are the very chapters God uses to show us how faithful He is.

And I am learning something else as I continue stepping out and speaking His message:

I don't have to be fearless.

I just have to be faithful.

I don't have to know everything.

I just have to stay connected to the One who does.

I don't have to build my own future.

I just have to keep walking with the One who already sees it.

We are built for His presence.

We are sustained by His Word.

And when we remain in Him, we can face whatever comes next—not because we are strong enough by ourselves, but because He is faithful enough to hold us.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for reminding us that You already know the plans You have for us.

When our lives feel uncertain, help us remember that You are never uncertain.

When our feet feel like they are slipping, hold us steady with Your unfailing love.

When our minds become overwhelmed with anxious thoughts, fill us with Your comfort and peace.

Lord, help us treasure Your Word deep within our hearts. Let Your truth become louder than our fear, Your promises stronger than our doubts, and Your presence more real to us than the circumstances surrounding us.

Teach us to abide in You—not simply visiting Your presence when we need something, but making Your presence our home.

And Father, let what You place inside us overflow into the lives of others. Help us to be kind, tenderhearted, patient, and willing to forgive because You have shown us such incredible grace.

Thank You for every chapter of our lives—even the difficult ones. Thank You for never abandoning us in the chapters we didn't understand.

And Lord, as You continue teaching me to step out and speak the message You have placed on my heart, help me remember that I don't need to be anyone else. I only need to be faithful with the voice and testimony You have given me.

Use all of us, Lord.

Use our stories.

Use our scars.

Use our experiences.

Use our voices.

And most of all, use our lives for Your glory.

In Jesus' precious name,

Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

And the power,

And the glory,

Forever and ever.

Amen.

BELIEVE. OBEY. BE BLESSED.

BELIEVE that God knows the plans He has for you.

OBEY His Word and remain in His presence.

BE BLESSED knowing that the God who carried you through yesterday is already waiting for you in tomorrow.

BELIEVE. OBEY. BE BLESSED.

AMEN.

BOBBA ❤️

Love, Penny 💛 

We didn't take a picture of ourselves standing at the top.

We took pictures of ourselves climbing.

That is such a powerful picture of faith.

Because most of life isn't lived at the mountaintop.

It's lived on the trail.

Sometimes the trail is rocky.

Sometimes it's steep.

Sometimes we get tired.

Sometimes we have to stop and catch our breath.

Sometimes someone gets a little farther ahead.

Sometimes we have to encourage each other.

But we keep going.

Just like Ross and I did on Haystack Mountain, and we keep going forward and upward in life. 

We're still climbing.

I am not the same woman who started writing these devotions. I am not the same woman who was afraid to stand in front of people and deliver God's message.

I am climbing.

And yesterday, I took another step up that mountain.

I spoke at church in front of people that I admire, folks that I see did the hardwork to allow God to use them.

One step at a time! ❤️