Trusting God's Plan
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
12 My friends, we ask you to be thoughtful of your leaders who work hard and tell you how to live for the Lord. 13 Show them great respect and love because of their work. Try to get along with each other. 14 My friends, we beg you to warn anyone who isn't living right. Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone. 15 Don't be hateful to people, just because they are hateful to you. Rather, be good to each other and to everyone else. 16 Always be joyful 17 and never stop praying. 18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-18
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 29:11
11 I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering.
Have you ever had something happen to you that you don't understand? Sometimes a broken leg or the closing of school due to a pandemic can feel like the end of the world as you know it. You can't see friends, play on a sports team, or even visit your grandpa or grandma.
It's okay to admit something is scary. Think about what Joseph may have thought when his brothers dropped him into the dry well and then sold him into slavery. I think at first he must’ve felt very scared. But with each scary thing that happened to him, he trusted God and did what was right. Eventually he saved many people from famine and became a hero.
Esther too trusted God through many scary times in her life. Her parents died when she was young—after that, her cousin Mordecai took care of her. Through a series of unbelievable events, she became the queen of Persia! As queen, she used her influence with her husband the king to stop a law that would have led to the death of all the Jewish people in her country. Esther trusted God through all these scary events and became a hero of her people.
In Jeremiah 29:11, God promised his people a future filled with hope. We can trust God to be true to his word. But how do we trust him when we're scared? Sometimes it's as simple as saying the name “Jesus” over and over to yourself. Sometimes it means asking a loved one for a long hug or a cuddle while they read a book to you. Sometimes it means a walk in the woods where God can remind you of the constant beauty in creation. Spending time with a pet or doing something you enjoy, like playing an instrument, can also remind you God loves you. He knows you and you can trust he wants the best for you.
Prayer
Heavenly father, thank you for being true to your word and loving me. Thank you for being with me when scary things happen. Help me to trust you and to do what is right. Amen.Related Resources
Gwen Veltema Klemm
Since graduating from Calvin University, Gwen Veltema Klemm has traveled the US and worked as a newspaper reporter, a technical writer for manufacturing and IT, and won a creative writing contest in 2019. She currently lives in Holland, Michigan warming her bones because winter is coming.