Heavenly Father, I praise You for being all-knowing and all-powerful. You alone look at and know our hearts, our intentions, our thoughts, and reasoning. You have shown us mercy, grace, and most of all forgiveness. I can only stand in awe of all that You do and are. Help me today to take command of my day and to shake the evil from it and present hope to all who encounter me today.
Holy Spirit, You inspired Isaiah to write: For My hand made all those things, thus all those things have come to be, says the Lord. But to this man I will look, even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at My word. You also inspired the Psalmist to write: The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the contrite spirit. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. [Isaiah 66:2; Psalms 34:18 and 51:17, MEV] I have come to the wisdom that being broken and contrite are how You need me to be if You are going to be able to use me and listen to my petitions. The alternative is bitterness and rebellion, which removes me from Your presence and breaks Your heart. I would rather be broken and allow You to heal and build within me a heart that You can use and rejoice in that to turn my back on You and allow bitterness and rebellion to eat me alive and destroy me so that I am useless and with no hope.
The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation…but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:10-15&18