Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “A Change of Plans” for Friday, 14 November 2014 - Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-13

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional “A Change of Plans” for Friday, 14 November 2014 - Scripture: Isaiah 55:8-11 “I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.
12-13 “So you’ll go out in joy,
    you’ll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
    bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
    exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
    no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
    living and lasting evidence of God.”
The psalmist wrote, “I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand.”(Psalm 31:14-15 (KJV))
While I was preparing for work, the phone rang. The message said schools in my area were closed again because of winter weather. I was thankful that students and teachers would not have to travel on icy roads. But as a teacher I had worked hard to prepare lessons for my students — lessons I would not be able to teach. In my frustration, I remembered the verse from Psalm 31 which says, “My times are in thy hand.” I began to think of the day before me in a new way. How could I best use this time? Possibilities formed in my mind, including quiet time for prayer, scripture reading, and journaling. I also found time for some neglected household chores. Frequently I looked out at the falling snow and admired the beauty of God’s world. My frustration turned to contentment as the day became filled with meaningful moments.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” I wasn’t teaching, and the day did not go as I had planned. But through God’s guidance, I still spent time doing meaningful work. After all, my times are always in God’s hands.
The Author: Deborah Ross (North Carolina, USA)
Thought for the Day: Our times are in God’s hands, even when the days don’t go as we plan.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to remember that when our days don’t go as we plan, you are still at work in life’s events. Help us to trust you throughout each day. Amen.
Prayer focus: Teachers
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