January 6

Morning

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. — 1 Pet 5:7 BSB

It’s a wonderful way to calm our sorrows when we can remind ourselves, "He cares for me." Christian, don’t bring dishonor to your faith by always wearing a look of worry—come and cast your burdens on the Lord. You’re struggling under a weight that your Father could carry with ease. What seems like a crushing burden to you is as light as a speck of dust to Him. Nothing is sweeter than to:

“Lie passive in God’s hands,
And know no will but His.”

O suffering child, be patient. God has not forgotten you in His plans. The One who feeds the sparrows will surely provide for you too. Don’t give in to despair; keep hoping, always. Take up the shield of faith and stand firm against the waves of trouble, and your hardships will come to an end. There is Someone who cares for you! His eyes are always on you! His heart is full of compassion for your pain! His mighty hand will bring you the help you need! The darkest cloud will soon break into showers of mercy. The deepest gloom will give way to the light of morning. If you are part of His family, He will heal your wounds and bind up your broken heart. Don’t doubt His grace just because you are going through hard times—believe that He loves you just as much in your trials as He does in your moments of happiness. How peaceful and joyful your life could be if you would leave your worries in the hands of the God who provides!

With just a little oil in the jar and a handful of flour in the pot, Elijah survived the famine, and you will too. If God cares for you, why should you worry? Can you trust Him with your soul but not with your body? He has never refused to carry your burdens—He has never grown weary under their weight. So, come now, my soul, stop worrying and leave all your cares in the hands of a gracious God!

Evening

Now the evening before the fugitive arrived, the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute. — Ezek 33:22 BSB

There may be times when we feel the Lord’s hand of judgment, and if that’s the case, let me reflect on why He is allowing this and listen to His discipline. I’m not alone in experiencing hardship during the night; let me accept it with a willing heart and seek to learn from it.

But there are other times when the Lord’s hand works differently—lifting the soul, strengthening the spirit, and drawing us closer to eternal things. O that I might feel the Lord working in me in this way tonight! A sense of His presence and His Spirit living in us carries the soul toward heaven, like eagles soaring on the wind. In such moments, we are filled with spiritual joy, and the troubles and sorrows of this world fade away. The invisible becomes more real to us, and the visible loses its power. Our physical bodies wait at the foot of the mountain, while our spirits worship on the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that tonight may be a time of sweet communion with God! He knows how much I need it. My spiritual life is weak, my sins are strong, my faith is wavering, and my devotion has grown cold. All these are reasons why I need His healing hand to touch me. His hand can cool my fevered brow and calm my anxious heart. The hand that shaped the world can reshape my mind; the hand that holds up the earth’s foundations can uphold my spirit; the hand that lovingly cares for all His saints can nourish me; and the mighty hand that crushes the enemy can conquer my sins. Why shouldn’t I feel that hand touching me tonight? Come, my soul, approach God with the powerful plea that Jesus’s hands were pierced for your redemption, and you will surely feel that same hand upon you—the hand that touched Daniel and set him on his knees to see visions of God.