Articles by Daily

Often in the midst of such uncertain times as we’re facing in our world today, it’s difficult to even know how to pray. We may find ourselves struggling just to keep holding on to hope. We might feel overwhelmed or discouraged, burdened with a deep ache in our hearts that cries out for God’s mercy, and a longing to see Him heal our land. Other times, we may even start to wonder how effective our prayers really are. 
Yet no matter how we feel, or how devastating the times we are walking through, God remains faithful. His Presence of power and peace still cover us in all that swirls around in our world today. He is greater than whatever difficulty we may face in this life.
Nothing has taken Him by surprise. Not ever. He’s on the throne and reigns over all. He has a plan and is at work on behalf of His people, “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14).
We never have to fear that God is up there in heaven nervously pacing the floors, wringing his hands, and wondering how He’s going to get us out of this mess. He is Sovereign. He knows all. From the beginning of time to who wins in the end. And He has a plan.
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  (Colossians 1:17)

God understands our burdens, and He holds us secure. He is powerful and able to do far more than we could ever imagine. And the same power throughout His word, that broke prison chains, raised Lazarus from the dead, and parted the Red Sea; the same power that healed the blind man, and delivered the demon-possessed, that same power is at work even today.
For He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Yurii Kifor
A Prayer to Remember God Is Still on the Throne:
Dear God,
We confess our need for you today. We’re desperate for your peace. We need hope restored. We need to be reminded that you are constantly at work on behalf of those who love you.
Forgive us for trying to fix our situations all on our own. Forgive us for running all different directions and spinning our wheels to find help, when true help and healing must be found first in You. Forgive us for forgetting how much we need you, above everyone and everything else.

We come to you and bring you the places we are hurting. You see where no one else is able to fully see or understand. You know the pain we’ve carried. The burdens. The cares. You know where we need to be set free. We ask for your healing and grace to cover every broken place. Every wound. Every heartache. We ask for you to comfort all who weep, for those facing tragedy, loss, and devastation. Lord, we ask for your peace, we ask for your protection. We trust you for your constant work on behalf of your children.
We pray that you give us wisdom and discernment to recognize the schemes of the enemy in our lives and to stand strong against his work. We ask for your reminders to come to you in prayer, constantly, for all believers. We ask for your help to stay alert and aware of the battle surrounding us. Fill us with your power to be salt and light in a world that so desperately needs your hope. We put on your armor today and believe that in you alone we can stand strong. Thank you that you have given us all that we need for today. We pray for all who need to hear the message of hope in Christ, we pray for your miraculous power to set them free.
Lord, thank you that you are our safety, our Rock, and there is great power in your Name. Thank you that we can run to you when we face uncertainty and disaster. Please be a tower of protection and strength over your people.  We are grateful for your Sovereignty over all.
Thank you that you are able to do far more than we could ever imagine, and you are faithful to act on behalf of your children. We reach out to you, believing you are restoring and redeeming every place of difficulty, every battle, for your greater glory. Thank you that you will never waste our pain and suffering. We release to you every need and problem we’ve carried or tried hard to control. We believe in your goodness to see us through this dark time.
We love you Lord, and we thank you for your constant Presence with us.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Stay Alert to the Enemy’s Schemes:
The enemy is at work more than ever during these times. He will seek to divide believers and stir up strife and hate. He tempts us towards worry and fear and tries to trap us in his lies.
Don’t fall for it. Choose to set your mind and heart on God’s truth and stand strong in His promises over your life. There’s great freedom there. Freedom from anxiety. Freedom from defeat. Freedom from the burdens we try hard to shoulder on our own.
Don’t give in to the thought that God doesn’t know what He’s doing, in this life or in the world. That’s a lie straight from the enemy. What He’s allowed in our lives, even the most difficult of things, He will use for good somehow.
As much as we can wish it were so, God doesn’t always take us around our troubles. Sometimes He leads us straight through. Into the darkness, into the fire, into the deep. Or it might seem that we’re left stranded in the middle of some wilderness, stuck in a deep pit, and He’s forgotten us there.
But He’s faithful to carry us through.
We’re not meant to stay stuck in the trial. He won’t let the hardships define us. For when we belong to Him, He’s the only One who has the power to define our days. He breathes life and meaning. And He says we’re set free, redeemed. He says He gives us a future and a hope.
We may not see it, we may not even be aware of His Presence on the toughest days. But He hasn’t left us, not ever.  We can rest in knowing that He knows our way, He understands, He cares, and He has a plan to lead us out of even the fiercest of days. He’s able to see what we can’t see. He’s able to know what we don’t fully know. And He works on our behalf, through every difficult trial and storm-tossed time, bringing us through to the other side.
He is “God with us,” our refuge and strength, our Savior and Lord. We don’t have to worry about tomorrow. For God is already there. He brings light. And He has good still in store.

Remember His Promises: 15 Verses to Guard Our Hearts and Minds in Him:
Remember today, God is faithful. Choose to trust Him and believe that He is in control. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Grace and peace to you today as you choose to set your mind and heart on Him and His promises.
He is our stability: “And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure.” Isaiah 33:6
He is Sovereign over all: “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19
He will sustain us: “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22
He is our refuge and strength: “God is our refuge, and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” Psalm 46:1-2
He reminds us to “be still”: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
He is greater: “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
Our times are in His hands: “My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.” Psalm 31:15
Photo Credit: © Unsplash/frdm

He heals the brokenhearted: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
We can fully trust Him: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Our help comes from the Lord: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
He gives us a future and hope: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
He is with us in it all: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:2-3
We will come out of this dark time as “gold”: “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” Job 23:10
He takes us by the hand and tells us not to fear: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 43:13
He reminds us to bring Him our needs: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Debbie McDaniel is a writer, pastor’s wife, mom to three amazing kids (and a lot of pets). Join her each morning on Fresh Day Ahead’s Facebook page, for daily encouragement in living strong, free, hope-filled lives. Find her also on Twitter and at her blogdebbiemcdaniel.com.

This article is part of our prayer resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.
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Sweet friend, don’t let rejection steal one more thing from you. – Lysa
There’s nothing we can do to eliminate the pain of rejection. Oh, how I wish there were. With every fiber of my being, I wish I could remove it from my world and from yours. But I can’t. The only thing I’ve seen work in my life to help my heart heal from these deep wounds is the constant pursuit of the sweetest grace…. Each hole left from rejection must become an opportunity to create more and more space for grace in my heart.
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And yet, there are gifts in rejection. Here are three of those gifts of rejection I’ve embraced:
• The gift of being made less.
When we decrease, God has room to make big things happen. We are reminded of this in John 3:28-31, as John the Baptist is insisting to his followers that he is “not the Anointed One; I am the one who comes before Him… He, the groom, must take center stage; and I, the best man, must step to His side” (The Voice). Imagine what everyone would miss at a wedding if the best man refused to let the groom take his place. The radiant bride only walks down the aisle when she knows her groom is at the end ready to receive her. Then the glorious wedding happens.
When writing on this passage, Eugene Peterson says,
That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. — John 3:29-30 The Message
In this sideline, set-apart place, God will give you special wisdom you’ll need for the next assignment.
• The gift of being lonely.
This will develop in you a deeper sense of compassion for your fellow travelers.
But in addition to the blessing of compassion being developed in me, those lonely times also seem to be when Jesus lavishes His most intimate compassion on me. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus seemed to speak most intimately to people who were lonely? I doubt His conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in John 4 would have been the same if she’d been with a group of people. And we see a similar kind of personalized message for the woman caught in adultery in John 8. He didn’t speak to her personally and intimately until the others left.
Both of these women were alone not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. We see them in extremely lonely and humbling situations. We see their aloneness. Then we see Jesus step into their loneliness and lavish His compassion on them, and, certainly with the Samaritan woman, a compassion for the others in her town emerged in her.
This is certainly what happens in my life as well. The conversations I have with the Lord in my loneliness always lead me to more intimacy with Him and more compassion for others. When I ease the loneliness ache in others, it is beautifully eased in me.
• The gift of silence.
Had I been surrounded by the voices of those people I was so eager to meet that night, I would surely have missed the voice of God. I’m trying to weave more silence into the rhythm of my life now, so I can whisper, “God, what might You want to say to me right now? I’m listening.” Ecclesiastes tells us,
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens… a time to be silent and a time to speak. — Ecclesiastes 3:1, Eccelsiastes 3:7
I’ve got to spend time getting quiet so I can be prepared to hear new things from the Lord. Isn’t it a lovely thought that God might be waiting for there to be silence in your life in order to share some of His best secrets with you? It was truly a profound secret from God’s heart to mine when, in the silence, He whispered to my soul, You are not set aside, you are set apart. This statement settled me, changed me, and prepared me to share this same message with you.
I know it can painful to be alone. And I know the thoughts of being set aside are loud and overwhelmingly tempting to believe in the hollows of feeling unnoticed and uninvited. But as you pray through your feelings, see if maybe your situation has more to do with you being prepared than you being overlooked.

There is something wonderfully sacred that happens when a girl chooses to realize that being set aside is actually God’s call for her to be set apart.

Sometimes, though, when God calls us to be set apart for another purpose, it’s difficult to believe God’s goodness in the hurt. Have you ever cried over something so much that you run out of tears? Your swollen eyes just give out and dry up while a current of unrest still gushes through your soul. And you look up toward heaven in utter frustration.
Me too.
Excerpted with permission from Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst, copyright Lysa TerKeurst.
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Your Turn
Have you received those excruciating but invaluable gifts? Lessening, loneliness, silence? If you’re suspicious of God, take it to Him. He is waiting to comfort and bless you! And all God’s girls say, “Hallelujah!” ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full […]

We don’t know her name, but we know her situation. Her world was midnight black. Grope-in-the-dark-and-hope-for-help black. Read these three verses and see what I mean:
A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around Him. Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. — Mark 5:24-26 NCV
She was a bruised reed: “bleeding for twelve years,” “suffered very much,” “spent all the money she had,” and “getting worse.” She was physically exhausted and socially ostracized. She awoke daily in a body that no one wanted. She was down to her last prayer. And on the day we encounter her, she’s about to pray it.
Perhaps you have felt this way. You’ve been sick for days, weeks, years. Doctors, specialists, tests — no one seems to know the cure, and you are tired. You are tired of being sick, but most of all you are tired of hoping. Each day you hope and pray today will be better than the last, and each day you are disappointed.
How do you continue to believe you will be healed? How do you continue to believe that God cares?
By the time the woman in our story gets to Jesus, He is surrounded by people. He’s on His way to help the daughter of Jairus, one of the most important men in the community. What are the odds that He will interrupt an urgent mission with a high official to help the likes of her? Still, she takes a chance.
If I can just touch His clothes, she thinks, I will be healed. — Mark 5:28 NCV
It was her last hope, her last resort. Her last-ditch effort in a long series of efforts to be made well, and it all depended on this man they were calling a prophet. It all depended on Jesus. Risky decision. To touch Him she will have to touch the people. If one of them recognizes her, hello rebuke, goodbye cure. But what choice does she have? She has no money, no clout, no friends, no solutions. All she has is a crazy hunch that Jesus can help and a final hope that He will.
Maybe that’s all you have: a crazy hunch and a little bit of hope. You have nothing to give. But you are hurting. And all you have to offer Him is your hurt.
Maybe that has kept you from coming to God. Oh, you’ve taken a step or two in His direction. But then you saw the other people around Him. They seemed so clean, so neat, so trim and fit in their faith. And when you saw them, they blocked your view of Him. So you stepped back.
If that describes you, note carefully that only one person was commended that day for having faith. It wasn’t a wealthy giver. It wasn’t a loyal follower. It was a shame-struck, penniless outcast who clutched on to her hunch that He could help and her hope that He would.
Which, by the way, isn’t a bad definition of faith: a conviction that He can and a hope that He will. Sounds similar to the definition of faith given in the Bible:
Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is real and that He rewards those who truly want to find Him. — Hebrews 11:6 NCV
A healthy woman never would have appreciated the power of a touch of the hem of His robe. But this woman was sick, and when her dilemma met His dedication, a miracle occurred. Her part in the healing was very small. All she did was extend her arm through the crowd.
“If only I can touch Him.”
What’s important is not the form of the effort but the fact of the effort. The fact is, she did something. She refused to settle for sickness another day and resolved to make a move.
Healing begins when we do something. Healing begins when we reach out. Healing starts when we take a step of faith.
God’s help is near and always available, but it is given only to those who seek it. The great work in this story is the mighty healing that occurred. But the great truth is that the healing began with her touch. And with that small, courageous gesture, she experienced Jesus’ tender power.
Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, ‘Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was made well from that hour. — Matthew 9:22
If you are low on faith but need the healing power of Christ, perhaps you could rely on the faith of a friend. This is the type of faith Jesus witnessed when he saw a man being lowered through a hole in the roof where Jesus was teaching one day (Mark 2:1-12).
Whether he was born paralyzed or became paralyzed, we don’t know, but the end result was the same: total dependence on others. Perhaps someone had to wash his face and bathe his body. He couldn’t go on a walk or run an errand on his own.
When people looked at him, they didn’t see the man; they saw a body in need of a miracle. That’s not what Jesus saw, but that’s what the people saw. And that’s certainly what his friends saw. So they did what any of us would do for a friend. They tried to get him some help.
Word was out that a carpenter-turned-teacher-turned-wonder-worker was in town. By the time his friends arrived at the place, the house was full. People jammed the doorways. Kids sat in the windows. Others peeked over shoulders. How would this small band of friends ever attract Jesus’ attention?
They had to make a choice: do we go in or give up?
What would have happened had the friends given up faith? What if they had shrugged their shoulders and mumbled something about the crowd being big and dinner getting cold and had turned and left? After all, they had done a good deed in coming this far. Who could fault them for turning back? You can do only so much for somebody. But these friends hadn’t done enough.
One said he had an idea. The four huddled over the paralytic and discussed the plan to climb to the top of the house, cut through the roof, and lower their friend down with their sashes.
It was risky — they could fall. It was dangerous — he could fall. It was unorthodox — de-roofing is antisocial. It was intrusive — Jesus was busy. But it was their only chance to see Jesus. So they climbed to the roof.
Faith does those things. Faith does the unexpected. And faith gets God’s attention. Look what Mark says:
When Jesus saw the faith of these people, He said to the paralyzed man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven’. — Mark 2:5 NCV
Finally, someone took Jesus at his word! Four men had enough hope in Him and love for their friend that they took a chance. The stretcher above was a sign from above — somebody believed! Someone was willing to risk embarrassment and injury for just a few moments with the Galilean.
Jesus was moved by the scene of faith.
The request of the friends was valid — but timid. The expectations of the crowd were high — but not high enough. They expected Jesus to say, “I heal you.” Instead He said, “I forgive you.”
They expected Him to treat the body, for that is what they saw.
He chose to treat not only the body but also the spirit, for that is what He saw.
They wanted Jesus to give the man a new body so he could walk. Jesus gave grace so the man could live.
And they were all amazed, and they glorified God. — Luke 5:26
Two pictures of miracle-prompting faith: A woman who reached out. Friends who drew near. Jesus responded both times. He did the impossible for them. He will do the same for you. And you know what the best news is? Jesus heals the body, but He also heals the soul. He sees you as more than just an ailing body. He sees that your heart, mind, and soul need healing too. He offers more than you ask because He knows exactly what you need. Come to Him, have faith, and He will make you well.
God, I know that you are my healer. You are the miracle worker. You can heal every sickness and disease. You can raise the dead to life. I confess it is easier for me to believe You can heal others than it is to believe You will heal me. It makes me feel vulnerable to trust You with my sickness and brokenness. I don’t want to get my hopes up and then be disappointed. At the same time, I don’t want to lose hope. Help me believe in Your healing powers. Strengthen my faith in you, Your power to heal me, and your love for me. Give me the courage to reach out to friends and family for help. May I encounter the healing powers of my Lord Jesus. May I believe again. Lord, make me well. In Christ I pray, amen.
Excerpted with permission from God Will Help You by Max Lucado with Andrea Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.
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Your Turn
What needs healing in your life right now? What has been the most difficult part of this sickness or brokenness? Have you ever felt desperate for healing? Has your community ever helped you during a time of need? Our faith makes us well, whether that is in our bodies or our spirits. Faith is hope. […]

How do we teach our children about the Trinity?
The Trinity is mysterious, of course, to us adults. God is infinite. We can never fully understand him or get to the bottom of his mysteries. Moreover, God is unique. He alone is the Creator. He alone is not dependent on the world or anything in it. Nothing within the created world serves as a complete model or analogy for him.
One of the things that we can say to our children is just this. There is no one like God. Nothing in creation gives us a complete picture of who God is. Jesus is a complete picture of God (John 14:9; Colossians 2:9). But though we can know him truly, we do not know him completely. He is God and is infinitely deep.
Should We Use Analogies?
Since nothing within the world is a full model for the Trinity, we must be cautious about using analogies. Analogies are never perfectly transparent models for the Trinity. Some people have used a triangle to represent the Trinity. A triangle is one triangle with three sides. But that is not an adequate analogy. Each side is a part of the triangle. But God does not have parts.
The Father is not a part of God, but God himself. Likewise, the Son is not a part of God, but God (John 1:1). This inadequacy highlights the fact that, if we are going to teach our children about the Trinity, we should first learn about the Trinity ourselves, and not make mistakes when we explain it. It does not mean that we cannot use a triangle as an example. But if we use it, we should tell our children that it does not actually represent God well.

“The Trinity will always be mysterious. But we can teach it to our children because God teaches it in the Bible.”

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Similarly, some people have used the example of water. Water has three states, solid (ice), liquid, and gaseous (water vapor). But this analogy is also inadequate. It is not the case that God merely appears in three forms, one after another. Rather, God is Father, Son, and Spirit always, even before he appears to us.
As we already noted, this is mysterious. We can never dissolve this mystery into a transparent representation of God.
Rely on Divine Instruction
So, what do we do? We can use what the Bible itself gives us. Some parents may feel a burden to make up creative ways to communicate God to their children. But thankfully, we have the Bible. God has spoken to us. He has told us about himself. He has told us that he is one God and three persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Bible gives us clear and true communication about God.
There are several places in Scripture that directly present us with all three persons of the Trinity. Consider baptism, for example — both Christ’s and ours. Of Jesus’s baptism, Matthew writes,

When Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17)

The voice from heaven is the voice of the Father. The Son is baptized. The Holy Spirit is “descending like a dove.” The unity of one God is not so immediately visible in this passage. But the passage describes one stage in the series of acts by which God — the one God — accomplished salvation for his people.
The Trinity is also manifest in the one name that we are baptized into: “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). There is one “name,” underlining the unity of God. The name is tied to each of the three persons.
Other Sightings
We see other explicit mentions of the Trinity outside of baptism. For example, God’s work of salvation, when applied to the individual believer, involves all three persons in a united work.

When the Helper comes, whom I [Jesus] will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26)

The giving of the Spirit to the church involves all three persons.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he [Jesus] has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:33)

The resurrection of Jesus involved all three persons of the Trinity.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

As we open the Bible with our children, we should not neglect to pray for them, that God would teach them about himself through his word and through the Holy Spirit. It is impossible for any human being to truly understand spiritual things apart from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14–16).
Immersed in the Trinity
Outside of explicit texts, we also see broader patterns in the Bible. Preeminently, it is the Father who speaks. But the Father speaks the Word, according to John 1:1. This pattern is the background when God speaks to us in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is like the breath of God (Ezekiel 37:10, 14). The Holy Spirit also dwells in us and enables us to understand (1 Corinthians 2:14–16). We can tell our children that this process is going on when they read the Bible or hear it read.
Prayer involves all three persons of the Trinity. We pray preeminently to God the Father (Matthew 6:9). Jesus intercedes for us, making our prayers acceptable (Hebrews 7:25). The Holy Spirit dwells within us and empowers our prayers (Romans 8:26). We can tell our children that this process is going on when we pray.
Adoption to become God’s sons involves all three persons of the Trinity. God is our Father, to whom we relate as sons. Jesus is our elder brother (Romans 8:29). He is the eternal Son, and we have the privilege of being sons only because he is the Son first (Galatians 4:4–5). The Holy Spirit dwells within us, teaching us to cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). […]