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Psalm 139:1-18 "You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. Psalm 139:2. No matter how precarious our circumstances become, He already knows who and where we are. David wrote, "You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.... You are familiar with all my ways ". Our needs are never hidden from God, and we are never separated from His care. Now, we can say with confidence, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast ". The Lord knows who we are, and what we need. We are always in His care.

Acts 16:6-10 "They tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. Acts 16:7 Twice in Acts 16 Paul and his companions were redirected by God. First, they were "kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. " Then, "when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to". God had other plans that would be right for His work. His "no" to the previous plans put them in a position to listen to and be lead by Him. In our lives, such things can momentarily be frustrating. But time often reveals that such detours are actually divine diversions that the Lord graciously uses to get us where He wants us.

Matthew 6:25-34 "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?" Matthew 6:27 This can help us rethink our tendency to worry, because it suggests that it doesn't help the situation we're concerned about. When we face trouble, we can take comfort in knowing that God can always act on our behalf. We can always turn our situation over to Him in trust and confidence. "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. " Psalm 55:22

1 John 2:3-11 "The darkness is passing and the true light is already shining ". 1John 2:8 John wrote these words to believers as a message of encouragement. He went on to say, "Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble ". By contrast, he equated hating people with roaming around in darkness. Hatred is disorienting, it takes away our sense of moral direction. Loving people is not always easy. When we choose love instead of hate, we are showing our relationship with Him and reflecting His radiance to the world around us. "God is light, in him there is no darkness at all ". 1 John 1:5

Matthew 26:39-42. 27:45-46 "My God , my God, why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:46. Jesus agonized for hours in prayer and pleading, "Let this cup pass from Me ". But the Father's answer was "No ". To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening. When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.

Psalm 103 "Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits ". Psalm 103:2. Psalm 103 reminds us that "The Lord is compassionate and gracious.... He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. " In our walk of faith, we come to Jesus humbled by our unworthiness. There is no sense of entitlement as we receive His grace, and are overwhelmed by His love. They remind us of "all His benefits".

Habakkuk 3:16-19 "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour. Habakkuk 3:18. God showed Habakkuk a grim future for Israel. It would take more than mere optimism to endure the coming hardship - Israel would be in extreme poverty. Yet despite that, Habakkuk said he would "rejoice in the Lord " and "be joyful ". He proclaimed his hope in God, who provides strength to walk in difficult places. Sometimes, we go through seasons of deep pain and hardship. But no matter what we've lost, or wanted, but never had , we can, like Habakkuk, rejoice in our relationship with a loving God. Even when it feels like we have nothing else, He will never fail or abandon us. Hebrews 13:5