Do you ever hesitate when God gives you an opportunity to step up and bring Him glory? Well, I do. Recently, when asked to give a devotional to a group of women, I paused. These individuals keep close dealings with God, and honestly, I felt inadequate. But then it occurred to me that I was overthinking the obvious: God wanted this, and I needed to obey.
““Invite them into the journey where am I calling you to grow.” ”
Once my hesitancy evaporated, I launched headlong into an ongoing conversation with God to discover what He wanted me to contribute. “Invite them into the journey where am I calling you to grow,” seemed to be His Answer.
Now, along with my other esteemed friends, I invite you to join me on my journey with EVERY.
Bringing God Into the Every
In the broad swath of these Scriptures, one sees that Every is electric in God’s Vocabulary.
1. “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me: every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will acknowledge God’” (Romans 14:11 NIV).
2. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NIV).
3. “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4 NIV).
4. “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him” (Proverbs 30:5 NIV).
5. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NASB).
6. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).
7. “Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so” (Genesis 1:29,30 NIV).
8. “Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:2 NIV).
9. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17 NIV).
10. “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9-10).
Bringing God into the EVERY of Everyday Life
My desire is for God to enlarge the area inside of me where my response to life happens—to push out the boundaries of this decision-making real estate so that I consistently experience all the resources He has made available to me. I want The God who loves me, The Jesus who died for me, and The Holy Spirit who fills me to dominate that space and make the most amazing supernatural difference.
Can trust and pain co-exist? Yes. But I want TRUST to reign. While feelings and emotions readily accompany daily life, I want God to enlarge that terrain of trust, and eclipse all else, meaning, rule over: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . .” (Colossians 3:15).
After all, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness . . .” (2 Peter 1:3).
Lord, I want to bring You into Every:
Every day
Every friendship
Every hardship
Every relationship
Every encounter
Every dream
Every desire
Every dilemma
Every delight
Every decision
Every pain
Every plan
Every pleasure
Every problem
Every criticism
Every crisis
Every conversation
Every heartache
Every heartbreak
Every text message
Every email
Every meal I share with another
Every trial my child goes through
Every piece of bad news
Every award
Every achievement
Every sleepless night
Every sunrise
Every suggestion
Every season
Every insult
Every miscommunication
Every misunderstanding
Every diagnosis
Every challenge my grandchildren face
Every trauma that treads across my soul
Every meeting
Every purchase
Every commitment
Every opportunity to forgive
Every chance to offer kindness
Every inclination to be rude
Every propensity to stew
Every temptation to hold a grudge
Every disappointing change of plans
Every miracle, every blessing, every grace-filled opportunity
Every, every, every—God, I want to give You Your rightful place in EVERY
And bringing You into EVERY motivates me to pray:
“Lord, I want to bring You into Every that I may trust You in ANY.”
Living With Eternal Intentionality® “He has also set eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
In a meeting, my new friend shared this quote from the life of Amy Carmichael: “In every least thing you will be wonderfully led.”
What thoughts do you have about the significance of EVERY?
Please offer any additional verses to the above list.
If you gave God permission to enlarge your boundaries of trust in every situation, how would your life be different?
Your thoughts enrich the discussion. Please offer your comments.
