"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Jeremiah 29:11

Plans. We women love to make them. We purchase cute, trendy calendars at the beginning of each year in an often futile attempt to plan the next 365 days of our lives. We display calendars on our walls, have apps on our phones, and take mental notes of upcoming events on the schedule we need to plan/attend. I feel flustered and exhausted even typing this.

Too often, our need for control and desire to see into the future bleeds over into our relationship with God. Surrendering control can appear daunting, but I echo the words in Psalms 37:25: "I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." In moments of doubt and uncertainty, when complete surrender seems to be too much of God to ask, I have never been forsaken by the One who authors my story.

The KJV translates the word "expected" in the above verse as "cord, hope, the thing that I long for". I imagine it as a constant connection, always in view of one another as we walk this journey hand in hand together.

Let's take a moment today to surrender our will to His, to check our line of sight to be sure that He is in it, and to release control to the One who holds the world in His hands.

Devotion by Caitlin Walker