The Father Knows Best – Day 1

The search continues for dad-related devotions and I found this one titled “The Father Knows Best” by Dr. Tony Evans. This devotional is interesting as it speaks to “major loss or difficult setbacks or emotional turmoil” and how “it can be a temptation to fall prey to despair.” As we spend the next three days going through this devotional we will get to hear about how “he found peace through hanging on to hope“. We each have things we have, are, or will be going through and the more tools we can put in our toolbelt to help us press on the better prepared we will be to thrive for the glory of God! Let’s be the dads who are looking for ways to lean in on God when the world starts to press in on us because we know that we can trade our sorrows for the joy of the Lord! Let’s pause for a moment and allow a song to get us prepared for God’s Word and the message of hope from Dr. Tony Evans.

Let’s check out our scriptures for today’s devotional lesson:

• Psalms 3:5-6
• Proverbs 3:5-6

‘I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.’

Psalms 3:5-6

‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’

Proverbs 3:5-6

God knows what we have need of even before we ask, so why should we be surprised when His Word speaks to us right where we are at? God’s Word is alive and active and sharper enough to get right to the point, “it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

So let’s be the dads who do not go through this life alone or try to do it all in our own strength! Let’s be the dads who trust God and allow Him to sustain us! Let’s be the dads who are fearless because we are trusting and leaning on God so much that even if or when “tens of thousands assail me on every side” we can say “I will not fear“.

Let’s be the dads who “trust in the Lord with all your heart“. Let’s be the dads who “lean not on our own understanding“. Let’s be the dads who submit to God in all our ways! Let’s be the dads who walk so closely to God and in such an intimate relationship with God that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us to the point of making our paths straight!

Today’s devotional has been provided by The Urban Alternative (Tony Evans) (https://tonyevans.org/).

Reading through today’s devotional, here are some takeaways for me:
(check out the devotional on your own too to see if you pick up other nuggets, and please share your findings in the comments)

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Takeaways from Today’s Devotional:
“How could I remain hopeful“

• Ever prayed for something and then it didn’t happen and you started to lose hope?
• Ever prayed for something and then it happened and then was taken away?
• Ever prayed for something and then …?
• How could you remain hopeful?
• Imagine being someone who is a hope dealer, who spreads hope to others and deals with such a struggle.
• What is it that brings you the strength and ability to remain hopeful?
• Today’s devotional kicks off with just such a challenge:
  • “How could I remain hopeful after God did not answer one of the biggest prayers of my life—to heal my wife? How can I possibly continue to encourage others to hold on to hope? This is the challenge I had to face.“
• What is hope? Is hope a state or an action? Where does your hope come from?

• Today’s devotional speaks to it with “Hope is our expectation for the future.“
• In today’s devotional we learn about Dr. Tony Evans’ hope when he shares:
  • “I had hope that my wife, Lois, would be completely healed and restored. We had goals, dreams of the future, great things we wanted to do together for the Lord and with each other. “
• God always answers prayer, it just may not be the way we hoped. He may say “yes” or “no” or “not yet”.
• In today’s devotional we learn how it played out and what Tony had to do with it:
  • “God chose not to answer my prayer in the way I had hoped. So, I had to hold on to a hope that God, in His wisdom, had a greater purpose and plan that could only be fulfilled in this way. Hope for strength, for courage, for help in finding a way to move forward. Hope that God would take all the pain and confusion and reveal a deeper experience of His love than ever before. “
• Let’s be the dads who grab hold of God’s promises and God’s Word to help us get through the trials and troubles of this life.
• Let’s be the dads who take heart because we know that Jesus has overcome the world!
• Let’s be the dads who consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because we know that by persevering by faith and allowing perseverance to finish its work we will be complete and lacking nothing!
• Let’s be the dads who hold onto the reality that God is love, God’s plan for us is for good and not for evil, and God’s plan is to give us hope and a future!
• Let’s be the dads God created and purposed for us to be for our wives, kids, and this world around us!
• Today’s devotional shared how he leaned in on God when he shares:
  • “In the face of loss, we must let go and trust in His sovereignty and kindness. “Lord, it’s not my will,” I told Him, “But your will be done.” That was an act of surrender, and I won’t pretend it was an easy thing to do. Every believer will face a moment when they have to yield to His final decision and say “yes” to God about a “no” He has said to them. “
• Today’s devotional finishes with some questions for us to ponder:
  • “What experiences have you had with God saying “no”?“
  • “What was the result?“