July 20, 2026 Devo

July 20th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
“But the time is coming,” says the LORD, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors. – Jeremiah 16:14-15 (NLT)
“Thank God in Advance”

I had the privilege of praying with a few different people today at church. One of those I prayed with is facing a potentially tough situation. Only time will tell how challenging it’s going to be. So I prayed for God’s Hand upon them. I prayed for wisdom and discernment. I prayed for God to open the doors needed for them. I prayed that God would give them strength and faith for the journey. But I did one more thing. I thanked God in advance for His healing, deliverance, provision, and for seeing them through victoriously.
Please hear my heart. I am not a “name it and claim it” believer. I have no idea what is going to happen in this circumstance or what difficulty this person may incur. I’m not even saying that it’s going to work out the way that they want. But what I do know is this: God loves them more than they can ever imagine and that He WILL see them through. He will not abandon them. He will not leave them on their own. But whether or not the outcome is what they want, I know that God holds them in His Hand and will work in it and through it. And for that, I can thank God in advance for His goodness, His faithfulness, and His sovereignty. He is a good, good God. And that’s true whether we get our way or not. Does that make sense to you?
God gives Jeremiah a glimpse of that in our passage today. The people are about to suffer for their disobedience. They are going to suffer in many ways and even be taken into captivity. But God tells Jeremiah in advance something the people would never be able to understand. He’s going to bring them back. Despite their disobedience, He’s not going to abandon them. At the right time, His grace, mercy, and power will prevail.
This should be a great encouragement to you today. I’m not going to tell you that every prayer you pray is going to be answered the way you want. It won’t. But I am going to tell you that regardless of whether it works out the way you want it or not, God is with you. You may suffer. You may struggle. You may grieve. You may have to walk down a road harder than any you’ve had to walk down before. But put it all in God’s Hands. He will be with you. He will give you strength. He will be beside you every step of the way. Regardless of what happens, God will be working and going ahead of you. You may not see His Hand every day of this journey, but one day you will. So thank Him in advance for what you may only know looking back. He is a good, good God. That’s God’s Word for you today.