Category: Trusting God

Eternal Hope

Reflecting on 2024 as we anticipate the coming year.

I’ll be honest with you: 2024 has been a rough year.

Globally, division, violence, and injustice seem never ending. Personally, it’s been a year of loss, disappointment, and uncertainty.

But it’s also been a year where I’ve witnessed God’s presence and divine intervention like never before.

My word of the year was imagine. And boy, so many things–both good and bad–have happened this year that I never could’ve imagined. But through it all, God has been faithful. His love never changes, even when our circumstances do.

I’ve often struggled with placing my peace, joy, and hope in my circumstances even though in mere seconds, all that can change. So how can we remain hopeful–even having the faith to imagine brighter days–when life is uncertain?

By rooting our hope in the One who does not change–God.

There are many promises in the Bible that remind us of God’s everlasting qualities. Here are a few from the Psalms that will hopefully bring you hope as we enter a new year:

God has always existed and will always exist


Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

Psalm 90:2 (NIV)

As we go through life, we view things with our limited perception of the world and what could lie ahead. But God, who always was and always will be, has seen it all! Nothing can faze Him. When we take His hand and allow Him to lead us through life, we can walk with more confident strides.

God’s love never fades


But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children–

with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalm 103:17-18 (NIV)

When we experience rejection or loss, we may begin to fear that someday others in our lives will leave and/or stop loving us. While we can’t control how others might hurt us, we can find peace knowing that our perfect Father will always love us. And as His children, we can love Him back by following in His ways.

God’s word remains holy


Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

Psalm 119:142 (NIV)

In a world where truth is treated as subjective, it can be overwhelming to read the news or decipher tricky conversations. Sometimes it’s hard to even know what’s real! But thankfully, God’s word is alive and active, always there to guide us and never outdated. We can turn to it for answers, and ask the Spirit to direct our reading of the Bible.

God’s kingdom will last forever

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.

Psalm 145:13 (NIV)

As the earth groans and crumbles, as people come and go, and as we desperately search for security, we can have courage knowing that we are part of a kingdom that will last forever. A perfect kingdom without brokenness, pain, or heartbreak. While we may not be able to see this kingdom fully on Earth, we can participate in God’s holy work by blessing others with His love and acting on His truth.

You may be scared of where God is leading you in the coming year, but take heart knowing that He who promised is faithful. God will never let you out of His sight. Converse with Him through every step you take, and soon you may start to see where the path leads.

Our light will never be extinguished when its source is our faithful God, who takes such wonderful care of us.

If you doubt this, call out to God. Express your feelings and fears. Trust that He listens to you, and nothing is out of His control.

No matter what 2025 brings, I pray that we may all experience God’s grace, peace, and love through every season.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

Discerning God’s Call

Do you ever wish you could directly hear God’s calling on your life?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel a little jealous of the early Christians, mainly because of how clearly they heard God’s calling.

Take the disciple Philip, for example. The Holy Spirit whisked him away from one location to the next so that he would reach the exact people he was meant to reach (Acts 8:26-40). He likely didn’t spend days, weeks, months, or years on his knees asking God where he was meant to go. He was just sent!

In many ways, the early church’s relationship with God resembles the Israelites’ relationship with Him in the Old Testament. They heard God’s voice audibly and/or through His appointed prophets. They always knew what He wanted them to do, even if they unfortunately didn’t obey Him.

As I’ve been learning how to discern in my own life (without God’s audible voice telling me what to do), I came across this passage:

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

– Acts 16: 6-10 (NIV)

Notice these phrases:

  • “having been kept by the Holy Spirit”
  • “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to”
  • “concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them”

I was reminded through this passage that God spoke to the early church in different ways and He continues to speak to us in different ways, too. And even when He spoke directly to them through visions or the Spirit, they still had to exercise patience and discernment.

The Christians thought they were supposed to preach in one location, only for the Spirit to call them elsewhere. They might’ve felt frustrated or confused at first, wondering why God would tell them no. But they obeyed, allowing themselves to finally hear a direct calling from God.

You might’ve noticed that the vision didn’t come overnight. They traveled to multiple places, repeatedly being prevented by the Spirit (I’m curious what that looked like), from spreading the good news there. But once they heard the call, they “got ready at once,” or in some translations, “immediately” left for Macedonia.

The Greek translation for “calling” in verse 10 means “to call to one’s self, to summon, to invite”. When we wait and listen patiently for God’s call, we aren’t just waiting to hear what task He has in store for us. We are being invited into God’s presence. When we say yes to His call, we are being drawn closer to God’s own self.

Just sit with that for a moment. We, God’s mere creation, are given the invitation to be brought to God’s own self.

Even if that invitation is brought to us differently than it was in the past, it’s still the same invitation. An invitation to not only do God’s work, but to be part of God’s family.

Today, we have many ways to hear God’s voice, even if they feel less direct than in the past.

Here are a few examples:

  • Reading the Bible and getting to know God’s character and teachings so that we can discern what God might call us to do versus what would be sinful.
  • Spending time in Christian community and receiving wise counsel from people God chooses to speak through.
  • Praying to God directly and spending time in God’s presence, getting to know Him better so that we can become more like Him.
  • And most of all, as believers we still have the Holy Spirit living inside us.

The Spirit moves in many ways, whether through the above avenues, or through visions, prophetic words, or miracles. While we shouldn’t necessarily expect these less common things to happen, we should never place limits on what the Spirit can do. Even having the Spirit inside of us is supernatural in and of itself.

We often talk about how the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, but the Spirit is not limited to our bodies’ capabilities. When we realize we are just one little sliver of a reflection of God, as we are created in His image, we can tap into the supernatural fruits the Spirit offers: love, joy, peace and patience, to name a few.

I encourage you to spend time with God today and ask Him how He might be leading you. Have peace in the process, knowing that all good things take time. And being in God’s presence is the best thing of all.

Surrendering Your Tomorrows

Ask God to help you release your plans and unknowns into His hands.

When you think about the future, how do you feel?

You might feel excited about all your plans. You might feel anxious by your lack of plans. You might feel exhausted thinking about even the prospect of making plans.

While planning can help us make good use of our time, we must hold our plans lightly. Following Jesus requires us to take each step forward in His footsteps, even if they lead down a path we didn’t plan to walk through. When we commit to following Jesus, we enter into the process of surrendering our will to Him over and over again.

But what does surrendering our will mean?

In the simplest sense, our will is our plan for our lives. Our plans can involve our hopes and dreams, our greatest fears, and even the little desires we lock tight in our hearts.

When we surrender our will to Jesus, we can tell Him what we want to do, but we are open to change course as He directs. This takes a great deal of trust since essentially we are giving Jesus the most valuable thing we have: our lives.

But since Jesus was the one who gave us life, He knows how to best use our lives to grow and shape us into beacons of His light and love.

There are so many beautiful aspects of surrendering to Jesus, even though it is challenging and requires sacrifice. Jesus’ will for us is far greater than we could ever imagine, which means when you offer your life to Him, you will be surprised by how Jesus can transform you.

There are two major temptations to avoid when considering your future, which we are warned about in the Bible.

The first is fearing for tomorrow:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

– Matthew 6:34

The second is boasting about your plans:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

– James 4:13-14

It is natural to be worried about the unknown, but when you are in constant panic about it, you are grasping for your will back, not ready to trust Jesus fully.

It is okay if you are at the stage of learning not to fear. I am still working through that as well. Surrendering is a process, not a one-time decision.

There will be some seasons that are easier to trust Jesus than others, but Jesus is ready and willing to walk alongside you through the journey of learning to trust in Him.

It is also natural to get excited about the future, which is wonderful and even an act of trust all on its own. But when we start to boast about our plans, we turn the spotlight back on ourselves.

We have a limited knowledge of the future and we must take life day by day. If we get too far ahead of ourselves, we may fall into the trap of pride and find that we are trusting in our own plans again rather than God’s.

Today, as you think about tomorrow and the days that follow it, ask yourself what aspects of your life are you still worried about? What situations or relationships or opportunities are you struggling to surrender to God?

Pray and ask Him to help you release your future into His hands. And who knows? You may be taken on a path going the opposite direction, but a path better suited for God’s wonderful purposes in store for you.

 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

– James 4:15

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. 

– James 4:7-8

Let Your Will Be Done

Do you long to surrender your life to God, but you aren’t sure where to start?

If you’ve been a follower of Christ for a while, you’ve likely wondered what decisions God wants you to make. Certain decisions are quite clear in the Bible: do not steal, do not murder, do not commit adultery. But other decisions, the specific ones that may lead to two good outcomes, are difficult to determine.

I’m not sure where you are on your journey. Perhaps you are just entering the job market or anticipating retirement. Maybe you have been single your whole life or you are in a serious relationship. You could be figuring out where to move or when to have kids or who to stay close with as you enter a new season of life.

As for me, I’m wrapping up my second-to-last quarter of college and trying to figure out where God wants me next. Does He want me to find a full-time job related to my major? Would He rather have me pursue another degree? Should I try exploring a different career path entirely?

A piece of advice I received related to this conundrum has stuck with me:

Acknowledge your desires, then surrender them to God.

While this advice felt solid and biblical, I wasn’t quite sure how to surrender to God. I was left with a list of all the things I wanted and a burning feeling of guilt for holding onto them.

If you are in a similar place, I assure you that you shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting things, especially things that God desires for you, such as joy, purpose, community, and love. I assumed that the surrendering process would be significant and perhaps even physical, and while it is significant and can lead to physical actions over time, the surrendering process may actually feel quite gradual.

The best person to learn from in any situation is Jesus. When crucifixion loomed overhead, He drew near to God in prayer.

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26: 36-39

Jesus didn’t deny what He wanted, but He surrendered His will to God through prayer. Sometimes, we can feel distant from God because we are afraid of telling Him what we want. We are ashamed that we have desires that haven’t been met yet. Perhaps it even seems symbolic of a lack of faith.

The pendulum can swing the other way, too. We fall into the temptation of treating God as Santa Claus, demanding what we want and feeling utterly disappointed and hopeless when He doesn’t deliver in the way we wanted.

Jesus’ model is the perfect approach to take to prevent distance and disappointment. Come to God honestly with all of your feelings and hopes and dreams. This reveals great faith and vulnerability. Admit what you long for and what weighs heavily on your heart. Then ask for God’s will to be done no matter what and pray for peace in any outcome.

You may not see instant results the first time you pray (though I hope you are filled with peace). But if you continue this practice day after day, you may find yourself shedding your old perspective and embracing one of hope and anticipation for all the amazing things God has in store for you.

If you find yourself desiring things that don’t align with God’s will, ask Him for help in this process. Slowly, but certainly, you will find yourself eager for what God has planned for you. And when you face fear, sadness, or chaos, you will always know to whom you can turn. Your loving Creator, the one who knows you best.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Ephesians 1:4-10

Surrendering Your Year

Reflecting on what God has taught me in 2023.

Everything is in God’s hands. I know it; you know it. But do we really believe it?

I am a worrier. I plan things out, analyze before and after situations occur, and go to great lengths to avoid problems. But this year, God has really challenged me to surrender everything to Him.

For those of us who enjoy knowing the plan or having clear goals, it can be frustrating to surrender to God because it means making decisions we wouldn’t necessarily make on our own. Sometimes, those decisions seem like straying from the path we want or disappointing people we admire. Often, especially at the beginning of the surrendering process, we have no idea where God is taking us. That’s downright frightening!

While surrendering is a very difficult process, it allows us to accept our freedom found in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. When we surrender our hopes and dreams to God, we aren’t giving up on who He created us to be. Rather, we are aligning our will with His. We are letting go of the idea that life has to look the way we planned to be meaningful.

It’s easier to surrender our will to God’s when we spend time with Him and realize He has our best interest in mind. He loves us more than we could ever comprehend and He will always take good care of us.

Surrendering makes room for peace. The pressure isn’t on us to perform and fulfill our goals. Instead, we can take life one step at a time, only acting as God leads.

This doesn’t mean we have an excuse to be lazy or unprepared. Rather, we don’t have to worry about what life will bring. We can continue on ahead, bringing each situation to God in prayer, and making decisions that glorify Him. When things don’t turn out the way we want, we don’t have to panic. God must have something better in store.

What is your biggest takeaway from 2023? What do you hope for in 2024?

I pray that for all of us, 2024 is a year of fulfilled promises, personal growth, and a deeper relationship with God.

Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.”

John 16:33 (MSG)

A Haiku for You

If you are a writer, I encourage you to try different writing styles to spice up your writing life. Tonight, I decided to try writing a few haikus. I hope either one of mine, or one of your own creation, is an inspiration to you.

Broken mirror

Saying goodbye to

My younger self looks like a

Smile unashamed.

To Doubt

Doubting has power

When we thought it was saftey

It is a fear wall.

Tidal Wave

Sinking in my doubt

To avoid disappointment

No longer I stand.

Calling

Daughter, Son, Child

Of the Most High God, you are

Free to heal in Him.

Miracles

Jesus offers life

In the fullest when we trust

He is here to stay.

Butterflies

Flutter from flower

To flower transformed into

Life everlasting.

Stay Curious

Encouragement for your prayer life.

I’ll be honest: it can be difficult having a conversation with someone who doesn’t usually speak audibly or show facial expressions.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re bowing your head in prayer, and suddenly something out your window catches your eye. Or you begin asking God to help someone in your life, and then your mind begins to wander. How is that person? Did they seem upset the last time you met? What are they doing right now? Probably something more interesting than this.

When I’ve been under the wrong notion of what prayer should be, prayer has caused me a lot of unnecessary guilt. Does my distractedness show God disrespect? Am I lacking in faith when I struggle in prayer?

Thankfully, God is a God of endless grace.

Prayer feels restrictive when we are given a template of how to pray and what not to say. Though we are told time and again that prayer needs to be a conversation, how can we really converse with God?

The other day, I was going through my usual style of prayer when I froze, on the cusp of losing my attention, and asked God a question.

Nothing profound, just a simple question. But that one question led to another and another. I didn’t get any answers to those questions (yet), but I did receive another revelation: God welcomes our curiosity.

It may feel silly asking God questions when we know we likely aren’t going to hear back right away. But asking questions assumes a sense of vulnerability. We admit that we don’t know everything, but God does.

Often people asked God questions in the Bible. The disciples asked Jesus to explain His parables. Many psalmists asked God deep questions about the state of their own existence. Even Jesus, when on the cross, calls out to God with a question.

When we stay curious in our faith, we won’t grow bored with it. Instead, we will grow a new level of comfort with God as we embrace the things we do not know.

And when we approach life with curiosity, we will start to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, notice the outsiders who are overlooked, and discover ways systems could be improved for the betterment of society.

What is your soul asking God today?

It could simply be “why” or “how” or perhaps something more complex. God is listening to all of it and even if you never find out the exact answer, God is the giver of peace.

How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

[The Lord’s Answer:]

Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.

Habakkuk 1:1-3, 5

It Takes Courage to Be Still

When was the last time you were still before God?

I’ve been watching a lot of action movies lately–adrenaline rushing, heart pounding, will they make it!? The main character, usually a fugitive, is always running, jumping, flying. Doing whatever it takes to make it out alive.

Thankfully, most of us aren’t in situations that require fake identities and epic car chases. But we often associate bravery with diving head over heals into situations and never catching a breath. How often do these action heroes stop for a bite to eat, a nap, or even a bathroom break?

While unnecessary for the script, taking time to pause and reflect are essential for us to live fully into our purposes.

Sometimes, being willing to be silent and still takes more courage than rushing through life. It means feeling uncomfortable emotions, dealing with difficult thoughts, and reflecting on how to grow.

Being still requires being honest. You don’t have anything distracting you from what you know to be true.

These truths can sound like: “I am a kind person, but today I hurt someone”, or “Something I said was uncharacteristic for me and didn’t make someone feel loved”. They can even be: “I am human, which means I make mistakes”, or “This person isn’t healthy for me and I need to step back”.

These truths can also sound like: “I am dearly loved by God”, “I am His treasured creation”, and “No matter what, I will always have value”.

Truths can be wrapped up in lies that tell us that we aren’t good enough because we made a mistake or we let someone down. We realize that these words are harmful, and then we lose sight of what even is the truth. The truth is that we make mistakes and we aren’t perfect–we need to own that and apologize. But we are not defined by our mistakes. We are defined by God, who calls us His masterpieces.

Today, I encourage you to take a moment to be still. No music, no other people, no screens. Just sitting in silence and wading through your thoughts until the truth rings out.

Perhaps there is a person you need to talk to who will help make things right. Perhaps you need a self-care day and a reminder that you are worthy of it. Perhaps it’s just a simple moment to thank God for the gift of life.

Embrace the discomfort of stillness and remember that the more you cherish quiet rather than avoid it, the easier it will be to rest in God’s presence.

Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:38-40

Gratitude in All Seasons

Encouragement if it’s hard to be grateful this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is always a time for reflection.

You may be looking back on the past year with contentment. Perhaps this was the year when a lifelong dream came true or new hope was birthed within you.

Or maybe this year has been painful and you don’t know how you made it this far. Fresh scars were stitched permanently on your heart. All you can do is anxiously anticipate the future.

This time of year forces us to generate feelings of “gratitude”, whether we want to or not. It seems wrong to feel discouraged or overwhelmed when we’re supposed to be cheery and excited.

Then, of course, it can seem like we’re betraying God when our immediate emotion isn’t happiness or thankfulness when looking back on memories. Does this mean we don’t trust God?

Something I’ve been realizing this year is that God appreciates genuineness above praise that doesn’t come from the heart. He wants us to be open with Him about what we’re going through, which deepens our relationship with Him.

But how do we avoid enabling ourselves to live in a constant funk while also not forcing ourselves to appear surface-level happy?

Perhaps by redefining what it means to be grateful.

Another word for gratitude is appreciation. When we look back on the variety of moments in our lives that have shaped us, we can appreciate why God allowed us to go through them without being glad that they happened. We don’t have to smile when we remember the loss of a loved one or a heartbreaking situation. We don’t have to shrug off the effort it took to grow in patience or to learn how to take care of ourselves.

Rather, we can have joy knowing that we can trust God with everything, including our disappointments and struggles and injustices. Joy doesn’t equal happiness; it makes room for deeper healing to be explored.

Today, when perhaps there is nothing else to be thankful for or you have everything in the world to be excited about, go to God and be renewed in the hope only faith can bring.

Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.

Psalm 138:6-7

To the Wanderer

Not all who wander are lost, and perhaps those are who God enjoys using.

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).

Printed on mugs and plaques, recited in every Sunday School class, and written in the most encouraging of cards, this Proverb is unforgettable.

And yet, so many times I’ve collapsed at my desk, head in my hands, racking my brain as to why I’ve trusted and trusted and trusted…and yet I’m still wandering.

Last night, I told a group of kids at my church the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the blazing furnace, when they trusted God even though they were on the brink of losing their lives. Kids being, well, kids, immediately raced through their own version of the story faster than you could say “Nebuchadnezzer” and were ready to jump up and play games.

But holding them in the moment, I asked, “How do you think they felt when they were about to be sent into the furnace?”

I anticipated reactions such as “scared”, “terrified”, and “worried”.

Instead, I got: “They were okay! They were happy!”

So then I went off-script and asked, “How would you feel if you were in this situation?”

Again, the answers were instantaneous: “Scared! Horrified! Soooo nervous!”

This group of kids have been through a pandemic, breathed in smoke fumes every summer they can remember, and have had their share of personal battles, all before the age of ten. Each one has their own furnace.

And yet, as we later bowed our heads and prayed to the same God who Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted, none of us could confidently say we wouldn’t be shaking in our bones standing in front of the pipping hot flames awaiting our potential doom.

Here’s the thing: the Bible never says these men weren’t nervous. They outright admit that God may not “save” them (in the physical sense) from this fire. But they trusted that no matter what would happen, they knew God would take care of them.

Ironically, or possibly not, earlier yesterday one of my professors told us something my mind is still trying to grasp: “We are best used by God when we are wandering. Not lost, but not with a clear path ahead of us.”

When I picture that promised “straight path”, I must confess that I envision a life of smooth relationships, clear calling, and free from doubt. But that’s not what God is promising at all.

Trusting God is less about getting your life put together perfectly and more about feeling God’s presence. Throughout the Bible, God makes many promises to His chosen people, but the biggest one is the promise of His presence in their lives. And through that presence, they are secured the chance to be a “blessing to all nations” (Genesis 12:3).

Anyone who trusts God and wants to do His will can also be part of this covenant. God chose you before you were born to live out an incredible purpose. To be a blessing to everyone put in your life.

That ache in your heart for the neglected, that strange surge of care for a stranger, that desire to make things right–those are all passions given to you by the Holy Spirit. Yet knowing how to respond to the needs of the world in a Christlike manner can only happen after getting to know Christ for yourself.

Don’t worry about trusting God “enough”. Just focus on the ways you can hand God each detail of your life, one day at a time, until it becomes so natural that you can’t think of life the same way again.

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10