Then Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise and clever, and for revealing it to the childlike.” (Luke 10:21 NLT)

Jesus constantly surprised people, was always doing and saying things that people didn’t expect. Because the idea of a Messiah had been ingrained in them for centuries, the Jewish concept of what He should be and do was pretty fixed. Perhaps the most significant way in which Jesus went against the grain of their expectations was His love for humility – it evidenced itself in His personal character as well as in what He looked for in His followers.

Which is why He took such delight that God was revealing Himself to the simple and hiding Himself from the arrogant. Those with proud hearts, especially religious pride, found themselves blinded to the truth of Jesus’ person, Jesus’ power, and Jesus’ teaching. But those who come with trusting, open hearts of children receive the treasures of heaven.

Prayer: God, let this quality of simple trust and childlike faith define my heart and open my eyes to all that You are today.

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:8-10 NASB)

God does not usually just catapult you into the fullness of your destiny. Generally, He equips you little by little, increases your faith by incremental stages, so that you are eventually qualified to step fully into your calling. In the midst of this process, it is easy to get discouraged with the smallness of your labors.

Zerubbabel knew this feeling all too well. As governor of the Israelite colony returning from captivity to reclaim their homeland, the process had been painfully slow. The foundation of the Temple had lain barren for two decades, mocking his destiny. God said, “Don’t give up. Don’t despise small beginnings. Your destiny still awaits you!” And this is your charge as well – don’t quit. Don’t look down on unimpressive beginnings, but trust God for your full destiny.

Prayer: I will trust You with the “small beginnings” of my life, God. You are big enough to finish what you have started in my life.

The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He see the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does these things in the same way. (John5:19 HCSB)

Jesus came to reveal the Father – the love of the Father, the intent of the Kingdom, and the culture of heaven. He modeled the Christian life. In fact, Jesus is the only real Christian who has ever lived. But He invites you into His life, into the reality He lived in. You, too, can know the Father, live in the Father’s will, and move redemptively in the earth. Generally speaking, this is the destiny of every Christ-follower.

So, if you want to do the things that Jesus did, you’ll need to do it the way Jesus did it. And this is His intention. At the root of all He did lay this fundamental reality: Jesus didn’t make His own autonomous decisions. He watched what the Father was doing. He listened to the voice of the Spirit. This heavenly communion will release your destiny, too.

Prayer: Tune me in, God! I set my heart to say that You’re saying and do what You’re doing. You hold my destiny.

I know what I’m doing, I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11 MSG)

This is the “sun” around which your destiny orbits -  being convinced that God knows what He’s doing! If that conviction ever gets lost, your destiny spins off into oblivion like a lost satellite. But this truth has a way of anchoring your heart and exerting a gravitational pull that keeps your God-given future in motion.

He has it all planned out – your abilities, your spouse, your work, your ministry, your passions, your relationships. These things are carefully kept in His heart for you; they cannot be lost or stolen unless you give up on them. There is no mistake that He cannot redeem and restore.

God, and His plans for you, is the entire basis of hope for the future. He has it all planned out, and He’ll never quit leading you into your destiny.

Prayer: Thanks for not abandoning me, God. I’m so glad that You’ve got my future all figured out, because I could never figure it out myself.

He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. (Romans 8:27-28 MSG)

If anything lies at the center of God’s heart, it’s His redemptive nature. He is a restorer, a rebuilder, a renewer of broken dreams and broken lives. If paradise had not been lost and there was no potent spiritual foe, this facet of God’s nature would not be seen. Of course, as it is, there is every present opportunity to observe and experience the redemption of God.

It’s this certainty of God’s nature that equips you with the confidence that God is taking every circumstance you encouter – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and transforming it into an unstoppable force for good in your life. Wow! Is that incredible or what?

God’s Spirit really does know you better than you know yourself. He knows that you are expectant with destiny. And so He keeps you centered in the goodness of God.

Prayer: God, I know that not all my circumstances are good. But I also know that You can, and will, release good things in my life through them.