Jeremiah 29:11 ‘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.’

DAILY READING – Mark 6:30-56; 2 Samuel 16; Daniel 10:1-21

On April 17, 2018, Flight 1380, of Southwest Airline miraculously escaped what would have been a devastating plane crash. The pilot of the plane Tammie Jo, has been hailed in the media for having nerves of steel. But Tammie has openly given God the credit for the miracle.

On that day, as she normally does before each flight, she had done her devotion; read her Bible and prayed  for her crew and passengers and committed the journey into God’s hand.

After takeoff, as the plane headed from La Guardia to Dallas, everything had seemed fine. But as the aircraft reached 32,500 feet, without warning, a piece of a turbine fan blade in the left engine broke off causing an explosion and catastrophic engine damage. The shrapnel from the explosion ripped a panel open underneath the wing, and severed hydraulic lines around the engine. The aircraft then began to shudder violently and the cockpit was filled with smoke and a deafening roar. As this went on, Tammie Jo had just about 60 seconds to make some important decisions before they became oxygen deprived. Already the aircraft had rolled over and began initiating a dive toward the ground. In the cabin passengers screamed, cried, prayed and began to text last messages to loved ones. However, in the midst of this chaos, when it seemed all hope was lost, Tammie Jo made a cabin announcement, boldly declaring “We are not going down. We are going to Philadelphia”.  Passengers would later share how that one simple message made all the difference because it gave them hope.  As they began to prepare for landing Tammie Jo knew she had one shot at landing the crippled aircraft. And God helped her to make that right landing. When they finally touched down at Philadelphia, the cockpit voice recorder captured her crying out, “Thank you Lord. Thank you, thank You, Lord.”

Of course Tammy knew it had only been by the help of God that she was able to escape what would have been a devastating crash. She would later say her habit of spending daily time with God gave her a stillness and peace beyond reason.

Indeed the more we come daily to God, the more we know Him intimately and this is what gives us boldness and confidence in the times of battle. Surely those that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

The battles of life have no time table, they often come suddenly. This is why it is important to maintain a daily fervent connection to The Spirit of God. When we seek God daily we are making deposits in our spiritual bank account that we can withdraw from in the day of trouble. The difference between winners and losers in life’s battles is the level of daily spiritual preparedness. The truth is that we prepare for war in the time of peace.

And one of the ways we prepare is by giving God thanks always in everything. Really we have to give God credit for our lives.  If it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be?  God is good and very faithful. This is why we appreciate and praise Him. Indeed it is because of The Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed. This is why we praise Him at all times and in all things. God is always good. In every situation God is always working behind the scenes, to manifest His goodness towards us.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says  “In everything give thanks.” Notice it doesn’t say to give thanks “for” everything, rather it says “in” everything. In other words, we should have the attitude that no matter what is happening, we choose to be grateful. We are to continuously thank God, for His many blessings and miracles in our lives.  Even in the midst of challenges, when it seems we may not trace Him, yet we trust Him, because we know that no matter what, God is working everything together for our good,

In Jeremiah 29:11 God says ‘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.’

Indeed God has an expected end in mind for us. That end is glory. In every situation God is always working to manifest His glory in our lives. It is very clear from the Scriptures that God will not keep us from battles, but He has guaranteed that as long as we are in Him we will always have the victory. As long as we remain constantly daily connected to The Holy Spirit through The Word, fervent prayers and passionate worship, God will always cause us to triumph. Indeed in every trial  and in every battle we are more than conquerors, through Christ that loves us.

PRAYER: Lord, I am truly grateful for Your faithfulness in my life. You are the reason why I am alive today. Please help me to always praise You in every situation, because indeed You are good and Your mercies endure forever in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE

Praise always guarantees you power for a raise, learning to praise God in season and out of season is key to fulfilling destiny. – WORDBITE 222.