Devotionals for the Heart: God's Plans

The Wonder of God’s Plans
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”—Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

With my miniscule brain, it’s hard to wrap my mind around the vastness and immensity of the Lord God, the Creator of innumerable galaxies, and the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. I stand in awe at His work. I shake my head in wonder at His miracles. I can’t grasp the complexity and symmetry of the rotations of the sun, moon, stars, and planets, or of the beautiful progression of the seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Ever since the time God created our world, He continues to orchestrate it with a complete and perfect plan for every atom, every speck of dust, and every molecule of water and air. Each one provides balance and nurtures life on this earth. And even though we live here, we understand very little of all that we take for granted.

In Genesis, chapter one, the Lord explains the process of creation for us. God spoke, and light began to shine. At His word, water separated from the face of the formless void. His voice set the celestial worlds in orbit, and His authority created everything we see. In the next chapter of Genesis (chapter two), the creation of the first human is described. The Lord Most High bent down to scoop some clay He had made, and with it, He shaped a man in God’s own image—Adam.

From the immense nothingness around Him, God designed a perfect world and set it into motion. Then He took a humble clod of dirt to fashion the man who would bear the image of God for all the rest of us. Next, He breathed His own breath into Adam—the breath of life. To this day, we all continue to breathe God’s life into our own lungs. And even as misshapen and marred by sin as we are, we still carry the very imprint of God in our bodies.

And yet God had more plans. Even in the rebellion of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God provided a way to bring His sin-sick, desolate children back to Himself. Just as Adam and his wife (Eve) tried to hide their sin from their Maker in Genesis, chapter three, so do we. We’ve mostly graduated from using fig leaves to much more elaborate disguises, but it’s still our sin that separates us from our holy Lord, and we’ll do anything to hide it.

Sounds hopeless, doesn’t it? Yet all through the Bible, God points us toward a relationship with Him. In Isaiah 57:15, He again reminds us that He doesn’t just dwell in loftiest heaven, He also dwells with us—the lowly in spirit and the contrite in heart! Because of Him we have hope!

So, don’t waste any more time, dear one! Whisper to our gracious Father in Heaven. He hears every word of your heart. Tell Him all about your troubles and let Him dwell with you while you cry. He promises He will stay with us (Matthew 28:20) and He will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). His forgiveness delivers us from the agony of our sin (Colossians 1:13-14) and He rejoices over us in love and gladness as we turn back to Him (Zephaniah 3:17).

What peace and comfort are ours when we come humbly to Him—the Lord of Heaven and Earth!

Let’s Pray: Dear God, we praise Your Holy Name! You are amazing! Thank You for loving us, for comforting us, and for renewing us as we run to You for forgiveness. Please teach us how to rest in You, and how to trust You every moment of every day. Thank You, Lord! In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “The Maker” by Chris August. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers. 

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: You are a masterpiece created by God!

God’s Masterpieces

A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“For we are His workmanship, created by Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

When I was young, my Grandma taught me how to Cross-stitch.

She was an expert with a needle and embroidery thread, and I spent happy hours going through her thread box, choosing colors, and then learning how to make beautiful stitches. Her handwork was exquisite and every time I look at an art piece that she created, I’m reminded of the Great Craftsman of my life.

In Ephesians, Paul teaches us to walk in Christ. He reminds us of our beginning—we are God’s workmanship, His handiwork. As we take a close look at our hearts, we see some characteristics that really don’t remind us of the Lord’s creative genius, and yet the psalmist proclaims in Psalm 139 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Every fiber of our being was deliberately and intricately designed by the Author of life. Even when we sin, He knows our every thought, and He remembers why He created us. On top of that, He forgives us when we ask Him, and He sets us back on the good path He’s chosen for us.

As our Savior, Christ Jesus created us for good works. These aren’t the petty little deeds we do in hopes of receiving a pat on the back from other people. Good works are actions of the heart, created by the Lord and presented to God as sacrifices to glorify Him. We don’t need to win a Nobel Prize or some great humanitarian award—we simply love our neighbors as we love God. If we show God’s love and mercy to those we meet, then we’re on the road to completing that for which He’s made us. With an open heart to serve others in humility, we obey our Lord’s commandment. Loving others like we love the Lord is our highest calling, and He sees our hearts.

Before we were even born, God set His plan in motion. His design is for us to be the lovely canvas where His perfect plan blossoms. In His hands, our lives make sense. Even when we’re heartsore and afraid to hear the latest pandemic reports, we turn our eyes to Jesus and are comforted by His words, “You are My workmanship, and I have something good for you to do.”

How do we know what to do? The best answer I’ve heard these past few months is, “Do the next right thing.” Choosing to serve the Lord by serving our brother is always the “next right thing.” We have a divine responsibility to lavish good on our fellow sojourners. We’re all His workmanship! It’s time for us to act like we understand what it means to be His creation, and His handiwork.

It doesn’t matter if we’re from French Guiana, Canada, or Brazil, just as it doesn’t matter if we hail from Indiana, Georgia, or Oregon. What matters is that we’re a product of God’s own heart. Every one of us is His design. We’re exactly as He created us to be, and the beautiful thing about God is that He always sees what He plans. What if my life doesn’t look like it’s going according to plan? Not to worry. A repentant heart brings us right back into His perfect place, and His perfect peace. With good works for us to do with our next step, or with our next breath, we reach for His hand. Our Good Father always knows the way. We trust in Him.

In our living room, a framed counted cross-stitch holds a prominent place. In the center of the shadow box, it says, “His Name is Jesus,” and around the sides are the many names by which our Lord is called.

Every time I look at the beautiful handwork, I’m grateful for the connections I have to my friend who embroidered it, my grandma who taught me to appreciate hand crafted art, and especially, to my Wonderful Savior who created me for His good works. Contemporary Christian music artist Steve Green sings this beautiful song based on Philippians 1:6 (ESV) where the Lord says, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.” Listen to the song on YouTube for free! Here's the hyperlink.

What an astounding privilege it is to be one of the myriad colors of thread in His great creative work. Hallelujah! Thank You, Heavenly Father (God)!

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Author Bio:

During this time of quarantine, Karen enjoys reading, writing, and connecting with friends and family via phone calls, texts, emails, blogs, live-streams, and video conferencing. 

She is grateful that the Lord has provided so many ways for humankind to stay in community, even when we are all hunkering down in our homes.

Karen says, “In this unprecedented time, we know that He has prepared us for such a time as this! To God be all the glory!”

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com