Thy Will Be Done
God’s presence is not diminished by darkness—it becomes visible through it.
Devotional Credit: Abide Above
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford reminds me that God’s aim is not just to meet my needs—it is to keep me close. He is not content to dispense provision like a distant benefactor. Instead, He supplies in a way that keeps the eyes of my heart turned toward His. Trials, then, are not interruptions to God’s will—they are often the very expression of it.
A lesser love might meet a need and move on, but not the love of the Father. He gives in such a way that I experience His nearness with every provision. It’s why He invites me to ask for daily bread—not because He withholds, but because He wants me to return each morning and each moment.
This kind of provision often comes with the disappearance of spiritual feelings or past experiences. I may feel dull or even empty—but it’s in those very moments that I am learning what it means to rejoice in Him alone. The flesh, with all its longing to feel spiritual, is being held inoperative so that the life of Christ may shine through. Real joy, real faith, and real life are not dependent on sensation—they rest entirely on the indwelling Spirit and my union with Christ. His will, then, is not merely that I survive my trials—but that I abide through them, discovering His life in the very place I once felt weak.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am not far from you in trial—I am forming Christ in you through it. You ask for relief, but I give you something better: Myself. I meet your need not with distant generosity, but with daily nearness. I keep you dependent because I delight in your gaze. When you look to Me, your soul is fed more deeply than you can measure.
I withhold no good thing from you, but I often delay what you seek to reveal the richness of what I’ve already given. The feelings may fade, the passion may quiet, and the former glow may seem gone—but I remain. I am training your heart to walk by faith, not by emotion. Even when experience seems to contradict My promise, My promise stands. I am conforming you to the image of My Son, and the pressing weight of trial is not punishment—it is a mold into which I am pouring resurrection life.
Let your flesh be still. Let your striving cease. The divine life emerges when the old life bows out. My power is perfected not in your plans, but in your poverty. And there, when you feel least alive, I am most revealed.
Rejoice in this: I have not left you to walk alone. I am your provision, your patience, your peace. I am the life that carries you.
Scriptures referenced: James 1:2–3, Romans 8:28–29, Romans 6:11a, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:11–12
🧺 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like a motion-sensor nightlight in the hallway. When the room is bright, you don’t notice it. But the moment darkness falls, the light activates—not because the light changed, but because your need for it became visible. God’s presence may feel hidden in the dark, but in reality, that’s when His life in you begins to shine.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that my trials are not evidence of Your absence but invitations into Your presence. You withhold nothing good, and even in seasons when I feel empty, You are faithfully working Christ’s life into mine. I trust You to give not just what I need, but to give it in a way that keeps my heart anchored in You. I rejoice that You are near in the pressing, and that every burden is an opportunity to discover the joy of abiding. I rest in the truth that I am Yours—and that is more than enough.