Day 1

Read: 

Psalm 13

Dig Deeper:

Are you the kind of person that shows up 10 minutes early to everything or 10 minutes late? Your arrival time can affect how the event that you’re showing up for plays out. Just ask those who have been standing in line at the airports during this most recent government shutdown. Some people have had to stand in line 4 entire hours to get through security at the airport. Can you imagine showing up 2 hours early for your flight and still not making it in time?

We live in an age of constant comparison where everyone feels behind. Every time we open Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube, we’re revving up our comparison-meters. We see the highlight reels of influencers. They’re looking fabulous, going on trips, going on dates every other night, landing big deals, and purchasing expensive things. It never seems to end. We even hear some of them, like Sneak-o or Andrew Tate, say you can have what they have if you’ll just send them money, work their 10 step plan, and “escape the Matrix”. If you haven’t figured it out yet though, let me be the first to tell you…it’s all fake. All of it. If this latest scandal with “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” star, Taylor Frankie Paul, tells you anything, it should be that. What you see on the internet is not real. Often, your favorite influencers are just as depressed, anxious, and on the struggle bus as everyone else. And, their money and makeup hasn’t helped them overcome it one bit. Just to reveal what’s actually behind the social media curtain, let me share some stats with you.

50% of Gen Z adults live with their parents. 

5% of Gen Z adults make over 100k a year. That leaves 95% that make less than 6 figures.

69% of Gen Z adults are not in a romantic relationship.

So, next time you start comparing yourself to someone on the internet or in real life, I want you to remember that everything isn’t what it seems. Most people are in the same boat and are working through all of the same things.

The writer of today’s scripture in Psalm 13 could relate to the pain of feeling behind. He asks questions that all of us have asked: “Where are you, God? What are you doing? When is it my turn? Will you show up for me?” But, I want you to take note of how the psalm ends: “But I trust in your unfailing love.” Because we know we are in the hands of the God of Victory, we wait with hope. Living with Christ means that we live in the tension of the now and the not yet. In our present moment we may be in the middle of a waiting season, but we wait with glorious expectation of what is to come. We wait on a God who is always right on time.

Declaration: Say this next statement out loud as a declaration of what you have learned today.

God is working behind the scenes. I can trust him with my life.

Pray:

God, give me peace as I wait on you. I know you are working things out even if I don’t understand how you’re doing it. Help me to lean on you in this moment. Amen.