JULY 30, 2026

   “Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.” 

― John Wooden

PSALM 59-61

16But I will sing of your strength,

in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress,

my refuge in times of trouble.(59:16)

ACTS 28:16-31

23They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26“ ‘Go to this people and say,

“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

27For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’^a

28“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29]^b

30For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

JOURNAL 

More and more I realize that the act of faith may happen before the day even begins. Before the schedule unfolds, before the interruptions come, before success or disappointment has a chance to shape my emotions, I have a choice. I can either wake up trying to possess the day, demanding that it unfold according to my plans, or I can surrender it into God's hands where it has always belonged. The day was never mine to control. It has always been His. My calling is not to predict it, possess it, or manipulate its outcome, but simply to receive it as a gift and walk faithfully through it.

David writes, "In the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress." Before he knew what enemies he would face that day, he had already settled where his security rested. His confidence was not in favorable circumstances but in the character of God. That is the pattern I want my life to follow. Every morning becomes an opportunity to hand God my expectations, my fears, my ambitions, and even my dreams so that I can walk through whatever comes with open hands instead of clenched fists.

Paul's life demonstrates this perhaps better than anyone else in Scripture. He never could have imagined the road God would lead him down. Shipwrecks, prison cells, beatings, trials, house arrest, and ultimately Rome itself were never part of the plan Paul would have designed. Yet through every unexpected turn, he remained remarkably unchanged. Whether free or in chains, praised or rejected, he simply continued proclaiming Christ. The circumstances never became the source of his identity because each day had already been surrendered. Instead of allowing the world to shape him, the power, love, and discipline of God's Spirit flowed through him, transforming every place he entered into an outpost of God's Kingdom.

I am becoming convinced that for most of us, God's path rarely looks like the one we imagined. We quote Jeremiah 29:11 because we long for God's plans, but perhaps the only way to experience those plans is to stop insisting on our own. God's future is not discovered by controlling tomorrow but by surrendering today. The future He has prepared unfolds one obedient day at a time. Many of the greatest blessings, relationships, opportunities, and moments of growth in my own life were never things I could have predicted. They arrived as gifts while I was simply trying to be faithful with the day God had placed in front of me.

John Wooden said, "Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out." I think there is profound wisdom there because faith is not waiting for ideal circumstances. Faith is making the most of whatever God allows today, believing He is working even when I cannot yet understand His purposes. Surrendering the day does not mean giving up hope for the future. It means placing the future back into the only hands that have ever truly held it. Then I am free to live today with courage instead of fear, obedience instead of anxiety, and expectancy instead of control.

Perhaps that is what it means to truly live by faith. Every morning I wake up and quietly place the entire day before God. Whatever victories, disappointments, interruptions, conversations, opportunities, or hardships await me are already known by Him. My responsibility is wonderfully simple: to love well, obey faithfully, and allow His Spirit to flow through me. If I do that today, then regardless of how the day unfolds, I have walked the path He prepared for me. And over a lifetime of surrendered days, God builds a life that could never have been constructed by my own plans.

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord

JEREMIAH 29:11-14