Knowing This: Finding Joy in the Middle of the Unknowns A 90-Day Devotional Journal

By Sarah Ransom

If you find yourself struggling to fill an empty hole in your heart and life, experiencing God will forever change your life. Our society and the culture of the world is changing almost faster than we can keep up. The things of life are continually pulling our attention in numerous directions. Our time is under constant restraint, we fight to squeeze in just the few things we enjoy amidst the busy of everyday life. We have to fight for relationships with our friends, our siblings, our parents, our spouses, our children, and even our God! Our beliefs in God are questioned and doubts of God’s existence, goodness, mercy and love are constantly being thrown our way. We are scared to step out in faith because something bad might happen. It’s easier to just stay quiet and “go along with the flow”. If you have ever found yourself wondering how faith, the Bible and God directly applies to life, you are invited to come and discover just how much God cares about YOUR life. We are created for relationship. Designed to be loved. We were made for God. Knowing This is a 90-day devotional journal that will take you on an adventure of discovering God on a more personal and intimate level. Each devotional comes from my personal quiet time that I have spent with my Heavenly Father. There are some real and raw moments and deep truths that God has shown me through the last few years. Every day is designed to encourage you to go and enjoy God’s presence. Encourage you to experience Him! The daily devotionals include a passage of scripture, a personal challenge or life-lesson taught from that passage, some thought-provoking questions and a journal space to record your own journey, thoughts and experiences in your adventure to deeper intimacy with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781400328116

Sarah Ransom

Sarah Ransom grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee. Being raised in a Christian home, she has learned that being a Christian is so much more than just the words. Following Christ is a deeply intimate journey. Previous works includes educational articles, newspaper articles, blog posts and a published story on Appalachian life. Working as an Extension Agent, Sarah teaches family and consumer sciences to the community. She enjoys teaching piano lessons, Appalachian history and square dancing!

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DAY 1

Knowing This

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2–3

Was it really saying what I thought it was? Have JOY when you are struggling with trials because they are going to make us better in the long run? This seems impossible, especially for anyone who has ever been faced with a hard trial. When your heart is hurting, you wonder if you can take another step, and it looks like for all intents and purposes that God has forgotten you. It is in that moment we look up and go, WHY GOD!? It is then when a quote I heard from a pastor comes to mind: God does not allow anything to happen to us that He does not permit. He just wants us to trust Him.

Trust. It is a hard word for a majority of people. We are taught by the world to do whatever it takes to succeed, to make it to the top, to be in control of our circumstances, to be the boss, to take the wheel and steer your car where you want it to go. We are unfamiliar and distant to the thought of letting someone else control our paths, plan our steps, and guide our lives. Yet this is exactly what God calls us to do, knowing that whatever roads we go down, whatever heartbreak and trials, struggles and joys, suffering and triumphs we may face, we can rest assured that God is with us and working out everything for our growth.

If you look at 1 Peter 2:23, we see that in discussing suffering, we can see a clear picture of Christ. Jesus did no wrong, yet He endured the strongest forms of suffering. He never fought back, He did not speak angry words toward someone else…what He did do was astounding. He stayed and continued submitting Himself to God. Knowing God was allowing the suffering, knowing what He would face…He committed, and surrendered His life to whatever path God had placed Him. Knowing what was coming, knowing that God is righteous, and good…knowing God—He committed His will, desires, skills, and life to God. He entrusted Himself to God. To God’s plan. He took His hands off the steering wheel and fully surrendered to whatever God brought into His life. Even to face the negative, to face the cross, Jesus surrendered to the good, bad, and ugly.

Justice may have been missing while the suffering occurred; however, we know the end of the story. We know God will always judge righteously in the end! Things may be going haywire, all things seemingly wrong and hopeless…but we must decide if we are going to try to control it ourselves, or if we are going to surrender and commit ourselves to Him.

When facing trials, I have personally found myself saying over and over, Knowing this, and I follow that with the truths of God. Knowing this, my God is faithful. Knowing this, He has a plan. Knowing this, He is using all these things to make me more like Himself. Knowing this, God has me in His arms. Knowing this, He loves me. Knowing this…

• Do I know God well enough to trust Him with my life? Whenever that may take me?

[Your Response Here]

• What is my response when I am faced with a situation I do not like?

[Your Response Here]

• Do I expect to have struggles in this life?

[Your Response Here]

• When struggles hit me, where do I turn? Where is my security?

[Your Response Here]

• When all seems lost, do I trust God to guide me closer to His side?

[Your Response Here]

Knowing this…

[Your Response Here]

DAY 2

Remember Me

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered

Psalm 105:1–5

There are days when nothing has gone right. Work was taxing. The family was constantly arguing and fighting. No one is getting along. Our thoughts begin to darken and the hopelessness comes crashing over our souls. When this happens to me, I find myself looking toward the heavens and asking, Lord, can you provide a little help here? I feel so alone. I cannot do this on my own. Why have you left me?

Has this ever been the cry of your heart?

Looking inward often is said to increase feelings of depression, and we often encourage others struggling with feeling stuck in a slump to go and be involved, to serve someone else. While I am a HUGE fan of this idea, sometimes we find ourselves struggling with dark thoughts because we have ceased going to the throne of our heavenly Father. We stopped being verbally thankful for all the little ways He has provided for us. We stop seeing the little things, the good things. We fail to notice the terrors that we missed because He is good, or the accidents that were avoided. We find ourselves focusing our hearts and minds on all we perceive as going wrong, and the desires of our hearts that we are still waiting on.

This passage encourages us to:

1) Give thanks

2) Make known His deeds

3) Sing to Him

4) Talk about the wonderful things He has done

5) Seek the Lord

6) Rejoice in what He reveals

7) Remember His marvelous works

We so often hear that seven is the perfect number, right? Not until I just wrote those out did I have this dawning realization that, Oh! God so clearly lays out seven easy things we can do to redirect our hearts to be moved and drawn to Him. As we make a conscious effort to remember what He has done and share with others, our hearts will be refreshed. I PROMISE! Focusing on God, not yourself, is what calms your heart.

So go ahead, seek the Lord, Your God. Share how He is providing, recall the goodness of the Lord, and then let your heart take over with praise to the heavenly Father who loves you so much! Lord, stir my heart to desire you. To seek You in the struggles I face, but also in the times of plenty! Father, open my eyes to the small and large blessings You give. Heal my heart and mind. Thank You for loving me and caring for me. Thank You for being my heavenly Father.

• What are five things God has done for me?

[Your Response Here]

• When was the last time I sought God with all my heart?

[Your Response Here]

• What can I share with someone about what God is revealing and teaching to me?

[Your Response Here]

Knowing this…

[Your Response Here]

DAY 3

Drawing Near

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."

Psalm 73:26–28

Do I take God at His word? Very clearly these verses state that when my body and soul are failing, I can find the strength to continue in hope, because God is my source of strength. As I am writing this, it feels like every muscle in my back, hips, and legs are screaming at me. I am not actually sure why they are sore, either! They just hurt. Lying down hurts. Sitting up hurts. Standing hurts. I am not going to encourage just ignoring our bodies’ pain signals (sometimes there is really something wrong!). But all too often I see people around me take the tiniest physical ailment and they avoid people, skip church to rest at home, or pull the covers back over their heads, because it is easier than facing the day. God is where our hope, our strength, and our joy come from. I find even when my body and mind are exhausted, when I take my Bible and curl up in a chair or on the couch and spend time reading His Word, my heart is refreshed and I find the energy and this building desire to spend more time with Him. No matter what your circumstances are, getting closer to God will always make you come out the winner. The farther we are from God, the more we are going to struggle and find ourselves grasping at things to fill the empty voids and pain in our lives. We look at others and cast judgement and shame on them, because it is easier to make them look bad than to fix the problems within our hearts. Sometimes I feel that God is hiding from me, and I am trying to seek Him, but He is hiding. Let me assure you that God is not hiding; it is that He has clearly told me what is wrong or what to do and I do not want to do that, or I give up on what He is asking. I am putting things between God and me. Therefore it seems that God is hiding from us. Talk to God, open up your hearts, expose all those parts you may never dare breathe a word of to anyone else, and ask Him for His forgiveness. When I get closer to God, when I remove my pride and sin, I will discover how good and Holy God is. When we discover who God is as our Father and Friend by spending time alone with Him and His Word (His love letter to me/you!), then we will be able to share those things He has done for us! God will change our outlook on life. By changing how we are on the inside, our outside will change. By focusing our hearts on God’s goodness, often the physical things will fade or disappear.

• What am I keeping between God and myself?

[Your Response Here]

• What has God told me to do that I am ignoring? (Go ahead, write it down!)

[Your Response Here]

• Why am I afraid of trusting the God who created everything and everyone?

[Your Response Here]

Knowing this…

[Your Response Here]

DAY 4

Being Deceived

They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

Isaiah 44:18

The start of this chapter opens talking about how there is only One God. He is first and last, and there is NO ONE else. However, there are many individuals who raise up gods of their own. They are physical gods of stone and wood, but in our lives they may be emotional/mental gods. When our sources of strength and fear come not from God, but from our jobs, our money, a habit, a food, praise from peers, acceptance from others, a relationship—these are all matters of the heart. When we allow these things to shift our hearts from God, we find ourselves easily deceived.

Being deceived means we cannot see, hear, or find understanding. The deception screams so loudly and makes us believe the thing we are holding on to is more important than God. We tell ourselves that God understands where we are and it is okay that we dwell and obsess on a thing.

WRONG! God cares very much about His children being deceived; He may know where you are, but he offers you so much more than just going I understand where you are my child. He offers you a way to truth and freedom. He wants more for you than deception and bondage.

In John 8:32 and 36, Jesus said, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free… So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Romans 6:11, 18, and 22: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus... and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness… But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Galatians 5:1 and 13–14: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…for you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Ephesians 5:8: For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

2 Corinthians 3:17: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Isaiah 61:1: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound…

In Luke 4:18, Jesus again quoted almost the exact same words: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

Psalm 146:8: The Lord opens the eyes of the blind…

One of my favorites, though, is found in Acts 26:18, where Jesus said, To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

I think it is safe to say that even with these few verses, God cares very much about our eyes being opened to the truth, our hearts resting in Him and not being deceived by the lies of Satan.

• What am I holding on to tightly? What am I begging God to let me keep?

[Your Response Here]

• Am I willing to ask God to open my eyes to where I am deceived?

[Your Response Here]

• Lord, what would You have me do?

[Your Response Here]

Knowing this…

[Your Response Here]

DAY 5

God’s Presence

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Psalm 57:1–3

Iremember a time when I was desperately seeking to feel God’s presence in my life. I was sitting on my bed, back against the headboard, knees lifted to hold my devotional book closer to my face. I do not remember the exact words, but something in the book made me cry out, Lord, I want to feel You. I need to know You are there. I am cautious around people who have unusual experiences with God. I think it is my skeptical nature. But I found that night, there was a cool, refreshing breeze that seemed to sweep through the room. The window may have been open; however, I do know that even if the window was open, the wind does not often blow through the window. Only if it is sucked through with a fan. That night, I felt the Spirit of God physically. It has been fifteen years now, and I still remember that feeling.

There was another time. I was going through a really rough patch with a man I loved, and I was down in the basement, back pressed against the doorframe, just crying and praying that God would somehow get me through. I knew God was saying, Let go, but nothing in my heart wanted to. I prayed, asking God if He was there. He answered me. That breeze again flooded my soul. It was like I could feel His hands wrap around my shaking shoulders. I knew God was with me, He was my support.

I hope there has been a time when you felt God in your life. A time when God’s presence floods your soul and He assures us that it will be okay and that whatever we are going through is a part of His divine plan. The Holy Spirit brings a comfort that floods our hearts and brings peace and rest. These are the moments when I know God is covering us under the shelter of His love (Psalm 16:11 and 91:4).

By faith we know that God is always with us. But sometimes we doubt. It is like the sun and clouds. We know the sun is there but sometimes it is hiding behind the clouds. Even when we cannot see or feel the sun’s warm rays, we know it is there. God is always there, whether or not we feel or see Him. Once we spend time in the sunlight, our bodies long for the comfort of the sun. Once we call out to God and face His presence, we desire the light of His presence again. When we have been out in the world’s brutal culture, we ache for the protection and peace we find under His wings. When we go for long periods without Him in our lives, we find ourselves missing that warmth. Our focus turns inward and often darker. It only takes a couple of rays to warm those cold places in our hearts and draw us closer into the sunlight.

Yes, there will be cloudy days, which is a part of life. Seasons come and go, that is normal. We will look toward the heavens again and beg God to come and make His way known to us. He will happily show up and make Himself known to us. Our souls long for the presence of God!

It is time to dig into God’s word—go and bask in the light!

Psalm 16:8: I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Matthew 28:20b: And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Psalm 36:7 (NKJV): "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your