GOD WILL COMPLETE WHAT HE STARTED
Kimberly Portillo
Today's Scripture: "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." Matthew 17:15-16, ESV
Theme: God is able, even when His disciples fall short. Bring your unresolved problems directly to Him.
MISPLACED TRUST
Even when our faith feels bruised by disappointment, Christ's power is not limited by human weakness. In Matthew 17, a father desperately sought help for his suffering son, but Jesus' disciples couldn't heal him. Their inability to help didn't mean Jesus was unable.
Sometimes, we place our trust in people, only to discover that they are human, too. When people fall short, it can leave us questioning what comes next. But people's failures don't mean God has failed us, and their shortcomings don't mean He has abandoned us.
DISAPPOINTED, NOT ABANDONED
When someone we trust lets us down, when a leader falls short, or when something we have poured our hearts into comes to an unexpected end, it can leave us questioning everything we thought our future would look like.
In 2023, my husband and I were heartbroken to leave the church we had poured so much of ourselves into for many years. We had to walk away from a place we loved, and we had no idea what was next.
“Lord, where are You leading us? What does this next chapter look like for our family?”
We had an amazing community and close-knit friendships we never imagined leaving behind. It was hard to grieve what we were leaving while trusting God with what was ahead.
And can I just tell you? God truly amazed me.
Things I had written down years earlier began coming to life, confirming that God was leading our family in the right direction. Looking back, I can see that even when I couldn't understand what God was doing, He was still leading us. That season taught me that people can disappoint you without God abandoning you. Sometimes, a chapter ends differently than we imagined, but that doesn't mean God is finished working in our lives.
Philippians 1:6 reminds us that the God who began a good work in us will bring it to completion. Our circumstances may change, people may let us down, and our plans may look different than we expected, but we can continue trusting the One who holds our future.
Make It Personal: Maybe you're standing in a season you never planned for, wondering what happened to the future you once envisioned. Maybe someone you trusted disappointed you, a door closed unexpectedly, or you're struggling to understand why something you loved had to come to an end.
Just because a chapter ended differently than you expected doesn't mean God is finished working in your life. We can become so focused on what we've lost that we struggle to see what God may be doing next. We want answers, explanations, and a glimpse of the bigger picture. But faith often means trusting Him when all we can see is the next step.
You may not understand what He's doing right now, but you can still trust who He is. Bring your unanswered questions, disappointments, and burdens directly to Jesus. Don't let the failures of people cause you to lose faith in the goodness of God. People may fail you, but they don't get the final say in your story.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us trust You when people disappoint us and life doesn't go as planned. Heal our hearts, guide our steps, and remind us that even when we don't understand, You are still working. Help us surrender what we cannot control and trust that You are not finished with our story. In Jesus' Name, amen.
Read: Psalm 118:8, Proverbs 3:5–6, Philippians 1:6
Weekly Memory Verse: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8, ESV