July 16 | God's Plans are the Best Plans

Today’s Reading:

Read Isaiah 23:8-11; 24:15-16; 25:1; 26:1-13

Spend some time as a family today making plans for something. Plan a party, a trip, a special day- something that requires you to consider what supplies you will need, what events will take place, what will happen as a result of the plan- be as detailed as possible.

In our reading today, Isaiah helped the people to see God’s plans for them. Isaiah 23:9 reminded the people of Tyre that “The Lord of Armies planned it” referring to who was responsible for the destruction they were facing. God planned it to demonstrate His power and His might and to remind the people that ultimately, He was in control!

As a result, Isaiah prophesied that all the nations would hear of God’s power. “From the ends of the earth we hear songs; the Splendor of the Righteous One.” God was demonstrating to ALL the nations- not just the Israelites that He was powerful and worthy of praise. God had “accomplished wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness.” (Isa 25:1)

God knew what needed to happen to bring his plan into action. He knew that there would be times of destruction and unrest among the nations. But His plan was that all the nations would see that they could “Trust in the Lord forever, because in the Lord, the Lord himself, is an everlasting rock!” (Isa 26:4)

Application/Prayer:

Put the plans you made at the beginning of today’s reading into action! Enjoy a trip or a day together as a family. Thank God for the plans He has for your family and that you know that you can trust Him forever!

July Memory Verse:

“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”

John 5:24

Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:

Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.