You have a purpose that has been ordained by God.

The beginning of Jeremiah 17 makes clear that the sin of Judah was visible, since it had been engraved on their hearts.

Elihu was angry and apparently really angry, and it had been building through all of the speeches from Job’s three friends.

Remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray? What was that line we have all recited many times? “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Even though Jesus answered the question, we often act as if we have a better answer than his, or at least we would prefer that Jesus consider our approach to setting up a good kingdom.

The entire eleventh chapter of Luke is a response to one of the disciples making this request of Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

When we come to understand that before we were born God loved us and had a plan for us, we are more likely to see his plan being revealed in our work, in our family, and in all of our relationships.

It is good to remember, though, that when we reach those desperate situations, we can call out to God from the depths of our crisis and be assured that he hears us.