The Bible is full of miracles. As we read, we see God’s divine intervention and miraculous hand at work over and over, from the parting of the sea in the Old Testament to the many miracles Jesus performed while He walked the earth. There is one consistent factor in every single one: first, there was a need.

With seasons changing, we’ve had several beautiful, foggy sunrises, and I really enjoy this on days I have to leave the house early in the morning. As I drove my kids to school last week, on an ordinary Thursday, the most stunning beams of light peeked through dense fog floating just inches above a wide-open field. What truly stunned me was the fact that this field was, on any regular day, a boring, unkept mess that would never catch my eye or be something I’d ever call beautiful. Yet in a moment, the morning sun completely transformed the atmosphere, making something that was honestly a pretty ugly block of land look absolutely majestic. So majestic that I was bummed I didn’t have time to stop and take a picture of it.

Hi, friend! If you’ve found this devotional, you’ve probably followed a link to learn more about following Jesus. I’m so glad you’re here, and I know this didn’t find you by accident.

An interesting thing I’ve noticed as a parent is how different my kids are from one another. Both boys, under three years apart, raised in the same home, with the same parents—are completely different humans. What comes very easily for one child might be tremendously challenging for the other. They need completely different things from me. Still, I love them both tremendously and make an equal effort to meet their individual needs.

We often hear Jeremiah 29:11 quoted in the context of knowing God has good things in store for our future. What we miss when we don’t read the passage in full context is that the prophet Jeremiah was warning the Israelites that they would be in captivity for seventy years. Immediately after breaking the bad news, there’s a “but,” and a promise.