Lord, Go Ahead of Me Into Today

Maybe you're about to walk into a day you can't predict. This morning we'll ask the Lord to go ahead of us into today, and we'll hear His promise that He's already there. Let's bring this to God together.

In Deuteronomy chapter thirty-one, verse eight, Moses turns to Joshua in front of all Israel and says this.

The Lord Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Israel was camped on the east side of the Jordan River. Across the water lay a land they'd never lived in. Moses had led them since they came out of Egypt. Now he was a hundred and twenty years old, and God had told him he wouldn't cross the river with them.

The man they'd followed for forty years was about to die. Joshua would take them across. Ahead were walled towns and armies, and real battles to fight. Moses didn't pretend otherwise. He gave Joshua a promise about who would be there. The Lord would go first. He'd be with him on the far bank, and He wouldn't leave when the fighting started.

Many of us wake up on the edge of something we can't see into. Maybe it's a scan that's been hanging over you for weeks. Maybe it's the first day somewhere new, or a meeting you've been rehearsing in your head since four this morning. You don't know how it'll go, and that's a heavy thing to carry before breakfast.

Joshua's road was still hard, and your day may be too. If you're His, the Lord goes ahead of you into it all the same, and He stays.

The writer to the Hebrews takes up this promise and gives it to followers of Jesus. Here he's warning against the love of money, and he points his readers to something steadier.

God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5-6

Jesus gives us a picture of the same care. In John's Gospel, He calls Himself the good shepherd, and He describes a shepherd with his flock.

He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

John 10:3-4

Jesus is that Shepherd, the one who laid down His life for His sheep. If you belong to Him, you didn't earn your place in the flock by being brave. You won't lose it by handling today badly. His nearness rests on His faithfulness, and it holds on the mornings you feel ready and on the mornings you don't.

Let's pray. You can pray these words with me, out loud or in your heart.

Father, I come to You this morning through Jesus. He died for my sins and rose again. Because of Him I'm forgiven, and I'm welcome here before I've done a single thing right today. By Your Spirit, help me pray.

You're the God who went ahead of Your people into the Jordan. You brought them through on dry ground, and You kept every good promise You made them. You still go before Your people, and You stay with them. Whatever today holds, You're already in it. You know the conversations I'll have and the news I'll hear. Nothing in this day will take You by surprise.

I don't know what today will bring, and it frightens me more than I like to admit. It was on my mind before my eyes were open. Part of me would rather feel in control than trust You. Sometimes I treat You like a backup plan, someone to call on once my own ideas run out. I lean on my own understanding, even though it's let me down before. Forgive me for acting as if everything depends on me.

Through Moses, You told Joshua, “The Lord Himself goes before you; He will be with you.” You're the same God this morning. And You've promised everyone who belongs to Jesus that You'll never leave them. So go ahead of me into today. Go ahead of me into the conversation I've been putting off, and into all that comes after.

Let me hear my Shepherd's voice in Your word today. When the worry gets loud and the day starts rushing, help me listen for Him. Give me courage for the next step, even when I can't see the one after it. Where I need to speak, give me the right words. Where I need to wait, make me patient. Keep me close to Jesus by Your Spirit, hour by hour.

I want to live by what Your word says. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

So I give You the parts of today I can't control. I give You the phone call I'm waiting on, and the people I love whose troubles I can't solve. Lead the way, and teach me to follow close behind You. If it all falls apart, You'll still be with me. If it goes well, that'll be Your kindness too. And I can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.”

I pray for others who are walking into something hard today. For anyone hoping for good news, or sitting beside a hospital bed. For someone who woke up alone and dreads the hours ahead. Go before them too, and let them know You're near. Give strength to those who'll spend the day caring for others. And for everyone praying these words with me right now, lead them through this day.

Now as I get up and start this day, go with me. When I open the first message, or step out the front door, remind me You're already there. If I forget You by lunchtime, bring me back to You. You won't have gone anywhere. When something goes wrong, as some things will, let me turn to You before I turn on myself. And tonight, however the day has gone, I'll still be Yours.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take a moment of quiet now, and bring Him whatever's in front of you today.

Hear these words of praise from the letter of Jude.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.

Jude 1:24-25