Have you ever had a moment when your faith felt shaky—when you wondered if God was really working, or if you somehow missed something along the way?

In Matthew 3, John the Baptist steps out of the wilderness with a bold message: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”John isn’t talking about building roads—he’s talking about clearing the clutter in our hearts.

What time is it? According to Romans 13:11-14, it’s time to wake up. Paul says the night is fading and the day is already here—meaning God is inviting us to step out of the shadows and into His light.

There’s this moment in Genesis 32 where Jacob spends the whole night wrestling—body, mind, and soul. He’s wrestling with fear, with his past, with the unknown future… and ultimately he realizes he’s wrestling with God Himself.

Ever feel like your world’s falling apart? The job’s uncertain, the news is bad, the future feels shaky?

Have you ever felt like you just can’t seem to rise above the pain, the loss, the struggles of life?Zacchaeus was tired of the struggle too. He climbed a tree just to see Jesus — but he didn’t know Jesus was already looking for him. That’s the power of grace: before we ever call His name, He already knows ours.

Are we pretending? Or, are we participating in God’s mercy? Two men went to the temple to pray — one proud, one humble. The Pharisee stood tall and said, “God, thank you I’m not like those people.” The tax collector stood far off, beat his chest, and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

You ever feel like your prayers just bounce off the ceiling?Like you’re talking—but God’s not answering?

You know, sometimes life takes us places we never planned to go — new jobs, tough seasons, unexpected changes. And like the people of Israel in exile, we just want to get back to “normal.”

Have you ever felt like your faith isn’t big enough? The disciples felt the same way. They asked Jesus, “Increase our faith!” But Jesus said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.”

The world tells us that success is measured by how much we own. But the Apostle Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 6 that we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it.

Do you ever struggle to pray for people you don’t like—or for leaders you don’t agree with?