{"id":15925,"date":"2024-12-06T23:23:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T22:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=15925"},"modified":"2024-12-06T23:23:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T22:23:12","slug":"hope-for-today-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/12\/06\/hope-for-today-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope for today #7"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"15869\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/12\/06\/hope-for-today-7\/hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?fit=800%2C124&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,124\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?fit=800%2C124&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?resize=800%2C124&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"124\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15869\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?resize=300%2C47&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Hope_for_today_dots_800x124_7.png?resize=768%2C119&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-size:24px;\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=James%204%3A13&#038;version=NIV\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James 4:13<\/a><br \/>\n\u2018Now listen, you who say, &#8220;<strong>Today<\/strong> or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.&#8221;\u2019\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nIn these words James is challenging boastfulness which is something he refers to in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=James%204%3A16&#038;version=NIV\" target=\"_blank\">verse 16<\/a>. The attitude that declares, \u2018I am in charge of my planned future and God can tag along if God wants.\u2019 Now, James is not against forward planning but rather he wants his listeners to humbly factor in today what God\u2019s will and purpose may be for their tomorrows.<\/p>\n<p>Reflection<br \/>\nIs God only Lord on Sundays and not our other \u2018todays\u2019?<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><strong>QUOTE FOR TODAY<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"background-color: #FFFF00;\">[People] were able to keep singing, keep praying and keep showing up at worship services because their hope was anchored in God rather than in themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>(Glenn Packiam, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Worship-World-Come-Exploring-Contemporary\/dp\/0830849319\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><em>Worship and the World to Come<\/em><\/a>, p. 179)<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James 4:13 \u2018Now listen, you who say, &#8220;Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.&#8221;\u2019 &nbsp; In these words James is challenging boastfulness which is something he refers to in verse 16. The attitude that declares, \u2018I am in charge of my &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2024\/12\/06\/hope-for-today-7\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Hope for today #7&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[258,45],"tags":[259],"class_list":["post-15925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-devotion","category-guest-post","tag-hopefortoday"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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For trees","author":"Irene Bom","date":"February 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The trees are always optimistic and fill their branches with new leaves I raise my arms into the coolness of the shade and I say thank you ~ from Field Notes on an Endless Day by Graeme James From the blog Mightier than the crashing waves Open the door,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;quote&quot;","block_context":{"text":"quote","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/quote\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tree_with_dangles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tree_with_dangles.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tree_with_dangles.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tree_with_dangles.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17302,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2026\/06\/09\/grow-down-deeply\/","url_meta":{"origin":15925,"position":3},"title":"Grow down deeply","author":"Irene Bom","date":"June 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \"Let your roots grow down deeply in Him, and let Him build you up on a firm foundation. 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Prayer in response to answered prayer During the night\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;bible&quot;","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/statue_rosarium_den_haag.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/statue_rosarium_den_haag.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/statue_rosarium_den_haag.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/statue_rosarium_den_haag.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10534,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2020\/12\/13\/in-the-darkness\/","url_meta":{"origin":15925,"position":5},"title":"In the darkness","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The view from my kitchen balcony \u00a0(Photo: Irene Bom) \u00a0 A reflection on blessed darkness, including the darkness of the womb where \"the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light\". 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