“It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.” - Isaiah 55:11NLT
Silence. Complete silence. My mind had whirred me to a wakened state between too late for the crickets and too early for the birds. No matter how comfortable the combination of the early Autumn breeze and my sherpa blanket, I couldn’t relax.
On my jog a few hours later, I realized I had a people-pleasing problem, full of unrealistic expectations to be completed in an impossible timeline. All the things I wanted to do were good. The occupation I loved was full of I set a goal to visit my college kid across the country once a month. I set my mind to plan a mother-daughter adventure with my youngest, since I’d been on so many side quests getting my oldest off. Two short years behind her sis, it’s also time to start planning her college visits. The job I love was teeming with important, life-giving projects. It didn’t seem unreasonable to keep all these balls in the air…until I had a hard come-to-Jesus talk with something He doesn’t have … but I do … LIMITS.
Today’s Scripture affirmed what I felt was happening. My plans were MY plans. As I started to back out of the second well-constructed plan in the last few months, I started to cry. It felt like turning a new page of grieving, the way I thought things would go, and the things I expected of myself. But there was way too much of ‘me’ in those plans, and not enough listening, and letting go. God has all the room He needs to move in this season of life. He’s moving, whether my mind is a tornado of overthinking or not.
This Scripture in Isaiah hit me like I compare the warm Miami air in August …a hug. God has a Word over my life, and each of my daughters’ …and none of it will fail. He is limitless. He doesn’t need my help. I don’t need to be all things to all people.
“Isaiah affirms that God’s prophesies will be fulfilled and that his word will always be fruitful,” the NLT Life Application Bible explains, “We can count on that promise every time we read Scripture, truly desiring to be in God’s presence and to listen to him.”
To be in God’s presence and listen to Him. The time I spend with God in prayer and in His Word – in my own quiet time, which I often mull over for a few miles directly after, and through Bible studies and the people He has placed in my life – that is what holds me together, snaps me out of my tendency to think I can do all the things I need to do in my impossible timeline, and reminds me to take a deep breath and sink into the thing He has me doing right now.
Limits remind me to let go. When I release the pressure I put on myself, I fall asleep to the crickets in the comfort of the early Autumn breeze and wake up to the birds.
Let’s pray …
Father,
Thank you for stopping my tornado of overthinking … for comforting me when I realize I cannot do all I have set out to do, and for comforting and guiding me as I turn in the right direction. You don’t make me feel guilty for trying to cram my plans into my limits. Instead, you use things like the absence of crickets and chirping birds …and an early Autumn breeze to alert me that I need to let go and embrace my limits. That’s where you always step in, so faithfully. Thank you for filling my life with so much that I can’t fit everything I want to do into one day. Help me to prioritize my days with the right things. I want my life to bring glory to you, God. More of you, less of me. Glory up.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
What truth from today’s devotional is God using to encourage your heart? Share your reflection and join our conversation in the iBelieve Truth Devotional Forum.
Feel like digging a little deeper? Here is a wonderful resource to meet you right where you are. 9 Prayers to Gain a Heart for Heaven + Daily Prayer Journal
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ Kinga Krzeminska
Related Resource: The Blind Spots Hurting Your Relationships
In this episode of I Wish You Could Hear This, Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn sit down with licensed professional counselor and bestselling author Debra Fileta for an honest and insightful conversation about the relationship blind spots many of us don’t realize we have. Together, they explore how emotional patterns, past wounds, and unrecognized habits can quietly shape the way we connect with others.
Debra shares practical wisdom on how to grow in self-awareness, strengthen communication, and take ownership of the ways we impact the people we love. Whether you’re dating, married, leading others, or simply wanting healthier relationships, this episode offers hope-filled tools to help you break unhealthy cycles and build deeper connection.
If you’ve ever wondered why relationships can feel harder than they should—or how to become a healthier version of yourself—this conversation is for you. Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Like what you hear? Be sure to follow I Wish You Could Hear This on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
Originally published Sunday, 15 November 2026.
SHARE
