20th-26th July 2026
One of the greatest joys in life is loving others and one of the greatest challenges is recognising that we cannot control the lives of those we love most.
Whether we are parents, grandparents, spouses, siblings, friends or carers, we all know what it means to carry concern for others. We long for those we love to flourish, make wise decisions and know God's peace and purpose.
Yet there are times when we find ourselves feeling helpless. We pray. We encourage. We support. We hope and still there are situations we cannot fix and burdens we cannot carry for others.
This week reminds us that while we cannot control every outcome, we can entrust those we love to the God who loves them even more than we do.
As you journey through these readings, bring the names and faces of those on your heart before the Lord and ask him to deepen your trust in his wisdom, timing and care for them.
Pause and Reflect
As you begin this week, take a few moments to consider:
What am I longing for most at this stage of my life?
Have I allowed a good desire to become an ultimate desire?
Where do I tend to find my identity and sense of worth?
What would it look like to rest more fully in who I am in Christ?
Bring these questions honestly before God.
Written by David Mairs
MONDAY
Trusting God with Those We Love
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV)
It can be difficult to trust God with the people we love most. When those closest to us are struggling, making difficult choices or walking through painful circumstances, we naturally want to help. We want to protect them, guide them and fix what is wrong.
Yet there comes a point when we recognise that there are limits to what we can do. Proverbs reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and not lean solely on our own understanding. This is true not only for our own lives but also for the lives of those we care about.
God sees the bigger picture. He knows what we cannot see and understands what we cannot fully comprehend. Trusting God does not mean we stop caring. It means we release control and place our confidence in the One who loves them even more than we do.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you know the people who are on my heart today. You know their needs, their struggles and the challenges they face. Help me trust you with the situations I cannot control. Give me wisdom to know when to speak, when to listen and when simply to pray.
Teach me to release my anxieties into your hands and rest in the knowledge that you are at work even when I cannot see it. Thank you that your love for those I care about is greater than my own. Amen.
TUESDAY
Praying Instead of Worrying
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Worry often disguises itself as responsibility. We tell ourselves that if we think about a situation long enough, perhaps we will find a solution. Yet many of the concerns we carry are beyond our ability to fix. Paul invites us to respond differently.
Instead of allowing anxiety to dominate our thoughts, we are encouraged to bring everything to God in prayer. Not some things. Everything.
The concerns that keep us awake at night. The conversations we replay in our minds. The situations we wish we could change. Prayer does not always change our circumstances immediately, but it changes us. As we place our concerns into God's hands, his peace begins to guard our hearts and minds. Perhaps today the invitation is simple: pray more and worry less.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I allow worry to consume my thoughts. Today, I bring before you the people and situations that concern me most. Thank you that I do not have to carry these burdens alone. Help me turn my worries into prayers and my fears into opportunities to trust you more deeply. Guard my heart and mind with your peace. Remind me that you are present, you are faithful and you are at work. Amen.
WEDNESDAY
God Hears a Parent's Prayer
Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” She said, “May your servant find favour in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
1 Samuel 1:9–18 (NIV)
Hannah's prayer is such an honest and heartfelt prayer. She brings her deepest longing, her disappointment and her pain before God. There is no pretending. No carefully chosen words. Just a heart poured out before the Lord. A lesson here for all of us to learn!
Many of us know what it means to pray for someone we love with that same intensity. We pray for children, grandchildren, spouses, friends and family members. We pray for healing, wisdom, protection and faith. Sometimes the answers come quickly. Often they do not.
Hannah reminds us that God welcomes honest prayers. He is not overwhelmed by our emotions or discouraged by our questions. Bring your heart honestly before him today. He listens. He cares. He understands.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that I can bring my deepest concerns to you. You know the names and faces of those who are on my heart today. You know the hopes I carry for them and the prayers I continue to pray. Help me to trust your timing when answers seem slow in coming. Give me perseverance when I feel discouraged and hope when I am tempted to lose heart. Thank you that you hear every prayer and that nothing is beyond your care. Amen.
THURSDAY
The Father Who Waits
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:17–24 (NIV)
One of the many stories that capture the heart of God beautifully is the parable of the prodigal son. The father waits with patience, hope and compassion. He does not stop loving his son when he walks away. He does not give up when circumstances become difficult. He continues to watch and wait.
Many of us know what it feels like to wait and pray for someone we love. Waiting can be painful. It can leave us feeling helpless and discouraged. Yet this story reminds us that God's heart for those we love is full of compassion and love. Even when we cannot see what he is doing, he continues to pursue, invite and welcome people home. Our role is not to carry the weight of changing someone's heart. That is God's work. Our role is to love faithfully, pray consistently and trust deeply.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your patient and compassionate heart. Help me to keep loving and praying for those who are on my heart, even when I feel discouraged. Protect me from becoming despondent, anxious or controlling. Teach me to trust that you are at work in ways I cannot see. Fill me with hope and remind me that no one is beyond your reach. Amen.
FRIDAY
Casting Our Cares Upon Him
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:6–10 (NIV)
There is a difference between carrying concern and carrying responsibility that was never ours to bear. Peter encourages us to cast all our anxieties on God because he cares for us. That invitation sounds simple, yet it can be surprisingly difficult.
Many of us hold tightly to our worries because releasing them feels risky. We fear that letting go means we no longer care. The opposite is true. Entrusting our concerns to God is an act of faith. We acknowledge that we cannot carry every burden alone and that God is both willing and able to sustain us. What burden have you been carrying that God is inviting you to place into his hands today?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that you care for me and for those I love. Today, I choose to place my anxieties into your hands. Help me release the burdens I was never meant to carry alone. When I am tempted to take back control, remind me that you are trustworthy and good. Fill me with your peace and help me rest in your care. Amen.
SATURDAY
God Is at Work Even When We Cannot See It
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8–9 (NIV)
There are times when God's ways can feel difficult to understand. We pray and wonder why circumstances remain unchanged. We question whether anything is happening at all!
Isaiah reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are higher than our own. His perspective is greater. His timing is different. His purposes reach beyond what we can see. That can be challenging, especially when we are praying for people we love. Yet throughout Scripture we are reminded that God is always at work, even when his work remains hidden from us. Looking back, many of us can see ways in which God was working long before we recognised it.
Today, if you are struggling to see what God is doing, remember that his silence is not the same as his absence. He is still at work.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that your wisdom is greater than mine and your purposes are always good. When I struggle to understand what you are doing, help me trust that you are for us not against us! Strengthen my faith when answers seem delayed and remind me that you are always at work. Help me to rest in your promises and trust your timing. Amen.
SUNDAY
Entrusting Them to God's Grace
Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 20:32 (NIV)
As Paul prepared to leave the Ephesian elders, he entrusted them to God and to the word of his grace. Paul understood something important: there comes a time when we must place people into God's hands. We continue to love. We continue to pray. We continue to support. But ultimately, we entrust them to the One who is able to do far more than we ever could. That is not giving up. It is an act of faith.
As this week comes to an end, consider who God is inviting you to entrust more fully into his care. His grace is sufficient. His love is unfailing. His hands are trustworthy.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, today I place into your hands those who are on my heart. Thank you that you know them completely and love them deeply. Help me to release my need to control outcomes and trust your wisdom, your timing and your care. Teach me to pray faithfully, love consistently and rest confidently in your grace. Thank you that your hands are stronger than mine and your love is greater than anything I can imagine. Amen.