"Looking Ahead" - Week 1 Bible Reading Plan

"Looking Ahead" - Week 1 Bible Reading Plan

7-Day Devotional OPEN YOUR EYES

Opportunity is closer than we think, it just requires attention.

DAY 1 — OPEN YOUR EYES
Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:35

Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to work harder. He tells them to look. They were surrounded by opportunity, but blind to it because they were focused on timing, comfort, and assumptions. New year. Same temptation.
  • Where might God already be at work around me?
  • What have I been overlooking because it feels ordinary?

DAY 2 — GOD IS ALREADY AT WORK
In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17

Jesus reminds us that the Father is always working—whether we notice or not. We don’t initiate God’s movement.
We join it. That takes pressure off—and replaces it with awareness.
  • Where have I been waiting for God to start something He’s already doing?
  • Who around me might be more open than I assume?

DAY 3 — WHEN THE PAST BLOCKS OUR VIEW
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18–19

Sometimes what blinds us isn’t fear—it’s familiarity. We miss new opportunities because:
  • “That didn’t work before.”
  • “That’s not how we usually do things.”
  • “I already know how this ends.”
God says: Look again.
  • What past experience is shaping my expectations too much?
  • What might God be doing differently now?

DAY 4 — OPPORTUNITY IS OFTEN QUIET
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.1 Kings 19:11–12

God rarely shouts. He nudges. Opportunity often looks like:
  • a conversation
  • a small need
  • a moment of compassion
  • a thought you could easily dismiss
Impact usually begins unnoticed.
  • What quiet nudge have I been ignoring?
  • What small moment might matter more than I think?

DAY 5 — SEE BEFORE YOU DO
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

Before plans, programs, or goals—there is perception. Jesus says, “Lift your eyes.” Seeing clearly comes before acting faithfully.
  • Where have I rushed to act without stopping to see?
  • What would it look like to pause and pay attention today?

DAY 6 — DISTRACTION IS THE REAL DANGER
But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:40–42

Martha wasn’t doing bad things—just missing the best thing. Distraction doesn’t always come from sin. Sometimes it comes from busyness, noise, and good intentions.
  • What is most distracting me spiritually right now?
  • What helps me become more aware of God’s presence?

DAY 7 — A PRAYERFUL WAY OF SEEING
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Psalm 119:18

Awareness is not accidental—it’s spiritual. This week ends with a posture, not a plan. The prayer: “God, help me see what You’re already doing.”
  • How has my awareness changed this week?
  • Where do I want to keep practicing attentiveness?

Each morning this week, pray one sentence before checking your phone:
“God, help me see what You’re already doing today.”