Friday, January 9, 2026

There’s something sacred about an answer in your heart before you even know the question.

Psalm 40:8
“I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”

That’s the posture of a surrendered life – not polished, just willing. What if 2026 grows a willing heart in you?

Not a year of striving harder.

Not a year of trying to get everything right.

A year of trusting God to respond with YES.

Peter’s story reminds us that a yes doesn’t have to be fearless - it has to be faithful.

He said yes when Jesus asked him to leave his nets in Luke 5:1–11. After a long night of catching nothing, Peter obeyed Jesus’ word and lowered his nets once more. What followed wasn’t just a miracle of fish; it was a call to a new life. Peter didn’t have a five-year plan or all the answers. He simply had a moment of courage and a heart willing to follow. That first yes didn’t come from certainty; it came from surrender.

Later, Peter said yes again when he stepped out of the boat in Matthew 14:28–31. He trusted Jesus enough to walk on water, but when fear rose, he began to sink. It didn’t cancel the power of his yes. Jesus caught him. Grace met him in motion.

And then there was Peter’s lowest moment. The denial, the shame, the look that could have ended everything. Jesus was not finished with him. In John 21:15–19, Jesus meets Peter on the shore to share breakfast and a question:

“Do you love me?”

Three times he asks. Three times Peter answers. With every yes, restoration unfolds. Jesus doesn’t remind him of his failure, he recommissions his calling. What shame tried to bury, grace brings back to life.

What I love most about Peter is this: Failure refined him.

Sometimes the bravest yes is the one we offer after we’ve stumbled. After fear has had a say. After shame tries to write the ending. Jesus is always inviting us back into the story God has already written.

Having a willing heart is choosing trust over control, obedience over comfort, and grace over guilt in everyday moments.

Your past does not cancel your purpose.

Your hesitation does not negate your calling.

Your yes, right where you are, still matters. And it will change everything.

Questions:
Where is God inviting you to say yes again, without pressure, but with trust?

What past moment are you allowing to keep you from moving forward?

What would a gentle, faithful yes look like for you right now?

Next Steps:
Write one simple yes in your journal, on a post-it note next to your computer, the screensaver for your phone, taped on your bathroom mirror, or hung on your refrigerator. Any one of the places you find yourself looking most often. “Yes, God, I trust you with ______.” Let it be small. Let it be honest.

This post was written by Monique Myers, a Perrysburg attendee and regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - Day 5

Today’s Prayer Focus: To Search My Heart 

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, as I come to know and trust you more, help me to reflect your love through my thoughts and actions. Search my heart. Find anything in me that is offensive to you and help me remove it from my life. Lead me to live a life that draws people to you. Help me live my life on Earth in a way that impacts eternity. In Jesus' name, amen.

Read more about Peter: Saying Yes, Even After Failure
Scripture: Luke 5:1–11; Matthew 14:28–31; John 21:15–19

Series Theme Verse:

Psalm 40:8
I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.