Intentional 21 Devotional: Day 21 - Hauhna Hicks

Same Street, New Mercies

This morning, like every other morning, I opened Tessa’s crate and clipped on her leash. Her tail wagged like it was the first time she’d ever been allowed outside. Without fail, she bolts out of the house and begins her loop with joy and wonder, as if the same street we walk every day is a brand-new adventure. Same houses. Same smells. Same mailboxes and flowerbeds. But her excitement never fades. As we walked, I watched her bounce up to each bush like it was her first time seeing it. Nothing about the route had changed, but everything about her posture said wonder, delight, and expectancy. I couldn’t help but pause and reflect on the way I often move through my own days. How easy it is to become dulled by repetition. The same routines. The same to-do list. The same unanswered prayers. Sometimes fasting feels like that too, especially during this Daniel fast. I’ve been here before. Restricting certain foods. Making space for God. Waiting. Hoping. And yet somewhere along the way, I begin to treat this space as familiar, predictable. Even dull. But watching Tessa this morning stirred something in me, what if I approached every day with that kind of delight? After all, Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us that “because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” God’s love and mercy don’t run out. He doesn’t grow tired of hearing our voices. His grace doesn’t get stale. Isaiah 43:19 says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” And yet we sometimes show up to prayer, to fasting, to worship, already bored, already assuming we know what’s coming. But what if we believed that today held something new and special?! That this morning was bursting with fresh mercy, a new encounter, an unexpected breakthrough? What if we showed up like Tessa, tail wagging, leash in place, heart full of wonder? There’s also another moment I thought of this morning. Before I opened her crate, Tessa waits. Not impatiently, but expectantly. She’s fully alert, ready. She’s not barking or throwing a tantrum because it’s not time yet. She simply waits for me to come and lead her into what’s next. Psalm 5:3 says, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” In many ways, that’s what this fast is for me. A holding pattern. A holy pause. I’m intentionally abstaining from certain things in obedience and surrender, not to get something from God, but to posture myself to walk with Him. And even though I don’t have a timeline or clear answers on everything, I want to wait with joy.

How to Apply This Today

1. Wake up with wonder. Start your day with the expectation that God wants to meet you, because He does. Ask Him to give you eyes to see the “same old” with new perspective.

2. Be grateful in the routine. What parts of your life feel repetitive right now? Thank Him for the stability. Then ask how He might want to move within those spaces.

3. Lean into the wait. If you’re in a holding pattern, you’re not stuck, you’re being prepared. Just like Tessa, stay near the door, not in frustration, but in hopeful readiness.

4. Look for the “new” today. Ask God to highlight one thing you didn’t notice yesterday, a moment, a word, a feeling, or a Scripture that reminds you of His nearness.

May your walk with God today be filled with wide-eyed wonder. May you rediscover the joy in the ordinary and see His hand in places you thought you’d already passed by. He’s doing something new, even here.