Life often feels like a checklist of paying bills and meeting budgets. Just when you have a grasp on the "big ticket" items—rent, mortgage, car payments—all the little details become increasingly prominent. Phone bills grow, insurance premiums rise and utilities become harder to manage, leaving you searching for the means to continue checking items off your list.

Earlier this year, I found myself in a bill-paying rut. As I apathetically completed online forms, and submitted payments for various monthly bills, I began to wrestle with the process. Without all of these seemingly minute details, I would have more flexibility to give, provide for my wife, travel and accomplish the long to-do list I've developed over the years.

But as I thought about the Bible, and it's many promises for hope, I began to look at the process differently. God aims to fill us with great joy--even when we're paying bills. In Deuteronomy, Moses encourages the Israelites to seek the Lord, no matter how uncomfortable or unexpected His provision appears on the surface. Though the Israelites simply wanted a place to call home, Moses tells his people to rejoice in every undertaking, regardless of the circumstance (Deuteronomy 12:5-7).

The next time you sit down to update your finances, pause for a moment. Meditate on scripture, focus on the and hope and joy God promises, and complete your bills with a new song in your heart.

These three verses will get you started:

1. God Carries Our Burdens
   Praise the Lord, who carries our burdens day after day; He is the God who saves us. - Psalm 68:19 (GNT)
2. God Provides For Us
   And with all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs. - Philippians 4:19 (GNT)
3. God Promises Guidance
   I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. - Jeremiah 29:11 (GNT)