Swords, Shields and Hand-Me-Downs

And the priest gave to the captains

the spears and shields

that had been King David's,

which were in the house

                of the LORD.

               2 Kings 11. 10

What are we working on, 

investing in,

preparing and preserving

to be passed down

        as a legacy

and engrained strength

  for the generations to come?

What do others see in us?

May we scatter

           hand-me-downs

     of strength, grace and faith.

Our children witness

    our actions,

    attitudes and words

to the furthest generation.

Faithfulness to the LORD

   is not just observable,

but multiplies

      far beyond our lifetimes.

It can't help but

      change a life,

including our own.

O LORD,

Thank You for providing

the witness of the saints

that have come before us.

Strengthen us 

that we may pass on

the knowledge of You

and leave behind tangible shields 

for the well-being of others

      that they may know You.

.

 

We Don't Know What To Do

 

Hezekiah received the letter

from the hand of the messengers

             and read it,

and Hezekiah went up

   to the house of the LORD

and spread it before the LORD...

             2 Kings 19. 4-5

First response:

  not defeated by despair,

  but reaching out in prayer.

Whatever the situation,

   spread it thick before God

 and pray about it,

every dimension,

prayer and layer,

spread it out,

     no holding back.

Each piece and plea is

   connected to another.

Praying opens 

         another door

and then that room

   leads to another portal.

Praying is the 

     deep stuff of abiding,

right where we dwell,

and we are nurtured by it.

O LORD,

We ask You today

to give us the courage

not just to follow You,

but how to do that 

       step by step,

     prayer by prayer,

approaching and navigating

   whatever is before us.

Provide us the strength

   and wisdom that go along

with being faithful to You. 

We don't know what to do,

but our eyes are upon You.

         2 Chronicles 20. 12

 

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Holding Us Fast

 

For he held fast to the LORD.

He did not depart

        from following Him...

And the LORD was with him.

Wherever he went out,

             he prospered.

         2 Kings 18. 6-7

Not pursuing success,

   but following the LORD

through whatever drought,

siege,

or trouble he encountered.

God does not show up,

but shows us,

unfolds to us,

and reveals Himself to us.

Follow Me. I am with you.

And that changes everything.

We see differently.

We worship the LORD

         and not the outcome.

We trust Him in the journey

         and hold tight to Him.

The word prosper here means

      to act wisely,

be attentive to God,

and complete 

   what God has given us to do,

showing care and 

         thought for the future. 

O LORD,

May we hold tight to You

   in the calm and in the storm.

Bind us to You.

Tie us to Your mast

that no matter what 

         we encounter

    or struggle with,

we know You embrace us

    with love and mercy.

We know that

           You are God.

The Future of Impossible Situations

 

But his servant said,

"How can I set this

    before a hundred men?"

So he repeated,

"Give them to the men

that they may eat

for thus says the LORD,

"They shall eat 

      and have some left."

So he set it before them.

And they ate

   and had some left,

according to the word of the LORD.

              2 Kings 4. 43

When we are faithful

    in following the LORD,

even into what

   we cannot yet understand,

God's fundamental law of 

       leftovers kicks in.

Lay before Him our day,

our work,

our efforts,

     and He multiplies.

What seems to us a lack,

   God redeems for His glory

in ways we may never

               comprehend.

The point here is

      not what God can do,

but are we willing

     to submit to Him?

O LORD,

We bring before You

what seems to be

    an impossible situation.

We lay it on the altar

   that You may touch it

and turn the natural

            into the supernatural

and the ordinary

      into the extraordinary.

Help us to be sensitive

     to the needs of others.

And to be aware of 

     Your hand upon us. 

You do not just show up.

      You sustain us.

What We Talk About

 

So Paul reasoned

     in the synagogue

     with the Jews

and the devout persons,

and in the marketplace

         every day

with those who

   happened to be there.

              Acts 17. 17

Wherever God leads us

  is never a random occurrence,

no matter the situation.

Among whomever we encounter,

there is sacred design

  and eternal purpose.

Start a conversation.

And bring the name of Jesus there.

    Love people to Him.

The word marketplace

  is not limited to the mall

  or even the grocery,

but encompasses

    any assembly of people,

a gathering of persons

      for any reason,

no place more divine

   than another,

whether a coffee shop,

   gas station,

   or pickleball tournament.

As it says in Scripture,

        hold not back.

What if God Himself

   has brought ua together

   in sacred encounters

       to point others to Him

or even make us aware

    of the presence of God

    in this situation?

God does not expect us

      to know all the answers,

but calls us to know Him

     and make Him known.,

not forcing Him into

         our conversations,

but discussing, pondering,

and mingling 

        thought with thought.

O LORD,

We pray that You will

 bring a deeper dimension

to our conversations with others

and make us sensitive

   to Your leading and Your words.

Show us how to weave eternity

      into what we talk about

for the wellbeing of souls

           all around us.

What Are We Listening To

 

Let me hear in the morning

of Your steadfast love,

     for in You I trust.

Make me know 

  the way I should go,

for to You

     I lift up my soul.

       Psalm 143. 8

We cannot hear

    unless we are asking,

listening,

trusting,

     and responding.

God whispers,

  Can you hear me now?

God reveals to us

   the way to go,

sometimes just one step

at a time,

    every one significant.

We do not just lift up

   our prayers to Him,

our desires,

our needs,

our heartaches

             and joys,

but we lift up our souls.

O LORD,

We lift up to You

     our very being,

all we are,

all we will be,

all You have created us

           to be,

       not just to do.

Even in what we are going through,

   saturate us in Your love

and form in us faithfulness,

Your mercies new

          every morning.

 

The Secret Art of Eavesdropping

 

About midnight,

Paul and Silas were praying

   and singing hymns to God,

and the prisoners were

   listening to them.

             Acts 16. 25

Believers and even those who

    do not yet believe

are continually watching us,

listening to us, 

eavesdropping how we respond 

   and what we worship,

how we love them,

on what we dwell, 

and how we 

    approach and navigate

difficult circumstances,

  whether theirs or our own.

No matter what time,

no matter how uncomfortable

       or inconvenient,

no matter what it costs us,

to bring the name of Jesus here

and let His witness linger.

O LORD,

May the way we do our work

   and how we love others

             point others to You,

even when we are unaware.

Who is listening to me today?

May they see

  how they can listen to You.

And how deeply 

     they are loved.