Prayer Doesn't Change Things

 

He lifted up his eyes

          and looked,

and behold......

         Genesis 18. 2

(Praying to God

empowers us to look up

   beyond our circumstances

as we seek Him.

Praying is knowing that

there is something more,

    and that is God.

Praying is a way of speaking,

listening and responding,

laying out before God

   our concerns and joys.

God reveals Himself,

sometimes in unexpected

     and unlikely ways.

"Where did that come from?"

"I never thought of that before."

Through prayer,

God enlarges our vision,

        softens our hearts,

   and strengthens our hands

to see, approach

       and navigate differently

  whatever is before us.

Prayer doesn't change God.

Prayer doesn't change things.

Prayer changes us.)

O LORD,

We can pray to You.

That is marvelous and amazing.

We can come before You,

       O Almighty One,

sit with You,

walk with You,

cry out or rejoice,

pour out our hearts,

   because You listen.

We traverse the known

     and unknown

with a fresh heart

    and a deeper vision

because we have

   spent time with You.

We look up to You

      and behold.

Switch On The Porchlight

 

But I say to you,

Love your enemies

and pray for those

who persecute you.

      Matthew 5. 44

(Jesus always shows us

a different way

to navigate our predicaments.

As believers,

we are called to respond

   with a new heart.

Not to tolerate or ignore,

  but love, forgive and pray

  in tangible ways.

God enlarges our capacity

     to do that.

A lack of forgiveness

  sours every relationship

  we have.

Love does not keep score

   or hoard ammunition,

but switches on the porch light,

opens the door,

and turns on the coffee.)

O LORD,

Thank You for loving us

through our own imperfection,

rebellion and selfishness.

Help us and show us

how to show mercy and love

to others.

Remind us that we cannot

change others,

but we can love them

every which way we can.

Reorient our triggers

from retaliating

    to reconciling.

And grant us the courage

    to love them to You.

But First, To Build

 

And there he built

an altar to the LORD

and called upon

   the name of the LORD.

         Genesis 12. 8

(Wherever God leads us,

in whatever situation

   we find ourselves,

in our work,

in our joys and sorrows,

even in our wanderings

        or wonderings,

may we first build an altar

          and worship God.

Even when we don't understand

    why we are here,

  or what purpose can there be,

may we pitch our tents

and bring the name of Jesus there.

When we build an altar to God,

it radically changes what we do,

how we do it,

       and for Whom.

In securing the stakes of worship,

we see this place and situation

       as holy ground,

nothing random

but divinely appointed.)

O LORD,

May our first response to this day,

    or to this encounter,

    or to what is new,

              familiar or ordinary,

   be to worship You

        right where we are.

Help us to not just stop

    and acknowledge You,

but to build some kind

                of altar

to bring You glory

   in these 24 hours of moments

and write Your name

    at the top of the page.

We are Yours.

Nothing delights us more.

Bad News? Maybe Not.

 

But You, O LORD,

are a shield about me,

my glory,

and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the LORD,

and He answered me

      from His holy hill.

            Psalm 3. 3-4

(The email appeared

       late one evening.

When I opened it 

         with baited breath,

the answer was not what 

 I thought I was waiting for.

What surprised me most

    was not the verdict,

            but my heart.

I was not devastated

    by a door slammed shut.

  but surprisingly encouraged

  by God's redirection.

He indeed lifted my head

                     and heart.

Bad news?

             Maybe not.

God had not just gone before me,

  not just shielded me,

but through it prepared me

     for His something different.

Before we even know to ask,

      God's got us,

in ways we don't ever expect.

How differently would we

      go into this day,

deal with the difficulties,

   the joys and disappointments,

if we wove these words

  into our hearts?

We do not after all walk alone.

Follow Me into this.)

O LORD,

We cry aloud to You.

And You answer.

Help us to listen.

Help us to respond.

Empower us to see

   not that a door is closed,

but that You are actually

   opening something far deeper.

And that would be 

      our intimacy with You.

    

No Matter What Ark We Are In

 

And the waters

     continued to abate

until the tenth month.

In the tenth month,

on the first day of the month,

the tops of the mountains

        were seen.

          

             Genesis 8. 5

(Even on cloudy days

and dark and stormy nights,

   God is already redeeming.

He is bringing about

  something we cannot

             even imagine yet.

God brings His relief,

  multiplies His purposes,

  fulfills His timing,

  and prepares the ground

         under our feet.

This difficult situation calls for

      our faithfulness,

not just counting the days.

no matter what ark

           we are in,

   no matter how long,

no matter how deep 

  the water looks from here.

And then, in one

   totally unexpected moment,

the tops of the mountains

        appear on the horizon

    or under our feet.

God reveals a glimpse

  to keep us trusting Him.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You in this,

no matter how deep

   or hopeless it feels.

We trust not the circumstances

         to change,

but we trust You in this situation.

We seek Your Presence,

   not just an answer.

Cover our hard stuff

      with Your glory.

Help us to hope

       not just cope,

help us to trust You,

and help us

    to be faithful to You

on dry land

        or a floating boat.

 

Courage In Strange Places

Then Jesus was led up

       by the Spirit

into the wilderness.....

        Matthew 4. 1

(What in the world

     am I doing here

in this hard, dark,

       strange place?

We are led

  into the wild unknown

not to be defeated,

but to be strengthened.

What is unknown to us

     is not unknown to God.

If we never struggle,

   or be scared,

   or uncomfortable,

would we even turn to Him,

learn to trust God,

or realize

         our need for Him?

"Where have You

              taken me?"

God replies,

"Where you can come

   to know Me more.

I am with you.")

O LORD,

May we know

that wherever You lead us,

You walk with us there.

Give us the courage

        to be faithful to You,

and to trust You,

even when we don't understand.

Help us to not depend 

   on favorable circumstances

    or our own ingenuity,

but to trust You.

In the familiar or unfamiliar,

         safe or scary places,  

    where there are trails

    and where there are not,

empower us

            to hold on tight to You.

You have a strong hold

                on us.

Reveal to us

   Your wonders here.

 

Magnify, Amplify, Multiply

 

Be fruitful and multiply....

        Genesis 1. 28

(God provides each of us

a new way to approach

and navigate this new year.

He changes our hearts

    and our vision

in these appointed moments

   to not just see difficulties

                   differently

   but to see Him differently.

Our path may not change,

    but we do.

We are strengthened

  by walking with Him in it.

Do we see the hard stuff

      as difficulty

or as opportunity

   to do something more?

Enlarge, expand, increase,

deepen,

and amplify His goodness

    on this patch of ground

and in this moment in time.)

O LORD,

As we venture into new horizons

    or walk faithfully in the familiar,

we ask for strong legs, 

willing hands,

   and a new heart in this.

Grant to us Your wisdom

   and strength.

Nudge us to see this hard situation

   and impossible relationships,

not as they appear on the surface,

but as an opportunity

    to be faithful to You.

Be magnified through us.

Bring Your fruitfulness and glory

   to all we undertake today.