...they laid Jesus there.

                   John 19.42

(That is the beginning of change.

Bring the presence of Jesus

      into the difficulty

                or desperation.

Nothing can ever be the same.

He changes the situation.

He changes the relationship.

And He starts with me.)

... bearing the ark

     of the covenant of God.

                  2 Samuel 15.24

(Wherever we go today,

in whatever we do and say,

we bear the name of Jesus there.

Remember who you are,

remember Whose you are.)

A man's mind plans his way,

but the LORD directs his steps.

                     Proverbs 16. 9

(Things do not just happen,

    but are divinely appointed.

Follow Him into it.

God does not close doors.

       He gives turn signals.

Lay not your day before Him,

but seek the LORD

     to lay His day before you.)

I glorified You on earth,

having accomplished the work

which You gave me to do.

                    John 17.4

(How can I bring glory to God today? By being faithful to Him

in all that I do. 

        Even in this.)

And the LORD

sent Nathan to David.

                 2 Samuel 12.1

(God sends godly people

into our lives 

to speak the truth

even that we don't want to admit,

to guide, to protect, to nurture.

Seek out godly mentors.

Underline the wisdom

in the way they choose to live.)

...that I may show
 the kindness of God to him?

                2 Samuel 9.3

(Who has the LORD
put on my path today?
Who has the LORD
       put on my heart?)

Peace I leave with you;
My peace I give to you,
not as the world gives
     do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.

                        John 14. 27

(What part of Jesus's words
          do I not understand?
It is not based on circumstances,
              but on Christ alone.)

Whatever you ask in My name,
I will do it,
that the Father may be
     glorified in the Son;
if you ask anything
     in My name,
I will do it.

John 14. 13-14

(What am I asking in the name of Jesus?
What am I trying to do on my own?)

I will meditate on Your precepts,
and fix my eyes on Your ways.
         Psalm 119.15
(Read, ponder, apply.
God's Word changes
              everything.
What I see,
how I see it,
what to do.)

This is the day
which the LORD has made;
let us rejoice
and be glad in it.

              Psalm 118. 24

(Even in the hard stuff,
God is working,
God is on the move,
God is very very good.
Even in this.)

Out of my distress

        I called on the LORD;

the LORD answered me

              and set me free.

With the LORD on my side
         I do not fear.

What can man do to me?

The LORD is on my side

                   to help me.

                  Psalm 118. 5-7

(You are not alone in this.)

But when Jesus heard it, He said,

"This illness is not unto death;

it is for the glory of God,

so that

 the Son of God may be glorified

                          by means of it.

                          John 11.4

(This illness,

this hardship,

this difficulty you are going through

is not random,

       nor without hope.

It is being used profoundly by God,

even now, 

even in this,

              for His glory.

Seek Him through it.)

               

So may the LORD reward you with good

for what you have done to me this day.

                       1 Samuel 24. 19

(God always blesses what is good and loving

         and the heeding of His voice.

It impacts you

     and everyone around you.,

even in the most difficult situations,

especially in those,

         His Presence is revealed.)

Then David inquired of the LORD
                                         again.
And the LORD answered him.

                            1 Samuel 23. 4

(Am I seeking God at all in this?
            Or just an answer?
Am I listening?  Am I heeding?
God points us
              right to Himself.
His way is revealed,
    often in the most unexpected.)
   

...one thing I know,
that though I was blind,
            now I see.

                    John 9. 25

(Jesus does not change our worldview.
He enables us not just to see
                    but to see differently.
And that changes everything.
Be Thou, my vision.)

And David had success

          in all his undertakings,

for the LORD was with him.

                1 Samuel 18. 14

(Follow the LORD 

       into His purposes,

walk with Him

       for His glory.

He will strengthen.

He will guide.

He will provide

    in incredible ways.

God calls us not to success,

     but to faithfulness.)

Rule in the midst of your foes!

                     Psalm 110.2

(Rise above the skirmish.
Bring grace to the table.)

And they said,

"Do whatever seems good to you."

But the priest said,

"Let us draw near

            hither to God."

                     1 Samuel 14.36

(Seek God first

     in what lies before you.

He will reveal Himself to you,

enlarge your vision,

change your heart,

    and put Himself on your radar.)

With God
          we shall do valiantly;
it is He
          who will tread down our foes.

                       Psalm 108.13

(Follow the LORD into it,
      stay focused on Him,
and trust Him for the outcome.
It is not on our strength,
                       but on His.
Our foes are anything we fear,
           even at times,
                         fear itself.)

 

He turns a desert into pools of water,

a parched land into springs of water.

                            Psalm 107.35

(God delights in providing

            the unexpected.)

And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

                       1 Samuel 8.6

(the source of his strength,

       the source of ours)

There is a lad here
who has five barley loaves
                   and two fish,
but what are they
       among so many?

                     John 6.9

(What can God do
        in this impossible situation?
In His hands,
           not just squeaking through,
   but more than enough.)

"Are we expecting God to do greater things than He has ever done?"
--Oswald Chambers
My Utmost for His Highest
May 9

For those who honor Me
      I will honor.

               1 Samuel 2.30

(Not just a promise,
      but a reality,
in all I do and say.
What does that look like today?)

He will guard the feet

         of His faithful ones.

                     1 Samuel 2.9

(The LORD will keep,

the LORD will direct,

even in impossible situations,

especially in impossible situations.

We have only to be faithful

    in following Him right into it.

No matter how things appear

                     on the surface,

God is working His deep purposes,

        His power revealed.)

The LORD recompense you

for what you have done,

and a full reward be given you

    by the LORD, the God of Israel,

under whose wings

you have come to take refuge.

                           Ruth 2. 12

(God will fulfill

       all that we  do

in ways 

   beyond our comprehension.

We need not understand it

                for God to use it,

        but just to be faithful.)

She said to them,

"Do not call me Naomi,

call me Mara,

for the Almighty has dealt

very bitterly with me.

I went away full,

and the LORD 

     has brought me back empty."

                     Ruth 1. 20-21

(Ahhhh, but she has yet to see

the unfolding of God's purposes,

                   deep and profound.

Her story is not finished yet.

And neither is yours.

Trust God into it,

                even in this,

that which we cannot yet grasp.)

And the people of Israel

      inquired of the LORD.

                 Judges 20.27

(That changes

     the course of my day.

First response,

not last resort.

Show me, O LORD,

how to navigate this.)

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love.

                           Psalm 103. 8

(Fill us, O LORD,
for the task ahead today)

His mother said to the servants,

       "Do whatever He tells you."

...Jesus said to them,

"Fill the jars with water."

And they filled them

              up to the brim.

                     John 2. 5-7

(Heeding His voice

       all the way up to the brim)

...and offered it upon the rock

            to the LORD,

to Him who works wonders.

                    Judges 13.19

(Deeper purposes flourish,

         even in this)