But we see Jesus...

         Hebrews 2. 9

(I cannot know everything,
nor understand all,
but I can seek
           Him who does.
See Jesus where I am today).

I will walk with integrity
         within my house,
I will not set before my eyes
          anything that is base.

                   Psalm 101. 2-3

(Know when to turn away,
know how to walk away,
know to simply turn it off.
Make a choice.)

Remind them to be submissive
   to rulers and authorities,
to be obedient,
to be ready for any honest work,
to speak evil of no one,
to avoid quarreling,
to be gentle,
and to show perfect courtesy
                toward all men.

                            Titus 3. 1-2

(That should keep me busy today.
 Respond as a Christ-follower
                              in all things.
Practicing the presence of God
                      even in this.)

It is He
Who made the earth
                 by His power,
Who established the world
                 by His wisdom,
and by His understanding
    stretched out the heavens.

                  Jeremiah 51. 15

(This crazy situation,
this impossible relationship,
this enormous problem,
   are not too big for the LORD.
I can depend on Him.
     I am not alone in this.
There is something really profound
     not just in the outcome
     but in the knowing.)

Their Redeemer is strong;
the LORD of hosts
                    is His name.

             Jeremiah 50. 34

(I am not alone in this.
My Redeemer is strong.
The LORD will deliver me through.
The LORD will redeem.
                      Even this.
And because God
      is not restrained by time,
He is already redeeming,
               present tense.)

Then shall all the trees of the wood

        sing for joy...

                    Psalm 96. 12

( All the incredible colors of autumn

     are just a bare glimpse of His majesty

and a reminder

       of what is to come.)

But fear not,
O Jacob My servant,
nor be dismayed, O Israel;
for lo,
    I will save you from afar,
and your offspring
    from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return
        and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
Fear not, O Jacob My servant,
                      says the LORD,
for I am with you.

                 Jeremiah 46. 27-28

(Fear only blocks out the light.
God grants quietness and peace
         in impossible places.
"I am with you"
           is not just a promise
    but a reality.)

...that it may be well with us
when we obey
      the voice of the LORD.

                  Jeremiah 42. 6

(It always is.)

Because you have made

    the LORD your refuge,

the Most High your habitation...

                    Psalm 91. 9

(That changes everything.

God transforms and redeems

       the course of your life.

What we may see

   as circumstances

   we would not have chosen,

God opens opportunities

   such as we would not believe.)

Like cold water 

     to a thirsty soul,

so is good news

   from a far country.

             Proverbs 25. 25

(Who has God placed

           on my heart

to encourage today?)

So also good deeds

       are conspicuous,

and even when they are not,

they cannot remain hidden.

             1 Timothy 5. 25

(God always bears fruit

through goodness,

kindness,

        and grace,

even that which you may never see.

You can never know

  how profoundly God is using you.

God transforms even the simplest action

        into the most significant of all.)

Give thanks to the LORD of hosts,

for the LORD is good,

for His steadfast love

          endures for ever.

                 Jeremiah 33. 11

(the words to the song

       that never ends,

the refrain to the chorus

    that forever sustains me.

Over and over again,

   throughout my day,

   throughout my life.

Even in this.)

...I prayed to the LORD, saying,
"Ah, Lord GOD!
It is You
who have made
    the heavens and the earth
by Your great power
  and Your outstretched arm!
Nothing is too hard for You...

                Jeremiah 32. 16-17

(It is You.
 It is You.
 It is You.
The wonders of His creation
   are only a reminder
   of His power.
       Even in this.)

...found grace in the wilderness.

                  Jeremiah 31. 2

(God provides

for the longings of my heart

and the strength I need

     in unexpected places.

And sometimes

     it is not about me).

For I know
the plans I have for you,
          says the LORD,
plans for welfare
and not for evil,
to give you a future
              and a hope.

               Jeremiah 29. 11

("Trust Me in this.
Follow Me through this."
Even when I don't understand,
        God is at work
in unexpected ways.
Even in the hard stuff,
even in this,
  His purposes prevail.)

Brethren,

   do not be weary

   in well-doing.

        2 Thessalonians 3. 13

(God is using you

     in profound ways

on the most ordinary days.

There is nothing mundane

     in God's economy.

You can never know

   how God will use you.

You can never know

   who will be impacted by it).

In the latter days
  you will understand it
                       clearly.

         Jeremiah 23. 20

("Trust Me."
Even in this.
Even in what I can't understand,
His profound purposes prevail.)

A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold
in a setting of silver.

              Proverbs 25. 11

(Beautiful,
an image of healing,
seeking out good in this,
         even in this.
What do I want to leave behind?)

But the LORD is with me...

            Jeremiah 20. 11

(The Presence of God

     makes the profound difference,

not just changing the outcome,

not just changing my course,

      but changing my heart.

Seek Him in this).

Blessed is the man
    who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
    and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious
        in the year of drought,
for it does not cease
             to bear fruit.

                     Jeremiah 17. 7-8

(Trusting God does not matter?
  You will never know the difference
             God makes in this.
The LORD will change
           the course of your life.
He will do extraordinary things
     that not only impact you,
but everyone around you.
      God bears impossible fruit).

You who are enthroned
upon the cherubim,
                  shine forth.

                 Psalm 80. 1

(Shine, O LORD.
          Even in this.
Even in ways
  I cannot comprehend).

Thus says the LORD,
"Let not the wise man
       boast in his wisdom,
let not the mighty man
       boast in his might,
let not the rich man
       boast in his riches,
but let him who boasts
               boast in this,
that he understands
        and knows Me..."

            Jeremiah 8. 23

(A relationship
   that changes my life)

Thus says the LORD:
"Stand by the roads
                and look,
and ask for
             the ancient paths,
where the good way is
and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls."

               Jeremiah 6. 16

(Stop, look, and listen.
What is God's way in this?)

Your way was through the sea,
Your path through
         the great waters,
yet Your footprints
              were unseen.

                  Psalms 77. 19

( I may not always know
where God is leading me,
but I can know
                  that He is.
Even in mystery.
Even in this).

...that in everything
He might be preeminent.

                Colossians 1. 18

(Not just important,
not just prominent,
   but preeminent,
before all things).

...walk in a manner
   worthy of the LORD,
fully pleasing to Him,
bearing fruit
      in every good work,
and increasing
     in the knowledge of God.

               Colossians 1. 10

(Every day,
every way,
yes,
   even in this).

And He is before all things
and in Him
        all things hold together.

                      Colossians 1. 17

(Even in this.
         All things.
Even what I don't understand.
Maybe even more
      in what I don't comprehend).

Whatever is true,
whatever is honorable,
whatever is just,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything
       worthy of praise,
think about these things.

           Philippians 4. 8

(That on which I dwell
impacts me
and everyone around me).

...in order that I may gain Christ
        and be found in Him.

            Philippians 3. 8-9

(In all things,
 in all ways,
     be found in Him).

... it seemed to me
          a wearisome task,
until I went
    to the sanctuary of God...

                        Psalm 73. 16-17

(What is Your way in this, O LORD?)