I am the voice of one

crying in the wilderness,

"Make straight

the way of the LORD."

           John 1. 23

(Bring the name of Jesus

                there.

Even when you think

  no one is listening

  in this volatile place.

Others are always

           watching you,

not to see if you are perfect,

but to see

          if God is real.)

O LORD,

Let Your Presence prevail

in this wilderness place.

Use this situation

   and these relationships

that others will come

           to know You,

and we would deeper know

   that You are the LORD.

Know that the LORD,

  He is God!

It is He who made us,

     and not we ourselves;

we are His people,

and the sheep

           of His pasture.

           Psalm 100. 3

(The most basic worldview question:

     "where did I come from?"

How you answer that

  impacts how you see God,

and thereby how you treat others,

   and how you see yourself.

You belong to Him.

You are loved by Him.)

O LORD,

You are Creator

of the spectacular universe

   and Creator of me.

Thank You

that You are God

    and I don't have to be.

...but did not ask

     counsel from the LORD.

                Judges 9. 14

(Always a bad move,

that which changes

not just the trajectory

of my day,

      but of my life,

and impacts

   everyone around me.)

O LORD,

Show me Your way

    through this.

Not my will,

           but Yours.

Because you have made

the LORD your dwelling place

--the Most High,

      who is my refuge--

no evil shall be allowed

          to befall you,

no plague

      come near your tent.

For He will command

  His angels concerning you

     to guard you

     in all your ways.

                 Psalm 91. 9-11

(Even in the hard places,

even in the pain,

in spite of lingering wounds,

there is nothing

        God cannot redeem,

nothing He cannot

        bring you through.

Dwell in Him.)

O LORD,

You have not promised

that life will be easy,

but that

      "I am with you."

Be triumphant in this,

                O God.

Use it for Your glory.

...and build an altar

       to the LORD your God

on top of the stronghold here.

                   Judges 6. 26

(How do I deal

with this volatile situation,

this scary place,

these impossible people?

Worship God through it.

Bring the name of Jesus

                       there.

That changes everything.

Even my heart.)

O LORD,

Help me to build an altar

                   to You

in unlikely places

and on top of my fear.

Be glorified in this day.

Even in this,

              You reign.

Does not the LORD

   go out before you?

            Judges 4. 14

(Depends if I am following Him,

or just want Him to

    squeeze into my plans.

How differently I would live

   if I grasped the reality

   of His Presence.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

Help me to not

    lay my agenda before You,

but be open and willing

  and responsive

to Your plans for me.

Totally different trajectory,

entirely different outcome,

  even in what I cannot yet see.

Help me

to follow You

into Your divine appointments

                even today,

                even in this.

Do this

in remembrance of Me.

            Luke 22. 19

(Whatever God places

before me today.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

Keep our eyes on You

through thick and thin today,

keep our hearts

focused on Your glory,

not on circumstances,

   either favorable or difficult.

May we not just remember You,

     but be found in You.

And he will show you

a large upper room

              furnished;

prepare it there.

                   Luke 22. 12

(The homeowner 

did not have to know

                       why,

but willing to be ready

for whomever

God placed on his path

       for that ordinary day.

He had no idea

             how profound.

No obedience,

no responding to God,

is ever insignificant,

whether or not

we ever see the impact.)

O LORD,

Align my heart

to Your deep purposes 

in whatever I do,

in whatever You do,

     in this day

and on my path,

unexpected and

   always extraordinary,

more than I can imagine.

This will be

   your opportunity 

   to bear witness.

              Luke 21. 13

(Opportunity 

to glorify God 

comes in many

size packages,

    mostly unexpected.

It only looks like

  hardship 

  or an accident 

from the outside.

What is my heart 

              in this?

Even in this.)

O LORD,

open our eyes

to opportunities 

to love You

and point others to You

       in this day before us.

He is risen;

   He is not here.

          Mark 16. 6

(Because He lives,

we can know 

this life is

    not all there is.

Because He lives,

nothing is the same.)

Happy Resurrection Day!

Lord Jesus,

Thank You 

    for being our Savior.

Help us to realize 

from what we 

            are saved

and to the power 

   of Your resurrection 

in our lives!

May many come 

    to know You today.

...to love

     the LORD your God,

and to walk

     in all His ways

and to keep

     His commandments 

and to cling to Him

and to serve Him

     with all your heart

     and with all your soul.

                   Joshua 22. 5

(Today’s agenda

       no matter what

God places 

          on my path

  and on my heart

to love Him

         through it.)

O LORD,

In all that is before me,

in all that surrounds me,

the mess 

       or mystery,

what takes my breath away

      or makes me breathless,

please reveal to me 

how to love,

walk,

keep,

cling,

and serve You

  with everything in me.

For Your Glory

    in this very day,

nothing ever ordinary

               in that.

And he rebuilt the city

     and settled in it.

             Joshua 19. 50. 

(“Why am I here?”

God positions us

         strategically 

for His purposes,

even where

      we would not choose,

to bring His name there,

to sow His Word,

to restore and rebuild,

not what’s in it for me,

   but for the welfare 

               of many people,

for His glory.

Not just willing,

     but responsive to Him.)

O LORD, 

Align my heart

   to Your way in this,

this unexpected place,

this impossible situation,

these difficult people

         (of whom I am one)

      for Your glory.

Even here.

...for though 

    it is a forest,

you shall clear it

   and possess it

to its farthest borders.

              Joshua 17. 18

(Even in this mess,

even in this

   really hard place,

am I faithful 

in what the LORD 

has laid before me?

Even in this

   untillable bleak place

of briars and

    hard rocky soil,

daily faithfulness 

        for His glory,

even when I can’t see

      where to step next.

God brings

   His fruitfulness here

and transforms 

              the landscape

in incredible ways.

I can’t do everything,

but I can do something.)

O LORD,

strengthen my heart

    in what is beyond me,

align what I see 

      with Your vision in this.

Help me to be

     fully faithful to You,

      no detail 

            ever insignificant,

even in the ordinary,

even now,

even in this.

    

In the day

    of my trouble,

I call upon You,

for You answer me.

           Psalm 86. 7

(When we pray,

something completely different 

opens up

     in unexpected ways,

and God is revealed.

Praying is not just

telling God

   we are in a big mess,

but realizing 

  He already knows that.

“Walk with Me

      through this.”)

O LORD,

we cry out to You

from this miry bog,

from this

   unending struggle,

from this barren place.

Redeem, dear LORD.

Cover us by Your mercy,

fill us with Your strength,

open our eyes

  to Your way through.

For.Your.Glory.

...because he

wholly followed the LORD,

     the God of Israel.

             Joshua 14. 14

(First response:

What is God’s way

              in this?

Always a radically

      different trajectory,

always a new endgame,

something 

  I haven’t considered before.

“Follow Me.”)

O LORD,

Please show me

   Your way in this,

reveal Your way through,

help me to

   follow You faithfully 

   into Your deeper purposes.

Seeking Your glory

         and Your greater good

changes everything,

  including my heart.

   

And the LORD said,

“Do not 

     be afraid of them...”

             Joshua 11. 6

(We are

strategically placed

for His purposes 

far more than

      we can ever know

for His glory 

and for His goodness 

       for many people.

Courage is 

not a lack of fear

but following Him

               anyway,

 not on our strength 

               but His.

He brings us through.)

O Father God,

     Almighty One,

we come before You,

laying not our trophies 

   and accomplishments

              before You

but our paralyzing fears

and debilitating sin

and weaknesses.

Fill us not with

      self confidence 

but with faithfulness 

                 to You

in this impossible place,

Your strength in this,

Your wisdom through it.

            

And Joshua said to them,

“Do not be afraid

                 or dismayed;

be strong 

     and courageous.”

                 Joshua 10. 25

(Follow the LORD 

               into this.

We cannot afford

to be distracted by fear.

It robs us blind,

wears us out,

and always leads us

in the wrong direction.)

O LORD,

Thank You

for going before us,

for going with us,

for being

       our rear guard.

Please keep us 

       sensitive not to fear

but to Your strength,

   and to cast aside worry

   for Your courage

and to beware

  of ambushes

          along the way.

Help us to know

    Your way in this.

...but all of you

        remain ready.

          Joshua 8. 4

(Open my eyes

       and heart

to Your way in this,

           O LORD,

not just for

        what is next,

but what is now.

What is before me,

what is needful today?

There are no insignificant 

            obediences.)

O LORD,

help me to remain ready

     not just in what to do,

     but to be.

Help me to be found in You

   with not just a willing heart,

not just looking for a neon sign

        or an audible voice,

               or somewhere else,

but shoes tied 

     and my eyes on You,

even right here,

even now.

Help me not to miss You

            in this.

  

...stood firmly 

      on dry ground 

in the midst

           of the Jordan.

          Joshua 3. 17

(What is my Jordan?

What am I facing 

that is impossible 

       without God?

Or the unexplainable triumph 

    when I walk with Him?

How do I navigate this?

Only with Him.

God guides

    in unexpected ways.)

O LORD,

You know what we face.

You know our way

           through it.

You know 

    Your profound purposes

    embedded in it,

for Your glory

  and for incredible good.

Even when we cannot yet see

          the other shore.

please give us Your courage 

    in the midst of our Jordan 

and witness dry ground 

in impossible places.

Be strong 

  and courageous.

Do not be frightened,

  and do not be dismayed,

for the LORD your God 

is with you

      wherever you go.

              Joshua 1. 9

(How do we navigate this day,

how do we live faithfully

          in this volatile situation 

and among these 

   seemingly impossible people?

Only by trusting in the Presence 

of the LORD God Almighty

   and walking with Him.

Even here.

Even in this.

His power, His purposes,

      for His glory.)

O LORD,

help us in this. 

Help us

   to trust You

   through this,

to be strong,

courageous 

       and kind,

in every size package.

Not for our glory,

       but Yours alone.

The eternal God

is your dwelling place,

and underneath are

  the everlasting arms.

   Deuteronomy 33. 27

(God subdues

your adversaries and fears

and shatters the forces

from your past.

“Lean on Me.”

Dwell in His Presence.

You are enslaved 

                no more

and covered 

by His grace and glory.)

O LORD,

Your protection,

provision,

and Your Presence.

Even in this,

Your glory

    and triumph.

...because you did not

treat Me as holy

in the midst

of the people of Israel.

      Deuteronomy 32. 51

(Others are watching you

              continually,

to see if this God of yours

                             is real.

Am I faithful to Him,

do I point others to Him,

do I live and respond

                 differently

     because God is holy?

Even amidst these people

   whom God has

   strategically put me?

Even here.

Even now.

           For His glory in this.)

O LORD God,

may I not squish You

            into my day,

but I ask You

   to lay Your day before me,

for Your Kingdom

          and for Your glory.

Help me to love those

    where You lead me today,

to acknowledge You

    in all I do and say.

You are holy.

Help me to reflect

      the reality of You.

Be strong and courageous.

Do not fear

or be in dread of them,

for it is the LORD your God

      who goes with you.

He will not leave you

          or forsake you.

          Deuteronomy 31. 6

("Follow Me into this.

       I am with you."

What does that look like

in this situation?)

Help us, O LORD,

to let go of fear

that we may know

that You hold us fast.

You are not about to

leave us on

    the side of the highway,

nor did we

     make a wrong turn,

but You reveal and redeem

a different way in this.

For Your glory

    and for the good of all.

The secret things

belong to the LORD our God,

but the things

      that are revealed

      belong to us

  and to our children forever,

that we may do

all the words of the law.

       Deuteronomy 29. 29

(Understanding does not

arrive suddenly on my doorstep,

but in pursuing the Almighty,

in tiny steps

     and built in layers

     by His hand.

I will never comprehend

   the vastness of God Himself,

nor even the

    profound depths of His Word,

but I can be faithful

      in what He reveals to me,

      in what I do grasp.)

O LORD,

we pray for Your revealing

that we would know You more.

We pray a deeper trust in You,

    even in the mysteries of life,

for Your glory in all things,

  beyond our wildest imagination.

You are God,

and thankfully we are not.

And all these blessings

shall come upon you

     and overtake you,

if you obey the voice

   of the LORD your God.

           Deuteronomy 28. 2

(Loving,

serving,

following,

responding to the LORD

changes the course

     of our lives

and impacts

     everyone around us,

more than we can imagine.)

O LORD God,

I pray for each one

who reads this verse

    to be overtaken

by Your goodness 

and for Your glory.

Help us to be encouraged

even in the hard places today.

Help us to rejoice in You,

not based on circumstances,

but in relationship with You.

...the land that

the LORD your God

           is giving you.

        Deuteronomy 26. 1

(Whatever that looks like

                          today,

what am I going

         to do with it?

When I worship Him in it,

and follow Him through it,

He does not necessarily

     lead me to a different place,

but transforms the landscape.

Just watch what God does

            with this.

Even this.)

O LORD God,

Creator of heaven and earth,

maker of me,

You have strategically positioned me

in this place,

not by accident

    but in Your profound purposes,

beyond what I can see,

beyond what I will ever know.

May Your power

and Your Holy Spitit

    invade this foreign land

and transform the wilderness

    for Your glory

    and Your goodness.

Which of these three,

do you think,

proved to be a neighbor

to the man

who fell among robbers?

He said,

"The one

  who showed him mercy."

           Luke 11. 36-37

(The neighbor

is not the one with need,

but the one

         who showed mercy.)

O LORD,

help us today

to see those You  have

      put on our path.

Help us

to be a neighbor

and love those around  us

    into Your kingdom.

You shall not see

your brother's donkey

         or his ox

fallen down along the way

          and ignore them.

You shall help him

    to lift them up again.

           Deuteronomy 22. 4

(Any kind of need

is an opportunity to love others.

Kindness is never

              a random act.

Before us

in our comings and goings,

we are surrounded

by unexpected occasions

  to love others to Jesus.)

O LORD,

open our eyes

to the gaping needs around us,

the wounds

     and the brokenness,

and to see donkeys in the ditch.

Please let us know

    how to respond to need

 -- both obvious and invisible--

and to be incredibly aware

    how to love others through it.

     

But as for you,

the LORD your God

has not allowed you

          to do this.

Deuteronomy 18. 14

(As believers,

what distinguishes us

are not arbitrary rules,

but a deep relationship

of loving God and others.

That means making choices

that look very different

   from those around us.)

Love you to the bone.

O LORD,

grant us the wisdom

    to know how to navigate

the situations before us

                      today,

that which we know

    is on our path,

and Your wisdom,

protection,

strength and kindness

  for the ambushes

  along the way.

Help us to choose

   to follow You alone,

when it means saying yes,

when it means saying no,

knowing that our choices

impact everyone around us.

Help me to love You

           through this.

For Your glory.

For Your Kingdom.

In Your holy Name.