I rise before dawn

         and cry for help;

I hope in Your words.

My eyes are awake

   before the watches

               of the night,

that I may meditate

        on Your promise.

      Psalm 119. 147-148

(Starting the day,

seeping into the moments,

unfolding during the hours,

not just awake,

       but aware of His Presence.

God reveals Himself

    in those quiet moments,

whether the break of day,

     the middle of the night,

     or the midst of the storm.

Am I listening,

or telling Him what to do,

     how to do it,

     when to have it done?

Do I realize

  these immensely sacred moments

or just try to block out

                His Voice?)

O LORD,

We miss out on so much.

We miss out on

                         You.

Be not just prominent

              in our lives,

    or a priority in what we do,

but help us to live

    fully in Your preeminence.

We come before You,

we cry for help,

we hope in You.

And that changes everything.

Everything.

While David was coming

              to the summit,

    where God was worshiped,

behold,

Hushai the Archite came

                 to meet him

with his coat torn

          and dirt on his head.

                   2 Samuel 15. 32

(David prayed and worshiped God

     in the journey of his despair.

And behold,

who "just happens" to come along,

but strategic support and strengthening

            in an unlikely form.

Isn't that just like God to do that? 

When we come before God

                   in our need,

deliverance and aid

        come to the surface

    in unexpected ways.

If we seek and worship God,

     and not a particular answer,

we will not miss

      seeing God's provision,

      instead of our own ideas.

Beware of trying to manipulate

           God's adventure in this.)

O LORD,

We stand in awe of all You do.

We stand humbled by

    what we thought was

                     a better idea.

You bring to the surface

    relationships long forgotten,

    people around us we do not notice,

    incredible resources

         buried under what we don't need.

Open our eyes to You,

         not just to Your ways

         or to Your amazing hand,

                 but to You.

Align our hearts with Yours,

                     O LORD,

even in this.

The heart of man plans

           his way,

but the LORD establishes

          his steps.

                Proverbs 16. 9

(Lay Your day,

          Your way,

  Your divine details,

before us,

                O LORD.

Help us to follow You

    into Your day for us.

Your strategic logistics,

Your profound purposes,

Your glory even in this,

    will astound us.

Even in the wonders that we may

            never realize,

even in the glimpses

                    along the way.

"We don't know what to do,

     but our eyes are on You."

            2 Chronicles 20.12)

O LORD,

We only think we know

   what we are doing,

   where we are going,

   what is at the end of this.

But You,

          but You, O LORD,

   know our way,

   know our day,

   and establish Your steps,

down to the intricate details.

Help us to

     follow You into this day.

My Utmost for His Highest:

"You do not know what you

              are going to do;

the only thing you know is that

     God knows what He is doing.

...It is this attitude that

        keeps you in perpetual wonder

   --you do not know what

            God is going to do next.

...God does not tell you

        what He is going to do;

He reveals to you Who He is."

I glorified You on earth,

having accomplished the work

that You gave Me to do.

                John 17. 4

(May we glorify You today

  in whatever You give

  for us to do today.

Considering something mundane

  is living

  within the boundaries

  of the earthly world.

Mundane means not giving it

               to You,

   for Your divine purposes,

   for Your glory.

Nothing excluded.

You, O LORD, are glorified,

  even if we never see the fruit.

Because Your work always

       exceeds our years

and spills over our lifetimes.)

O LORD,

May we abide in You today

that we might not just

       know You more in this

       and through this,

but point others to You.

Your Word strengthens us

   in ways we may never realize,

equips us for what

              is yet to come

   that which we don't see

   coming down the pike,

protects us from despair,

surrounds us,

         embraces us

with Your Presence.

Let Your glory

   get all over everything.

Even in this.

The LORD has made

   everything for its purpose...

               Proverbs 16. 4

(Even in this,

nothing random,

nothing wasted,

nothing that cannot

   bring glory to Him,

bear fruit in His name,

or draw us (and others)

              closer to Him.

God is good

            and does good,

even beyond what we can see,

ever deeper than

        we can understand.)

O LORD,

Bring us through

this momentary affliction

that we can know another

   dimension of Your goodness,

   and a deeper intimacy with You.

Help us to reflect on You,

to exercise ourselves

          through the hard stuff,

not to be laid low by circumstances,

  but submit to Your deep purposes

            in whatever we face.

You, O LORD, are bigger than this.

Help us to not just seek

       Your goodness,

                       but You.

We will stand amazed

   even in the ordinary.

Commit your work to the LORD,

and your plans

            will be established.

                 Proverbs 16. 3

(In the ancient Hebrew,

the word "commit" means

to roll, roll away, roll down.

            roll together.

Roll whatever it takes

  to roll our work

to the LORD for His purposes,

   His plans and glory,

         all rolled together.

Work is not just

      our designated job,

but whatever we do,

pursue,

undertake,

not just always ending in

             obvious achievement,

 but how we daily worship Him.

God ripens the fruit.

God brings His glory to it.)

O LORD,

We rarely know the work

that You have placed before us,

nor the significance of

        small rocks or big boulders.

Help us to be faithful to You

  in whatever we do today,

to not just be mindful of You,

  but responsive to You.

May our work this week,

  every divine appointment

    and unexpected encounter,

the daily-ness,

   and even what we see as

                 an interruption,

  be seamless,

  rolled together,

  and committed fully to You.

Your glory is established,

  the extraordinary

          in ordinary packages

     we do not always recognize.

And the LORD gave victory

              to David

wherever he went.

             2 Samuel 8. 5

(Following the LORD

does not always mean

                  winning

    in the world's eyes

    or sometimes in our own.

But God always brings

   the fullness and completion

                    to it,

victory in one unlikely form

         or another unexpected way.

Fruitfulness comes with

                     ripening.

And the true victory may be

          trusting Him through it.

Sometimes the most significant

      is not always the obvious.

Because God never works

             in singular outcomes.)

O LORD,

Turn our eyes away from

   what distracts us from You.

Give us life in Your ways today.

You are with us

               and in us.

May we be very aware

      of Your Presence,

Your voice,

Your purposes,

Your steadfast love,

Your peace

   wherever we are,

   in whatever we do,

for Your glory

    in amazing ways,

most of which

       are beyond our vision.

And David said,

"The LORD has burst through

      my enemies before me

              like a bursting flood."

Therefore the name of that place

is called Baal-Perazim.

               2 Samuel 5. 20

(God is still

    the LORD of breaking through,

not just in what He does,

           but by who He is.

Baal-Perazim literally means

     "the LORD of breaking through."

Our foes and enemies

are anything we fear,

       both real and imagined.

God always reveals Himself,

sometimes in the most unlikely

             and unexpected ways,

   that we would recognize Him.

Look back through

  your chronicle of God's faithfulness.

God will not just bring us through,

             even this,

but strengthens us

      for His divine purposes.

He is not about to

             abandon us now.

O LORD,

We call to You

to not just break through our fears,

but our complacency

and small vision

and lack of trust in You.

Come to us

        in Your astonishing ways

and help us

  to recognize not just Your hand,

         but You,

                 Almighty One.

Align our hearts

                 with Yours

that You would be glorified.

Even in this.

He laid aside His outer garments,

and taking a towel,

tied it around His waist.

Then He poured water

             into a basin

and began to wash

    the disciples' feet

and to wipe them with the towel

that was wrapped around Him.

                John 13. 4-5

(Whatever the situation,

wherever God leads,

bring pocketfuls of grace,

a towel and basin,

and the name of Jesus there.

Not just always ready to serve,

     but prepared to serve,

     looking for an opportunity.

Not "what would Jesus do?",

but grasping what

     He has already shown us.

"You also should do

     just as I have done to you."

               John 13. 15)

O LORD,

When our eyes are on You,

our eyes are not on ourselves.

We see You differently,

we see others differently,

we see ourselves differently,

   right down to this very situation.

Please help us not to react,

         but to respond,

not to seek for others to serve us,

     but how we may glorify You

           by serving others in this.

Not as a secondary thought

   but grasping the moment,

towel already in hand.

After this David inquired

           of the LORD,

“Shall I go up into

 any of the cities of Judah?”

And the LORD said to him,

              “Go up.”

David said, 

“To which shall I go up?”

And He said, 

           “ To Hebron.”

          2 Samuel 2. 1

(Are we seeking the LORD 

              in this?

Or do we just not want

         to make a mistake?

God aligns our hearts

     and guides our steps,

when we come before Him.

Is God waiting on us

        to get moving

          and get involved 

        right where we are?

What is right before us?

    And then, the next.)

O LORD,

Thank you for this day

and Your Presence in it.

Help us to follow You,

serve You

and respond to You

in whatever 

   we do today,

   wherever we are.

Help us to realize 

there are 

    no small obediences,

no detail too infinitesimal,

but eternal

    and for Your glory.

But David

    strengthened himself

in the LORD his God.

               1 Samuel 30.6

(Surrounded by his foes,

not knowing what to do,

overwhelmed by 

            what was facing him,

David made a choice.

Instead of despair,

         he chose prayer.

Worry just trips us up

   and blocks out the light.)

O LORD,

You are already

        in this place,

and we miss Your wonders

   because we are trying

   to fix it,

    overcome it,

    battle with it

           without You.

Help us to follow You

   on the paved highway 

        or into the brambles,

recognize Your hand,

and realize Your marvelous work

   in the most unlikely places

   and most ordinary days.

Even in what we may

      never understand,

Your divine purposes prevail.

Abiding in Your strength

and for Your glory.

The LORD rewards

           every man

for his righteousness 

and his faithfulness...

          1 Samuel 26. 23

(Even in what 

     remains a mystery,

God uses in mighty ways

           for His glory.

We have only to do

  what is good and right

              and faithful,

and follow Him,

even if we cannot see

   the outcome.

Faithfulness always 

produces fruitfulness 

   in one dimension 

   or a million.)

O LORD, 

Thank you for 

       Your Presence,

Your shield over us,

Your still quiet voice

          to guide us.

Help us to take

   a different path

   through our day

       to give You glory.

You bring us through

  in ways far beyond

         our imagination.

For You have delivered

my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

I will walk before the LORD 

     in the land of the living.

                    Psalm 115. 8-9

(Walking with the LORD 

           through this

brings us to a new place,

even if circumstances,

location or landscape 

do not change.

But God changes us,

aligns our hearts to His,

provides strength 

         that is not our own,

alters our vision,

and gives us hope.

This is not the end

          of the story.

Just another step

          with Him.

“Trust Me in this.”)

O LORD,

We come to You in need,

nothing too small 

    for You not to care about,

nothing too big

    for You to handle.

Please align our hearts

                   with Yours,

our vision,

whatever we do today,

even our attitudes.

Help us, O LORD,

  to bring You glory

in whatever we face today,

with whatever we struggle.

You are God Almighty.

And David remained

in the strongholds

      of the wilderness...

           1 Samuel 23. 14

(God leads us

into the most unlikely places

to bring His glory there.

Why am I here

      in this barren landscape?

Appointed and anointed

by His direction,

not just the safest place on earth,

but the most fruitful

             for His kingdom.)

O LORD,

Looks like a wilderness to us,

an impossible place,

an improbable location

   where nothing can grow,

   no flourishing there.

Change our vision, O LORD,

  that our hearts would be

              aligned with Yours.

Not our glory,

         but Yours.

Not our will,

         but Yours.

The way is not obvious,

but what is evident

   is that we need You.

You provide a way

  where there seems to be

                  no way.

And we are astonished,

     over and over again.

Then David said to Ahimelech,

"Then have you not here

a spear or sword at hand?"

...And the priest said,

"The sword of Goliath

                   the Philistine,

whom you struck down

  in the valley of Elah..."

             1 Samuel 22. 8-9

(God equips,

God provides,

even with what we

      don't realize we have.

Faithfulness to God

                  always

comes back to you

 to prepare

 and sustain

   in impossible places.

God's works

        are multiplied

    far beyond our own lives.)

O LORD,

Thank You for

the chronicle of Your faithfulness

that encourages,

strengthens,

reveals

    Your goodness to us,

manifest

             and multiplied.

You give a new definition

  to being between

            a rock and a hard place,

because that is

       where we find Your Presence,

Your provision in unlikely places,

and Your glory

          all over everything.

And David had success

in all his undertakings,

for the LORD

         was with him.

            1 Samuel 18. 14

(When we are obedient

             to the LORD,

responsive to Him,

follow Him,

walk with Him

          even in mystery,

          even in the hard stuff,

we will not necessarily "win,"

     nor be the best,

but the outcome

       will always be different,

in what we do,

how we do it,

   and our heart condition.

Success in the ancient Hebrew

   does not just refer to the result,

           but the journey.

It means to prosper,

to have insight, consider,

comprehend, act wisely,

to be prudent,

to look providently on it.

A lot deeper stuff is going on

  than what is on the surface.)

O LORD,

Help us to go forth with You,

even in what we cannot

                 comprehend,

not into the unknown,

   but just what is

            not known to us.

You hear.

You see.

You have already acted.

We just haven't seen it yet.

Help us

         to follow You.

Trusting You

 may be what this is all about.

And to know

  You never work

             in singular outcomes.

And David said,

"The LORD who delivered me

from the paw of the lion

   and the paw of the bear

will deliver me

from the hand of this Philistine."

                1 Samuel 17. 37

(Past tense

          and present tense,

a chronicle of

         God's faithfulness.

By strengthening us

               in the past,

God has equipped us

              for the now.

"Remember when....."

God is not about

   to abandon us now.

There will always be giants,

but God specializes

       in impossible situations

that we would know

   it is not our strength,

                but His.

It is not us,

                but Him.

"Do not fear.

   I am with you.")

O LORD,

We dwell in the land of giants,

but we walk with You

     through the scary stuff.

Help us to realize that

   deliverance does not mean

   the absence of trouble

or being plucked away,

but going through the brambles

         and the mine fields

in Your name

and for Your glory

               all over it.

That others would know

           that You are God.

That we would realize

           that You are the LORD.

Be Thou our strength

               our shield

          and our vision.

Even today.

Even in this.

Has the LORD as great delight 

in burnt offerings

            and sacrifices,

as in obeying

       the voice of the LORD?

Behold,

   to obey

        is better than sacrifice,

to listen than the fat of rams.

                1 Samuel 15. 22

(God does not want our stuff,

or achievements,

or even "Look what great things

   I have done for You

                   instead."

God desires our hearts.

God pursues relationship.

To obey,

to listen,

to respond,

to follow Him

is how we show

            our love for Him.

To obey is better than sacrifice.

What does that look like today?)

O LORD,

May our hearts be true to You

  in whatever we do today,

walking with You

instead of getting ahead of You,

or lagging behind,

or bushwhacking what we think

    is a better way than Yours.

Please reveal Your day

    and Your way for us,

and grant the courage

    to follow You into it,

what we already see coming,

what we cannot

               even imagine.

You never promised

    a paved easy highway,

but "I am with You."

Help us to choose You today.

Even in what appears

                  impossible

     to bring You glory.

     

It may be

that the LORD will work for us,

for nothing

   can hinder the LORD

from saving by many

              or by a few.

           

              1 Samuel 14. 6

(Because in seeking the LORD

    and walking with Him,

there are no odds,

           only His glory.

First plan of action:

     Have I even considered

     coming before the LORD

     with this?)

Nothing can hinder You,

                O LORD.

Help others to recognize

                     Your hand.

Help us to acknowledge

                           You.

You never work

       in singular outcomes.

And Your glory gets all over

                   everything.

Lay Your hand, O LORD,

   over this day

   and everything in it,

Your victory

     in a million dimensions,

            even more.

Even in what

   we cannot yet see.

Now therefore

    stand still and see

this great thing

that the LORD will do

       before your eyes.

              1 Samuel 12. 16

(Are we so distracted with busy-ness

    that we miss what God is doing?

Are we willing to trust the LORD

                   even in this?

Are we willing to let Him

       bring about His glory?

God never works

         in singular outcomes

and always beyond

         what we can see.

Are we being faithful to God

  in what is before us today?

Even in this.

God is working a great thing

  that we do not yet

                     recognize.)

Guide us, O LORD,

not just in what to do today,

but how to do them,

aligned with Your heart

       in the doing and being,

in what precise order,

wherever You place us,

among whomever

    Your divine appointments

        You have set up

    and sacred encounters

        we didn't see coming,

  for Your glory alone.

There is nothing insignificant

      in Your eyes

      and in Your purposes.

Nothing You cannot use.

...do what your hand

          finds to do,

for God is with you.

            1 Samuel 10. 7

(What would I do differently

  if I knew God was

  with me in this mess?

One step at a time,

that which is immediate,

that which I am working toward,

He whom I am walking with.

Obedience is simply

        responding to God.

We are not just

         doing something,

but God is doing something in us.

God changes our hearts,

enlarges our vision,

and alters our trajectory.)

O LORD,

Be glorified through us today,

in whatever we do,

how we respond

    to what You have placed

           in our day

   and whomever You have put

          on our path

          and on our hearts.

You change our vision

and help us to realize

that wherever we are today,

it is never a barren landscape.

Guide us into

   what we should do today,

 and what we should do

                differently.

You guide,

Your provide,

You change our hearts.

And Samuel

    prayed to the LORD.

              1 Samuel 8. 6

(First response,

   not last resort.

Prayer marked his life.

And through

   his seeking God in all things,

God changed the

      trajectory of his life

and the welfare of many people.

In prayer,

   God aligns our hearts

                    with His,

and alters the course

                    of history.)

O LORD,

Help us to seek You first.

Help us to realize

that panic and fear

             and anxiety

are only reminders that we

    have not come to You

and laid our concerns

                 before You.

Align our hearts, O LORD,

        with Yours.

Then Samuel took a stone

         and set it up

   between Mizpah and Shen.

He named it Ebenezer,

saying,

"Thus far the LORD

      has helped us."

                 1 Samuel 7. 12

(Our path

should be lined with

stones of remembrance,

a chronicle of

  God's ongoing faithfulness.

God is not about

    to abandon us now.

If we knew God is in this,

    whatever it is,

    however it appears,

if God is in this with us,

would we be afraid?)

O LORD,

When we are confronted

    by the big hard impossible stuff,

may we remember

    not just how You brought us through

                           in the past,

  but that You walk with us now

        to a deeper intimacy with You.

Please help Your faithfulness

    be visible before us

and not fade

        in our myopic minds.

Thank You for Your Presence.

May our lives be a witness

    to others of Your great mercy

and the rocks that line our paths,

       both big and small,

remind us

        Who You are

    and You are with us,

each Ebenezer

   that we might rely on You.

For those who honor Me

I will honor.

               1 Samuel 2. 30

(Above all,

honoring the LORD in this

     and bringing Him glory.

Whomever or whatever

                we love,

whomever or whatever

                we worship,

   changes how we respond,

   changes how we live.

How differently do I approach

               this difficult situation,

    or even this ordinary day,

because I love God

   and seek to honor Him in it?

Am I willing to

   seek His interest in this?

To be known as His?)

O LORD,

Help us to not just seek Your way

or seek Your hand

or see a sure path

     and the direct outcome,

but to honor You

   in whatever

   You place before us today.

Nothing is random,

       but divinely appointed,

all on sacred ground,

nothing but nothing

  that cannot be used by You

for Your glory and honor.

Even now.

Even in this.

Even the least obvious.

He opened the rock,

and water gushed out;

it flowed through the desert

           like a river.

              Psalm 105. 41

(Between a rock

       and a hard place,

God's most amazing work

         emerges,

His incredible provision

    in impossible situations,

that which only God can do.

In His perfect timing.

In His Holy name.

For His glory.

Where God guides,

            God provides,

even more than

       we can imagine.)

O LORD,

There is no one like You.

Help us to seek You,

    to recognize You,

    to follow You.

Even into the ordinary,

even into this quarantine,

even into the scary

    and hard places,

You surround us

and provide

and bring Your glory here.

We cannot fathom

   what You are doing with this.

You are already in this place,

   and we did not know it.

The LORD repay 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

(Faithfulness to God

always produces fruitfulness

in some amazing way

                by His hand,

that which we can see,

and that which will extend

    far beyond our lifetimes.

What am I doing here,

  in this hard and endless work,

  in this foreign place,

  in these strange circumstances,

  beyond what makes sense

                           to me?

Just an intricate

     and integral part

of God's grander narrative.

More than we can

              ever imagine.)

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful to You,

     today in this work

that You have placed

     on our paths

              and on our hearts.

Please sustain us

   by Your strength

and by Your deeper purposes

for Your glory in this,

for the fruit You are using

          for Your Kingdom.

Even in the hard stuff,

help us to

      bring Your name here

to bless You in this day.

Even now.

Even in this.

Seeking You in it.

We would be astonished

    if we knew the outcome

of Your ways in this

           ordinary task.

In Your eyes,

in Your ways,

in Your purposes,

     there are no

     insignificant obediences.

I went away full,

and the LORD has

brought me back empty.

               Ruth 1.21

(If Naomi only knew

    what was ahead

and her vital role

in God’s grander narrative!

It was not the end 

             of the story.

It is never

       the end of the story.

Just not yet

  to the exciting part.

God is not about

   to abandon you now.

God guides,

God provides,

God redeems in ways

  we cannot even imagine.)

O LORD,

May we follow You

   into Your purposes today

that transcend 

        all circumstances,

even that which we

               don’t understand.

Even the strange 

          turning of events

     is no surprise to You,

but a deeper revealing 

        of Your faithfulness.

May we make You known 

   and bring You glory.

No matter what.

Because it all matters.

    More than we can know.

....to Whom

you bore witness...

               John 3. 26

(Did I bear witness

           to Jesus

in this situation,

or use it to draw 

attention to myself?

What we talk about,

on what we dwell,

what we pursue,

what we choose

          and why,

reveal who or what

   is at the core 

   of who we are.

Our stories

bear witness 

to whom or what

   we stake our lives.)

O LORD,

We come before You

at the dawning 

           of a new day,

at the beginning 

           of a new week,

that we would bring

     Your name to this,

that You would align

     our hearts to Yours,

that we would 

     bear witness to You

in the commonplace 

  or even the impossible,

our story 

    for His glory.

O LORD,

how manifold are Your works!

In wisdom

You have made them all;

the earth is full

          of Your creatures.

                Psalm 104. 24

(God reveals Himself

    through His creation,

many-sided,

comprehensive,

an interconnected collection

            of the sacred.

We are surrounded

       and cannot but notice

all the precise workings

         of the universe

that we take for granted,

His designs and appointments

    that stir up awe,

the undeniable awareness

               of the Creator.

Nothing random at all.)

O LORD,

You created the world

          out of Your love.

You created each one of us

      for Your glory.

We stand on holy ground.

We cannot help

       but give praise to You

for the wonders You created,

all that never ceases to

                   amaze us.

Please guide us into this day

     that You have made

and walk with us

            all the way.

The LORD is

     merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and

  abounding in steadfast love.

              Psalm 103. 8

(This is who God is.

If we are His,

these things should also

    distinguish us,

not just in what we do,

    but who we are,

  in how we love Him,

  and how we love others.

Practice these.

Even now,

even in this.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your mercy

and grace,

Your perseverance with us,

Your abounding love

    that never fails,

   even when we do.

Transform our hearts

  that Your strength and hope

  and Your Presence

would be evident

     in all we do and say

     and even in our attitudes,

in all places

          for Your glory.

Would we live differently

  if we knew this is why

  You have placed us here?

...offered it on the rock

       to the LORD,

to the one

    Who works wonders.

            Judges 13. 19

(Am I willing to place this

      before the LORD?

My hands off,

not advising Him

   on how to do it and when,

my ears listening

  my shoes tied,

                ready to respond?

Am I willing

to let Him

  to work His way,

       His will,

       His wonders in it?)

O LORD,

Your purposes go far beyond

     our myopic vision.

Please help us

    to walk with You

    through affliction,

    through what we cannot understand,

    through the hard parts

         all the way to Your glory,

aware of Your Presence,

aware of Your Strength,

awed by Your wonders.

Help us to recognize Your hand,

Your grace,

Your love and Your power,

        even in this.