Bless the LORD,

       O my soul,

and forget not

   all His benefits,

who forgives

       all your iniquity,

who heals

       all your diseases,

who redeems

    your life from the pit,

who crowns you

    with love and mercy,

who satisfies you

             with good

so that your youth

  is renewed like the eagles.

            Psalm 103. 2-5

(Don't just remember

how God has loved us,

through thick and thin,

but ponder anew

how He changes

                 our lives.

He forgives, He heals,

He redeems, He bestows,

He satisfies, He renews.

    And still does.

God's faithfulness,

   His purposes,

   His steadfast love,

far exceed circumstances.

We do not yet see

the intricacy of His ways,

    but we can trust Him.)

O LORD,

You are good, so good,

   more than we even realize.

Help us to stake our lives

    on the hope we have in You.

Help us to know

    the promise of yet,

not just what is to come,

      but what is now.

You are faithful

   even in what

   we cannot yet see.

You promise us daily,

    "Do not be afraid.

     I am with you."

Teach us sing into this day

     and over this day,

  songs of remembrance

                  to You.

 

...that they may declare

                   in Zion

the name of the LORD,

and in Jerusalem

              His praise.

             Psalm 102. 21

(Change they to we

and insert where we live.

God has

      strategically placed us

in time, place, among people,

and even in this situation

to bring His name there

and point others to Him.

His steadfast love,

His incredible mercies,

His great faithfulness

    are fresh every morning.

We are not just "nice people"

   but those who know

what His forgiveness

                can do.

May our hope in God

  be written all over us.)

O LORD,

Help us to grasp

     every opportunity

     to speak of You,

to point others

     to Your handiwork

not just in creation

    but in our lives.

May our words

          and our response

declare Your Presence

and praise Your Name.

You have both anointed

   and appointed us

               for this day,

to praise You in our actions

and words

and attitudes

   which may be

   the most obvious of all.

 

I will walk with

    integrity of heart

within my house;

I will not set

    before my eyes

anything that is worthless.

             Psalm 101. 3

(Because we can never know

    what can ensnare us,

we need to walk carefully

without needless

          distractions.

The adversary's

   glittery deception

has always been

   "It doesn't matter.

    No one will know.

    It won't hurt anyone."

It is not just what we do,

  but what it is

          doing to us.

Is it distracting us from God

   or drawing us closer?

Others are also watching us.

Let not our choices

   or justifications

   or behaviors

place a stumbling block

    either before us

    or someone in our lives.)

O LORD,

Life is too short,

our energy too limited,

our relationship with You

        too precious,

to waste our time

         and choices

         and strength

on anything that

  pulls us away from You.

Help us today

  not just to walk away

     from enslavements

               or excuses,

but to walk toward

                     You.

Bind our hearts

          to Yours, O LORD.

 

And let our people

learn to devote themselves

      to good works,

so as to help

   cases of urgent need,

and not be unfruitful.

               Titus 3. 14

(Learn to devote ourselves,

learn to see difficulties

                differently,

not just as they impact us

  but how to help others,

to see what is not  so obvious

and respond

          in unexpected ways.

To serve the LORD

       with gladness

and be faithful to Him,

wherever we dwell,

among whomever

   God puts on our paths

   and our hearts.)

O LORD,

You have placed us

strategically today

for Your divine appointments

and to learn Your way

   a little deeper

into what surrounds us.

Help us not just to serve You

and others

        but with great joy.

Please let Your grace

and hope and endless love

   be written on our hearts

and evident in our lives.

 

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

(Out of the perfection

               of beauty,

God shines forth.

              Psalm 50. 2.

What is the awe

     that is compelling to all

but a call to worship

and a recognition of

the sovereignty of God?

This beauty did not

              just happen.

Look all around

       to the evidence,

the systems, designs,

   intricate details

   and immense splendor

  and point others

       to the Creator.

How else would we even know

      what beauty is?)

 

O LORD,

You surround us by Your power

and grace

and love

and forgiveness.

You surround us by beauty

in the heavens above

and in the tiniest details

           of Your creation.

We call upon Your name.

We are called by Your name.

Help us to be faithful to You

     in all respects today,

both big and small,

no detail insignificant

for Your glory,

          O LORD.

 

...but hospitable,

a lover of good,

self-controlled,

upright,

holy,

and disciplined.

         Titus 1. 8

(Our relationship with Christ

is revealed by our words,

our works, our responses,

   and by our character.

We are not without fault,

we are not perfect,

but we can

do everything we are able

   to live above reproach,

making different choices

  in the ordinary

    and the extraordinary,

not for personal gain

         or recognition

but for the flourishing of others

    and the glory of God.

Faithfulness

       produces fruitfulness,

particularly when unexpected,

even in a drought.)

O LORD,

Do others see

   a transformed soul

or just someone

   wearing Your nametag?

Please help us

         to be fully aware

of the choices we make

and how those

   point others to You

   ...or to us.

Help us to realize

 little choices

   on the most ordinary days

reveal our character.

No insignificant details

   abide in Your economy.

They see You

   by the choices we make

to love others,

neighbors,

strangers,

  even those set against us.

May Your grace

prevail in us today.

 

 

Preach the Word;

be ready in season

  and out of season.

          2 Timothy 4. 2

(Even when we

      least anticipate,

we are called

   wherever we are

   to an invisible platform

to live out the gospel

in word and deed

    and even attitude.

When convenient

   and when it is not,

in expected and

   unexpected situations,

even when we are

      most unaware of all,

people are watching desperately

not to see if our lives are perfect,

but how we respond

       when thing are not,

and to see if this God of ours

              is real.)

O LORD,

You have given us all

  a sphere of ministry,

an ever changing group

  of people to love

  right into the Kingdom.

We are so unaware

  of how You are using us

to bring others to You,

every word, every action,

     every reaction.

Help us to be aware of You,

and how You provide

extraordinary opportunities

to bring the name of Jesus

in the most ordinary days

    and ways of all.

And the Lord's servants

must not be quarrelsome

  but kind to everyone,

able to teach,

patiently enduring evil,

correcting his opponents

         with gentleness.

              2 Timothy 2. 24

(We live in a society

where even

gentleness and kindness

    are countercultural,

very unexpected,

and that which brings

   the gospel

        to the surface.

It is not our successes,

being perfect

            or right,

or favorable circumstances

that mark us,

             but Your grace.

What are we pursuing

    in this situation?

Kindness, patience and love

   are always intentional.)

O LORD,

Fill us with awareness of You

in these situations that

            surround us

that we may not react

     but respond.

Help us to approach

     the rocky places,

     the ordinary,

     even the scary,

differently

   because we love You.

Help us to not see foes

   around every corner,

but see Your love for them,

as You have loved us.

Help us to approach this,

not as a difficulty,

but as an opportunity for others

to see how Your grace

     changes us

     in very tangible ways.

May they notice

    "What kind of person

       responds like that?"

Forgiven

    and redeemed.

May the mind of Christ

          prevail

and the aroma of Christ

          linger here.

 

 

Do not fear

   the king of Babylon,

   of whom you are afraid.

Do not fear him,

declares the LORD,

    for I am with you,

to save you

and to deliver you

          from his hand.

          Jeremiah 42. 11

(Everyone of us

has a king of Babylon

in our lives,

a struggle or a fear

  that tries to trip up

         our trust in God.

In whatever is before us,

or whatever is against us,

how would we approach

this differently

   if we grasped the reality

  that God is with us?

God delivers

      in unexpected ways.

He specializes in

         impossible situations.

He always

         fulfills His purposes.)

O LORD,

Whether the mighty armies

              of our fears

surround us on all sides,

      You still reign.

Please help us to trust in You

      to keep us from

     dragging our fear into it.

No room for that in the car,

no strength to carry

        that needless weight,

no time to spend worrying,

if we are to fully follow You.

Help us not to

   miss Your victory in this.

 

 

…and broke down

      the walls of Jerusalem.

 

             Jeremiah 39. 8

 

(That’s what

listening to another voice,

ignoring the LORD,

not responding

         to His nudges

   or knowing His Word,

choosing and justifying

           our way instead,

seeking selfishness

         in many disguises,

does:

it erodes away,

breaks down,

brick by brick

our strength, 

     our defenses,

     our trust in the LORD.

It is not what God

            does to us,

but what we do to ourselves,

and then wonder what happened.

There are no small

            disobediences,

no insignificant cracks.)

 

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful to You

as You call us to Yourself.

Every situation

is an opportunity to

     bear Your image into it.

Every difficulty

  is an opportunity to build

   our trust in You.

Every impossibility

   is for You, O LORD,

to replace our fear and dismay

with Your power and love

    to transform the world.

Trusting You

  changes not just this day,

but the journey,

our direction,

and Your incredible outcomes

   of which we are mostly unaware.

  

 

 

 

 A man

without self-control 

is like a city

broken into

and left without walls.

            Proverbs 25. 28

(Don’t think of self control 

as missing out

    on something good

but in gaining strength

    in something far greater.

Those choices

—even what appears

           so insignificant—

changes

the course of our lives

—and everyone around us.)

O LORD, 

Help us to seek 

   what strengthens us in You.

Help us to beware of 

                the cracks,

the distractions,

the glittery temptations.

And to know 

what we choose

      always matters

more than we realize.

 

Thus says the LORD of hosts,

     the God of Israel:

Because you have obeyed

the command of

      Jonadab your father

and kept all his precepts

and done all that

     he commanded you,

therefore thus says

the LORD of hosts,

    the God of Israel:

Jonadab the son of Rechab

shall never lack a man

     to stand before Me.

        Jeremiah 35. 18-19

(Listening to what

the LORD is saying,

responding,

obeying His Word,

walking with Him

  through the circumstances,

does not just change

  the course of our lives,

but also the lives of all

     around us,

and even encompasses

   the generations to come.

Faithfulness to God

   cannot be hidden for long

and always

   extends beyond

          our lifetimes.)

O LORD,

We have no idea

of Your great hand

and Your amazing work

through us

and through even

  what we view as difficult

            or mundane.

Help us to approach

    our work

    and the needs of others

with all diligence and grace,

knowing that Your Presence

     changes the insignificant

           into the eternal.

Help us to keep Your glory

         in big letters before us.

We would be astounded

at what You use mightily.

Even a good attitude.

 

The word of the LORD came

   to Jeremiah a second time,

while he was still shut up

       in the court of the guard:

...Call to Me

      and I will answer you,

and will tell you

great and hidden things

that you have not known.

             Jeremiah 33. 1,3

(God is not limited in any way

      by dire circumstances,

nor His work curtailed,

nor His redeeming,

but His voice ever audible,

   His glory yet unseen.

What can God do with this?

    We would be amazed.

God has strategically

    anointed and appointed us

    to bring His name here

    for such a time as this.

There is so much more

            to this situation

than we can realize.

"I am with you.")

O LORD,

Even in victories,

even in the really hard stuff,

You are working

       not invisibly

  but far beyond

       our myopic vision.

Help us to be

        faithful to You

        in all things,

   in all circumstances,

   even through the brambles,

and that what would be seen

  is our hope set on You,

            the living God.

Our lives should look

    very different

    because we trust You.

Even in this.

 

...faithful in all things.

          1 Timothy 3. 11

(Our relationship with Christ

    permeates everything.

"All" means

            all inclusive,

            no exceptions.

Every situation,

every relationship,

every response.

How do I approach

      this differently

because I am a believer?

With love,

in grace,

bringing forgiveness,

striving for excellence 

and bearing faithfulness

           in all things.)

O LORD,

We are anointed

      and appointed,

even in the unexpected.

Help us to be faithful

        to You

in the divine appointments,

sacred encounters,

potholes,

and what only appears

           as dead ends.

Recalibrate our hearts

   that we may seek You

   and honor You

in all that we choose,

in all that we do,

in all that we are.

Help us to realize

  that You can be

  glorified even in this.

 

...found grace in the wilderness.

..."I have loved you

with an everlasting love,

therefore, I have continued

   My faithfulness to you.

             Jeremiah 31. 2-3

(Why in the world

are we in this wilderness?

To learn,

to know,

to be assured

   of how much we are loved   

                   by God.

We find His grace

     in unlikely places

and His Presence

     in the unexpected,

that we would know

     and not just believe,

that the LORD is

       the Almighty God.

And He is

          still with us.)

O LORD,

Help us in these

      wilderness places,

this unknown territory,

where there is

       no discernible path,

our imaginations

  running rampant in the forest

      for what lies beyond the

             next bend,

amidst scary howls in the night,

even then,

to be still my soul

      and worship You.

Help us to discover before us

    another dimension of You,

    a deeper intimacy with You

that we never knew before.

 

For I know the plans

     I have for you,

declares the LORD,

plans for welfare

    and not for evil,

to give you

       a future and a hope.

Then

you will call upon Me

and come and pray to Me,

        and I will hear you.

You will seek Me

              and find Me,

when you seek Me

       with all your heart.

I will be found by you,

     declares the LORD...

        Jeremiah 29. 11-13

(The first part of the verse,

which is overly quoted,

is the outcome

from the second part,

which is largely ignored.

Are we seeking God

   or a favorable answer?

Are we desiring His goodness

      without Him?)

O LORD,

We call upon You

and come before You,

not just in crisis,

but at the break of

          each dawn,

to not just

     seek Your plans,

not just to see Your hand,

     but to seek You.

You are great

and do wondrous things.

We may not understand

circumstances or outcomes,

but we can trust You.

No matter what,

    You are still God.

And You love us

  deeper than we can know.

 

...all the words

that I command you

        speak to them;

do not hold back a word.

It may be

           they will listen...

            Jeremiah 26. 2-3

(We can never know

who is watching,

who is listening,

    and what will stick.

It is not for us

     to be successful

     or persuasive,

but to be faithful.

It is God

 who changes hearts,

and it is God

   who uses us

   to point others to Him.

We would be amazed

  at who is listening,

even when we are

          totally unaware,

and who is impacted

            for eternity

  by His Words

          through us.)

O LORD,

Help us to speak of You

 in unlikely places,

 even among the rebellious

     and uncaring,

and know

     someone is listening.

Help Your Word

   to take root downward

   and bear fruit upward.

People all around us

    are watching

to see if we live

      what we say,

and to see

      if You are real.

The gospel

is not "when necessary"

           use words,

     but always.

We are quick to share

  so many things

  with those around us.

Help us to be quick to share

             You.

Help our faithfulness to You

    be spelled out verbally,

in divine appointments,

sacred encounters,

and unexpected moments

    carved out for eternity.

 

...but let him

   who has My Word

speak My Word

           faithfully.

        Jeremiah 23. 28

(Bring God's Word

   to every opportunity,

through every crack

           that appears.

God will use it.

His Word

     never returns void,

even when we don't see

                 the outcome.

A friend once remarked,

   "The Bible says that?"

And how will

  the world know,

unless we bring His Word

              with us,

unless we live His Word

              before them?)

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful

in living out Your Word

and in bringing Your Word

                 with us

into the divine appointments

    You lay before us today.

Please use Your Word

              and use us

to point others to You.

 

To this end

we always pray for you,

that our God may

  make you worthy

  of His calling

and may fulfill

  every resolve for good

and every work of faith

         by His power,

so that

the name of our Lord Jesus

   may be glorified in you,

               and you in Him,

according to the grace

    of our God

    and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 2 Thesssalonians 1. 11-12

(We are not called to a job

          but to Christ.

It is through

      whatever we do

--the work He has given us--

with all excellence

and diligence

and faithfulness

in every good endeavor

   that God is glorified.

How do we see

and approach

   this work differently

because of

    Christ abiding in us?)

O LORD, we pray,

lay Your day before us

that we would follow You

step by faithful step

into the work

     You have given to us.

Help us not to be

 just productive in this day,

checking off its requirements,

but to be faithful

           and fruitful

in what You have laid before us

...even when we would rather

        be doing something else.

We are working,

but You are working

            far deeper,

providing our daily bread,

preparing and equipping us

          for what is to come,

by weaving Your glory

and Your purposes

   through what is now.

Help us not just to be

   faithful to You today,

but energized by it.

   

 

If I say,

"I will not mention Him,

or speak any more

             in His name,"

there is in my heart

as it were

a burning fire

     shut up in my bones,

and I am weary

     with holding it in,

and I cannot.

           Jeremiah 20. 9

(God has strategically

   placed each one of us,

filled this day

   with divine appointments,

and unexpected encounters,

not just to be mindful of Him,

or be seen as nice,

but to bring

    the name of Jesus here

and love even the unlikely

        right into His arms.

We cannot but

     point others to Him,

no crack or crevice

  that the Gospel

         cannot penetrate.)

O LORD,

Stir up Your Spirit in us,

that we would not

  miss all of what and where

    You have placed us,

even in the most unexpected,

right in the midst

    of where You are working

                           already.

Open our eyes to see,

grant us the courage to act,

give us Your words to speak,

and help us to follow You

  faithfully into the outcomes,

most of which

       we may never see

   until the Other Side of life.

Align our hearts with Yours

          even 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

(Trust in the LORD,

    turns by degrees into

    realizing our trust is the LORD.

To send down roots

   to avoid the drought

is to miss out

   on life fully in Him.

If we listen to God,

respond to Him,

seek Him in every moment,

dig ever deeper

   into His grace and strength,

our lives will

not just look different,

       but be very different,

bearing fruit for others

    in impossible places

and for generations

    beyond our lifetimes.)

O LORD,

We do not live in the moment

    or for a moment,

but in light of eternity.

And thereby,

we live differently,

faithful to You

  as You bear

      unexpected fruit

  in and through our lives.

Help us to be diligent

  in the work

  You have placed before us

for Your Kingdom,

for Your glory,

for Your greater narrative.

Nothing ordinary,

nothing insignificant,

          but eternal.

 

...they will fight against you,

but they shall not

         prevail over you,

for I am with you

to save you and deliver you

         declares the LORD.

I will deliver you

  out of the hand of the wicked,

and redeem you

  from the grasp of the ruthless.

              Jeremiah 15. 21

(Everyone struggles with

                something,

even that which is

   not visible to others

but wholly before God.

God knows

what each of us

            is going through.

No matter what,

no matter where.

God never promised

         life would be easy,

but "I am with you."

How differently

would I approach

     this impossible,

     scary situation,

if I realized His Presence

   right here with me?)

O LORD,

You know.

You know our struggles,

You know the steps

   through the brambles,

You know the journey,

You know the results,

  the fruit that grows

                from it.

Because You never work

   in singular outcomes.

Help us to seek Your Word,

help us to seek You,

help us to seek

      the welfare of others.

That is how

   we find our way through.

That is how

   You are glorified in this.

We cannot help

  but be changed by You.

 

that they might be for Me

a people,

a name,

a praise,

      and a glory,

but

  they would not listen.

            Jeremiah 13. 11

(Years ago,

when our oldest grandchild

was about four years old,

she described sin:

"Sin is missing out."

Absolutely.

Sin is not getting away

       with something,

but missing out

on what could have been,

on what God intended,

and we did not listen

            or respond.

We are not just the ones

      who miss out

but everyone around us.

The world loses out too.

But when we listen,

when we respond to God,

even when

       don't realize it,

everything changes.

Even us.)

O LORD,

We have missed out

on Your goodness,

on Your wonders,

on Your strength,

and taken another path

that promised

           better and easier,

and ended up

    in the miry bog.

Forgive us, O LORD,

redeem our trespasses,

bring us back

   to what You intended,

for You abiding

          in the midst of us

and for us

        called by Your name.

For Your glory,

for Your Kingdom,

in Your name.

 

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 10. 12

(Announced this week

were the winners

    of the Nobel Prizes.

They did not invent,

but discovered and revealed

    what designs and connections

   are already here,

that which we never

          knew before.

The universe

with all its wonders,

majestic designs,

and seamless connections

   did not "just happen."

Awe

is just a recognition

       of the Creator

and a call to worship.

God created the universe,

   and He created

           each one of us.)

O LORD,

You are the living God,

the everlasting King,

the true God,

the LORD of our lives.

No matter what we face,

we can walk with You

      through it.

How differently can we

approach this problem,

this sorrow,

this overwhelming fear,

because You are with us?

You redeem all things

      for Your glory.

Help us to look upward

   to the immensity of the sky

and the dirt under our feet,

and serve you

   right where we are,

to embrace the space

  You have appointed us.

 They did not remember 

        His power,

or the day when

  He redeemed them

  from the foe...

           Psalm 78. 42

(A prescription 

        for anxiety 

is to forget

Who walks with us.

Look to the chronicle 

   of His faithfulness,

the reality of 

        His Presence.)

O LORD,

Help us to set our

    minds on the eternal 

align our hearts 

            with You,

recalibrate our steps

   to follow You

and walk with You,

even into this day,

even in what 

  we cannot yet see,

to Your glory

       and majesty.

Help us to 

not be tripped up

    by anxiety.

Thank You that 

   You are in control,

and we are not.

 

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

(The momentary pause

       before we jump in

    that changes everything:

what is God's way in this?

Have I even considered

     what God would

                have me do?

Have I even considered

    praying about this?

And listening to Him?

First response,

    not last resort.

Without God,

   never the same direction,

   never the same journey,

   never the same outcome,

   always missing out.)

O LORD,

Help us to stand and look,

ask and walk,

and find our rest in You,

  not in our circumstances.

Fill us with Your Word,

   overwhelm us with

            Your Presence,

and bring Your glory

to impossible situations.

What is Your way in this?

Help us to be faithful

   right where we are.

Your flourishing always

gets all over everyone.

   

 

...that in everything

He might be preeminent.

            Colossians 1. 18

(Not a patch,

not a part,

not some stuff,

not even prominent,

but preeminent,

standing out,

visible,

towering above,

seamlessly woven,

to have first place

     in everything,

the first thing we realize

and others are aware

          about us.

Preeminent means

    not missing out

on God's unlikely ways

and unexpected fruit,

undeniably from Him.

Nothing but nothing

           is ordinary.

Nothing but nothing

  that He is not redeeming.)

O LORD,

Help us to see things not from

   the ordinary

   or expected

   or complacent,

but from the supernatural

and eternal.

You are working powerfully

in our lives,

even when we are least aware.

When we look, trust, turn

    and abide in You,

we don't miss out

     on knowing You,

on seeing Your wonders

  in impossible situations

  and in our lives.

Guide our thoughts

          and our steps.

Align our hearts

              with Yours.