Blessed be the LORD.

the God of Israel,

who alone

does wondrous things.

            Psalm 72. 18

(We are surrounded

by the wondrous work

       of the LORD,

even in what

we do not understand

    or can grasp,

even in the hard stuff.

We know

but a glimpse of His work,

and pretty much don't get

  what God is up to.

It is one thing to

claim this verse

    when His blessing

    is tangible.

But we can hold onto

this promise and hope

   when His blessing

is not yet visible

     --even in this.

God always works

   in a bizillion ways

    and multiple outcomes,

many of which

have nothing to do

             with us.

But we can trust Him

  in what we can see

  and what we cannot yet.

Because God is

  not just always working

          for our good,

but God is.)

O LORD,

We come before You

in this day just opening up,

not yet unfolded,

but we know that

You are good

and You are among us,

even when we don't

      quite understand.

Even the darkness

  is not dark to You,

even the unknown

  is already known.

Help us to be aware

of the wondrous things

     all around us.

Open our eyes and

           our hearts

that we would

  know You more

and walk with You

    into this day.

 

And there came a man

 named Jairus, who was

ruler of the synagogue.

And falling at Jesus' feet,

he implored Him

to come to his house,

for he had an

          only daughter,

about 12 years of age,

and she was dying.

             Luke 8. 41-42

(Jesus meets each of us

in our point of need.

Even those most unlikely

    are searching for Him.

Everyone at some point

realizes their need for God.

Never underestimate

  the spiritual desire

of those to whom

God is sending you

     or using you

or next to you.

Others are constantly

watching us to see

not that we are perfect,

but if God is real.)

O LORD,

You have surrounded us

by those who need You

   just as we need You.

Help us not just

claim who You are,

but proclaim You

   right where we are,

among those

we would never suspect

are searching for you,

among the rebellious,

even among those

  who appear to have

        everything together.

We all need You.

Strengthen us

    not just in the crisis,

but be known, O LORD,

   even in our everydays.

Help us to love others

right into Your arms.

Be careful to obey

all these words

that I command you,

that it may

      go well with you

and with your children

      after you forever,

when

you do what is good

   and right in the sight of

the LORD your God.

        Deuteronomy 12.28

(What we do,

how we love God,

how we respond to Him

   --or don't respond--

radically impacts our lives

and those who come after us.

There are

     no small obediences,

no insignificant everydays,

no choices that

        do not matter.

Responding to God

    changes far more

    than we can imagine.)

O LORD,

As we enter this new week,

please lay before us

Your plans and designs,

Your daily appointments,

Your glory to be revealed.

Help us to write Your name

   at the top of this week,

   at the top of this day,

   at the top of this task,

that You may bring

        Your glory to it

and fulfill Your purposes

that are far more

   than we can see from here.

Help us to be faithful

                to You.

Help us to be aware

of the opportunities

         all around us

to bring Your name here.

 

 

And now, Israel,

what does the LORD

your God require of you,

but to fear

   the LORD your God,

to walk in all His ways,

to love Him,

to serve the LORD your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul,

and to keep the

commandments and statutes

            of the LORD,

which I am commanding you

today

         for your good?

  Deuteronomy 10. 12-13

(It is not just what I am doing,

but what it is doing to me.

When we choose

        to walk with God,

to align our hearts with His,

to love Him and serve Him,

  life will look very different

            for our good.

Don't miss out.

Life with God

         and without Him

is never ever the same.

It cannot remain so,

not in the now

            on the journey,

nor in what is to come

     for all eternity.)

O LORD,

May we seek Your Word,

plant it deep in our hearts,

nurture Your ways,

hold fast to You,

walk with You,

abide in You,

and love You

with all our hearts

in whatever we do,

wherever you take us today.

May we stand before You

not just to minister to You

         and bless You,

but to love You fully

and love others

       right into Your kingdom.

Our love for You

       cannot be contained.

It spills over

   into the lives of those

   all around us.

 

 

You shall not be

  in dread of them,

for the LORD your God

is in your midst,

a great

     and awesome God.

The LORD your God

will clear away

these nations before you

       little by little.

You may not make

an end of them at once,

lest the wild beasts

grow too numerous for you.

      Deuteronomy 7. 21-22

(We are all faced

at one time or another

with the overwhelming.

But God specializes

in impossible situations.

What is in our power

is to be faithful to Him

       in every step

      God shows us.

He is already at work,

revealing,

redeeming,

restoring.

I cannot do everything,

but I can do something,

and that is to

   faithfully follow Him.)

O LORD,

Help us to know that

fear, dread and despair,

always result

       in a dead end.

But You, O LORD,

provide a different way,

not just to bring us

through the difficult,

impossible

  and overwhelming,

but bring us to You.

"We don't know

        what to do,

but our eyes

        are on You."

   (2 Chronicles 20.12)

Blessed be the LORD,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation.

           Psalm 68. 19

(God sustains us

more than we can know.

Do we just seek His blessing,

    or seek to bless Him?

God strengthens

            and supports us

physically, emotionally,

relationally, spiritually.

He bears the weight

of our struggles

when we come to Him.

He surrounds us

              with His love.

What does bearing me up

look like today?

How do I see His hand

         even in this?

Not just in the rearview mirror,

      but in the now.)

O LORD,

You bear us up,

You hold us up,

You hold us together,

no matter the circumstances.

Use our struggles

to bring us into

a closer intimacy with You.

Help us to lean on

     Your strength

     and Your way in this,

            not our own.

May Your love

encompass every detail,

every action,

every breath,

and be evident

      in how we live

      and how we love.

 

 

Everyone who comes to Me

and hears My words

        and does them,

I will show you

     what he is like;

he is like a man

building a house,

who dug deep and laid

the foundation on the rock.

And when a flood arose,

the stream broke against

the house and could not

shake it, because it

     had been well-built.

           Luke 6. 47-48

(As they say in the South,

"Lord willing

and the creek don't rise."

But it does.

Because when, not if,

that cute little creek rises

and the floods overwhelm,

on Whom or what we have

staked our lives

         will be revealed.

"Hears My words

       and does them"

is not just a set of beliefs,

but a life-giving

            relationship.)

O LORD,

May we not just

      read Your Word

but build our lives

  on Your truth and grace

  and love.

Reveal to us today

not just what to do,

but how to follow You

faithfully on the

         ordinary days,

that we would know

how to trust You

      in the storms

      and struggles

      and floods.

Help us to

bring the name of Jesus

with us into this day,

not just for our strength,

but that others may come

to know You are God.

 

Judge not,

and you will not

         be judged.

Condemn not,

and you will not

       be condemned.

Forgive,

and you will be forgiven.

Give,

and it will be given to you.

Good measure,

pressed down,

shaken together,

running over,

will be put into your lap.

For what measure

             you use,

it will be measured

     back to you.

           Luke 6. 38

(That is how to

   handle this struggle,

not with teaspoons

   but with big shovels

                of grace.

Those who judge

always think that

they are being judged.

Those who condemn

always think that

they are being condemned.

Those who won't forgive

always think that

they are not forgiven.

We are all in need

   of mercy and forgiveness.

When we respond

with forgiveness

       and givenness,

God always redeems.

Loving,

forgiving without

   keeping account,

blessing a second mile,

giving what we can,

praying for others

  and not just ourselves,

is not just our defense,

but our response.)

O LORD,

Be merciful to us.

And help us to be

   enormously merciful

   to those around us.

Please help us to not

be distracted by the

infraction or struggle,

but know that

our relationship

  and someone's soul

is what really is at stake.

May we be known

             as Yours.

May we be known

by Your selflessness, love

        and grace.

      

 

See,

I have set the land

          before you.

Go in and

   take possession...

   Deuteronomy 1. 8

(What has God set

before me to do today?

With what has He

   entrusted in my care?

Even in the familiar,

faithfully deepening

        the work there.

Not just what to do,

or what more to do,

 but how to approach it.

Possessing is not

always about enlarging,

or the next new door,

but faithful in the now.

Do I view this work

      just as a task

    or as worship?)

O LORD,

You have prepared our way

to this land,

to this work,

to these people around us.

Help us to be the faithful ones

that You have

strategically positioned

         for Your glory in this

and to point others to You.

Remind us daily

that it is not all about us,

but You are using us

in incredible dimensions

to prepare Your way

     in the hearts of others.

Help us to go forth

and trust You

even when we can't

see the outcome.

You shall not defile

the land in which you live,

in the midst

    of which I dwell,

for I the LORD

dwell in the midst

         of Israel.

         Numbers 35. 34

(Awareness of

       His Presence

manifests itself in

  different daily choices

by which we are

distinguished as His people.

He dwells in our midst.

And that should look

      very different

in what we do and say,

pursue and pray,

love others,

and bring grace to it.

What makes us

           different?

"It is not I who live

but Christ who lives in me."

We are not just

           nice people,

but His people.)

O LORD,

May we be not seen,

           but You.

Help us to be so loving

and merciful

and gracious

that it draws others

       right to You.

Even in the ordinary

and in the most volatile

            situations,

that You would be seen.

May we be aware

that what distinguishes us

                  as Yours

is our loving response

to the actions of others.

 

And when He had

     finished speaking,

He said to Simon,

"Put out into the deep

and let down your nets

      for a catch."

And Simon answered,

"Master,

we toiled all night

   and took nothing!

But at Your word,

I will let down the nets."

And when

     they had done this,

they enclosed

a large number of fish,

and their nets were

               breaking.

            Luke 5. 4-6

(The key words in this

passage are:

        "And when..."

And when

   we seek God,

   we listen to God,

   and we respond,

there is no end

     to what God will do.

Even in one step

   of obedience to Him,

God never works

   in singular outcomes.

His miracles are never

              for show,

but always for deeper

    relationship with Him.

The victory here was not

the visible haul of fish,

but Simon's responding

        to Jesus.

Do we acknowledge

what He is saying to us,

but also acknowledge Him

   in the outcome?

Or do we miss out

because we make excuses

and try to

     explain Him away?)

O LORD,

Help us to follow You

in the very details.

Not just to hear Your voice

but to respond,

ready to serve and to love,

   shoes already tied on.

Help us to trust You

when the nets are empty.

Help us to acknowledge You

             even then,

and always when

You bring about

    Your visible wonders.

Not just that we would know,

but that others may come

            to know You.

 

...I remember You

         upon my bed,

and meditate on You

  in the watches of the night,

for You have been my help

and in the shadow

        of Your wings,

I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to You;

Your right hand

           upholds me.

           Psalm 63. 6-8

(What am I dwelling on?

The Almighty

or shifting circumstances?

What wakes me

in the middle of the night?

The magnitude of God

       or my despair?

God will not just

   bring me through this,

but He will bring

    His glory to this.

And in the midst of chaos,

I realize it is His power,

          not mine.

He brings about

  His purposes even in

  what looks only

  like chaos.

It is not for me

      to control,

but to faithfully

    follow God

    right in its midst.

Even in this,

it is not I who live

    but Christ who lives

                in me.

I cannot control

       the circumstances,

but instead use

  what I do have

  and my energies

 in how I respond to Him.)

O LORD,

We cling to you,

and then realize that

You have a strong hold

              on us,

no matter what.

Even in this.

May all we are in You

radiate in what we do,

and say,

how we respond,

our attitudes,

how we love,

      what we love,

and how we pray.

May circumstances

only be a backdrop

      for Your glory.

May Your fingerprints

  be evident to all.

 

...but one who

sows righteousness

gets a sure reward.

      Proverbs 11. 18

(What am I sowing

in this situation

    or this relationship?

Even in the hard

       painful places

and among

   impossible people,

what seeds am I

              planting,

what fruit am I

              nurturing,

what will come up

   out of this

   barren ground?

Righteousness

    doesn't just happen,

nor its fruit,

but from an intentional

  heart and living

  faithfully before You.

Righteousness is

what is good and right,

things done justly

    and faithfully,

as in what pleases God,

kind and grace-filled,

and seeking the welfare

of others,

even those

            yet unborn.)

O LORD,

We do not know,

we cannot know,

the fruit that You bear

through our lives,

the planting of seeds

   in the lives of others,

in innumerable lives

  of people that

  we will never even know.

May we be faithful to You

in whatever You place

on the paths

            before us,

wherever and

             among whomever.

Righteousness is

  never done in isolation.

We don't need to grasp

the enormity of

      what You are doing.

We just need to be

          faithful to You.

Let our lives, O LORD,

be a testimony of

   Your love and grace.

     

 

 

...a pleasing aroma

       to the LORD.

       Numbers 28. 8

(It is not our sacrifice

nor what is

    in our sacrifice,

how big or small,

that brings the

      lingering fragrance,

but our change of heart.

The act of sacrifice

is not what God needs,

    but what we need

as a tangible sign

of our repentance

and love for Him.

God Almighty

   is not a god

who must be appeased,

but He is God,

who always

and continually forgives

and extends grace.)

O LORD,

We come before You

with hearts

willing to lay down

our transgressions

       before You

and take up

Your grace

to extend to those

all around us.

It is not what we

   drag to the altar,

but what we leave there,

and how we live

           differently

because of Your grace.

What can we do

that is pleasing to You

                today?

"Be Mine,"

        You remind us.

 

With God

we shall do valiantly;

it is He

who will tread down

         our foes.

 

          Psalm 60. 12

 

(Not "You've got this!"

      But God does.

Not "Believe in yourself!"

      But in God.

The key here

as in all of life

    no matter the struggle,

    big or small,

         is with God.

A radically different journey,

outcomes that cannot

           remain the same,

fruit unlike any other,

and without fear,

      no matter what,

no matter among whom.

What distinguishes us

  in these volatile situations

and impossible relationships

if we choose to walk with Him?

By our love for God

which translates

        into love for others.

With God --

never the same as without Him.)

 

O LORD,

When we walk with You,

You tread down our fears,

both real and imagined.

With You,

   nothing but nothing,

   can remain the same.

Please make us

       aware of You today.

When we see You differently,

we view our circumstances

      with new eyes.

And we view our relationships

      with a new heart.

It is no longer our fear

    that defines our acts,

but our love for You

and willingness to

   follow You into whatever

because You go before us.

Show us, O LORD,

how that looks different

                    today.

But Mary treasured up

  all these things,

pondering them

        in her heart.

         Luke 2. 19

(There will always be

a lot of profound stuff

we don't understand.

But that doesn't mean

that there is not

   God's extreme purpose

   woven seamlessly in it,

beyond not just

       our understanding,

but far beyond our lifetimes

      or our place in it.

Nothing but nothing

            is random.

There is without fail

    purpose and meaning,

compounded, multiplied

      and running over,

but even more so,

   God's glory in this.

May we treasure

           what we see,

ponder the magnitude

    of God's Presence,

be faithful in

        what we do know,

and trust Him

         for the rest.)

O LORD,

There is so much

beyond our comprehension,

because we view life

       in present tense

and not in

  Your vision

-- past, present and

                    eternal.

We do not just

       wait for You,

but watch for You,

and know that

even in the

    confusing parts,

You are redeeming.

Someday it will

     make sense to us,

because it

   already makes sense

   in Your economy.

Help us to not just

    accept the chaos

    and confusion,

but to wonder,

ponder,

and respond

to what is around us.

Help us to not just

         think about it,

but seek You in it.

Even in this.

 

 

"Stand here with

your burnt offering,

while I meet

the LORD over there."

And the LORD

         met Balaam

and put a word

         in his mouth.

  Numbers 23. 15-16

(Have I talked to

            the LORD

      about this?

Have I brought this

    before Him?

It is not a matter

    of God speaking,

but am I listening

      and responding

      to His voice?

That should distinguish

how we respond,

how we act and react,

what we say,

how we pray,

and enlarge how

    we see others

    and love them.

Are others aware

   that we seek Him

and His ways?)

O LORD,

You guide us,

You provide for us,

You place Your thoughts

and grace and love

      in our hearts and minds.

Align our hearts with Yours,

              Almighty One,

transform our affections.

Help us to not be paralyzed

into inaction,

but energized by seeking You

and responding to You.

Help us to be

      incredibly aware

that You are with us.

May Your Presence

guide us on paths

    that bring You glory

and draw others to You.

Help us to

prepare Your way

     in the lives of others

and know that grace

   will get us there.

So Moses prayed

     for the people.

    Numbers 21. 7

(How do we approach

and navigate

     this hard situation

and these

      difficult relationships?

Pray not just for

          our way in this,

but pray for the people,

even those we have

           a hard time liking.

Maybe especially for them.

Because God brings

  His grace to it.

Forgiving and praying for

are deep channels,

not of answers

           but of love

   and healing wounds.

God covers and saturates

with His steadfast love

      and His faithfulness

in the most unlikely places.

And sometimes,

He uses us to carry it there.)

O LORD,

Please align our hearts

          with Yours

that we would bring

    Your name to this.

May Your grace cover

  what was meant to harm.

May Your steadfast love

  change our hearts

  and whatever we face.

Help us to see others

       differently,

because we know You.

      

 

 

Now there was no water

for the congregation.

And they assembled themselves

against Moses

      and against Aaron.

And the people quarreled

      with Moses....

             Numbers 20. 2-3

(What is our first response

in time of unexpected need

or interruption of

               our plans?

Whining, quarreling,

rebelling, questioning,

casting blame

           on someone else,

    or anyone else,

            including God?

Or is praying about it

     our first response,

     not our last resort?

Turning instead to Him

     instead of away,

calling, listening,

             and responding?

Did it even occur to me

to bring my need

   and ask God about it?

Moses and Aaron

           fell on their faces.

And the glory of the LORD

           appeared to them.

God guides.

God provides.

God brings His glory

      into the unlikely.)

O LORD,

Help our needs

and even our fears

to draw us closer to You.

Help us not to despair

  but to trust You more.

  Even more.

Help us to realize

that when we come

             before You

      by praying,

life itself cannot help

     but be changed.

You, O LORD, may or may not

    change circumstances,

but when we come to You,

You align our hearts

                  with Yours.

And that is always

  a radically different road,

with water or without.

Help us to be

           thirsty for You.

 

...and behold,

the staff of Aaron

for the house of Levi

had sprouted

and put forth buds

and produced blossoms,

and it bore ripe almonds.

            Numbers 17. 8

(We are quick to pray.

But are we as quick

to recognize

      the hand of God

in the answer,

even in what

   we never expected?

God specializes

in what we see as

             impossible.

God's glory is revealed

         all around us

         on a daily basis.

Do we recognize,

accept,

and acknowledge Him?

God listens,

and He always responds.

Sometimes in ways

far deeper than

    the need on the surface.

Most often in ways

   beyond our comprehension,

beyond what we can see.

God's response

always encompasses

   far more than my own

    feeble request.)

O LORD,

Forgive us

for trying to put

limits on what You can do.

Forgive us for

   missing out on Your wonders

by explaining away

      what You have done,

how You have provided,

how You sustain us,

and Your almighty hand.

How we acknowledge You

reveals how we see You,

                 O God.

Help us to trust You,

cast our burdens before You,

and see Your glory.

Your wonders are ripe

    and all around us.

In Your scope,

there is no dividing line

between the ordinary

       and the extraordinary.

 

Behold,

God is my helper;

the LORD is

the upholder

         of my life.

       Psalm 54.4

(On God,

I can stake my life.

God will not just

    help me through this.

God will hold me together

and bring His glory,

and Presence,

and deepest purposes

               to it.

In trusting the LORD

and turning to Him,

He changes my heart,

my vision,

my affections,

and increases

        my strength.

Anxiety is just trying

   to do it on my own,

that which God

         never intended.

I am not alone in this.

God creates

       something new.

And that would mean

         my heart.

How I see God

changes how I see

others,

myself,

and circumstances.

And how I respond.)

O LORD,

Thank You that

        You are here,

that we can turn to You,

that we can walk

                  with You,

and abide in You.

Help us to realize

that worry is just

realizing that

     we are not in control.

Trusting You

brings Your strength to it.

Trusting You

turns us from seeing

           only ourselves,

and looking to You.

Write Your name on this,

        Almighty One.

You always

bring a new journey,

a refreshed spirit,

and a different outcome.

We are fully Yours.

Help us to recite,

repeat,

and engrave

   these words of Yours

into our very being.

 

Only do not rebel

    against the LORD.

And do not fear

  the people of the land,

for they are

       bread for us.

Their protection has been

removed from them,

and the LORD

           is with us;

do not fear them.

      Numbers 14.8

(Rebellion and grumbling

against the LORD

always results in

      missing out,

the enormity of

consequences

    we are not aware.

Trusting in God,

abiding in His Presence,

may not change

     the circumstances,

but changes our hearts

  right in their midst.

And that

makes the significant

difference in our hearts

the journey,

    outcome,

and direction of our lives.

A willing and

responsive heart

always looks different

in our daily choices.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize

that our fear and

grumblings

and sluggish hearts

lock the door

against Your goodness,

not just to us

but to all those

        on our paths.

Help us to be

   sensitive to You,

stay at our posts,

be faithful

     in every task,

and aware of others

who are watching to see,

if they are loved

and that You,

       Almighty One,

     are real.

Fear blocks out

all available light.

Worry just

leads us into potholes.

 

But Caleb quieted

the people before Moses

and said,

"Let us go up at once

   and occupy it,

for we are well able

to overcome it."

         Numbers 13. 30

(Do we view our fears

and circumstances

as a reason

     not to trust God?

The key is not

"we are not able,"

            but God....

How radically different

the story of their journey

      and the outcomes,

if they had trusted the LORD

              in this.

How radically different

     our lives,

     if we trusted God.

Not barrelling headlong,

   but walking with Him.

How do we approach

this differently

         as believers?)

O God,

You go before us.

You walk beside us.

Our courage does not

come from within us,

           but from You.

Sometimes that means go.

Mostly that means

        stay at our posts.

But always trusting You.

Produce, O LORD,

in us a vision

of Your glory here

   in tangible ways

for the well-being

of many.

Let the giants

and fears of our past

          be put to rest.

 

And the people

       complained.....

        Numbers 11. 1

(Is that our

      first response?

Has that become

the pattern of our

  thoughts and words?

Complaining digs

   deep potholes

and depletes us

of the energy we need

   to get up the hill.

Grumbling verbalizes

a distrust of God,

the words of

  second-guessing

His love and goodness.

A pattern of complaint

   blocks our view,

increases our load,

and saps us of

        His strength

when we could be

walking with Him.)

O LORD,

We confess that we have

taken up patterns of

thoughts and words

that draw us away from You

        and trip us up.

Change our triggers,

               Almighty One,

that instead of griping

we may speak

  of Your lovingkindness

and find Your goodness in

    unexpected places.

Our hope is not dependent on

          circumstances,

   hard or favorable,

but on You,

    Master of the Universe

    and lover of our souls.

We have seen too much

   to question You in this.

 

At the command of the LORD

the people of Israel

                 set out,

and at the command

of the LORD,

          they camped.

        Numbers 9. 18

(Abiding there

          in the meantime,

staking their tents,

planting,

exploring the wilderness,

not just filling

   but fulfilling the time,

faithful in the staying,

but ready to move

only at God's command.

We are strategically

      moved and placed

not just for His purposes

but for His glory,

our well-being, our growth,

loving others

         into the Kingdom,

and bringing

      His Name there.

It is not just about us.

It never is.)

O LORD,

Help us to be watchful,

not just for time to go,

but in the time to stay.

Reveal the

extraordinary wonder

     of Your Presence

even on what looks like

   only an ordinary day.

Please empower us

to be faithful to You

right where we are

and even where

    You are taking us

on the journey

          of our lives.

There is always

    more to explore,

always more

       of Your revealing.

 

The LORD bless you.

The LORD make

   His face

   to shine upon you

and be gracious to you.

The LORD lift up

   His countenance

                 upon you

and give you peace.

     Numbers 6. 24-26

(These words make saying,

"Bye. See you later,"

       seem rather lame.

These words proclaim

    the name of the LORD

upon those that God

has entrusted in our care,

by seeking their well-being,

His Presence, His grace

 and His peace over them.

What a radical difference

that would make in

          our relationships,

if we verbalized

 these words over others

--those we love,

those we struggle to like,

even those who are

          set against us.

The benediction goes

               both ways.

God transforms hearts

and puts His blessing

               among us.)

O LORD,

May we write Your name

  at the top of our day.

May we write Your name

  over our relationships.

May we bear witness

   to Your holy name

by what we say and do

and pray and hold sacred.

May we seek Your blessing

     upon others

and not just for ourselves.

You have given us

  Your words of blessing

to speak over those

   all around us.

Help us not to just

    recite these words,

but to love others

          through them.