Blessed be the LORD,

   the God of Israel,

who alone does wondrous things.

Blessed be

         His glorious name forever;

may the whole earth

    be filled with His glory.

                     Psalm 72. 18-19

(Writing His name

         on the top of this day

and recognizing His glory all over

    not just in the past or the future,

   but in the present tense.

It is not that God will redeem,

   but He is already on it,

even in the really hard parts,

       even in the absurdly weird,

       even in the favorable,

   with wondrous works

        we don't recognize as such

    and sometimes

            we don't understand.

But still wondrous

          beyond our vocabulary.)

O LORD,

We come before You this day

not seeking Your blessing

    but to bless You.

Show us what

        that looks like today.

May Your glory

    get all over it this day,

Your signature inscribed

         in indelible ink.

Your goodness comes

     in many shaped packages,

but it comes.

You are with us.

    May we never forget

         with You we walk.

 

...and He sent them out

to proclaim

       the kingdom of God

and to heal.

                    Luke 9. 2

(Jesus sends us out

       into our days

to do the same:

to bring His name there

and to bring healing

        to the table

and into our situations

      and relationships.

What is in our hearts?)

O LORD,

Help us to not be tripped up

    by circumstances

    or potholes

    or head-on collisions,

but to be responsive

   wherever You lead us today.

Help us to approach

        what is before us

with Your Word

   and a heart that seeks to heal.

May kindness be on our lips,

    grace overflowing in our pockets,

and Your name written

          over all we do and say.

And you shall rejoice

  before the LORD your God

in all that you undertake.

          Deuteronomy 12. 18

(Rejoicing before the LORD

      in what we do

      and in all we do

radically changes what we do,

how we do it,

how we approach it,

how we navigate through,

and changes us

     right in the middle of it,

a calm in the midst of the storm,

a underlying joy

    even in impossible situations.

Not a change of attitude

   but an act of worship.

How can we bring joy

    to our tasks today

in worship and witness

and even in with-ness?

Joy impacts our hearts

  and everyone around us.)

O LORD,

Please fill us with Your joy

    in all that we do today

that we would bring

   Your holy name

   right where we are.

Help us to know

  there is no insignificant work

  in Your eyes

and nothing that You do not

     use for Your glory.

You have woven into our day

   sacred encounters

   and divine appointments,

far more than we realize.

Help us to worship You fully

         in our work today.

No matter what.

 

And some fell

    into good soil

and grew

and yielded a hundredfold.

               Luke 8.8

(Wherever we are,

in whatever we are doing,

among whomever

          we find ourselves,

sow,

share,

teach,

show grace,

bring the love of Jesus there,

without having to know

    the outcome or result.

That is what faithfulness does.

The growth and fruit

   are what God does with it

   in the most impossible places

   and among unlikely people.

Someday we will stand amazed

                     and humbled

by the forests God has created

      from the tiniest seeds.)

O LORD,

Help us to walk with You today

   that You may use us

   for Your glory

   and for Your Kingdom.

Help us to write Your name

   at the top of the day

that in all things

       we are aware of You

      and follow You into it.

Help us to be responsive

    to what is around us

and faithful to You in it.

May our love for You

    be magnified today

and get all over everything.

 

 

Soon afterward

He went on

through cities and villages,

proclaiming

   and bringing the good news

of the kingdom of God.

                  Luke 8.1

(Wherever we are,

wherever we go,

we are ultimately there

  to bring the name of Jesus,

proclaiming in word,

deed,

attitude,

and how we love others

and face circumstances.

Not just being nice people

    but something far more:

          changed by Him.)

O LORD,

May we not just be aware of You,

   but bring Your name

to all that we do,

wherever we are,

and among whomever

              we find ourselves.

You have strategically placed us

    to bring Your name there.

 

Hear, O Israel: 

The LORD our God,

      the LORD is one.

You shall love the LORD your God

   with all your heart

   and with all your soul

   and with all your might.

And these words

       that I command you today

  shall be on your heart.

              Deuteronomy 6.4-5

(What is on my heart?

What a different place

   this world would be

if we loved God that way?

How we love God

   changes how we see Him,

   how we treat others,

   and how we view ourselves.

Loving God

  changes the course of our lives

  and everyone around us.

Not a matter of following rules,

      but loving God.

What does that look like today?

How different our hearts,

     how different our world.)

O LORD,

Your love daily lifts us up,

     holds us together,

     strengthens us,

   and helps us see in the dark.

May our love for You

  change everything about us,

invade all that we do,

infiltrate every dimension

                   of our hearts,

and bear incredible fruit

    that will outlive us.

 

Only take care,

and keep your soul

             diligently,

lest you forget the things

   that your eyes have seen,

and lest they depart

  from your heart

  all the days of your life.

Make them known

  to your children

  and your children's children...

                 Deuteronomy 4. 9

(What does taking care of my soul

        look like today?

Not just in what I do,

   but where is my heart in this?

What am I pursuing with intention?

What do I talk about freely

               with others,

   be it a grandchild,

   a co-worker,

   on the driveway

             with a neighbor?

Be ye not distracted

  from what strengthens

      our relationship with God.

Seek the LORD in this,

be aware of His Presence,

remember His faithfulness,

         and make Him known.

Even here.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

Open our eyes to

   making You known,

even in ways we don't see

           as witness to You.

Help us to seek You

    with all intentionality

and realize the difference

     of Your dwelling within us.

Help us to not just remember You

       but respond to You

       all through the day.

And make You known

    by both our words

    and how we love others.

Bring Your glory to this day,

  both in the tangible

  and the transcendent.

      

 

For the LORD your God has

  blessed you

  in all the work of your hands.

He knows your going through

   through this great wilderness.

These forty years

    the LORD has been with you.

You have lacked nothing.

                 Deuteronomy 2. 7

(The wilderness

      is never a barren landscape,

but a place of great wonder

         even in the unfamiliar,

         even on the upward slopes,

         even on the rocky path

            or windswept desert.

Look for His beauty here.

God did not promise

   that life would be easy,

            but "I am with you."

And that makes all the difference

         and all the awe.

We have just to be faithful

                    on all terrain

   and aware of His Presence.

Even here.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

You walk with us.

You hold our hand.

You are with us.

What we are sweating through,

     struggling with,

     faithfully working in,

is never a surprise to You.

Help us to acknowledge You

    and not explain You away.

We have a long chronicle

            of Your faithfulness

    to encourage us.

We have seen nothing yet,

compared to Your glory

    in what You are doing,

beyond our myopic vision

    and far beyond our lifetimes.

    

 

See, the LORD your God

has set the land before you.

Go up, take possession,

as the LORD,

    the God of your fathers,

has told you.

Do not fear

          or be dismayed.

            Deuteronomy 1. 21

(God has set this day,

       His day before us.

"Trust Me in this."

Fear and dismay

   always sets us

   in the wrong direction.

It cost the Israelites

             forty years.

Practice His Presence

     even in the little things,

which are never insignificant.

Carry not fear and dismay

  but instead your chronicle

        of God's faithfulness.)

O LORD,

We have not come this way

                   before,

but You go before us.

Help us to remember You

    throughout the day,

listen and respond

with faithfulness and grace.

You have set this day before us.

Help us to be faithful

in bringing Your grace to it.

Help us to trust You,

even in this.

 

But He would withdraw

to desolate places

              and pray.

             Luke 5. 16

(Praying was a continual

and intentional practice

                  of Jesus.

How different our world would be,

how different this day would be,

how radically different we would be,

          if we did the same?

Praying should be our first response,

            not our last resort.

Praying shifts

   the tectonic plates of this world,

   including our hearts,

far more than we can imagine.

We may not know what to do,

   but praying ties on our shoes.)

O LORD,

May we not be reluctant

      to come before You

not just with needs

and requests

and cries for action,

and with our confessions,

          but with our praise,

even when we don't understand,

even before we see

            the outcome of this.

Order my day, O LORD,

   reorder my heart.

Guide my steps.

Direct my thoughts.

Align my heart with Yours.

Confirm Your Word

         in all I do and say.

Dwell in my heart today.

Help me to follow

            and run with You.

 

"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 amount of fish

and their nets were breaking.

                 Luke 5. 4-6

(When we listen to God

    and respond to Him,

even in the familiar,

     and the ordinary,

God brings blessing from it.

Sometimes we actually

           "oh, wow,"

            see the outcome,

sometimes the result

  is embedded

  far beyond our lifetimes.

But the fruit is always there,

a full net,

    not even one fish missing.)

O LORD,

Of all the things we do today,

may we listen to You

    --and not argue--

may we respond to You

    --even in a barren place--

and may we trust You

   for Your answers,

                 not ours.

Help us to realize

that the biggest impact

     of their obedience

was a deepening

of their relationship with Jesus.

Help us to trust You too.

 

...when 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. 6-7

(David wrote this psalm

when he was struggling

with life and death situations

           in the wilderness,

being pursued by his adversaries.

No wonder he could not sleep.

What nudges us awake in the night?

         How do we respond?

Seeking only to get back to sleep

   or buried alive in worry and fear?

Or seeking God even in this?

Listening to Him in those moments,

praying to Him,

remembering His strength,

meditating on His Word,

pushing back the darkness

   by singing a new song of joy,

and clinging only to Him

   not to circumstances.)

O LORD,

Even in the quiet moments

  of half past darkness,

You are here with us.

May we rest in You fully.

May we listen to You

    with a renewed heart.

Whatever amount we sleep,

    make it enough, O God.

When we awake in the night,

    rock us in Your Presence.

Help us to turn to You

and not let fear and anxiety

              in the door.

May our sleep be sweet.

May our time with You

              be strengthening.

 

For God alone,

         O my soul,

wait in silence,

for my hope is from Him.

He only

is my rock and my salvation,

               my fortress;

I shall not be shaken.

                   Psalm 62. 5-6

(For what do I wait?

For circumstances to change?

      Or waiting on God?

Hope is the Bible

  is not wishful thinking

that things will be different,

but knowing on Whom

we can stake our lives.

Though circumstances

     shatter or unravel,

our hope is not shaken.

We can trust Him.

This is not the end of the story,

but perhaps only the

   exciting part of the redeeming.

This life is not

              all there is.

When it comes down to it,

our hope,

our only hope is in God alone.

We all know that in our souls.

It is why in dire straits,

    all people cry out, "O God!")

O LORD,

May we trust in You

        at all times,

even when we don't understand,

even when we think we are

          at the end of our ropes.

You are here with us.

Help us to turn to You,

   to pray not to panic,

and to pour out our hearts

                   before You

   instead of complaining

   and grumbling to others.

You are our refuge.

Our witness in this situation

      is how we respond,

not to circumstances

                  but to You alone.

 

...appoint steadfast love

         and faithfulness

to watch over him!

             Psalm 61. 2-3

(And what if we prayed

      these words of strength

                 and wellbeing

      over those in our lives?

Not just how differently

              would they live,

but how differently would we

      live and love and respond?

Prayer doesn't just change things,

          praying changes us,

even in how we pray

                  and for what we pray,

how we view God

and consequently how we view

            others and circumstances.)

O LORD,

May we be mindful

        of following You,

even in how we pray.

Take us to a higher place

that even in praying to You

    we pray differently

as You align our hearts

                 with Yours.

Change our words

        as You change our hearts.

May this prayer from the Psalms

   --anointing and appointing--

     be ready on our lips

               and in our hearts.

 

O, grant us help

    against the foe,

for vain is

   the salvation of man!

With God

   we shall do valiantly;

it is He who will

      tread down our foes.

            Psalm 60. 11-12

(Everyone struggles

           with something.

The key phrase here is

           with God.

Am I trying to do this

              on my own?

Our foes are anything we fear,

     both real and imagined.

Not the vain cry of the world

        "believe in yourself,"

but believe in Me.

Trust God in the journey,

for His strength and direction,

  and for His multiplicity of

                    outcomes.

God is with us.

He will be there too.

The blessing may be

       in the last place

       we would look for it.)

O LORD,

Help us to seek You,

not just Your help,

   or an answer,

   or an escape route,

but to draw close to You,

             even in this.

May our first response be

        to trust You,

not our last resort.

Guide our eyes,

our hearts,

our efforts

in alignment with Yours.

Help us to approach

        our struggles

    or this impossible situation

               differently

because we love You.

And may our response

   be a witness to others

that You are very real.

 

In all of our comings and goings,

   remembrance today

   to pray for Ukraine.

O my Strength,

I will watch for You,

for You, O God,

     are my fortress.

My God

   in His steadfast love

   will meet me;

God will let me look

      in triumph on my enemies.

...O Lord, our shield.

                Psalm 59. 9-11

(Let us not forget

    that God is powerful

    and He is with us.

God is our strength,

our fortress,

our shield

with Whom we go forth

         strengthened

against anything we fear,

       both real and imagined.)

O LORD,

O Almighty God,

in Your steadfast love we pray,

please intervene

            in our struggles

    and in the Ukraine

that all the world

would realize Who You are

and see Your glory

        poured all over.

Bring peace, O God,

  even in this impossible situation.

Hold back the darkness.

May the oppression unravel

      and hearts be changed.

Send Your deliverance

and remind us to pray

            without ceasing.

 

...for you will go before the LORD

      to prepare His ways...

                    Luke 1. 76

(Even if we don't understand

what God is doing,

we can be faithful

     in following Him

in unexpected ways

and in the most familiar.

Sometimes to go forth,

sometimes to stay put,

  but mindful of Him,

even in what only appears

            as ordinary,

fulfilling and serving in ways,

preparing the hearts of others,

   even when we do not realize

               His hand in this,

which is most of the time.)

O LORD,

Prepare not just

   Your ways for us

but that we would prepare

   Your ways in others.

May we be sensitive

above all to Your leading

with our eyes on You

  wherever and in whatever

  You guide us today.

May we bless You

    in our words and deeds.

For Your Kingdom.

For Your glory.

In Your name.

 

By the blessing of the upright

     a city is exalted...

                   Proverbs 11.11

(What am I bringing to the table?

What am I bringing to

            this situation,

            those around me,

            those I know,

            those I don't know?

May we seek to bless this place,

  wherever God has placed us

                                today.

In darkness to bring light.

In tumult to bring His grace.

In whatever situation

      seeking to bless others

and pour God's glory

              all over it.)

O LORD,

Guide our hearts

    to see needs

--both visible and unseen--

and to fill the gaps

      with blessing.

Even in those things

        and places

        and among people

far beyond our understanding.

Sharpen our imagination

   that we would bless You

   in incredible ways

by blessing others.

 

Now there was no water

    for the congregation.

And they assembled

     themselves together

     against Moses and Aaron.

And the people quarreled

                  with Moses....

            Numbers 20. 2-3

(When we are in a tough spot,

     or even a place of abundance,

     what is our first response?

Do we come before the LORD,

          drawing near to Him

in time of need or in favor?

Where God guides,

                 God provides.

Have we left room

      for His glory in this?

Trust in the

       slow redeeming of God.

Nothing random.

Nothing insignificant.

No mistakes.)

O LORD,

Even in what we consider

    the impossible,

You show Your glory.

Help us to trust You

and to know that

   complaining just

   trips us up

and keeps us from

         seeing Your hand

     even in this.

 

...and behold,

the staff of Aaron

   for the house of Levi

had sprouted

and put forth buds

and produced almonds.

           Numbers 17. 8

(Faithfulness always

    produces fruitfulness

in incredible ways

to point others not to ourselves

            but to God.

It is not just what we do,

but what God does

             through us,

sometimes in ways

we never comprehend

                      or see.

The fruit may come

       beyond our lifetimes,

but it always comes.)

O LORD,

Even when we cannot see it,

bring Your fruitfulness

to what we are doing

             in Your name.

Please sprout

even the dead sticks

             in our lives,

wherever we are,

whatever our struggles,

no matter what.

    For Your glory alone.

 

But if the LORD

   creates something new...

           Numbers 16. 30

(Live in expectation

    not of what God will do,

but how He is already doing.

Even if we do not see it

            in our lifetimes.

Even if it is not something new

          but His faithfulness revealed.

God creates something new

   even right where we are

maybe not in circumstances

         but in our hearts.)

O LORD,

Draw us to You

that we may see clearly

      and differently

both in what is known

            and unknown,

what is both familiar

            and strange,

what is common

    but never mundane,

what is extraordinary

    right where we are.

You are our helper,

You are the upholder

              of our very lives.

May we recite, repeat, engrave

and practice daily

            Your Presence

from our first breath of the day

    to the vespers at sundown.

Whether we see anything new

                 at all,

You are still God.

You are still working.

You redeem.

 

Now the man Moses

      was very meek,

more than all people

who were on

   the face of the earth.

           Numbers 12. 3

(God anoints, appoints

    and uses the most unlikely

to fulfill His purposes,

those who know

it is not in them

                 but God.

They have learned to trust God

     in the journey

     and for His outcome.

Being humble is

    not thinking less of oneself,

but thinking less about oneself.

God does not call us

     to be successful leaders

             but faithful servants.

There is a lot more at stake

   than we will ever know.

Am I willing to trust God

                 in this?)

O LORD,

Help us to approach

this difficulty,

this impossible task,

      with a different heart

      and new vision

because we trust You.

We do not know what to do,

  but our eyes are on You.

Help us to make it a pattern

    to ask, trust and turn to You

    first.

Order our days.

Guide our steps.

Direct our thoughts.

Align our hearts with Yours.

And give us Your courage

        to go forth with You.

You are already with us.

At the command of the LORD

            they camped,

and at the command of the LORD

            they set out.

                    Numbers 9. 23

(Sometimes God says go,

sometimes He says stay.

We may not be done here,

we may not be ready

                to move on.

Being faithful is just as much

a new threshold

and a path before us.)

O LORD,

Help us not just to

         go or stay

but to be faithful

in everything before us.

May we come before You

for You to place Your plans

               before us,

not our agenda for You.

Help us to trust You

even in what

    we don't understand.

 

 

The lips of the righteous

know what is acceptable...

              Proverbs 10. 32

(Not just the right thing to say

but what is upbuilding

            in the situation,

even in the hard stuff

  and among difficult people.

What am I bringing

                 to this table?

Practicing over and over

          not just words of grace

   but a new heart in this.

Well-practiced

            and ready to use

    at a moment's notice.

Words of grace

         never wear out

      and never get old.

Others are watching and listening

       --even other believers--

to see if we really believe

           in His grace.

Do we react

                   or respond?

What have we practiced?

Not working on our attitude

          but being found in Him.

Seeking our way through this

                 or His?)

O LORD,

We pray that You would

   enlarge our vocabulary

that we would respond

            appropriately

   in the heat of the situation

not just realize it afterwards.

Grant us not just right words

     but a right heart.

Use our words

to bring unexpected blessing

and Your glory

   even in dark places

   and among unlikely people.

 

The one who offers thanksgiving

as his sacrifice

glorifies Me...

             Psalm 50. 23

(The sacrifice of thanksgiving

is thanking God,

despite circumstances,

even in their midst,

before an outcome is obvious,

and even if we never

              realize the results.

We cannot know

       what God is doing with this

in our lives

               or another's,

but we can trust Him in it.

A grateful heart

   is a rare jewel in this world,

shining like a light in the darkness,

a different word among the grumbling,

a distinctive voice amidst

     despair or complaining.

Thanks-giving changes how we

          see everything,

          how we respond,

and how we trust God.)

O LORD,

You don't just give us

    a path to walk,

but show us how to walk it.

Help us to know

  the strength of gratefulness,

Your mighty hand on us

        even in the hard stuff.

Grant to us

   a new heart in this,

even in the ordinary,

even in the difficult,

that we may glorify You.

May we be a help

      to those in need.

And a different voice

        in this situation,

full of Your grace and love

in unexpected places

and among unlikely people.

 

The LORD bless you

         and keep 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 7. 24-26

(How differently would we

    approach what is before us

if we went forth into this day

with these words of blessing

overflowing from our hearts.

Not wishing others well,

but singing a blessing

             over them,

not just for human wellbeing

    but the power of God.

May we live with

    His name upon us

and His love in us

   to love all those around us.

God uses us to bring

   these sacred words

              of blessing

--spoken and unspoken--

into every appointment,

every encounter,

every relationship.)

O LORD,

Help us to come before You

    and before others

with blessing on our lips,

Your words already formed

             in our hearts,

Your love translated into actions.

May we not seek blessing

                 for ourselves,

but to bless You

          and bless others.

We find our joy

     being loved by You.

We can't help but

              live differently.

 

Walk about Zion,

go around her,

number her towers,

consider well her ramparts,

go through her citadels,

that you may tell

            the next generation

   that this is God,

our God forever and ever,

He will guide us forever.

              Psalm 48. 12-14

(Seek God

every which way we can--

His Word, His Presence,

His appointments, His people,

His ways,

in worship, witness and with-ness--

that we may tell others

          who God is

and the chronicle of

              His faithfulness.

Connect the dots for someone.

The wellbeing of souls

    hinges on

    what we talk about.

Someone is listening.)

O LORD,

May we seek You

    into this day before us

and seek to acknowledge You

    in what we see and do

and tell others about.

May we be aware

not just slipping You

       into conversation

but in loving others

      by speaking of You.

We so freely talk about

     so many things.

May we freely talk

            about You

without reservation.

You have placed us

          strategically

in the lives of others

    for Your name's sake.

Help us to point them

                  to You.

 

...keeping guard

   over the sanctuary.

          Numbers 3. 28

(How do we keep guard,

protect, watch over,

respect, nurture,

take care and maintain

the church

      in this culture,

      in this city,

      among people?

Worship far exceeds

  the walls of the church

and infiltrates the lives

   of those who worship

   and even those who don't.

We are not called

       to attend church.

We are appointed

       to be the church.

Our lives should look different

   not because we belong

              to a church,

but because we

           belong to Him.

Deeper love,

ready response,

faithfulness not to a cause,

    but to our Savior.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just

             find community,

but to be the community

               of believers,

engaged,

woven in,

living out Your Word

   in worship,

       witness,

       and with-ness.

Help us to not neglect

   the profound significance

   of the church

            in our wellbeing

     and in others' lives,

the salt and oxygen

           of our little habitat,

    which is never so little.

Help us to realize how much

    we need church family

and how much our world

          needs the church.

 

God is our refuge

    and strength,

a very present help

            in trouble.

Therefore

we will not fear

though the earth gives way,

though the mountains

  be moved into

             the heart of the sea...

             Psalm 46. 1-2

(God's Presence is

not diminished by circumstances.

Even then,

God is with us,

still our refuge,

     our strength,

    and help,

made evident even more

   in times of trouble.

Therefore we will not fear

        though_________

        (fill in the blank).

Prayer is our first response,

not our last resort.

Practicing over and over

      His Presence with us

                 in the everydays

radically changes our response

             in the crisis.

Sometimes the hardest thing

is to sit still

and know that He is Almighty God.)

O LORD,

You are our refuge and strength.

Help us to realize that.

Help us to seek You

not just for what You do

but for Who You are,

          the Almighty God.

Be our refuge,

not to cower as in a hiding place,

but from which we go forth

            strengthened,

ready to respond to You

and not paralyzed by

          circumstances.

Help us to

    practice Your Presence

over and over and over again,

engraving Your reality

            in our hearts.

Why are we here

         in this situation?

To seek You

and see Your glory in it.

 

If you walk in My statutes

and observe My commandments

              and do them....

        

                    Leviticus 26. 3

(Our lives will be

          very different,

fruitful in drought,

secure even in the face

          of all alarms,

fulfilled in spite

         of circumstances

         to the contrary,

no matter what

   life throws at us.

Walk with Him,

aware of His Word,

       and live it out.

God redeems.

Our lives are not our own

but impact the world

in the most profound ways

that may never be recognized.

There are no small obediences

      nor insignificant people.

Love God.  Love people.

   Every which way we can.

Even now.  Even in this.

Fruitful and multiplied.)

O LORD,

Walk with us

as we choose to follow You

        into this day

and into Your appointments.

Anoint us with Your grace

and strength

and courage,

       no matter the shadows,

  no matter our skills

        or degree of difficulty.

Help us to be mindful of You,

knowing our momentary choices

       impact the trajectory

                  of our lives.

And we get to

   walk with You.

 

If we had forgotten

     the name of our God,

or spread out our hands

     to a foreign god,

would not God discover this?

For He knows

  the secrets of the heart.

                  Psalm 44. 20-21

(No surprise to God.

No surprise to others either.

What we worship

does not just impact our hearts,

but the trajectory of what

                    we choose.

As author James K. A. Smith says,

   "We are what we love."

The core of what we worship

          changes us.

The core of what we worship

     is evident in what we say,

how we treat others,

what we do,

what we see

if or how we respond,

and not just what we love

       but in how we love.

Have we forgotten God

    or not trusted Him

in what is before us

or who is before us?

Both crises

     and our everyday choices

do not just

          reveal our character

but our hearts

and our relationship with You.)

O LORD,

May we come before You

not to lay out our agenda

           for You in this day,

but that we would follow You

   into Your appointments

                       for us.

Write Your name

   at the top of the page

     and all over the day.

Help us to follow You

   into both the joys

   and dilemmas,

and not just be mindful of You,

   but have the mind of Christ

                        in this.

Help us to live with a whole heart

          before You

          and before others.

Align and realign

             our hearts with Yours.

May Your glory

  get all over everything.