And when He had

    said these things,

He went on ahead....

            Luke 19. 28

(Even when we don't realize it,

   the Lord always

   goes on ahead of us.

We may be surprised

        by what we encounter,

we never know what to expect,

but God always prepares our path

and prepares our hearts

                   in some way

     to be ready to walk with Him

            through it.

Faithfulness to God in the now

   is provision for the next.

Faithfulness in the "little" stuff

     covers a lot of ground.

We grasp how to

     recognize His Presence.

We learn how to

     see in the dark.

We can seize His strength

   because we know how.

He goes on ahead

    but He also runs with us.

"Trust Me in this.")

O LORD,

We know that You go on ahead.

Help us to trust You

      about what is now

      and what is next.

This day may be way beyond our skill set,

     but You enlarge our hearts

     and help us to see differently.

The path may be easy,

   or the trail may be really rocky,

  or there may not be

            a trail at all,

but You go before us

                  and with us

     right into Your wonders.

Align our hearts with Yours,

   and draw us closer to You,

Your fingerprints all over this day,

Your strength embedded in it,

Your Word changing us

              at the very core.