Be strong,

    all you people of the land,

                  declares the LORD.

Work,

    for I am with you,

           declares the LORD of hosts.

...My Spirit remains in your midst.

Fear not.

                           Haggai 2. 4-5

(This declaration, made thousands

             of years ago,

   remains true even today,

even in what is before us,

even in the seemingly impossible

            situation we are in.

May we not be distracted by fear

   or overwhelmed by the immensity

   of the task on our doorstep.

Worry just deflates our tires.

But God has strategically positioned

               each one of us

     in this place and time

                      for His glory

and to be a witness to others

   of the love and grace of God.

Be strong.

Work.

Fear not.

    That's what faithfulness does.

We are not alone.

God is not just here.

He is working through us

in ways we may never comprehend.)

O LORD,

Our work sometimes has

       no visible results.

                          Yet.

Help us to do the work

   and trust You with what

              You bring to it.

You never work

          in singular outcomes.

You do not just show up.

    You are already here with us.

Even in what

    only appears to us

              as bleak and barren,

   You transform the landscape

and plant a forest

            of fruit-bearing trees

that will far outlast our lifetimes.

Help us to work,

not fear,

and trust You as

    You bring your glory upon it,

no matter how that looks

                on the surface.

Help us to be Your witness

       even in this,

   in what we do,

   in how we do it,

   in Your name..