And the LORD appeared to him and said,

"Do not go down to Egypt;

     dwell in the land

     of which I shall tell you."

...And Isaac sowed in that land

   and reaped in the same year

              a hundredfold.

                         Genesis 26. 2, 12

(God's guidance is not always "go,"

   but to stay and sow,

                 not always

                 in the obvious soil,

   sometimes in what appears

                            as barren.

But even this

                   is sacred ground,

    even this God can touch

          with His blessing.

God blesses faithfulness

     even in the oddest places.)

O LORD,

Help us to follow You

    on the paths and sacred ground

                  where You lead us today

and to be assured

   that You are doing something deeper

   than what we can see on the surface.

Above all,

       may we dwell with You

       in every situation

and know that You always bring

    fruitfulness from faithfulness,

even in what we are unaware.