If anyone would be first,

he must be last of all

   and servant of all.

            Mark 9. 35

(In God's upside down kingdom,

    there is no scrambling

    to be first in line,

           but "after you."

Jesus came not to be served,

     but to serve.

A serving, willing humble heart

   shows immense strength.

Not thinking less of oneself,

   but less about oneself.)

O LORD,

Thank You for loving us.

You do not just notice

  and recognize

  the smallest kindnesses,

      but You multiply them.

We worship You

    by how we serve,

    even in the grungy stuff.

You know.

You see.

You bless even what

     we cannot comprehend.

 

Bring him to Me.

       Mark 9. 19

(Bring this difficult situation,

    this impossible relationship,

    this dilemma or desperation

                  before God.

Not just what we cannot

                handle on our own,

not just our anxieties and fears,

          but our hearts.

Have I laid this before Him?

That should be our first response,

                 not last resort.

Have I considered that

   God is doing something

     deeper than I can see?

What does God have to do

            with what is before me,

    with what is on my path today,

    with what is hurtling toward me?

Everything.)

O LORD,

Help us to bring these things

        and lay them at Your feet.

Help us even to drag

   what we cannot lift

                  or imagine,

that which pulls us

               away from You.

You call us

   to bring it to You.

May we listen and respond

  and walk with You.

Open our eyes

   not just to a new solution

             but to You.

You make all things new.

Even the familiar.

Even what we consider ordinary,

  which is never

  so ordinary after all.

 

Then Jesus laid His hands

   on his eyes again,

and he opened his eyes,

     his sight was restored,

and he saw

          everything clearly.

               Mark 8. 25

(When we come to Him,

willing for Him to heal

           and restore,

God changes

   how we see everything.

We may not understand all

  --indeed we will not

    fully comprehend--

but we know

      something has changed.

And that would be us.

Nothing can remain the same,

   even if our circumstances

                 are not altered.

Jesus has touched us.

     We have new hearts.

     We know Him more.)

O LORD,

Restore our vision

   that we would not just

           see You

   but to seek You more,

even in the midst

       of a hard situation,

  You are here with us.

Open our eyes today

     to Your strength,

     and healing,

     and Your glory.

Even in this.

         

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

And His disciples answered Him,

"How can we feed these people

   with bread here in this

                     desolate place?"

And He asked them,

    "How many loaves

           do you have?"

                  Mark 8. 4-5

(What in the world

  are we doing in this barren place?

  Did we take a wrong turn?

No, that's exactly why God

  strategically placed us here

to serve Him,

       love others,

and bring the name of Jesus here.

Desolate is not a barren place

      of despair and emptiness,

but an opportunity to be faithful,

fulfilling needs

           --visible or invisible--

     and changing the landscape.

Desolate says, "I can do nothing about this."

God says, "Good.  Because I can.

           Tie on your shoes.")

O LORD,

Open not just our eyes

   to see what is around us,

but enlarge our hearts

   that we know how to respond.

Bear Your fruit through us

    wherever we are

    and whatever we pursue

to nurture, sustain, and love

       others right into Your arms.

Where there is lack,

                You provide

      enough even for leftovers.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

The goat shall bear

    all their iniquities on itself

               to a remote area,

and he shall let the goat

   go free in the wilderness.

              Leviticus 16. 22

(The meaning of the scapegoat

    is not placing our guilt and blame

    on someone else,

but in the atonement for our sin,

repent, ask forgiveness,

       and letting it go.

Not dwelling on it,

      or bringing it back up,

but living as forgiven.

When we are forgiven,

    we know how to forgive.

We know how much we are loved.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize

that when we repent

          of our selfishness

          our wrong-doing,

             and our hurtful ways,

You do not just forgive,

but grant to us

the power to live differently.

Not just to go and sin no more,

    but to live out Your forgiveness

in how we love others

            and worship You.

Empower us,

grant to us Your strength

and pour over us Your mercy

   to bring healing

   to all our relationships.

 

But immediately

He spoke to them and said,

   "Take heart.

     It is I.

     Do not be afraid."

And He got into the boat

                  with them

    and the wind ceased.

                  Mark 6. 50-51

(We all walk at some point or another

         in the scary places

         or on unfamiliar trails,

when all we have is God

             to hold onto,

when all we can do

             is trust Him.

Just because it is hard

   or we don't understand

doesn't mean God is not

           fully in it.

Scoot over,

   and let Him in the boat

   to calm our hearts,

     knowing He is with us.

How would we approach

  this scary, difficult, hard thing

                    differently

if we trusted Him into it,

if we knew God has

       deeper purposes in it

       than we can see?)

O LORD,

Sometimes in the storms

   we feel like we are sinking,

sometimes we just have

   no idea what is happening.

But You assure us

            of Your Presence.

Help us to trust You in this,

   ready to pivot,

   willing to hang tight,

practicing Your Presence

         in the ordinary

  so that we are already trained

     for the extraordinary

--which surrounds us all the time.

Help us

    to not miss You in this.

 

And He could do

    no mighty work there,

except that He laid His hands

  on a few sick people

  and healed them.

And He marveled because

            of their unbelief.

And He went about

    among the villages

                      teaching.

                  Mark 6. 5-6

(There will always be those

who are so set in their defiance

refuse to believe,

    even if Jesus is face to face.

But Jesus's response was

    to keep on teaching.

We can never know

       who will respond to Him,

       even the most unlikely.

Sharing with others is

               never wasted,

    even if we never see the fruit.

God is still on the move.

His witness will not return void.)

O LORD,

Help us to stay faithful to You,

   no matter the situation,

   no matter the response,

but to fulfill the ministry

                that You daily give us,

    even in what we do not grasp.

Help us to know

      life with You is all ministry.

May we teach others of You

    by our words and actions,

    our attitudes,

    and how we love them.

Almighty, please order my day,

  guide my thoughts and prayers,

and align my heart with Yours.

 

But ignoring what they said,

Jesus said to the

       ruler of the synagogue,

"Do not fear, only believe."

                 Mark 5. 36

(Not the world's sequined

         "Believe in yourself!!"

not even "Cling to your

            own ideas about this,"

but believe in God.

We do not just put the situation

          nor the solution

                  in His hands.

The journey and the outcome

      are already there.

God is so far ahead of us.

Things do not "just happen."

        God unfolds them.

God works His purposes

                     and His glory,

   even in situations

   which appear impossible

              from where we stand.

Nothing is random.

"Trust Me in this."

Fear just blocks out

    all available light.

And worry tangles up our feet.)

O LORD,

We come to You.

We wait not just for an answer,

       but in You

       and with You.

We walk and listen,

   knowing that there is

   so much more in this

         than we realize.

Help us to seek You

   even in the ordinary,

which is never so ordinary after all.

Even today, we witness

   the unfolding of Your glory.

Just because something is hard

  does not mean

  You are not right here with us.

You have a strong hold

        on us

        and Your redeeming.

 

Mark the blameless

    and behold the upright...

               Psalm 37. 37

(Watch carefully

    what the faithful ones do,

how they approach situations,

how they navigate the storms,

how they seek God's guidance,

     and how they trust Him.

What are their daily liturgies,

      engraved habits,

      and their commitments?

They make different choices,

      walk differently

             even on the same path,

     and discover new outcomes.

They live as if everything matters.

           Because it does,

           far more than we can know.

Every action, word and decision

     is divinely anointed and appointed

and impacts a thousand generations.)

O LORD,

Make us aware of how

        even in what we consider ordinary

    has eternal implications

          for a thousand generations.

The choices of the faithful in the past

    have impacted our own lives

                            going forward.

The daily choices we make

      are also sown in sacred ground.

Help us to seek out those

              who love and trust You

and be sensitive to

        how they walk before You.

We too can be faithful.

We can stake our lives on You,

      even in the difficult,

      even in the ordinary,

      even when we don't understand.

You redeem everything.

 

...but the LORD upholds

         the righteous

...in the days of famine

         they have abundance

...but the righteous

       is generous and gives.

                  Psalm 37. 17, 19, 21

(We are not subject

        to random circumstances,

God is bringing us through this

             for His glory.

He has a firm hold on us,

    not for a minute free falling.

Famine?  We see need

                    differently.

We respond with fresh hearts

         and a new strength.

We have been

        strengthened by it instead.)

O LORD,

Help us to listen to You,

hear Your voice,

be strengthened by Your hand,

respond with vigor,

nurture others,

and let You bear fruit

    in a million different ways,

    even in what only

          looks like famine.

Help us to see circumstances

                  differently.

Redeem, O LORD,

    with Your glory upon it.

And empower us to know that

         this is not about us,

but an opportunity

   for the furtherance of

   Your love and grace.

May we move forth

  with Your name

         written all over it.

 

Trust

       in the LORD,

   and do good.

Dwell in the land

   and you shall be fed.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you

    the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,

trust in Him,

             and He will act.

                   Psalm 37. 3-5

(How do we approach

                      and navigate

   this difficulty or opportunity?

Trust in God, do good,

delight in the LORD,

commit our way,

trust in Him

             --do those things,

               be that kind of person,

       instead.

We could have done this or that,

    but we chose

            something else.

Because we trust in Him,

how do we live differently

in hardship,

in our relationships,

in what we do and say,

             even in favor?

How does this choice

   change what we pursue,

and thereby alter

        the course of our lives

and those all around us?)

Love you deep and wide.

Praying for you

     as you live before the LORD.

O LORD,

Help us keep our eyes on You,

trust You in our daily choices,

and be faithful to You,

               even in this.

May we dwell in You

   and follow Your way in this.

Empower us

       to not be distracted

by what You do not intend

or by what does not serve You.

What are the implications

    of living differently

    because we love You?

To a thousand

                generations.

 

So the priest shall make

    atonement for him

    for his sin,

and he shall be forgiven.

             Leviticus 4. 26

("And he shall be forgiven"

is repeated nine times

in 32 verses of chapters 4 and 5.

Leviticus is not a book of

   regulations no way we can keep,

but a chronicle of forgiveness.

Not this is what is sin,

    but this is what to do with it.

God invented forgiveness,

      His deepest expression of love,

a scarlet thread of His grace

   that runs throughout the Bible.

Even to us.

Jesus paid it all.  All to Him I owe.

The gospel changes everything.)

O LORD,

We cannot know the height

            nor depths of Your love,

Your grace,

Your forgiveness

           for our own rebellion.

Your love is greater than we can see

               or even imagine,

far deeper than we can understand.

And still You hold out

      Your forgiveness to us,

already paid,

      already atoned for,

ready to cast away our sin,

ready to change our hearts

    and the trajectory of our lives.

 

And he rose

and immediately picked up his bed

and went out

            before them all,

so that they were all amazed

and glorified God, saying,

"We never saw anything like this!"

                              Mark 2. 12

(What are the differences

that others observe in us,

   or we have witnessed in ourselves?

Not that we are perfect,

           or live without difficulties,

but how we respond differently

     with a new heart,

             right where we are.

Our answers,

our approach,

our actions,

and our attitudes are impacted

   by our relationship with Jesus.

The gospel seeps all over

       everything about us.)

O LORD,

You have not promised

        an easy life

        without hardship

             or hard stuff,

but You have promised

    a new life when we walk with You.

We don't just see

           circumstances with new eyes,

but we see You,

others,

and ourselves with a new heart.

May we all stand amazed

    at Your transformation

in all that we do

             and all that we pursue.

Bring Your glory today

       even to this situation before us.

 

...the voice of one

      crying in the wilderness,

"Prepare the way of the Lord,

make His paths straight."

                Mark 1. 3

(Sometimes that is

          what it feels like,

    living it out

    when no one appears

             to see or to care.

But wherever God places us

    is a divine appointment

    to minister for the Lord

          and point others to Him.

What may appear to us

   as a wild and barren wilderness

is the sacred ground

     that God transforms.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize that

    You have strategically positioned

     us right here

          in time and space

     for Your purposes

     and to love others

               into Your kingdom.

No one stands outside

         the power of Your grace.

Multiply and deepen, O LORD,

      the work of our hands.

Enlarge our hearts

   to be faithful to You,

                   even here,

                   even in this.

Bring Your fruit

                    and Your glory to it.

 

He made the basin of bronze

     and its stand of bronze,

from the mirrors

          of the ministering women

who ministered in the entrance

          of the tent of meeting.

                 Exodus 38. 8

(Everyone contributes to the service

         and to the worship

                          for His glory.

Each one of us is strategically placed,

     divinely appointed,

     and equipped for God's purposes

            in both worship and witness,

   sometimes in ways we are unaware,

   sometimes in the unexpected,

         that which unfolds before us,

         even on ordinary days,

              which are never so ordinary.

We are all differently gifted,

          skilled and resourced.

But the most important

               is a willing heart

     and faithfulness to Him.

Can God use this?

    Exactly why He put it

                   in our hands.)

O LORD,

We seek You.

Guide our thoughts,

               prepare our hearts,

     use our gifts and abilities,

            --even our "mirrors"--

     in unexpected ways.

We are here in this place,

    because You want us to be.

Help us to seize opportunities,

      even in the smallest details,

to honor You, bless You

      and bless those around us.

 

Let every skillful craftsman

                 among you

come and make all

that the LORD has commanded.

                  Exodus 35. 10

(Nothing we do is insignificant

       in how we respond to what

       God has

                   placed before us,

not even the smallest detail,

nor what no one recognizes

                   or acknowledges.

      Because He does.

Our work.  Our love for others.

     Even that little selfless effort

     matters for all eternity.

God calls us to be faithful.

God sees that it is good.

God uses us

                for His glory

      right here,

      even in this.)

O LORD,

If we only saw

   Your profound designs,

if we only realized

    Your divine appointments,

if we only trusted You

    in the journey

    and in Your direction,

we would be amazed

           at Your glory in this.

Help us this day

   in whatever You have given us

          not just to do,

          but to be faithful to You.

Cover our every response

          with Your name on it.

Saturate every detail with Your glory

      for Your Kingdom.

You walk us through.

Your Presence lingers still.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

...as he came down

      from the mountain,

Moses did not know

that the skin of his face shone

because he had been

         talking with God.

               Exodus 34. 20

(Spending time with God

in His Word, meditating on it,

and praying with Him,

changes everything about us,

how we love Him,

how we love others,

what we love,

how we respond,

the kind of person we become,

the fragrance we bring,

           the wake we leave behind.

Others may even see

         a shift in our appearance.

Do we recognize

    that we can't afford

                not to pray?)

O LORD,

As we come before You,

please transform our hearts

that we would reflect

     Your love, grace and mercy.

Our time with You

          is precious in our sight

     and in Yours.

Help us to know that praying

    is just the portal

    to abiding with You.

And that changes

         everything about us.

In not praying,

           we miss out

  on far more than we know.

 

Is it not in

     Your going with us,

so that we are distinct,

I and Your people,

from every other people

   on the face of the earth?

           Exodus 33. 16

(Live in such a way

that others can't but know

that we belong to Him.

God is with us.

          We are His.

That should be evident

   not by a nametag,

but how we live,

how we love,

           what we love,

and how we respond.

Would others be surprised

    that we are believers?)

O LORD,

We love You.

We listen to You.

We walk with You.

We are Yours.

    Help us to live that way.

May we be faithful to You today

    in all that we do and say

    and how we respond.

 

You shall keep the Sabbath,

because it is holy for you.

...It is a sign forever

    between Me and the people of Israel

that in six days the LORD

           made heaven and earth,

and on the seventh day

  He rested and was refreshed.

                   Exodus 31. 14, 17

(God designated the Sabbath

   not because He needed it,

but He knows we need it,

not just to rest

    but to acknowledge

    who is our God.

What other god or religion

   gives us a day off from work

                          every week?

How's that for countercultural?

Do others see that

             difference in us?

Do we prepare for it?

Or do we treat Sunday

           like just any other day?)

O LORD,

We are struggling with stress,

     worry, anxiety and work,

because we ignore the Sabbath

         and don't lay aside the time

        not just to worship You,

                but rest in You.

Refresh our hearts

         by Your Presence.

Help us to not just take the time,

      but make the time

      to honor You.

 

Blessed be the LORD,

for He has wondrously shown

    His steadfast love to me

when I was in a besieged city.

I had said in my alarm,

   "I am cut off from Your sight."

But You heard

   the voice of my pleas for mercy

when I cried to You for help.

                 Psalm 32. 21-22

(God does not promise

            our way will be easy,

but "Do not fear.

            I am with you."

Key words in this passage are

      "But You heard."

We do not need even to shout,

   because He is with us.

He is still here,

             even in this.

We may not see Him,

    but He sees us.

Trust Me in this.

We don't always realize His hand,

nor see His fruit,

nor grasp the immensity of His glory.)

O LORD,

We need not to drum up

         our own courage and strength,

    but rely on Yours.

You give us what we need

   to navigate differently,

   to approach another way,

   to persevere in hard places,

and to walk with You

          even in the unexpected.

Bring Your glory to it.

Align our hearts with Yours.

 

You shall make

    a plate of pure gold

and engrave on it,

like the engraving of a signet,

        "Holy to the LORD."

                  Exodus 28. 36

(Whatever we do today,

      both small and great,

what is recognized

         and what no one notices,

   we can worship the LORD in it.

Engrave the name of the LORD

   on our work, words, hearts,

        for His glory alone.

All is holy to Him.

We have no idea what

          is profoundly significant

    or how God decides to use it.

But He always chooses

       faithfulness to Him.

Faithfulness has His name

                all over it.)

O LORD,

May our work today

be as pure gold

    with Your name engraved

           in beautiful letters.

We worship You

         in all we do.

Bring Your glory to it.

Help us to be faithful

  and know that

  there aren't any ordinary days,

            nor ordinary work,

just what is ordained by You.

 

His master said to him,

"Well done,

      good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful

              over a little.

I will set you over much.

Enter into the joy

               of the master."

           Matthew 25. 21

(We largely miss the point

              of this passage.

It means nothing at all

about achievements and success

     and "doing great things for God."

But all about trusting God

and loving Him with all one's heart

     and soul and mind and strength.

That's what faithfulness does.

Faithfulness does not differentiate

       between great and small,

       nor assign significance

          to one and not the other.

But being faithful to God embraces

   whatever He places in our hands.

Not for accomplishment

                  but joyful for His glory.

Even in what is

      before us today,

there is nothing but nothing

           God does not redeem.)

O LORD,

We are all given much

              by Your hand

       and in Your sight.

Open our hearts

    that we may see

    how to bring Your name to this

    and open the gates

                   to Your glory.

Help us to realize

    Your kingdom and purposes

are woven into

   even what we see as minor details,

      which are never too small.

May we be faithful to You, O God,

     in the ordinary and the extraordinary.

One and the same.

 

I will fulfill

the number of your days.

           Exodus 23. 20

(When our hearts are set

      on serving the LORD,

nothing is random,

and there is nothing that cannot

            bring Him glory.

There is no great and small.

Every word,

        every action,

every seemingly insignificant kindness,

God uses fully

    to bring His name to this

    and build His kingdom,

even in ways we are

          totally unaware.

God does not just fill our days.

              He fulfills them.

And we do not walk alone.)

O LORD,

Help us to approach this new day

       and this coming week,

knowing that

      You are completing every minute.

We can trust You

    in whatever You place before us.

O LORD,

    help us to be faithful to You,

realizing that You bring

    Your extraordinary

    into our ordinary.

Help us to know that

           finishing well

comes in many unexpected ways,

and most often,

   far beyond what we can see.

You are guiding us.

We are not alone.

You prepare our way

             and us.

 

Ascribe to the LORD

the glory due His name;

worship the LORD

    in the splendor of holiness.

               Psalm 29. 2

(Recognizing,

acknowledging,

proclaiming to others

     the Presence of God,

not just in what He does,

    but who He is.

No detail of His goodness,

no revealing of His strength,

no appointment

              too small.

Do we take the glory

    that is rightfully His?)

O LORD,

May we engrave Your glory

   into our words and

   point others to You.

You have strategically appointed us

    to bring the name of Jesus there.

Spread Your glory in this place

     in ways that cannot be

                    explained away.

May we worship You

         in our words.

 

Blessed be the LORD!

For He has heard the voice

    of my pleas for mercy.

The LORD is my strength

                 and my shield.

In Him my heart trusts,

     and I am helped.

My heart exults

and with my song

   I give thanks to Him.

                  Psalm 28. 6-7

(When we seek God

           and trust Him

   in whatever circumstances,

God guides our hearts to Him.

The situation may or may not change,

but the LORD changes us

    and radically alters our trajectory.

Different destination, different journey,

    a new heart

    and fresh strength from Him.

Trust Me in this.

God knows what He is doing.

                   Imagine that.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

You are good.

Help us to trust You

   in Your goodness

   and Your faithfulness.

You are bringing about

               Your glory in this.

Walking with You,

         holding Your hand,

   changes the course of our lives.

Even right where we are today.

Be blessed, O LORD,

          in whatever we do.

And may we be a blessing

   to all those around us.

 

The greatest among you

      shall be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself

      will be humbled,

and whoever humbles himself

      will be exalted.

                 Matthew 23. 11-12

(God turns the world

      right-side up.

How do we approach

       this difficult situation?

Just be faithful to God in it.

God sees

      not just what we are doing,

      but His grander narrative.

Trust in the slow work of God.

God always redeems the humble

    --those not thinking

                     less of themselves,

       but thinking less about themselves.

Just do the work.  And love others.

God takes care of bringing

         His glory to it.)

O LORD,

Help us to walk with You

    wherever we find ourselves today

    and in whatever we do and say.

May we approach the needs around us

          with a joyful heart,

          not just ready and willing to serve,

                        but get right to work.

No fanfare needed.

Be exalted, O God,

    even in what we think is hidden.

Let others see You.

 

...but the people of Israel

       walked on dry ground

in the midst of the sea.

              Exodus 15. 19

(God provides a different path

    through the impossible

          --when we trust Him in it.

Walking with God

   means walking with a new heart

        and a strength not our own.

We can walk differently

            in both the every days

            and in the crisis.

We can approach what is before us

        and see it with fresh eyes,

as an adventure,

as an exploration,

as a way of bringing His name

           and glory to this place.

Because we trust in Him,

    we are not afraid

                of getting our feet wet,

    even in what is difficult,

even in what is familiar.)

O LORD,

You guide us,

You provide for us,

even in impossible situations.

You anoint and appoint.

All of our encounters

           are divine,

maybe especially those

   that don't look that way.

Our feet are on sacred ground.

You take our hearts

           to a new place

   by a new route,

or by seeing this one differently.

May we glorify Your name

   wherever we are today

   and whatever we are doing.

 

 

When Pharoah let the people go,

God did not lead them by the way

of the land of the Philistines,

          although that was near...

But God led the people

around by the way

      of the wilderness

      toward the Red Sea.

                 Exodus 13. 17-18

(God guides us in unexpected ways

        and unlikely places.

But the unknown

            and the wilderness

are neither random nor barren,

but a place of His Presence

  so that we would know Him more.

Why am I here?

    "Because I wanted you to be."

God has something up His sleeve

    that we cannot yet see.)

O LORD,

Not sure of what we are doing

     or why we are here,

but You say to us,

   "Trust Me in this,

     follow Me through this,

    and watch what I am doing."

We have only to be faithful.

We know that we are in Your hands,

     and that You are

                 unfolding Your glory.