Leaving An Inheritance

 

...the spears and shields

that had been King David's.

               2 Kings 11. 10

(Holding on tight to the

   valued things of the LORD

and filling the storehouses

of our souls with His strength,

     wisdom and grace

to provide and protect those

    who come after us.

His Word, witness and withness

comprise an unfailing inheritance

    for the well-being of ourselves

    and good news for others 

    who we may not even know.

What we do every day spiritually,

what we pursue and invest,

how God changes our hearts

  have a direct influence

             on this generation

       and the next.)

O LORD,

You have provided for us

     tools in our toolbox

to both use and pass on.

Empower us to take hold

    and grasp in our hands

how wide and long

and high and deep

    is Your love for us.

Help us to know

   and to show others

how to use

    spears of incredible grace

    and shields of mercy

for Your sake,

for Your Kingdom,

in Your name.

            Even today.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Where is God?

 

Yet He is actually not far

  from any of us,

for in Him we live

and move

and have our being.

             Acts 17. 27-28

(Where is God in this?

Right here with us

   as He has always been,

in storm and calm,

in turmoil and peace.

God reveals Himself

        all around us.

We need not earn His favor.

No one stands

           beyond His grace.

We do not walk alone.

He gives His strength

     to endure hardship

and to bring blessing

in the most unexpected places

and His name 

     to the desperate)

O LORD,

We awake in the morning

   and You are still here.

We find ourselves

     in troubled situations

    and You walk with us.

You are not far.

       You are right here.

You change our vision

   that we can see You

   and follow You

                in all things.

In You, we live and breathe

   and have our being.

Run for Your Lives!

 

Then open the door

             and flee.

Do not linger.

            2 Kings 9. 3

(Sometimes God says go.

Sometimes He says

   stay right where we are.

Sometimes to flee for our lives.

May we learn to respond to God

   when the stakes seem low

   and when our choices

         don't seem to matter.

Because then we know

  how to obey

  when it does matter.

And most often,

we don't know the difference.

Obedience even in

     the smallest details

reverberates for generations.

What only looks like

a tiny response may save our lives

      or someone else.

There are no small obediences.)

O LORD,

Sharpen our hearing

      to Your voice,

guide our eyes,

shape our thoughts

as we move in this day,

  that we would

  follow You into it.

Direct our thoughts

and strengthen our response

     to Your leading.

Align our hearts to Yours.

Help us to know

   that it all matters.

  

What Lingers Here

 

Yet He did not leave Himself

       without a witness....

            Acts 14. 17

(What lingers?

We wonder why we are

     in this barren place.

But we have not

     been abandoned,

  nor taken a wrong turn.

God has strategically

  positioned and appointed us

  here in time and eternity,

  geographically and spiritually,

among those we know

        and even strangers

to bring the name of Jesus here

in word and deed

          and even attitude.

The witness He has left

        is us.

We are not just stuck here.

We are His faithful witnesses.)

O LORD,

Please help us

to fulfill Your purposes

in being faithful witnesses

in the most unlikely places

and unusual situations

and unexpected relationships.

Grant to us the courage

   to speak of You.

Empower us to stay

and provide Your words to say.

Open our eyes

that we may be aware,

not of dilemmas,

but divine opportunities

  to point others to You.

Out of What Looks Like Nothing

 

And Elisha said to her,

"What shall I do for you?

Tell me, what have you

              in the house?"

And she said,

"Your servant has nothing

   in the house

except a jar of oil."

           2 Kings 4. 2

(We tend to play If only I had....

   when God has already provided.

We see our lack.

And what can God do with that?

When we offer what we do have

to the LORD

  --our talent, treasure, time

     and our hearts--

  God multiplies exponentially

  and redeems in ways

      far beyond our imagination.

We focus on what we do not have

          --the gaps--

but God enlarges, multiplies,

provides in unexpected ways,

takes what we do have

and even what we don't realize

              we have,

and creates something

more than enough

   out of what looks like nothing.

What is my little jar of oil?)

O LORD,

Please help us to see You

and others

and ourselves

and these circumstances

   with a refreshed heart.

Empower us to know

   what we do have.

And that is a relationship with You.

Please take this little jar of oil

    --whatever that may be today--

and bring Your glory to it.

Help us to follow You into it.

And to be faithful.

           No matter what.

Overcoming the Overwhelming

 

Then Elisha took his cloak

and rolled it up

and struck the water,

and the water was parted

  to one side and to the other,

till the two of them could

      go over on dry ground.

               2 Kings 2. 8

(How can we approach and navigate

   these impossible passages,

   difficult situations,

   and places with no way through?

Like any other

we have practiced in the ordinary:

     bring it before the LORD,

listen, watch, wait

   for what God does with it

   and how He guides us through.

Not just that others will see

      that He is the LORD,

not just that we will know it too,

    but for His glory all over it.

God reveals Himself

        in one way

        or a million details.

Sometimes He brings

                   dry ground,

sometimes the strength

         to swim.)

O LORD,

We pray that You will

   overcome

what overwhelms us.

Reveal to us

     Your way in this,

     Your way through,

     Your strength

not just to endure,

but to bring Your glory here.

Open our eyes

      to see in the dark,

give us courage

      to wade in the deep,

align our hearts

            with Yours.

Strength for the Journey

 

On the day I called,

You answered me;

my strength of soul

     You increased.

          Psalm 138. 3

(God never intended for us

     to do this life alone.

Even while we are praying,

even in the act of prayer,

God enlarges His strength

           in us.

It is not that we let Him

      into our need,

but He invites us

   into His care and strength,

always and already there,

       embracing us.

We need not face this situation

   or endure this journey

                   on our own.

His Presence, His strength,

   His wisdom in this

changes everything

not just for us

      but for generations.

When we call on the LORD,

      inquiring of Him first,

God orders our days,

reorders our thoughts

            and affections,

changes our appetites,

and guides us in the ordinary

      and the unexpected.)

 

O LORD,

May our first response be

   to call on You

to lead us through the miry bog

  or guide us in the favorable.

Strengthen our souls

   not just for the journey,

but that we would know how

   to strengthen others

and point them to You.

Guide our thoughts

  even while we are praying.

You are doing a work

       in us and through us

that we cannot even imagine.

It is not our strength

            but Yours.

Forecast: A Little Cloudy

 

And he said to his servant,

"Go up now,

      look toward the sea."

And he went up and looked

and said, "There is nothing."

And he said, "Go again,"

                seven times.

And at the seventh time he said,

"Behold, a little cloud

like a man's hand

        is rising from the sea."

                1 Kings 18. 43-44

(Perseverance in prayer

does not change God

              or the outcome,

but in the process,

   through the act of praying,

           God changes us.

We see differently

We respond differently.

We learn to trust Him more.

If we didn't pray,

would we even see

            that little cloud

    of God's redeeming?)

O LORD,

You grant to us

    little clouds of hope

    and encouragement,

even in the midst of drought,

even seven times

            or seventy,

    before we see anything.

Please help us

   to keep our eyes on You

in abundance or in need,

clear skies or dark clouds,

knowing that

        You are with us.

May we not look for an answer,

      but seek You.

Even in this,

even in what we don't understand,

   You give us Your strength

   to endure.

Enlarge our vision

              and our hearts

that we may serve You,

as a witness to others

    and a delight to You today.

May others wonder

  at Your joy and hope in us.

Never Just For Someone Else

 

Answer me, O LORD,

answer me,

that this people may know

that You, O LORD,

             are God...

         1 Kings 18. 37

(In prayer, are we seeking

      a particular answer,

or are we seeking God

     in this situation?

What God unfolds

may not just be that

     others can see

     that He is God,

but we also know Him

    and trust Him more.

God's purposes

    are never singular

and never just

    for someone else.)

O LORD,

We come before You

  with our requests,

  and cries in the night,

  and our hearts.

Not that You would enter

   these circumstances,

but that we would recognize

   and witness

   that You are already here,

already working out

        Your sacred designs.

It's not about "answered prayer,"

but that Your glory

   gets all over everyone

and draws each one

  right into Your arms.

Not Just a Pile of Rocks

 

...and with the stones

he built an altar

in the name of the LORD.

         1 Kings 18. 32

(With whatever is before us

this day in these circumstances,

and with what we have,

     we can worship God.

Worship is not limited

  to a certain building or time,

but extends to all we do,

how we do it,

building an altar with it,

even with what appears only

as scattered rocks

     in a barren field.

Worshipping God in any form

   is never insignificant.

We have no idea

the eternal fruit

       He brings to it.)

O LORD,

We come before You

  to worship You

with all we are surrounded

and what lies before us,

  even the rocks by our feet.

Be blessed and honored,

                  O God.

Please help us to be faithful

   even in what doesn't seem

               to matter much.

Bring Your fruitfulness to it.

Help us to write Your name

           all over it.

Because it is all profound

  and pleasing and eternal

  in Your sight.

Because God Put You on My Path

 

....for I have sent them.

             Acts 10. 20

(There are no random encounters,

     only divinely appointed ones.

Have we considered that

  God arranged these people

                on our paths

    --for a moment or a lifetime?

We may not realize

God's purposes in this situation

--why they are here

                 or we are --

but we can be faithful to Him.)

O LORD,

Please help us to pay attention

  and give great intention

  to our interactions with others.

We cannot know how You

   will turn these circumstances

        into opportunities

   to point someone to You.

You place many people on our paths.

   Help us to love them to You

and bring the name of Jesus here.

A Different Kind of Worship

 

...because in him

there was found something

pleasing to the LORD.

           1 Kings 14. 13

(May something be found

in us today

       pleasing to the LORD

--not just in what we do,

     or how we do it, or why,

but in our character, demeanor,

responses, attitude, fortitude,

kindness and grace,

forgiveness in the unexpected,

and to Whom we stake our lives.

Those choices emerge daily

   --what is pleasing to me

or pleasing to Him in this situation.

In all that we do and are  

    is an act of worship.

Our relationship with God is showing.)

O LORD,

As we abide in You,

we pray that You change

    the situation before us

  by changing our hearts.

Please help us

   to know how to respond

with a different heart

     to both the ordinary

     and the unanticipated.

May the works of our hands,

    our thoughts,

    even on what we dwell,

be a gift of joy to You.

No Kindness is Ever Random

 

If you will be  a servant

   to this people today

and serve them,

and speak good words to them

   when you answer them,

then they will be

   your servants forever.

                1 Kings 12. 7

(We may not know what to do

     or how to handle a situation,

but we can always be kind.

How we respond

             --instead of react--

   always changes the outcome.

Unexpected kindness and grace

  nurtures the relationship

  far more than we can comprehend.

Words are non-returnable.

               Choose carefully.)

O LORD,

Please place a gate over our lips

   that only kind words

   can get through.

Help us to bring Your grace

   and peace and kindness

to volatile situations

and everyday encounters

with those we know,

 strangers, and even those

     who stand against us.

May Your love prevail,

soak our very words,

and change our hearts in this.

Unfolding the Eternal

 

...for this thing

       is from Me.

           1 Kings 12. 24

(How differently

    would we think about,

consider, approach,

or navigate this situation,

decision, dilemma, relationship,

            even this irritation,

  if we knew it was from God?

Awareness of His Presence

           changes everything.

Not just what is God doing,

   but what is He forming in me?

It is not a matter of if,

   but how God is at work,

not just in this situation

                but in us.

God's designs are

     always multi-dimensional,

way beyond our grasp

                and pay-grade.

But we can be well-assured

   God redeems the unexpected,

   unlikely, and unexplainable.

Ask, listen and wait.

God is already revealing Himself.)

O LORD,

Make us aware today

   not just of Your Presence,

but that Your purposes

   are woven all around us.

There is nothing random here.

Grant to us the wisdom

   to walk into,

   or to walk away from,

but always to walk with You.

Help us to trust You in this.

And abide in You

      right through the midst.

As a believer and a witness,

   whether we understand or not,

You are unfolding the eternal.

No Explanation Needed

 

Now an angel of the Lord

         said to Philip,

"Rise and go toward the south

   to the road that goes down

   from Jerusalem to Gaza."

This is a desert place.

And he rose and went.

              Acts 8. 26-27

(You want me to go where?

   You want me to do what?

Obedience to God

   does not require Him

   to explain to us

   the immediate

            or the eternal.

When we respond to Him,

God's purposes may not

  even be revealed then,

but are already set into motion.

"Trust Me in this"

   is the lifeblood of the faithful.

In this biblical situation,

   as in our own,

       God's timing is precise.

Delayed obedience

  is the same as

  disobedience.)

O LORD,

Please help as we listen

        for You and to You

that we will be ready to roll

     at Your call.

Enlarge our hearts

that we may not question

   a desert place

   or fertile soil.

It is all sacred ground to You.

And Your purposes

   reach far deeper than

   we can ever imagine.

Empower us

    to rise and run

    at Your word.

Top of the Page

...for the name of the LORD,

   the God of Israel.

              1 Kings 8. 17

(What we do for His holy name.

What we do in His holy name.

May we write in indelible ink

    His name at the top of the page,

    the start of the day,

    the beginning of something

       and what God brings about.

His name and His glory

   changes the journey, the outcome,

   and our hearts in this.

When His name is inscribed over it.

   nothing can remain the same.

What is different when we pray first?

When we commit to Him

this time, place, work, 

            and even this dilemma?

Everything.)

O LORD,

We come before You

          for Your holy name

    and in Your holy name

that You would bring Your glory

   to whatever we do.

Write Your Name all over it.

Please help us

  to not just be mindful of You

in this day opening up

  but bear the mind of Christ,

no matter what is

          on our path,

     or in our hands.

This is a day that You have made.

May we rejoice

             with You in it.

We are so grateful

  that we can spend it with You.

 

Not Have To, But I Get To

 

Its thickness

   was a handbreadth,

and its brim was made

like the brim of a cup,

like the flower of a lily.

          1 Kings 7. 26

(Not just doing the work

         before us,

but going that extra mile,

adding something more to it

-- the "I didn't have to,"

    but "I get to" details.

Pursuing that little bit more

   to bring order out of chaos,

   and beauty to the practical.

Not just doing a job,

     but bringing glory to God,

   in which there is

                no ordinary work.

Not just getting it done,

  but putting our heart in it.

Not just filling a crack,

  but transforming the broken.)

O LORD,

You place opportunities before us

       every day to bring You glory.

Help us to see

        not just tasks to complete,

    but as a way to worship You.

Empower us to bring beauty

          and Your strength to it

   to encourage others

   and point them to You.

Even if no one seems to notice

    our extra efforts,

You redeem in some way

        or a million.

Oh, The Places We'll Go

 

And the patriarchs,

     jealous of Joseph,

sold him into Egypt,

but God was with him

and rescued him out of

        all his afflictions

and gave him favor

and wisdom before Pharoah...

              Acts 7. 9-10

(Oh, the places we'll go,

so far beyond our understanding,

   but so deep in God's designs.

We are continually in training

   for ministry and for God's glory.

God redeems,

   even what we think is

                  irredeemable.

We can trust Him

    forward and backward.

God is bringing about

  something not just new

              but eternal.

He is with us, even in this.)

O LORD,

We trust You in the present tense,

    past tense and future.

That You are with us

  is not just our hope,

         but our strength.

Nothing random in this,

    but only eternal.

Please help us to be faithful

  even when we cannot

                   yet see

how You are using this

                for Your glory.

No Matter the Task

 

Therefore, brothers,

pick out from among you

seven men of good repute,

full of the Spirit and wisdom,

whom we will appoint

                to this duty.

               Acts 6. 3

(Anointed and appointed

      to serve tables,

because all acts of ministry

  are not divided between

           great and small.

Qualified not by skill,

    but by our hearts.

When we are serving others

    --no matter the dimension--

    we are not just serving God,

    but we are worshiping Him.

It is not for us to designate

  what is significant or not.

We should not recognize

         any difference at all.

What has God placed before us

to be faithful and worship Him

   in what we do today

      and how we do it?)

O LORD,

We pray that You will reveal

  not just what to do today,

but that You reveal Yourself

     in how we serve You.

Please bless, multiply, enlarge,

   our work and worship.

Bear fruit through

    our faithfulness to You.

Even in this task today,

    Your glory upon it.

See Something, Say Something

 

...for we cannot but speak

of what we have seen and heard.

                 Acts 4. 20

(God has not just given us

   stories of His faithfulness,

but has anointed and appointed

   us to speak and share,

not just what happened,

but what has happened in us.

We talk about so many things,

   "I can't wait to tell you about..."

but do we speak of Him

          as freely?

We are appointed

             for this very moment

   to be a witness

with those who know Him

    and those who don't yet.

When we see something,

   we need to say something,

and that would be about Him.)

O LORD,

May our relationship with You

be so evident

    in what we do and say.

May we share our faith

   naturally in every opportunity,

 even when we don't realize it,

 even when we do.

Enlarge our vision,

       our vocabulary,

    and our hearts

that we may point others to You.

Help us this day

  to seize every moment

to tell the chronicle

   of Your great faithfulness,

Your Presence,

Your love and grace.

Someone, maybe very unlikely,

    can't wait to hear.

The Stickiness of Words

 

Gracious words are

        like honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul

and health to the body.

           Proverbs 16. 24

(Gracious words do not just

   suddenly appear

   in our vocabulary,

but thrive in the work of our hearts.

Like a honeycomb,

  nectar is gathered and prepared,

intentional in producing

   what is sweet and healing.

Gracious words

  are not a pretense to "be nice,"

  but intentional in well-being.

Even one gracious word

        in unlikely circumstances,

   surprises everyone

   with an unexpected gift.

And prepares our hearts

    to be ready for the next hard situation.

Gracious words are

        appropriate for all occasions,

  neither earned or deserved,

but always what heals and strengthens.

Practice grace in this.

A friend told a story about a young man

   who had really messed up.

He dreaded his mom's wrath.

And when she responded unexpectedly

           with gracious words,

   it changed not just his behavior,

                  but his heart.

Gracious words are in it

          for the long game.)

O LORD,

As You have extended 

      so much grace to us,

empower us with the words

  to cover this situation with 

               Your grace.

Help us to be sensitive

and aware of opportunities

to practice grace in this.

Change our hearts

   and our intentions

to bring Your sweetness

  with buckets full of gracious words.

For This Appointed Moment

And when Peter saw it

he addressed the people...

              Acts 3. 12

(May we be aware and

       seize every opportunity

to share our faith,

speak of the gospel,

   and point others to Jesus.

We can never know

          who is listening.

We can never realize

          who will respond.

When we are faithful in sharing,

    God is fruitful

    in the lives of those around us.

We have been strategically

    appointed in time and place

to bring the name of Jesus

       right here in this moment.

God brings His glory

    even in unlikely situations.)

O LORD,

We pray not just for the words

       or for the courage to speak,

but for awareness

             of the opportunity

 to love other people

       right to You.

May Your presence and grace

     fill our hearts

that we may be faithful

  in all we do and say today

in loving others right to You.

 

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat

 

And the LORD brought about

a great victory that day......

                 2 Samuel 23. 10

(God does not just show up

            in our hard places,

     impossible situations, and

     overwhelming circumstances.

He is already here,

              ready and waiting,

   for us to trust Him,

   turn to Him, pray with Him,

   serve, follow Him,

and worship Him even in this.

We have just to be faithful,

           listen and respond.

His victories are more powerful

             than we are aware.

And in what appears as defeat,

            even in that God redeems.

Whether the thrill of victory,

              or the agony of defeat,

    God enlarges His reach,

    and God multiplies His glory.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize that

   You don't need our successes

    for You to be glorified.

We can trust that You

        are already bringing

        Your victory to this

   in ways we cannot yet see.

Help us to be faithful

    in following You.

And to know that

   Your outcomes are never singular.

And the Next Step Will Emerge

 

You gave a wide place

      for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

           2 Samuel 22. 37

(God does not promise

that there will be no scary places,

              brokenness,

              sheer cliffs,

              or sink holes,

not even that He will bring us through.

But He does promise

    that He is right here with us.

If things were easy,

         would we even pray?

Think of fear as a trigger

    to trust Him even more.

And indeed, we should be afraid,

   to try to do this life

              without God.

Trust Him in one step

  and the next step will emerge.)

O LORD,

We come to You in the every days.

We cling to You

           in the frightening places.

Be our vision.

Order Your way for us.

Show us Your path through

   or just the next action.

Help us to trust You,

  even when we can't see the outcome.

We follow Your footsteps into this,

  knowing You may be leading us

             in a new direction,

   or firmly planting us here.

Whatever or wherever that may be,

You bring Your glory to it.

A Different Path in the Chaos

 

I am one of those

who are peaceable

    and faithful in Israel.

          2 Samuel 20. 19

(Those who are peaceable

   seek out a different way

   through the hard stuff.

They carry an olive branch

   and bandages,

       instead of ammunition.

Those who are faithful

   are in it for the long haul.

They do not react,

            but respond,

  not taking a passive stance,

      but an unexpected one,

seizing opportunities

  to make things right,

  to forgive even when it hurts,

  to reconcile and restore.

God has strategically placed

        each one of us

to bring His name,

    His love and grace

right where we are.

        Even in this.)

O LORD,

May we be known

not just as being peaceable

          and faithful to You,

but known as Yours.

Please help us

   to see something different

   in the chaos

and to walk towards Your light.

Fill us with Your peace

   that we would be able

   to bring it freely to others.

Grant to us the courage

   to point others to You,

to bring peace

even to those against us.

Help us to know

   You do not just change a situation,

but You change the world,

one act of faithfulness at a time.

What We Bring, What We Leave Behind

 

...and you will be My witnesses

in Jerusalem

and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the end of the earth.

                   Acts 1. 8

(Whether in common spaces

    or the unfamiliar,

wherever God guides

     or places us today,

whatever odd location,

impossible situation,

crisis,

among those who know Him

               or don't,

God has appointed us

to bring the name of Jesus there

   and live out the good news

   of the gospel.

Even in

   the most unlikely circumstances,

   our hearts are evident.

We can be a witness there.

Others are desperately watching,

not to see if we are perfect,

but to know that God is real.

  And that He has changed us.)

O LORD,

Please help us to be aware

that the one thing we can bring

      or leave behind today

   is to be a witness

   of Your love and grace.

Open our eyes

   to the opportunities

   all around us.

Enlarge our hearts

   to embrace the hard stuff.

Assure us of Your Presence.

We bear witness

       and point others to You,

   but You do the heavy lifting

of changing hearts.

And God Enlarges Our Hearts Instead

 

And the king said to Shimei,

"You shall not die."

              2 Samuel 19. 23

(No matter how we are treated,

may God grant to us

the measure, margin,

   mindset and courage

to respond with acts

     and attitudes of grace.

Grace does not ignore the hurt,

but covers it with healing,

infiltrates it with forgiveness,

and enlarges our hearts instead.

How can we navigate

    our volatile relationships?

    (We all have them.)

Jesus always shows

     another way through it

with eternal reverberations.)

O LORD,

Help us to love and extend grace

    to the difficult people.

        Of which we are too,

   and You loved us anyway.

Pour Your grace and healing

     over these hard situations

     and strained relationships

that we may think and act

     with Your radical

     and unexpected love

          and the mind of Christ.

Do something extraordinary with it.

People are always watching us

   to see if You have really changed us.

May we see these circumstances

   as a way to practice grace.

If I Knew You Were Here

 

Having said this,

she turned around

  and saw Jesus standing,

but she did not know

  that it was Jesus.

            John 20. 14

(How often we do not recognize

     Jesus in our midst

in the most unlikely

          and unexpected places.

His Presence and His abiding

  change everything about

  the situation and our reaction.

Because of His Presence,

     we see it differently.

We respond differently.

We would not be afraid,

   if we knew He is here.

God does not just show up.

   He is already before us.)

O LORD,

Help us to see You

   in every dimension around us.

Help us to know

       that You are right here.

Empower us to be able

  to recognize not just Your Presence

  but to walk with You

          even through the impossible.

We may not understand,

   but the unknown to us

   is not unknown to You.

Please show us how

   to abide with You in this situation,

to approach and navigate differently

      because You guide and provide

   and have an unbreakable hold on us.

And to be a strong witness to others

         that You are undeniably real.

The Ultimate Win-Win Situation

 

And God gave victory to David

wherever he went.

               2 Samuel 8.6

(This verse is not about

      winning or losing,

      success or failure.

But when we are faithful

          in following God,

something very different unfolds

     wherever we go

     and in whatever we do.

The Hebrew word successful

    means to make wide and spacious,

    make sufficient, defend.

God enlarges the situation

      with His steadfast love.

He changes us.

What is eternally more at stake

   than a winning score

   is that we know He is God,

              and we are not.

His glory comes in all shapes,

     sizes and appearances.

By much and by little,

     God reveals His Presence.

Not by our own skill and greatness,

              but in His.)

O LORD,

As we go into this day,

please help us to focus

     differently on You,

 not seeing this situation as a win or lose,

     but a conversation 

     and opportunity to be faithful to You.

May we bring Your grace

          and healing here.

Being faithful, obedient,

   and responding to You

always changes the outcome.

Please help us to love others

   right into Your embrace.

You bring Your impossible victory,

   even to our hearts.

And that is always a win.

     

    

Homesick for What Can Be

 

How can a young man

     keep his way pure?

By guarding it

  according to Your Word...

I have stored up Your Word

          in my heart,

that I might not sin 

               against You.

            Psalm 119. 9, 11

(It is beyond any of us

   to live a fully moral life.

God's Word is not just

     a protective shield

               over our hearts.

God's Word changes our hearts.

Daily reading, listening, responding,

   alters our appetites,

   adjusts our affections,

   reorders our thoughts,

   heals, provides, nourishes,

rearranges the course of our day

     and the trajectory of our lives.

Are we intentionally storing up

    God's Word in our hearts?

It does not remain there void.

It cannot help but

       infiltrate every part of us:

how we respond to God,

see circumstances,

approach difficulties,

treat others,

and show the world

   a different way to live.

Make others homesick

        for what can be.)

O LORD,

Grant to us a desire for Your Word.

As we open Your scriptures,

   enlarge our hearts and souls.

We cannot understand it all,

    but we can understand something.

Provide to us a take-away verse,

      or passage, or even a word,

   to strengthen us through this day.

Infiltrate, invade, infect our hearts

   with Your life-changing Word.

Fill us with desire

          not just to read it,

but to live it outloud.

Help us today

   to do something different

  and unexpected

            as a result.