Sometimes Even Bushwhacking

 

And your ears shall hear

   a word behind you, saying,

"This is the way,

           walk in it,"

when you turn to the right

or when you turn to the left.

                Isaiah 30.21

(God directs us.

God guides and provides.

But are we listening?

Are we aware of

     His way in this?

Listening for His voice,

listening to His voice,

and responding

             to His nudges

when it doesn't seem to matter

  that we may be prepared,

sensitive, awake, quick to trust,

               when it really does.

Have I even considered

  laying this situation before Him?

Have I even considered

  His way in this?

Not always the obvious path,

sometimes even bushwhacking,

but God directs our steps

   when we follow Him.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just hear Your voice,

but listen, trust

         and respond.

Guide us into our day.

Guide us in Your way.

Direct our steps

     even in the unexpected

and what we can't understand.

Keep us from being distracted

  from where You are taking us

  and on this path today.

Dwell Instead On This

 

Trust in Him

        at all times, O people.

Pour out your heart

             before Him.

God is a refuge for us.

            Psalm 62. 8

(Trust means

   to set one's hope upon,

to make secure,

to fear nothing for oneself.

God is on Whom

   we can stake our lives,

   on Whom

      we can stake this day.

Not to dwell on

   what is swirling around us,

but to dwell in Him.

A refuge in God

is not just a storm shelter,

not a place to hide,

      but a place to abide

and be strengthened

             to go forth.

He is always listening.

He walks with us.

He abides with us.

Direct it to Me.)

O LORD,

May we come not just

      before You,

but abide in You,

whether in blue skies

  or tumultuous storms.

Help us to pour out

   our concerns and fears

       and hearts before You.

And not to dwell on these things,

    but dwell on You.

Grant to us

   as we go into this day

Your strength, courage,

   wisdom and grace,

knowing You go with us.

Changing the Landscape

 

In days to come

Jacob shall take root,

Israel shall blossom

   and put forth shoots

and fill the whole world

          with fruit.

          Isaiah 27. 6

(What to do today?

Fill every square inch,

every corner, every crevice,

   every narrow squeak,

every patch of ground

         with fruit.

What can we bring

             to the table?

Whole baskets of blessings

       in unexpected places.

And sometimes unpacking

   something new

               in the familiar.)

O LORD,

We are not just here

            for a reason.

You have strategically

    placed us in this situation

    for Your glory,

cultivating, nourishing,

   pulling weeds, sowing seeds,

and planting orchards

        of fruit trees

which transform the landscape

  far beyond our lifetimes.

We may not be able

to alter circumstances,

but we can be faithful

  and let God

  bear the fruit in it.

We Cannot Help But Be Changed

 

I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live,

  but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now

         live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me

and gave Himself for me.

                Galatians 2. 20

(Because we no longer walk alone,

our lives are changed,

   every day,

         including this one,

in how we approach, navigate,

   go into the day differently.

God provides not just 

a new way of thinking about it,

    but a new heart in it.

But Christ who lives in me

       is livestreamed

  with His strength and grace.

How is that played out today

in every moment,

every response,

every interaction?

This day cannot help

      but be different.

We cannot help

      but be changed.)

O LORD,

Transform our hearts

   by Your Presence

with us and in us.

Help us to not just

        do differently,

  but be new,

in the familiar,

in the unexpected,

even as a witness to others

   that You live in us.

Life cannot remain

            the same.

A New Way to Handle This

 

...a blessing

   in the midst of the earth.

           Isaiah 19. 24

(Right here, right now,

in the most unlikely situations

   and unexpected moments,

wherever, whenever,

          among whomever,

God has placed each of us

      here strategically

to do something different

   and to be a blessing.

This is how to approach

   these circumstances.

This is how to navigate

   this troubled path.

Bring the light of Jesus here.

We either see the trouble

    or the opportunity.)

O LORD,

Use us by Your great power

   to be a blessing to others

in awkward, uncomfortable,

   and strange places

          and relationships.

Transform this moment

into one that reverberates

with Your surprising wonders.

And in the process,

  may we bless You.

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God Written All Over It

 

In that day

  man will look to his Maker,

and his eyes will look

     on the Holy One of Israel.

He will not look to the altars,

the work of his hands

and he will not look on what

  his own fingers have made,

either the Asherim

or the altars of incense.

            Isaiah 17. 7-8

(For what we do

       is not our god,

but how we worship

       the Almighty.

In this opportunity,

the place where God

   chooses to put His name,

may our work be imprinted

      with His glory.

In all that we undertake,

  are we serving Jesus

  or worshiping ourselves in this?

On whom we point the spotlight

  impacts how we do our work.)

O LORD,

May we look to You

   in all we do today

to bring You glory and honor.

There is nothing insignificant,

   no superfluous details,

   nothing You cannot use

            in profound ways.

May we approach our work

            differently

with fresh hearts,

  renewed vision,

  and extraordinary strength,

because we follow You

   into what You place before us.

Please bear Your fruit

     in all we do today.

The Middle of the Story

 

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who

  fulfills His purpose for me.

              Psalm 57. 2

(We may not understand

   what is going on around us,

but when we call out to God,

  He brings new strength

  and helps us see

         and respond differently.

God is accomplishing more

  than we can ever imagine.

We cannot yet

    see the completion

because we abide in

        the middle of the story,

  whether what appears mundane

  or the most exciting parts,

      neither is insignificant.

We can trust God Almighty.

And be faithful to Him

  even in the every days.

There are no superfluous details,

no random encounters,

  only divine appointments.)

O LORD,

Please help us to trust You

  in all that You have

  placed before us.

Above all things we do today,

   that we are faithful to You.

Please assure us

       and encourage us

that You are fulfilling our lives

  and bearing Your fruit

  and glory through us,

not an ordinary day

             among them.

The Fine Art of Upbuilding

 

...and all for your upbuilding,

                       beloved.

            2 Corinthians 12. 19

(Am I approaching this person

        or situation

as an inconvenience or burden?

Or as an opportunity

           to build up,

           to edify,

    to nurture their souls?

We never know what lies

     below the surface

     of their circumstances.

What can we do to serve, yield,

  or sacrifice for the blessing

     and growth of another?

May we see them as beloved

          as Jesus does.

And respond to them that way.)

O LORD,

Please help us to master

   the fine art of upbuilding,

to sense and see needs

    even invisible ones,

and do something about it.

Empower us to come alongside

     for the well-being of others,

be it with encouraging words

   or an unexpected act

   of kindness and grace.

Nudge us, if necessary.

Enlarge our love

  for those beloved by You

that You have put

          on our paths today.

First Responders

 

....should not a people

    inquire of their God?

          Isaiah 8. 19

(We seek after a lot of things,

but have I asked God

                about this?

Am I putting my own plans,

and agendas and ideas

                 before Him

instead of listening

                 and responding

  as He lays His day

           before me?

When we pray,

when we read Scripture,

God does not just guide us.

He helps us to realize

        He is with us

   right here and right now.)

O LORD,

May we come to You

    in the early morning light

and pray, converse

         and walk with You

    through the day.

Help us to inquire of You.

First response,

         not last resort.

Please lay Your day

        before us.

Grant to us the wisdom

   and awareness

   to respond to You,

listening not for Your voice,

          but to Your voice.

Carrying Us Through

 

Behold,

God is my helper.

The Lord is the upholder

       of my life.

            Psalm 54. 4

(Repeat this outloud

    ten times a day,

until this truth

    is engraved in our hearts.

God will not just

       get us through this.

God is helping us.

God has a strong hold.

             He upholds.

These are words of love

  and personal relationship,

about One who cares deeply

  and carries us through,

not a cute wishful saying,

  but a promise to be grasped.

In Hebrew, upholder translates:

   the sustainer of my soul,

 Who comes alongside

      to lean upon.)

O LORD,

Whatever our task,

whatever lies before us,

we are not alone in this.

You are with us,

    upholding,

    sustaining,

    helping us.

One of Your names is

    Jehovah-Shammah,

the Lord who is right here.

Carry us through.

Our Work Matters. It Matters A Lot.

 

Do you see a person

   skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings.

He will not stand

         before obscure men.

            Proverbs 22. 29

(Our work matters,

    whatever it is,

matters enough to do our best

in whatever God

       puts in our hands,

       lays before us,

    or calls us to do.

When we are faithful to Him,

God does not just

            make room for it.

It brings Him glory.

In our work,

     we stand before Him.

In Hebrew, the word avodah

   means both

        work and worship.

Being the best

     is a selfish competition.

Doing our best

      serves the Almighty.

And draws us to Him.)

O LORD,

Help us this day

to see our work differently.

May we honor You

  in whatever we do,

  whatever You place before us,

not as a drudgery or task,

but an opportunity

    to bring You glory

in a job well-done.

Guide us, Almighty One,

  differently into this day.

Be That Tree

 

But I am like

   a green olive tree

in the house of God.

I trust in

the steadfast love of God

      forever

                and ever.

              Psalm 52. 8

(The olive tree is an evergreen,

thriving in any kind of soil,

                   even sand.

Deeply rooted,

  it can withstand drought

  for lengthy periods of time.

It is known for its beauty,

   being fruitful and

   purposeful, bearing fruit,

   oil, and wood.

Trusting God looks like that,

distinctive and thriving,

  no matter the soil,

  no matter the circumstances,

taking root downward

         and bearing fruit upward.

Trusting God for His steadfast love

allows us to respond differently,

   even in rock hard conditions,

learned not in crisis,

but strengthened in daily steps

   on the most ordinary days.)

O LORD,

Thrive in us for Your glory

and for the good of

   all those around us.

Bear fruit through us

  tromping in the wilderness,

  wandering in the desert,

  weathering the storms,

and trusting You,

           even on this very day.

Grant to us the strength

   to trust You.

              Even in this.

        

Now What Can I Do With This

 

The point is this:

whoever sows sparingly

  will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows bountifully

  will also reap bountifully.

            2 Corinthians 9. 6

(God has granted to each of us

  a patch of sacred ground

  to nurture and sow.

We sow, we water,

  and God brings the growth

often in ways

      we will never grasp.

It is not just what we do,

    but how we do it

    and why we do it.

Faithfulness keeps plowing,

even what appears

     to be barren

because God has placed us

     right here and right now.

What is my heart in this?

Do we see these circumstances,

this rock-hard soil,

this fruitless countryside,

this concrete jungle

   as an opportunity

   to sow with joy?

God transforms

          the landscape.

Surrounded by sheer lack,

and undaunted by circumstances,

my grandmother would say,

"Now what can we do

             with this."

She made plants to grow

  in impossible places.

She did the same

           with souls.)

O LORD,

Grant to us generous hearts

that we may see

not just something different,

    but how to respond differently.

May we be faithful to You

  in whatever the task,

knowing that You are working

  on a much deeper level.

Please help us to take

    one generous step today,

knowing that generosity

        begets generosity.

 

To Do List

 

In the morning

        sow your seed,

and at evening

  withhold not your hand,

for you do not know

  which will prosper,

this or that,

or whether both alike

      will be good.

         Ecclesiastes 11.6

(We can never know

what kind of seed 

God has placed in our hands,

  bearing a crop that sustains

            for a season,

   or a forest of sequoias

        for a thousand years.

But there is

          no insignificant work,

only what God brings

   and bears through faithfulness.

We sow what we have.

God grows what we cannot

           comprehend.

What has God given us

    to do today?

Not just a to do list,

   but to be.

We do not know

             what will prosper,

 but God sees

   beyond the bigger picture,

   to our hearts.

We are responding to God.

No greater work

              than that.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize

that our work is a form

     of worship to You.

We may not see the fruit

      or the forest,

but You fulfill Your purposes

   for Your glory

   and Kingdom

through every act of faithfulness.

This morning,

   empower us to sow this seed.

And take great joy

         in Your Presence with us.

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Keep Calm and Carry On

 

If the anger of the ruler

  rises against you,

do not leave your place,

for calmness

will lay great offenses

              to rest.

            Ecclesiastes 10.4

(The outcome of a matter

is always determined

    by our response to it.

Instead of confrontation,

     a conversation.

Instead of ammunition,

     healing.

Instead of returning

         anger with anger,

  to bear a tranquil composure.

In Hebrew, this verse reads:

"gentleness hinders

        great offenses."

As much as it is in our power,

   let gentleness

   turn the tide.)

O LORD,

Please help us approach

this difficulty,

this troubled situation,

these IMPOSSIBLE people,

          differently

because we know

            and love You.

Fill us with Your grace,

   give us Your peace

to transform this struggle

       into something good.

Enlarge our vocabulary

     and our hearts

that we may respond

  with gentleness and grace.

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Because We Can Walk Differently

 

That your trust

    may be in the LORD...

       Proverbs 22. 19

(It is not questioning

     why these things are happening,

but in the midst

of our struggles

         or victories,

we may

    trust not circumstances,

    what has been

             or what is now,

    nor what is to come,

but trust in God.

Because when we trust God,

    we walk differently.

He does not just have our back,

  but secures our steps,

in the familiar

  and in the darkness.

The LORD

   has a strong hold on us.

He holds us tight.)

O LORD,

Thank You

  that we can trust You

  in all things

and through all things.

Secure not just our ways

   but our hearts.

May we know that

we don't walk alone.

We never have to.

You are with us.

And on that,

    we can depend.

Even in this.

May it not be just

      evident to us,

but point others to You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

It's Off to Work We Go

 

Behold, what I have seen

   to be good and fitting

is to eat and drink

and find enjoyment

    in all the toil

which one toils

          under the sun....

     Ecclesiastes 5. 18

(Not just to find enjoyment

in the noble causes,

the fun, easy, or admirable tasks,

but even in the difficult stuff

      and heavy labor.

To seek, uncover,

and explore enjoyment

            in all our work.

Even in this.

How can we see this duty

  with a different vision,

  a fresh heart,

  and His strength in it?

To grasp the good in it

   changes how we accept it.

To see the face of God

   reflected in it

   alters how we do it

and how we approach anything

  God has given us to do today.)

O LORD,

You have given us

         another new day.

Help us to do our work

  as a form of worship to You.

May we bring Your good

   into this situation.

May Your glory be manifest

       even in the hard stuff

       or a simple task.

We are your sons and daughters.

   May we live that way.

   May we work that way.

Empower us

      to direct it to You.

But We Can Do Something

 

For everything

     there is a season

and a time for every matter

            under heaven.

        Ecclesiastes 3. 1

(It is so easy to be overwhelmed

    by all that is piling up

    around us,

          screaming for attention.

We can panic,

        or we can pray.

We can't do everything,

    but we can do something.

In this time, this matter,

    this chapter, even this morning,

which are before us,

   God has

   both equipped and prepared us

for His purposes, His glory,

for our good

and the welfare of

    those around us,

    family, friends,

         even strangers.

May we be faithful to Him

   in one proximate step

and then another.)

O LORD,

Please order our days

that we may be faithful to You,

following You

  into Your designs.

May we fulfill Your purposes,

knowing that there are

   no insignificant obediences.

Nudge us,

take our hand,

lead us into this day

   with responsive hearts,

seeing not just a way through,

but drawing nearer to You.

Empower us

    to run with You today

    into Your wonders in it.

Who is in Control Here?

 

For the love of Christ

     controls us...

    2 Corinthians 5. 14

(What can be new here?

Who do we allow

           to be in control?

Jesus' love holds us fast,

keeps us completely,

compels us to see all things

    with a new heart,

urges us

   not just to do something

   different in this situation,

but to be someone different,

       a force of love

       and newness.

How do we respond

   to these circumstances,

   to this dilemma,

   to these impossible people?

His grace has been

        poured over us.

We cannot help

  but to be different,

an instrument of His love

          and healing.)

O LORD,

We seek that You

   would control our hearts

that we would be

   ambassadors

            of Your grace

in a foreign place

   or the utterly familiar.

Hold us tight.

Direct our thoughts.

Guide our steps.

Confirm Your grace in us.

May Your love order

         our responses today.

  

This Impossible Thing

 

So do not lose heart.

Though our outer self

  is wasting away,

our inner self is being renewed

            day by day.

For this light

       momentary affliction

is preparing for us

an eternal weight of glory

   beyond all comparison,

as we look not to the things

       that are seen

but to the things

       that are unseen.

          2 Corinthians 4. 16-18

(No affliction at the time

 seems light and momentary.

But what defeats us

   are not the circumstances,

         but losing heart.

This impossible thing,

this hard situation,

this rocky path,

nor this heavy weight

  are not random at all,

but matter for all eternity,

    serving and training us

to be strengthened,

          prepared,

          and used by God

       in incredible ways.

It is just part of

    His training plan

as He builds His strength in us.

He is already redeeming.

He is multiplying

    with really big numbers,

far beyond what is seen

   or known in present tense.

So do not lose heart.)

O LORD,

Use our struggles

   to make us stronger in You.

Train us in ways

  that we may follow You

  into Your purposes.

Please help us

not to be defeated, distracted,

    or discouraged,

but to run with You

         right through it

and strengthen others

   along the way.