Swords, Shields and Hand-Me-Dowsn

And the priest gave to the captains

the spears and shields

that had been King David's,

which were in the house

                of the LORD.

               2 Kings 11. 10

What are we working on, 

investing in,

preparing and preserving

to be passed down

        as a legacy

and engrained strength

  for the generations to come?

What do others see in us?

May we scatter

           hand-me-downs

     of strength, grace and faith.

Our children witness

    our actions,

    attitudes and words

to the furthest generation.

Faithfulness to the LORD

   is not just observable,

but multiplies

      far beyond our lifetimes.

It can't help but

      change a life,

including our own.

O LORD,

Thank You for providing

the witness of the saints

that have come before us.

Strengthen us 

that we may pass on

the knowledge of You

and leave behind tangible shields 

for the well-being of others

      that they may know You.

.

 

We Don't Know What To Do

 

Hezekiah received the letter

from the hand of the messengers

             and read it,

and Hezekiah went up

   to the house of the LORD

and spread it before the LORD...

             2 Kings 19. 4-5

First response:

  not defeated by despair,

  but reaching out in prayer.

Whatever the situation,

   spread it thick before God

 and pray about it,

every dimension,

prayer and layer,

spread it out,

     no holding back.

Each piece and plea is

   connected to another.

Praying opens 

         another door

and then that room

   leads to another portal.

Praying is the 

     deep stuff of abiding,

right where we dwell,

and we are nurtured by it.

O LORD,

We ask You today

to give us the courage

not just to follow You,

but how to do that 

       step by step,

     prayer by prayer,

approaching and navigating

   whatever is before us.

Provide us the strength

   and wisdom that go along

with being faithful to You. 

We don't know what to do,

but our eyes are upon You.

         2 Chronicles 20. 12

 

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Holding Us Fast

 

For he held fast to the LORD.

He did not depart

        from following Him...

And the LORD was with him.

Wherever he went out,

             he prospered.

         2 Kings 18. 6-7

Not pursuing success,

   but following the LORD

through whatever drought,

siege,

or trouble he encountered.

God does not show up,

but shows us,

unfolds to us,

and reveals Himself to us.

Follow Me. I am with you.

And that changes everything.

We see differently.

We worship the LORD

         and not the outcome.

We trust Him in the journey

         and hold tight to Him.

The word prosper here means

      to act wisely,

be attentive to God,

and complete 

   what God has given us to do,

showing care and 

         thought for the future. 

O LORD,

May we hold tight to You

   in the calm and in the storm.

Bind us to You.

Tie us to Your mast

that no matter what 

         we encounter

    or struggle with,

we know You embrace us

    with love and mercy.

We know that

           You are God.

The Future of Impossible Situations

 

But his servant said,

"How can I set this

    before a hundred men?"

So he repeated,

"Give them to the men

that they may eat

for thus says the LORD,

"They shall eat 

      and have some left."

So he set it before them.

And they ate

   and had some left,

according to the word of the LORD.

              2 Kings 4. 43

When we are faithful

    in following the LORD,

even into what

   we cannot yet understand,

God's fundamental law of 

       leftovers kicks in.

Lay before Him our day,

our work,

our efforts,

     and He multiplies.

What seems to us a lack,

   God redeems for His glory

in ways we may never

               comprehend.

The point here is

      not what God can do,

but are we willing

     to submit to Him?

O LORD,

We bring before You

what seems to be

    an impossible situation.

We lay it on the altar

   that You may touch it

and turn the natural

            into the supernatural

and the ordinary

      into the extraordinary.

Help us to be sensitive

     to the needs of others.

And to be aware of 

     Your hand upon us. 

You do not just show up.

      You sustain us.

What We Talk About

 

So Paul reasoned

     in the synagogue

     with the Jews

and the devout persons,

and in the marketplace

         every day

with those who

   happened to be there.

              Acts 17. 17

Wherever God leads us

  is never a random occurrence,

no matter the situation.

Among whomever we encounter,

there is sacred design

  and eternal purpose.

Start a conversation.

And bring the name of Jesus there.

    Love people to Him.

The word marketplace

  is not limited to the mall

  or even the grocery,

but encompasses

    any assembly of people,

a gathering of persons

      for any reason,

no place more divine

   than another,

whether a coffee shop,

   gas station,

   or pickleball tournament.

As it says in Scripture,

        hold not back.

What if God Himself

   has brought ua together

   in sacred encounters

       to point others to Him

or even make us aware

    of the presence of God

    in this situation?

God does not expect us

      to know all the answers,

but calls us to know Him

     and make Him known.,

not forcing Him into

         our conversations,

but discussing, pondering,

and mingling 

        thought with thought.

O LORD,

We pray that You will

 bring a deeper dimension

to our conversations with others

and make us sensitive

   to Your leading and Your words.

Show us how to weave eternity

      into what we talk about

for the wellbeing of souls

           all around us.

What Are We Listening To

 

Let me hear in the morning

of Your steadfast love,

     for in You I trust.

Make me know 

  the way I should go,

for to You

     I lift up my soul.

       Psalm 143. 8

We cannot hear

    unless we are asking,

listening,

trusting,

     and responding.

God whispers,

  Can you hear me now?

God reveals to us

   the way to go,

sometimes just one step

at a time,

    every one significant.

We do not just lift up

   our prayers to Him,

our desires,

our needs,

our heartaches

             and joys,

but we lift up our souls.

O LORD,

We lift up to You

     our very being,

all we are,

all we will be,

all You have created us

           to be,

       not just to do.

Even in what we are going through,

   saturate us in Your love

and form in us faithfulness,

Your mercies new

          every morning.

 

The Secret Art of Eavesdropping

 

About midnight,

Paul and Silas were praying

   and singing hymns to God,

and the prisoners were

   listening to them.

             Acts 16. 25

Believers and even those who

    do not yet believe

are continually watching us,

listening to us, 

eavesdropping how we respond 

   and what we worship,

how we love them,

on what we dwell, 

and how we 

    approach and navigate

difficult circumstances,

  whether theirs or our own.

No matter what time,

no matter how uncomfortable

       or inconvenient,

no matter what it costs us,

to bring the name of Jesus here

and let His witness linger.

O LORD,

May the way we do our work

   and how we love others

             point others to You,

even when we are unaware.

Who is listening to me today?

May they see

  how they can listen to You.

And how deeply 

     they are loved.

How To See Something New

 

Because he has

   humbled himself

   before Me...

        1 Kings 21. 29

When we are on our knees,

we see everything around us

    from a different perspective.

Praying is taking 

   a new posture before the LORD,

      not a place of defeat,

   but receiving His deeper vision

            in the midst of them.

And God always uses that

  to change our trajectory.

A humble heart,

     coming before God

     and responding to Him,

             enlarges our vision.

Our pride no longer blinds us

         or binds us.

What does God have to do

   with this situation of ours?

Everything.

O LORD,

Help us to know that 

coming before You

      with humble hearts

is not a place of weakness,

but fills us with 

        a greater strength

than we can realize.

Help us not just

    take a different posture

    before You,

but take up Your purposes

   and see all things new.

We come to You,

   and You embrace us.

Surounded on All Sides

 

Then Elisha prayed and said,

"O LORD, please open his eyes

that he may see."

...And behold the mountain was

full of horses and chariots of fire

        all around Elisha.

                   2 Kings 6. 17

When we pray,

God reveals Himself to us,

right in the midst of hardship,

    or trouble,

or completely overwhelming

             circumstances.

We have all been there,

  when there seems to

          be no hope.

But that is what only we see,

    not the reality of it.

We are surrounded

          on all sides,

but not by what appears.

God is working 

    His glory into this.

"Be not afraid.  

 I am with You

         even in this."

God opens our eyes

        and our hearts

to what is really real.

And that would be Him.

O LORD,

Help us not just to turn to You

when we are so very overwhelmed,

but to help us see 

   that You are with us

in both the ordinary,

           the extraordinary,

when we face trouble

           or experience joy.

Please soften our hearts enough

to pay attention,

absorb, 

see You differently,

        and respond to You. 

God Is Our First Responder

 

It is He

who remembered us

     in our low estate,

for His steadfast love

           endures forever,

and rescued us

     from our foes....

          Psalm 136. 23

Sometimes that rescue

  from what we fear

means running for our lives,

sometimes standing our ground

          and facing them

--or praying them down.

God does not leave us

  in what overwhelms us.

He calls to us,

       remember Me,

trust Me in this,

walk with Me through this.

God is our first responder.

O LORD,

We all face scary situations

at one time or a million.

Carry us through.

Strengthen us against

      what we fear

and align our hearts

                 with Yours.

Fulfill Your purposes

      for our lives,

even in this hard thing,

for Your glory

and the well-being of many.

Help us to shout

      grace, grace to it.

Not Dismay But To Pray

 

So Peter was kept in prison,

but earnest prayer for him

was made to God

            by the church.

           Acts 12. 5

Peter was put in prison,

   facing horrific conditions,

   a confinement without 

                 an expiration date,

   and probable death.

But he was not alone.

  He was surrounded by the prayers

             of the church.

The turning point in Peter's sentence

        was earnest prayer.

What does it take for us to realize

   the life-changing significance

                   of praying?

The church's first response was

     not dismay but to pray.

Prayer did not just change

    the circumstances 

        but their own hearts.

What is God forming in us

           when we pray?

Not sore knees

      but strengthened hearts

on so many levels,

not just in incremental degrees.

O LORD,

We come to You in prayer,

not just for our immediate needs,

       sorrows and pain.

But for You.

You don't just bring solutions

      or send in the cavalry,

but way deeper:

  You respond and redeem.

And draw us to You.

You know we don't need answers.

        We need You.

Way Beyond What We Can Do Alone

 

...touched him and said,

"Arise and eat,

for the journey is

       too great for you."

      1 Kings 19. 7

When it comes down to it,

our journeys are too great

     for any of us alone.

But when we seek Him,

 God prepares

      and strengthens us

for what is now

    and what is ahead,

thorough His Word,

worship,

prayer,

fellowship,

and even through the witness

           of others.

These are not optional items

for our arduous trek

      through the wilderness,

but essential in binding ourselves

          to the Almighty.

And realize

   His strong hold already on us.

O LORD,

We need You.

We need Your Word

         to inhabit us.

We need Your people

   to dwell with us.

Help us to not even try

    to do this life

          without You.

May we realize

     it is not a shame to

    admit we need help.

And it is not a sin

          to accept help.

Give to us the courage

         and strength

to arise, eat

         and walk with You.

 

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And Even More

 

And she went and did

    as Elijah said.

And she and he and her household

       ate for many days.

The jar of flour was not spent,

neither did the jug of oil

            become empty.

             1 Kings 17. 15-16

God does not ask us

to come before Him

          in fullness,

   but in faithfulness.

We come to Him

      with our emptiness.

O God, help me,

             I need You

is never a prayer unanswered.

Where and how God guides,

      God provides

in the most unexpected ways.

He fulfills our needs,

He realigns our desires

and covers us with His grace

     and surprising goodness.

And even more.

Choosing to be selfless,

choosing to be faithful to God,

    always comes back in spades.

We just may not yet see

        to the other side of this.

But we can know that

"God does His best work

       with empty." -- Nancy Guthrie

O LORD,

Please take our jar of flour

   and jug of oil,

whatever those may be,

and however empty they are.

Transform this situation

  to spread Your glory

            all over it.

We see empty.

You bring something new.

And You always reveal Yourself.

Grant us the strength

   when we have none.

Not Just Believe, But Know

 

And the hand of the Lord

was with them,

and a great number

           who believed

turned to the Lord.

             Acts 11. 21

Why are we in

   this strange, awkward

  or overwhelming situation,

or seemingly stuck

   in the ordinary and familiar?

To bring the name of Jesus there,

to be an intentional witness,

     even when we are unaware,

and to be faithful to Him

  whether we ever see the fruit.

In the most unexpected places

and among the most unlikely people,

     God's power is revealed.

Others are continually watching

   to see if God is real.

We would be amazed at those

   who are a breath away

   from believing in Him.

O LORD,

May You find us faithful

in bringing Your name

    to those around us

that they may 

   not just believe but know

   You are God

and You love them

more than they can imagine.

Help us to be a witness

   wherever we are today

and in how we love people

        right to You.

There Is No Middle of Nowhere

 

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 9. 26-27

Philip didn't question God.

He rose and went,

       even to a place

       he would not have chosen.

Are we listening for

            God's guidance

or trying to tuck Him

  into our own immovable agenda?

Do we argue with God,

question His wisdom,

        or trust Him in it?

In God's purposes and geography,

      there is no middle of nowhere.

Only the center of His will.

"In the center of the circle

   of the will of God I stand..."

      --Streams in the Desert

O LORD,

Grant to us the courage

   to rise up and go

   when You call to us

       and we listen to You.

Or shelter in place

  when You call us to stay.

You guide us not in

  "do this and do that" instructions

but invite us to "Come to Me."

You reveal Yourself

        in our comings and goings.

You know what is ahead

          and what is at stake

and that we need You

   wherever we go,

even into the wilderness.

Synchronized Alignments

...for I have sent them.

          Acts 10. 20

Who are all these people?

Others may be strangers to us,

but divinely appointed

for this particular sacred encounter.

As poet Wendell Berry observes,

"Maybe we're necessary to each other

and this vacant place

      has need of us both."

No coincidence at all,

   but God's engineering .

God works through relationships

     for His kingdom purposes

     and to take care of us all.

Even the momentary

       crossing of paths

are designed that way.

No accident. No coincidence.

   Just a remarkable alignment

   by the Almighty,

a synchronized occurrence

   that cannot be explained away,

           if not for Him.

O LORD,

Help us to see others

in our daily walk or work

       or just on our path

   as divine appointments

for Your purposes,

for Your Kingdom,

for Your glory.

Please make us aware

    of Your Presence

and the company of others.

Help us to love them well.

   

 

Making Choices

 

.....because in him

there was found something

pleasing to God.

          1 Kings 14.15

I have an ancestor

       named Abijah.

I thought it was an odd name,

  until I came to this passage.

What a promise and blessing

   bestowed by that name.

What do we choose today

     that is pleasing to God?

Not to gain His favor

  but out of our love for God,

faithful to Him

 in our words, acts,

    and in what we are occupied.

May we be known

   by that kind of faithfulness.

O LORD,

In these circumstances today, 

we do not seek blessing

          for ourselves,

  but to bless You in it.

Show us Your way through.

May You find us faithful

           and grateful

wherever we are,

among whomever we encounter,

and in whatever we do.

Order our days.

Order our ways.

May our lives be distinguished

   by pleasing You.

It is our delight.

Walking Through the Rough Stuff

 

...sold him into Egypt,

but God was with him.

          Acts 7.9

Despite the hardships,

God had not abandoned Joseph,

but was training him and

working in his life

much deeper things

   than Joseph could see:

the survival of God's people.

Do we consider

    what God is forming in us

through our own difficulties?

O LORD,

We pray that You are writing

Your glory all over

the situations we are facing.

May we not just trust

    that You are with us,

but walk with You

   through the hard stuff.

We can trust You to bring about

  the impossible and extraordinary,

that which is far beyond

                our imagination,

    or what we dare ask.

Joseph walked faithfully.

Help us to do the same.

Something New In Us

 

...for this thing

      is from Me.

           1 Kings 12. 24

(And that changes everything.

We see what is

           before us

and respond differently

because we know God is working

  His purposes through it

and forming something new

                in us.

Nothing random at all.

No matter the calamity

            or success,

God whispers,

       "Trust Me in this."

Trust is not just an

     act of submission,

but how God reveals to us

      the path through to walk

in His glory and goodness.

Even what is far beyond

        our understanding,

     God redeems.

We can order our ways

     on that truth.

O LORD,

This is not an interruption,

nor an immense pothole,

nor a dead-end road,

but Your grace and mercy

   appearing in unexpected ways.

Help us to trust You

and then follow You

    one step and then another.

May we be very aware

     of Your Presence,

even in this.

Empower us to listen

    and to respond.

      

The Amazing Power of Kindness

 

And they said to him,

"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 can turn around

    a volatile situation

by how we approach

  and navigate the turbulence

       with a new heart.

Kindness works a profound effect

  over both sides

            of the equation.

And takes people by surprise.

"We show what we believe,

  not by what our mouths say,

 but by what our hearts seek."

        --Martin Schleske

Every day how we respond

    bears witness to the

   power of God's love.

O LORD,

May our hearts reflect

a selfless submission to You

and intentional pursuit for the

     well-being of others,

no matter friend, family

           or foe.

Bring Your supernatural

   power of love and grace

to unlikely people around us

   and in the unexpected places,

     we face today.

Help us to be attentive

       and responsive to

divine appointments,

sacred encounters,

   and Gospel moments.

Create Your Own Adventure

 

And as for you,

if you will walk before Me....

But if you turn aside

   from following Me.....

           1 Kings 9. 4, 6

Not a threat

     but a promise.

Choose your own adventure.

Walking with God

         or walking away.

Very different trajectory,

   journey and outcome.

Walking toward well-being,

  strength, and a deeper

  relationship with God.

Or wandering alone.

God never forces Himself

           upon us.

He invites us in.

And nothing can compare.

O LORD,

May our lives be engraved

   by Your unmistakable Presence,

fruitfulness, and faithfulness.

Not marked by the regrets

  of what could have been,

but choosing instead

    the amazing adventures

                   of the Almighty.

Help us all along the way

   to walk with You,

           no matter the terrain.

Complete the good work

   You have begun in us.

Empower us to follow You

    into this day,

filled with the joy

           of knowing You,

strengthened by trusting You,

  no matter the place or pace

  today.

Not Just A Job, But A Joy

 

And on the surface of its stays

and on its panels,

he carved cherubim, lions,

and palm trees,

according to the space of each,

with wreaths all around.

               1 Kings 7. 36

No matter the task at hand,

not just doing the necessary

        or basic requirements,

but considering how can we

   approach this work,

     this divine assignment differently

   with excellence and joy.

Adding a few lions and palm trees

            for good measure

        and for beauty's sake.

Skill comes from effort.

Excellence emerges from

    doing it over and over again.

What we do and how we do it

       comes from the heart.

Are we completing it

with the bare minimum

           and least effort,

or bringing God glory

    through our work

    as an act of worship?

It's not just a job,

but a joy in

    serving the Almighty.

O LORD,

Walk with us into this work

that we might reflect

Your creation in

      whatever we do.

May every good endeavor

   bear tremendous fruit

for Your Kingdom

and in Your name.

Even in what we do today,

please bring Your glory to it.

Seeing and Seizing the Space

 

But now the LORD my God

has given me rest on every side.

There is neither adversary

               nor misfortune.

And so I intend to build 

a house for the name 

  of the LORD my God.

             1 Kings 5. 4-5

If we are waiting for a clear schedule

   with no interruptions or excuses

to serve God, it's not gonna happen.

We may never have

a huge swath of availability,

but God gives us moments

  and tiny pockets of time.

He makes it possible

    to do something,

by helping us to see

    and seize the space

 right now,

        right where we are.

How do we intend to use

  that opportunity

              in serving God?

Bag packed, shoes tied on,

ready to go,

  working as we worship,

  worshiping in our work.

O LORD,

Give us new vision

for what is before us

to see as times of serving

and worshiping You.

May we have a new heart

  to not just see the need,

but follow You into it.

May we see our work

         differently,

knowing that nothing is insignificant

     in worshiping You

              in it

Cut Timber Like A Sidonian

 

...for you know that

there is no one among us

who knows how to

cut timber

    like the Sidonians.

       1 Kings 5. 6

(May we cultivate

the abilities and gifts

and opportunities

       God has given

   each one of us.

There are

     no small talents,

nothing that God

  cannot use in

  profound ways.

The greatest work is built

 on the shoulders and sweat

 of largely invisible people.

We all worship God

   with our work,

every layer fitting

   together with the rest,

every detail vital for the

  flourishing of the kingdom.

Cut timber like a Sidonian

  in whatever is before us.

We don't have to be the best

      or recognized as important

      to work with excellence.

God does not just see it.

    He is worshipped through it.

Do we see it as merely moving rocks,

     or building a temple to Him

     today?)

O LORD,

Empower us not only to

   grasp the horizon,

but the ground beneath our feet,

not to see the weeds

    to battle and be pulled,

but a beautiful landscape

         in the making.

Help us to

  cut timber like the Sidonians,

known not just for what we do,

    but that we are Yours

and honoring You in our work,

in whatever we do

           and how we do it

in effort and attitude.

Joy Even In The Doing

 

He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with

           shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.

                Palm 126. 6

(Wherever we go,

wherever God has

  strategically placed us,

whatever the soil

     or tiny patch of ground,

may we be faithful there.

The seed for sowing

  is His Word and His Name.

God brings the growth

  deeper than we can see,

a forest of sequoias

     we cannot even count,

blessings far beyond

  our field of comprehension.

God blesses faithfulness

  in unexpected ways.

Even in the really hard stuff,

   He brings us through.)

O LORD,

Please help us to trust You

in our every day tasks.

And even more in our difficulties

   and the mysteries 

              surrounding us.

Bring Your growth and

   Your glory to what

we have sown in Your name.

Show us how to nurture

    this patch of ground

and complete the work

     You have given us to do.

May there be joy there too,

  even in the doing.

Multiply Your purposes

   over our efforts

to bring blessing to others

more than we can know.

A Different Response

 

They left the presence

           of the council,

rejoicing that they were

     counted worthy

to suffer dishonor

        for the Name.

        Acts 5. 41

(People are continually watching

   not to see that our lives

   are perfect,

but how we respond

            when it is not.

Is there really something different

about us because

              we are believers?

To not be defeated

         by mistreatment or injustice,

insults or contempt

but to approach it as an opportunity

   to bring the name of Jesus there.

And to be a witness to others

  wherever we are,

even when we are not aware of it.)

O LORD,

Provide us Your strength

    and the vision to see

and respond to the hard stuff

with a new heart.

Please use us

        for Your glory,

even in the most unlikely,

unsuspecting places,

a light in the darkness,

a bearer of Your name.