Being Led

 

...like the angel of the LORD,

    going before them...

          Zechariah 13. 8

This is a great verse to contemplate

   at the ending of a year

   and the beginning of the next.

We examine where we have been,

and mostly cannot yet know

   where God is taking us.

Yet we are not wandering.

       We are being led.

God guides us through.

He is with us every step.

But God also goes before us,

preparing not just our way,

  but preparing ourselves. 

O LORD,

Thank You for Your Presence

as we go about this day

and enter yet another year.

We are grateful

       and much relieved

to know You go before us.

We cannot understand

  all the things we encounter

  along the way,

but we can know

        that You know.

Grant to us the courage

     to go forth,

the strength we need,

and the assurance

  that You are equipping us

to bring the name of Jesus

  even in unexpected places.

The Everydayness of Things

 

Praise the LORD, 

         O my soul!

I will praise the LORD

   as long as I live.

I will sing praises to my God

   while I have my being.

           Psalm 146. 1-2

Not just being grateful,

   but grateful to God.

This is not only a great way

  to end this year

  or begin the next,

but in our everydayness .

It is not for us to wait 

  for every opportunity

  that happens to come along

       and we feel like it,

but seizing every moment

           to praise Him.

Honoring God

    and verbalizing our praise

 changes us

             to our very core.

Even in what we have

  a hard time thanking for,

we can still be grateful in.

God empowers us to see

  our circumstances differently,

and how we grasp His sovereignty

 over the big stuff, the tiny details,

the difficulties, the joys,

the journey, the rabbit trails,

the rest stops He provides,

the outcomes, the end game,

and even in what we think

         are coincidences.

Praising God recognizes out loud

     His steadfast love.

O LORD,

May our first words in the morning,

our last breaths at night,

even in the ending of another year,

    be full of praise to You.

You did not just bring us through

     the night or the day or the year,

but You walk with us,

  through blue skies and storms,

the rocky trails

    and amazing vistas.

Guide us as we praise You.

Soften our hearts 

change our minds,

order our loves,

  and align our ways to Yours. 

All The Things We Do Not Ask

 

Ask rain

         from the LORD

in the season of spring rain,

from the LORD

who makes the storm clouds,

and He will give them

       showers of rain,

for everyone

   the vegetation of the field.

          Zechariah 10. 1

Did we even consider

   asking the LORD

     about this situation?

From the LORD

  is repeated twice

as a directive 

    and a reminder.

From what do we seek

  our needs for sustenance

 and survival and favor?

God grants to us

  all that we can't, won't,

or able to accomplish on our own,

that which only He can do.

Sometimes He gives us even what

  we don't realize we need.

God blesses and redeems.

 What are we 

          asking Him for?

   Or are we even asking?  

The problem is not

      that God does not give,

but the speed bump is

  our willingness to receive from Him.

O LORD,

Thank You for Your steadfast love

that both encompasses us

and provides for our

    deepest heartfelt needs.

Bring Your rain

  in so many dimensions

to help us grow in You

and sustain those

      all around us.

Remind us

   that we can ask You.

And You provide.

 

The Way Through

The LORD is gracious 

          and merciful,

slow to anger and

 abounding in steadfast love.

The LORD is good to all,

and His mercy is over

  all that He has made.

...The LORD is faithful

   in all His words

and kind in all His works.

...The LORD is righteous

  in all His ways

  and kind in all His works.

    Psalm 145. 8, 9, 13, 17

The LORD shows us 

    how to respond,

what to do,

      and how to be:

kind, faithful, gracious,

seeking to do right,

abounding in love,

good to all,

even in extenuating situations,

unexpected by others,

and sometimes,

   even surprising ourselves.

Be like Me.

That is the way through.

This is how to do it.

O LORD,

Please help us.

We don't know how to handle

   stressful circumstances

   and impossible people.

Pour over us Your nature

that we would honor You

by how we respond to

   what is before us today,

to bring Your holy name here.

May Your Holy Spirit

      invade our hearts

and give us the strength

to do what we cannot.

May we reflect Your ways

   and Your works

   and Your words today.

Form in us

     Your transforming love.

We cannot do this

          on our own,

but only in You.

 

 

Take It Out To The Curb

And the angel said to those

who were standing before him,

"Remove the filthy garments

                  from him."

And to him he said,

"Behold, I have taken

  your iniquity away from you,

and I will clothe you

     with pure vestments."

            Zechariah 3. 4

We can stand firmly 

     in His forgiveness,

bearing a new heart.

We are free now

  from our shortcomings,

  regrets, 

  and downright rebellions.

We can go forth differently,

  wearing a new wardrobe.

God softens our hearts

and changes what we wear

and even what we carry.

May we take those old ways

      out to the curb

and leave them there.

O LORD,

We don't have to 

    beg for Your forgiveness,

because You have

   already provided it for us.

Help us to walk in it

   as new creations.

Clothe us in new vestments

of kindness, grace and mercy

   that bless others

        and bring You glory

even in unlikely places.

Help us walk with You

  into this new day

  with a heart softened

and refreshed by You.

 

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For Crying Out Loud

 

With my voice,

   I cry out to the LORD;

with my voice,

   I plead for mercy to the LORD.

I pour out my anxiety before Him;

I tell my trouble before Him.

When my spirit faints

                     within me,

You know my way.

            Psalm 142. 1-2

For crying out loud

is exactly what God

    wants to hear,

for us not to think 

  or despair about 

         our situations,

but to come before Him.

Verbalizing our troubles

before the LORD

            deflates them.

Let not worries and fears

  take His rightful place.

When we turn to Him,

  He unravels them.

They have no real power

      over us.

When our spirit faints

 because we are overwhelmed,

  we realize we need

    His Spirit

who overcomes what 

         overwhelms us.

O LORD,

We cry out to You

from the bottom of our hearts.

Help us, we pray,

not just to find our way

    through this hardship,

but to let You

  guide us through every detail.

You know our hearts.

You know our way through

  and that would be

             only with You.

Be glorified, O LORD,

      even in this.

Santa Didn't Come

 

For unto you

is born this day

in the city of David

a Savior,

   who is Christ the Lord.

        Luke 2. 11

This is who we have been

        waiting for.

Jesus has not just come,

but He has come to us.

        He has come for us.

And nothing but nothing

  can ever be the same.

Don't let Jesus

    get lost in the wrapping paper.

It is not that Santa has come,

  but the Savior of the world.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

O LORD,

We come before You

   this Christmas Day

and rejoice

that out of Your love

  for each one of us,

You sent us Jesus

to save us from sin

   and from ourselves.

Come, thou expected Jesus,

   change how we see

 this Christmas Day

and every day thereafter.

You sign each day,

         Love you!

 

Fear Just Blocks Out The Views

 

...and the woman fled

          into the wilderness, 

where she has a place

     prepared by God,

in which she is to be nourished

for 1260 days.

            Revelation 12. 6

The wilderness is not 

a barren place,

   nor pit of despair,

   nor the unknown to God,

but a place to seek Him,

a refuge in which

  to be strengthened 

  and nourished

  and full of God's wonders.

See this time and place

        differently,

even if it feels like a long time.

What does this make possible?

We have not been abandoned,

but strategically positioned

   for God's great goodness,

Be not afraid there.

God is providing something new.

And protecting us.

Fear just blocks out

    the incredible views.

O LORD,

We all at one time or another

find ourselves in 

   a confusing, hard

       and lonely place.

It is not that You show up,

  but You are already here.

Reveal Yourself to us

   in our sacred encounters

that we so often

       don't recognize.

Grant to us what we need

   as we abide there

               with You.

While We Are Praying

 

On the day I called,

      You answered me.

My strength of soul

             You increased. 

             Psalm 138. 3

Even right in 

    the act of praying,

even while we are praying,

  God strengthens us.

Turning to Him

  not just for an answer

but into His Presence

        changes everything,

    including ourselves.

Call Me, the Lord says.

          Come to Me.

Even in this hard situation,

  His wonders are revealed.

God changes us

              even to have prayed.

Prayer opens the portals

     of tremendous strength.

Praying doesn't let God in,

  but opens ourselves up

             to Him.

God empowers us

     to do something hard,

     to try something new,

and to pray differently.

O LORD,

We admit that we have tried

   to do it all on our own.

And we realize

       that we need You

    so desperately.

Remind us to pray.

Remind us 

    of the strength You bring.

Show us not just what to do,

   but how to pray differently.

Help us to pray

     like anything's possible.

Because You increase

                 our strength

and enlarge our vision.

Cover us this day

          in incredible ways.

Songs That Never End

 

The LORD your God

           is in your midst,

a mighty One who will save;

He will rejoice over you

       with gladness;

He will quiet you

               by His love;

He will exult over you

   with loud singing.

         Zephaniah 3. 17

Amidst the darkness and noise,

may we never forget or ignore

    that God is with us.

He is right here in our midst,

working wonders

we cannot even comprehend.

He surrounds us with His love,

quiets our anxious hearts,

and what is that

    we hear over the tumult?

God sings His joy

       over us.

O LORD,

You are not just a mighty warrior.

       You are the Almighty One.

May we be aware of You

       right here in our midst,  

and trust You with

            all that is going on.

Help us to hear You 

     rejoice over us.

Strengthen us with 

   Your singing over us.

May we go into this day

  with the reality of Your Presence

  and the music of the spheres

        on continual repeat

        in our hearts,

the songs that never end.

 

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And Not Be Afraid Of Falling

 

Though the fig tree 

         should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the 

          olive tree fail,

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off

          from the fold,

and there be no herd

                  in the stalls,

yet

I will rejoice in the LORD.

I will take joy

    in the God of my salvation.

GOD, the Lord, is my strength.

He makes my feet like the deer's.

He makes me tread

          on my high places.

                Habakkuk 3. 17-19

Even when, even then,

   yet is the stuff of

           no matter what.

No matter the circumstances,

     God is still God.

He gives us His strength

    to hang in there with joy.

He calls us to dance there,

  and not be afraid of falling.

God reveals His ways

  not only to survive but thrive.

This is not the end of the story.

O LORD,

Enlarge our vision

not to look past circumstances

but to live differently in them.

Even when everything seems

    to be going wrong,

You still hold us together.

You bring us hope

   in the most unexpected ways

         and unlikely places.

Yet,

     we will rejoice in You.

Yet,

You whisper to us,

     Trust Me in this.

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Because He Leans In

 

...the prayers of all the saints

   on the golden altar

         before the throne....

            Revelation 8. 3

Many avoid the book of 

              Revelation

because of deep truths

  far beyond our comprehension.

But if we focus on what

     we do not understand at all,

     we miss what we can grasp.

This verse is one of them.

Visualize our prayers

     on a golden altar,

not fixed up

   with words that are not ours,

but just as we are,

       in all our messiness.

Praying is sacred and precious to God,

because our prayers

   open our hearts to Him.

God does not just listen

                to our prayers,

or answer on demand,

but He leans in

   as we come before Him.

God lifts our prayers to the altar

      when we come to Him.

He responds in eternal ways

we may or may never see

   until the Other Side of life.

God treasures our prayers,

  because He treasures us.

O LORD,

Our prayers lay on 

        Your golden altar.

We come before Your throne.

We bring our sorrows.

We bring our joys.

You take us up into Your arms.

How differently we would 

   navigate what is before us,

if we realized how much

     You cherish our prayers.

And how much 

            You cherish us.

I've Fallen And I Can Get Up

 

Rejoice not over me,

        O my enemy.

When I fall,

          I shall rise.

When I sit in darkness,

  the LORD will be

         a light to me.

           Micah 7. 8

Even at the point of our despair,

     we find the LORD there.

God triumphs over our fears,

   both real and imagined.

We will all face darkness 

    and dismay at times,

but we need not dwell there.

Walk towards His light.

God brings us through.

Do not be afraid. 

          I am with you.

Not "figure it out on your own,"

     but Follow Me.

Not "you got yourself in this mess,"

  but Take My hand.

We are covered 

  by His steadfast love

  and thick blanket of His forgiveness.

Listen carefully.

We are surrounded

     by shouts of deliverance. 

O LORD,

It is not a matter of if

           but when

we fall

and find ourselves in darkness.

You do not just show up.

You are already there

    to lift us up on our feet

and draw us back to You.

Grant to us the courage

   we need in this situation.

You are the Almighty.

May we never forget that.

Hold us tight.

Not Random At All

 

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be

among the clans of Judah, 

from you shall come forth for Me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from old,

        from ancient days.

               Micah 5. 2

So small and insignificant,

it had to be designated 

exactly where this Bethlehem

             was located,

which was where David was born.

Micah wrote these words

in the 8th century before Christ,

recognized even then

           by Jewish scholars 

as the birthplace of the Messiah. 

Even the Wise Men from the East

 knew of it (Matthew 2. 4-6).

No random place at all.

All of scripture pointed to Him.

God chooses the 

   most unlikely places

   and unexpected people

to bring about 

    His divine appointments

and unfold His sacred purposes.

            Even us.

O LORD,

Thank You that all through the Bible

You wove the scarlet thread

of Your love and forgiveness.

Make us aware this Christmas

that in Your steadfast love

that You sent Your Son 

        for each one of us.

Help us to not be distracted

  by all the season's trappings,

but boldly witness

      that You came among us

      and dwell within us.

May Your great light

    dispel the darkness

and fill us with 

   the hope of Jesus.

You see us.

You love us.

You came.

Faithful On Third Shift

 

Come, bless the LORD,

all you servants of the LORD,

who stand by night

in the house of the LORD.

           Psalm 134. 1

Sometimes we are called

   to serve the LORD

   and bless Him

          on the front lines.

Some of us 

   are on third shift,

serving God in ways 

that are invisible,

      not recognized,

 but vital for the Kingdom.

Never underestimate

        how God can use us,

even in the shadows,

even in the middle of the night

  or seemingly

           the middle of nowhere.

  His Presence is manifested there,

           and His purposes secured.

Be a faithful third shift warrior.

Even if no one ever notices.

         Because God always does. 

O LORD,

Awaken us to Your call

to be a faithful servant

  no matter the place,

  or time, or work,

even what seems like third shift,

  where the stuff of eternal significance

             is under the radar.

You have strategically

    placed us here

    for Your divine appointments

           and Your glory all over it.

And that is not just enough for us,

    but pure joy

    in being used by You.

Walking In Strange Places

 

...for now you shall

go out from the city

and dwell in the open country;

   you shall go to Babylon.

There you shall be rescued;

there the LORD 

    will redeem you

from the hand of your enemies. 

            Micah 4. 10

God powerfully uses

 the most unusual situations

  and improbable places

to bring us or others back

                   to Him.

The hard stuff may be right

   in the center of His will

for our redeeming, restoration,

and for a strong witness

  in broken places

  and among those who wander.

The LORD is here.

     Even unbelievably here.

Never give up

  praying for those in Babylon

and our being faithful there.

O LORD,

Wherever we find ourselves,

   may we be faithful to You.

It may seem like walking 

         in enemy territory

  or a bleak landscape,

but Your Holy Spirit invades

     powerfully even there.

Rescue, Almighty One,

  those we love who reside there.

   Abide in them.

Rescue, redeem, restore,

  and bring them back

             to You.

Urge us on to pray for others

   and love them

          even from afar.

You work miracles

  in the most unexpected people

     and unlikely scenarios.

You always have.

Grant us the courage

   to be a witness in Babylon.

Lives are at stake.

    Perhaps even our own.

   

Out Of The Miry Bog

 

...yet You brought up my life

        from the pit, 

        O LORD, my God.

When my life was fading away,

I remembered the LORD,

and my prayer came to You

into Your holy temple.

              Jonah 3. 6-7

When we find ourselves

in the dark places,

we can dig ourselves deeper

    or turn to the LORD.

God does not leave us there.

He airlifts us out

        of our pit of despair

and shows us the way through

   when we cry out to Him.

God forgives.

God redeems.

God rewrites our story.

He does not just hear us.

   He is already listening.

God responds to us.

  Are we responding to Him?

O LORD,

We are not just stuck.

We are sinking in the miry bog.

And the quick sand

   is swallowing us up alive.

You are not just our hope.

    You are our only hope.

    You are God Almighty.

Help us to trust You

   through this dark place.

We are not alone.

You walk with us,

          day and night,

  every moment a sacred step.

May we not forget that truth.

Guide our way.

Guide us even how to pray.

And surround us

    with shouts of deliverance.

 

His Courage To Get You There

 

...and the kingdom

    shall be the LORD's.

        Obadiah 1. 21

No matter the circumstances,

we can push back the darkness,

       by always moving forward

       towards His glory.

Things may look bleak now,

    but the end of the story

   has already been written,

  His triumph all over it.

How does this phrase

change how we see

   our situation

   or even ourselves?

His Kingdom is here.

His Kingdom shall always be.

The book of Obadiah

   contains only 21 verses.

And this verse concludes it.

All we know about Obadiah

is that his name means,

 The one who serves Yahweh. 

May we be known as the same,

building His Kingdom here

    in word and deed,

and realizing that

every moment is holy.

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful 

     right where we are,

no matter how hard the work

   or rocky patch of ground.

Prepare, train and equip us

in unexpected ways

for the familiar

     and the extraordinary

to bring Your name

and grace here.

May we speak of Your kingdom

    and tell of Your power.

A Million Times Over

 

Return to the LORD your God,

for He is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger,

and abounding in steadfast love.

              Joel 2. 13

The porchlight is not just on, 

the door is not just unlocked

           and open wide,

   but God runs to us.

Our story is not over yet.

What does it take for us

   to turn and return

and respond to Him?

"Come Home," He whispers.

O LORD,

You do not just give us

            a second chance,

but a million times over and over,

covered in Your steadfast love

            and forgiveness.

You do not just show up,

but You show us

   the way back to You.

Soften our hearts

      and change our minds,

not that we would

            find our way back,

but You guide us

                   right to You.

As the GPS directs us,

      Turn now.

The Locusts Have Not Won

 

The threshing floors

   shall be full of grain.

The vats shall overflow

   with wine and oil.

I will restore to you

the years that the 

swarming locust has eaten.

          Joel 2. 24-25

A poet friend mentioned to me

that after many hard years of

        physical suffering and

        blank pages,

she suddenly realized 

that lost fruitless time

   was not wasted after all.

God restored in ways

    she could not have imagined.

Faithfulness is never squandered,

even when it feels like

 circumstances nibble us to death.

God forms something abundant 

            through our hardships.

The locusts have not won at all.

God redeems backwards and

   forwards, right below our feet

and way beyond what we can see.

O LORD,

As the locusts are swarming

             all around us,

and all our work

  seems to be to no avail,

please help us 

   to cling to You,

knowing that You are working,

even in this,

          even through this.

Bring Your hope to us.

We see the affliction of locusts

    that seems endless.

But You see Your glory

   covering us.

Help us to take refuge in You

   to go forth strengthened.

     

 

Copying The Image

 

Beloved,

do not imitate evil

   but imitate good.

        3 John 1. 11

The time to make

     a conscious choice

is not in the middle of crisis.

What are we practicing,

     day after day,

in big decisions how to act

and in the small stuff

  which we only think

         doesn't matter,

   but actually marks us

     with indelible ink.

Someone once told me to

  watch what the faithful do,

what choices they make,

how they respond with

    shockingly different hearts.

What do they practice?

To pursue imitating good,

  and knowing what it does.

Copy the model of others

  who have chosen to

           live differently.

Imitate literally means

   copy the image.

And that would be 

  God's goodness,

  kindness and grace.

What are we practicing?

What are we modeling

   before others?

O LORD,

Grant to us the courage

  to choose what is good

  and honoring to You.

Release us from 

    selfish desires

   that only enslave us

       in a mess.

May we choose good,

not to earn anyone's favor,

or because we have to,

  but because we love You.

May Your goodness

   and mercy track us down.

Help us to pursue and practice

  what Your goodness can do

right here, even in this.

Full Court Press

 

A fool gives full vent

     to his spirit,

but the wise

quietly holds it back.

         Proverbs 29. 11

The wise do not ignore

   volatile situations 

   or even wrongs that are done,

not reacting like a fool,

    but responding differently.

The wise take a 

       different passage through

            the messy stuff.

We find another way 

     of going forth

   with a strength and wisdom

   that is not our own.

What if we instead gave

   full vent to the Holy Spirit?

Not just a small crack,

      but all doors thrown open.

Full court press is 

 an intentional all-out effort

to alter the trajectory, 

  to initiate change,

as only the Holy Spirit

                    knows how.

He covers all of us

   with His power

   like nothing we have ever seen.

O LORD,

None of us is immune from

   troubling relationships,

   hurt feelings,

   and impossible situations.

Help us to give full vent

   to Your Spirit

and watch as You work

  Your grace here.

Holy Spirit,

           enter into

not just these circumstances,

    but fully in our being.

If we want something different,

    something has to change.

And that would be our hearts.                    

Not Just A Feeling But The Reality

 

And there I will give her

her vineyards

and make the Valley of Achor

     a door of hope.

          Hosea 2. 15

In the most impossible places

    of hardship

    we find ourselves in,

in the midst of trouble,

a door of hope emerges

    out of the darkness.

God brings us to where

    we are suddenly aware.

God transforms

   not just our surroundings

           but our hearts.

He opens not a new door,

   but a portal of hope,

not just a different way

of looking at this mess.

We are no defined by the hard stuff,

   but being refined by God in it.

And God provides

    the vineyards we need

    to sustain us there.

Things will not always be

      as they appear now.

God gives us a future

            and a hope.

O LORD,

Wishing for something different

   leads us only deeper

   into despair.

But staking our lives on You

   changes everything.

Circumstances may not differ,

   but You transform us

               through them.

Help us to not miss

   Your Presence here.

Show us how to stay faithful

          even through this valley,

and know that hope will emerge

   in the most unexpected ways.

Help us too to point others

     in the valley of trouble

that You are here

                  among us. 

I Would Do Anything For You

 

By this we know love,

that He laid down 

      His life for us,

and we ought to lay down

   our lives for the brothers.

             1 John 3. 16

We love the first part of this verse

     about Jesus laying down

     His life for us.

But too often, we just mumble

        our part in this truth.

Love for others means

   laying down a lot of stuff

   we insist on carrying:

our "rights," our favorite idols,

our insistence on not forgiving,

and the biggest and bulkiest,

     our tightly gripped pride.

But the act of laying down

  releases us to do something else:

       to love and bless others

in extraordinary ways,

          even on ordinary days.

Are we willing to be selfless

    and loving in this situation?

Not thinking less of ourselves,

   but less about ourselves.

For the sake of the LORD,

   I will seek your good.

                Psalm 122. 9

O LORD,

Show us this day,

how to lay down our lives

  in order to pick up

  Your higher calling 

         in this situation.

Help us to see the best in

and seek the best for,

by loving others

       in tangible ways,

even those who have hurt us.

Grant to us the strength

   to restore our relationships,

and to bring Your love there.

Love says,

    I would do anything for you.

Indeed,

            You do everyday.

Help us to do likewise,

  even with him,

  even with her.

     

Distractions That Keep Us From Actions

 

....but the people

      who know their God

shall stand firm

           and take action.

           Daniel 11. 32

We live in a broken fallen world.

Those who know their God

         do something about it.

They have been trained and equipped

  through His Word to know Him more,

           day by day by day.

God's Word defends and protects,

strengthens and increases endurance.

God transforms us through it.

He opens our hearts to what 

     we have never seen before.

Knowing God changes our trajectory,

   because we see Him

   and see our paths differently.

God secures our steps.

       We don't walk alone.

God opens our hearts and eyes

  to take some kind of action,

  even in the really hard stuff.

Not "just do something,"

   but follow Him into it.

What is His appointment

   for me today in this place?

Push back the darkness here.

O LORD,

No matter how narrow

     or treacherous the trail,

secure our feet

and help us to lift up our eyes

           to You alone.

Keep us from distractions

  that keep us from actions.

In whatever we face today,

help us to be faithful to You,

   to stand firm in what honors You,

   to do what is good and right,

and take action to resolve,

      restore, heal wounds,

      and stand in the gaps. 

I Thought You'd Never Ask

I lift up my eyes

          to the hills.

From where

   does my help come?

My help comes

          from the LORD

who made heaven 

     and earth.

           Psalm 121. 1-2

I have hiked enough to know

that there are always surprises

        around the next bend,

yet another slope

         or stronger incline.

The really steep ascents

      before us are not meant

          to defeat us, 

but for us to realize

  from Whom 

  our strength comes.

God does not just send help,

or stand far off,

     watching us struggle.

He is our help.

When we lift our eyes to Him,

     He guides us through.

We may not even be able

     to see the summit,

but can fully know His Presence

     along the way.

Where is our help?

God whispers,

    "I thought you'd never ask."

O LORD,

Help!

We are stuck on the side 

   of a steep mountain,

not able to go either up

                or down.

Don't just show up, O God.

Show us

      how to walk with You

      through this.

There is a different outcome

  to these circumstances,

and it is not just at the top.

Soften our hearts,

change our minds,

and re-tie our hiking shoes,

that we may respond,

approach and navigate

    the really hard stuff.

And seize Your courage

   to take another step today.

Our help comes from You,

   Creator of the universe.

Doesn't get any better than that.

 

 

Time On Knees

 

...while I was speaking

         in prayer...

         Daniel 9. 21

Something always unfolds

     when we pray

         and as we pray.

Things do not "just happen,"

but God intervenes

and redeems

and changes us to our very core.

We see our circumstances

      differently on our knees.

That is our posture of prayer,

   time on knees.

While baking the other day,

I dropped a chocolate chip

 I couldn't see it on the floor,

  but I knew it was there.

It wasn't until

    I got down on my knees,

        that I could see it.

God does not just

     deliver an answer.

He opens our eyes

       to His wonders

and even to what

  is right at our feet.

While we are praying,

   the tectonic plates

   of the universe shift

far more than 

       we can imagine.

O LORD,

We come before You,

not even realizing

what You are creating

and revealing and unfolding

  because we are

  spending time with You.

Your mercies surround us,

most often in ways we have

     not even asked for.

On our knees,

  we realize Your Presence.

And that changes

how we respond,

       what we see,

and how we go forth.

You order and reorder

        our hearts.