God's Strategic Positioning

 

But Jehoshabeath,

the daughter of the king,

took Joash the son of Ahaziah

and stole him away

from among the king's sons

  who were about to be 

  put to death,

and she put him and his nurse

in a bedroom.

...so that he would not

        be put to death.

       2 Chronicles 22.11

Never underestimate

the strategic positioning

and courage of the women

         in the Bible.

Never underestimate

where God has

     deliberately placed us

for His Kingdom

and the spiritual, physical,

  and emotional wellbeing

  of those all around us.

May we be aware of 

   God's strategic positioning.

It may seem an insignificant

    gesture or act,

but obedience to God

and faithfulness to Him

is always in some way

a matter of life and death.

We all stand on the shoulders

    and choices of the faithful

who came before us

and for those who come after us.

O LORD,

Find us faithful

in whatever You have

       put before us today,

wherever You have placed us,

among whomever 

          You have appointed.

May we respond immediately

       to Your nudges

and be listening to Your voice.

Multiply what we do

   that You would be magnified

in every detail

             for Your glory today.

 

The Inside Out of Things

 

For we are powerless

against this great horde

that is coming against us.

We do not know what to do,

  but our eyes are on You.

            2 Chronicles 20. 12

Without hesitation,

   and no matter someone's worldview,

what is the very first thing

   people say when in trouble?

            O God.

We all implicitly know our limitations,

      our lack, our shortage.

But our weakness is actually

   what strengthens us,

because when we are

      powerless,

      under siege,

      and floundering,

we realize our need for God,

    the inside out of things.

For when I am weak,

   then I am strong.

             2 Corinthians 12. 10

When our eyes are on the LORD,

not on our circumstances

         or inadequacies,

God gives us a new heart.

We go forth differently,

because we go forth with Him.

No longer in defeat or despair,

    but trusting God in this.

O LORD,

We pray this verse before You.

We don't know what to do,

    but our eyes are on You.

We don't just ask

    for a way through this mess

    or stranglehold in our lives,

but Your Presence with us.

Our eyes are on You.

Our hearts yearn for You.

Reveal not just Your hand

          in this situation,

but reveal Yourself to us.

Order our day.

Order our way.

Reorder our hearts

      as we worship You.

 

From Overwhelmed to Overcome

 

His heart was courageous

in the ways of the LORD.

 

             2 Chronicles 17. 6

Never comes without practicing

   over and over in the everydays

   and in the extraordinary.

Faithfulness is the basis

         of all courage,

         holding on to God

     in what we struggle.

Courage is not the absence of fear

  but His strength to face it.

Courage is built in layers

and on the shoulders

               of the faithful

who came before us

and for those who come after.

Not the glittering deception of

          "believe in yourself!!!"

but the reality of trusting God   

   in the midst of the frightening.

God turns what overwhelms

   into what is overcome.

O LORD,

Please help us to face our struggles

          in Your name,

knowing that You carry us through.

May we keep our eyes on You.

And know that somehow, some way,

   You are already singing 

           a victory song over us.

Grant us Your courage

   even to ask for help

               and accept it.

You never intended for us

       to go it on our own.

Not without You.

Not without fellowship.

Even In What We Don't See Coming

 

For You equipped me

    for the battle.

           Psalm 18. 39

God equips us with strength.

But He also equips us

          with a new heart,

for what we see

  and what we don't see coming.

Sometimes that means

   seeing that it is

   not a battle at all.

Equip in Hebrew means

to be girded, held close,

     and encompassed.

We are not alone

   in whatever we struggle.

   God is with us.

He does not give us weapons

        but tools

to push back the darkness

   like grace, mercy and love.

O LORD,

We don't just need Your help.

      We need You.

Come to us.

Surround us.

Carry us through these struggles.

Grant to us Your wisdom

          and Your grace

to see this situation differently,

  even right now

        in the middle of the mess

                  or the pain.

Sing, Almighty One,

   Your victory song over us.

So Much More To It

 

For we do not know

what to pray for

as we ought,

but the Spirit Himself

     intercedes for us

with groanings

           too deep for words.

         Romans 8. 26

There's a lot of things

    we do not know,

what to pray,

how to pray,

      and what God does.

But when we are speechless,

the Holy Spirit takes 

    our prayers to 

    a far deeper level,

way beyond our vocabulary

        or comprehension.

We think we are praying

              about something,

but God knows

  there is so much more to it,

way deeper than words,

   far beyond answers

and all about

    our relationship with Him.

We are not the lone voice

      of a long-distance pray-er.

   The Spirit intercedes for us.

May we allow ourselves

    to be led,

to listen,

and repeat after Jesus:

   not my will

   but Yours be done.

Prayer is an exercise

       in submitting to God.

Prayer is the practice

  of letting God

   align our hearts with His.

O LORD,

There is so much about prayer

   that we don't know,

even that we cannot yet know.

But we know 

    that we can call to You.

You help us to pray.

And You respond

  in a million

 infinite and eternal ways.

Fulltime Residence

 

...if in fact

the Spirit of God

    dwells in you.

          Romans 8. 9

And that is a 

  different story altogether.

How much are we aware

       of His Presence?

How much do we depend

       on His Presence?

Already here,

          moved in,

          residing within,

          abiding in us.

The Spirit takes up residence

to transform our hearts,

and radically alter our words,

   actions, attitudes,

and even for what and 

         how we pray.

Because sometimes

   we are beyond words,

              but He never is.

From moment to moment,

the Spirit changes

    the trajectory of our lives,

revealing Himself

and showing us that we are

       God's beloved children.

Give the Spirit 

     the elbow room to work.

And the time to do it.

O LORD,

Thank You that Your Spirit

does not just

     occasionally visit

to move the furniture around.

But abides with us

           and in us.

Help us 

      see the difference

in what we choose,

          not just to do,

      but to be.

May Your Spirit be evident

    to everyone around us

and draw others to You.

May we allow ourselves

         to be led by You.

 

What People Will Always Remember

 

And they said to him,

"If you will be good to this people

       and please them,

and speak good words to them,

then they will be

     your servants forever."

              2 Chronicles 10. 7

Speaking good words

   is not a form of manipulation,

but setting the stage

      for what is to come

and turning a volatile situation

           on its head.

People may not remember

   the exact plight,

   nor our precise words,

but people will always remember

    how we treat them. 

Grace generates relationships.

Goodness is rarely expected

      in extenuating circumstances,

    but has no expiration date.

It is not a matter of winning 

or losing a battle of wills,

     nor people forced to bow down to us,

but goodness and grace display 

        a different path through

  as they witness our servant hearts

                towards them.

We may even end up becoming friends

                or allies.

Surprise others

     right into God's Kingdom.

Spread out the grace.

O LORD,

Please help us to hear Your voice

     amidst the chaos.

Pour Your wisdom and grace

         all over this mess.

And then grant us the courage

    to follow You into it.

Turn our difficult situations

       into opportunities

              for Your glory.

Help us to know

   that a gracious response

is the strongest choice yet.

May we look towards You

  and see it differently.

Lord, Have Mercy. Indeed, He Has.

 

There is no condemnation

for those who are

         in Christ Jesus.

        Romans 8. 1

Jesus came

     not to condemn us

but to set us free.

Satan wants us to believe

   that nothing can save us now.

We are stuck.

We are no good.

But Jesus came,

     not for judgement,

but compassion and

   forgiveness,

even when undeserving.

But oh, so beloved.

             Even now.

Lord, have mercy.

    Indeed, He has.

If then we are not condemned,

but loved fully by Him,

how does that transform

    how we live,

    how we love,

and how we respond to others?

We need not judge others,

     but forgive, love,

and see them differently,

just as we have been forgiven,

  loved, and embraced by Jesus.

O LORD,

Thank You for coming to save us

  and for loving us that much.

Release us from our shortcomings,

our sins,

even from what others

            think of us.

Help us to realize that

  forgiveness is the deepest

             form of love.

You showed us that

           by Your life.

We are Your beloved.

Help us to abide in You,

fully loved,

fully shielded,

free to love others right to You.

Fill us with Your compassion,

     grace and love

in all that we encounter today.

Find us following You.

           

No Insignificant Stuff of the Ordinary

 

...in order that

we may bear fruit for God.

         Romans 7. 4

That is why we are here

in this rock-hard place,

this barren landscape,

in what we see as wilderness,

  or even the time of our lives. 

Ultimately,God's purpose is that

we may sow and

     nurture souls.

.Not based on our comfort

       or successes,

power, possessions

           or prestige.

Not even in what we have done,

  but what God is doing

          through us.

Nothing random at all.

There is no insignificant stuff

            of the ordinary

   but only the eternal.

Bearing fruit always exceeds

          our lifetimes.

Every seed, even the tiniest,

    can produce a forest of sequoias.

In what does God want us

       to bear fruit today?

              Everything.

O LORD,

We see a difficult situation.

You see immense opportunity.

We see a barren landscape.

You are awed by the beauty.

Help us to see You differently

   so that we see our lives,

our work, our selves and others

    with bushel baskets ready.

We sow. We nurture.

But You, Almighty One,

      bring the fruit to it.

Even in this.  Even today.

Going Forth Strengthened and Covered

 

He set up the pillars

in front of the temple,

one on the right

and the other on the left.

The one on the right

      he called Jachin,

and the one on the left

      he called Boaz.

         2 Chronicles 3. 17

Throughout Old Testament scriptures,

places, events and details

were often given names

to distinguish them,

indicate their importance,

and bring their meaning

              to the people.

When the temple was built,

the column Jachin 

was placed on the right

as a position of strength

     and prominence.

Jachin means He establishes.

Boaz on the left 

       signifies a covering.

Boaz means

        in Him is strength.

We can go into this day

  strengthened and covered.

God establishes us and our work,

and in Him is our strength

           in whatever we face.

O LORD,

May Your Word and prayer

stand strong in our days

as a visible reminder

               of Your Presence.

You do not just

             go with us.

You hold us up.

You cover us with Your love.

You infuse Your strength

       by Your abiding.

You build Your Kingdom

    in us and through us.

Even in this situation today.

 

Ask What I Shall Give You

 

In that night, 

God appeared to Solomon, 

and said to him,

"Ask what I shall give you."

And Solomon said to God,

"...Give me now 

wisdom and knowledge

to go out and come in

before the people..."

       2 Chronicles 1. 7-8, 10

God asks us the

         same question:

Ask what I shall give you.

How do we respond?

Not telling God

   what to do and how to do it,

but asking for wisdom

and knowledge and courage

        to follow Him.

When we worship the Almighty,

He reorders our loves.

He softens our hearts.

He changes our minds.

   And welcomes us Home.

O LORD,

Turn our eyes,

set our hearts,

and direct our thoughts to You.

Help us to walk differently

  in whatever is before us

with hope, grace

     and Your Presence.

Help us to listen to Your voice,

not just to reveal Your path

                   for us,

but to reveal Yourself. 

Align our hearts with Yours.

Whatever. Wherever. Among Whomever.

 

Then the people rejoiced,

because they had given

            willingly,

for with a whole heart

they had offered freely

     to the LORD.

     1 Chronicles 29. 9

Giving and serving the LORD

far exceed our situation.

It is not a matter of stuff, resources,

    time or treasure,

        but a matter of the heart.

The root word in willingly

           is will.

    Not ours but Yours.

Giving willingly,

offering freely,

walking fully,

worshiping God in all we do,

infiltrates joy from the LORD.

Serving God

        in any capacity

    is never insignificant.

There is nothing 

       God cannot use 

   to redeem this broken world.

Serving Him with a whole heart

   impacts us

   and everyone around us,

everytime,

   even when we don't see it yet.

His incredible joy in impossible places

                   changes everything. 

O LORD,

May we be sensitive 

        to Your leading,

aware of our circumstances,

attentive to the obvious

  or not so obvious need,

and bring Your name here

    in tangible ways.

Help us to realize

    You cover us in joy.

It is not in us

      but all through You.

May Your impossible joy

   energize us

        into this day today

and radically change whatever

    lies before us.

Whatever. Wherever. 

            Among whomever.

Not Limited By What Is Seen or Unseen

...who gives life to the dead

and calls into existence

the things that do not exist.

           Romans 4. 17

God spells out

  how to face the impossible.

This situation is not dead yet.

This is not the end of the story.

Because God restores.

God redeems.

God multiplies.

God resurrects what 

     appears to be lifeless.

But our part is to

   give God the space to work

   and follow Him into it.

God is not limited

  by what is seen or not seen.

Even when it is against the odds,

       when we call on Him,

God cannot help but respond

   and bring something about.

Are we willing to change

           and trust Him in it?

God does the heavy lifting,

 but our part is to follow Him

into the space He has opened.

When we hold tight to Him,

   of what do we let go?

Selfishness, pride and despair.

O LORD,

Guide us into this unreasonable

   situation, relationship,

  and heavy circumstances,

all rolled into one big mess.

Help us to realize that the impossible

is what is not able to occur,

   exist or be done 

             without You.

Breathe Your life into this.

We cannot see our way,

  but You bring us through.

Order our day.

Order our way.

Reorder our loves.

And align our hearts

          with Yours.

Help us to run with You.

    

And Brings The Snacks

 

Arise and work!

The LORD be with you!

      1 Chronicles 22. 16

God grants us His strength,

wisdom, and courage

  to go forth into this day

and the opportunities

      right before us

to fulfill His purposes

    in all we do and say,

to be a witness in how 

  we love Him and others,

to be faithful in all

     He has placed on our path.

May we be responsive

    to get out there,

and willing to follow Him in it.

We are masters 

          of procrastination.

And we miss out 

   on the wonders of God

   running with us,

      setting the direction,

      setting the pace,

  and bringing the snacks.

In being faithful in one step

          and then the next,

we see Him.

O LORD,

Empower us to 

       rise and work,

even if we don't know

   the how, where

        and what of it,

we can be assured

  of Your Presence.

And that changes

       everything.

 

Doing What We CAN Do

They were given

   the cities of refuge...

          1 Chronicles 6. 67

May we be ready

with sensitive hearts,

boatloads of compassion,

pantries full of forgiveness,

beds made,

doors unlocked and open,

watchful on the porch,

aware in our comings

           and goings

   in the familiar

   and the unexpected.

We can't do everything

    to solve big problems,

but we can do something.

And having done all,

      stand in the gap.

God changes the landscape

    through us.

God gave cities of refuge.

    God's people built them.

We can always do something

  as a first responder

or as a steadfast friend.

And change the world.

O LORD,

You don't just give us

      something to do.

You invite us into Your work.

May You find us faithful.

And may we not 

     despise a day of small things,

but do what we can do.

Because blessing others

     is never insignificant.

And shifts the tectonic plates

           of this world.

You always bring about

 what otherwise

 would not be possible.

And sometimes You use us

        to do those things

    and cover Your glory over it.

      

 

God Is Not About To Abandon Us Now

 

....and I have been with you

wherever you have gone.

       1 Chronicles 17. 8

Past, present, future tense.

God is not about to

     abandon us now.

We can see, approach,

navigate, and accept

  our surroundings, 

  experiences,

  and circumstances

           differently,

not just because 

   we are believers,

but because

            God is here.

He guides and provides,

even though sometimes

we cannot realize that

  until the rearview mirror.

But we can trust Him

and go forth with courage.

I am with you. Do not be afraid.

O LORD,

As we go forth with You

   into this day,

full of Your wonders,

even in the hard stuff,

fill us with Your strength

  and fulfill Your plans 

  in whatever we face.

Help us to remember

  the chronicle of

       Your faithfulness

in our past,

in the now,

    and in the next.

Empower us to

   trust You in this.

Even in this,

    wherever,

    whatever,

    among whomever,

help us run with You. 

All Eyes on Him

 

Seek the LORD

   and His strength.

Seek His Presence

        continually.

      1 Chronicles 16. 11

How do we endure

  this hard situation?

Not in our own strength,

        but His.

Seeking not an outcome

  or ease or success,

        but Him.

Continually

   requires intention,

not short spurts

     but the long haul.

Turning our faces

  towards the Lord

      directs our course.

O LORD,

We turn our eyes

           upon You

that we would follow You,

know Your strength,

and see You

   and circumstances differently.

Help us to approach

   and navigate this situation

with a fresh heart.

Grant us the courage

     to take Your path.

Form something new

            in us,

       step by step.

We don't know what to do

or even where this is going,

  but our eyes are on You.