How To Face The Darkness

 

...and by His light

I walked through darkness.

             Job 29. 3

Job's friends focused on

his circumstances

and what he did 

          to be struggling like that.

Job focused on

   getting through the unspeakable

          with the Almighty.

We all live at some point

      with darkness and storms.

How we respond depends on

   with whom we are walking

   and what we are holding onto.

If we grasp temporal happiness,

         or our stuff, or selfishness, 

   or idols we don't think are idols,

      we will go down with the ship.

God teaches us

     how to face the darkness

     and walk through it

   with a heart changed by Him.

God never intended for us

          to dwell there.

Seek God, listen, respond,

and take a step with Him,

   one and then another.

God guides us

              always right to Him.

The darkness will not always 

           be this way,

    but He is with us.

Our eyes don't just adjust,

         or we get used to it,

but we see and walk differently.

O LORD,

Hold our hands in these shadows

   and through this dark place.

Help us to trust You even here,

          even in this,

knowing You are with us.

Turn our eyes upon You.

Make our night turn to day

  and may we be changed by 

  Your Presence.

Empower us to

           see in the dark.

A Way That Is Not The Same

 

...not by earthly wisdom

but by the grace of God...

             2 Corinthians 1. 12

Stop.

Let's think through this

   in a way that is not the same.

Because when we walk with Jesus,

we approach differently

our circumstances and encounters,

the ordinary and familiar,

the strange and our struggles,

not molded by the world,

but with hearts changed by God Himself.

By the grace of God,

His strength is woven into our souls

and He reveals a whole 

               new way through it.

Circumstances may or may not change.

    But He changes us inside and out.

May others see His grace in us

       and be strengthened by it.

Earthly wisdom seeks a name for oneself,

            to be known and valued.

Abiding in God's grace, seeks His name

      and His glory in every situation.

May we know Him more

           and write His name all over it.

How are we seeing

  what is before us by His grace?

What can we do differently? 

O LORD,

You have opened a fresh new day,

even in the midst of ongoing

         struggles and problems.

Help us to walk with You,

not by how the world says

    we should act or react,

but by how Your grace

       changes our response.

Be glorified in this day.

And empower us

            with Your grace in it.

Help us to not seek right choices,

       but to seek You.

Guide us in unexpected ways

    for Your Kingdom

    and in Your holy name

with Your grace poured all over it.

His Anointing And His Appointing

 

For He will complete

what He appoints for me,

and many such things

are in His mind.

             Job 23. 14

We are just in the middle

of the story God has written

                in our lives.

It is not that things just happen,

or it will all turn out

           or fit together,

but God completes

   what He appoints.

God is already completing 

        His work in us

   in ways we cannot comprehend.

What we deem unimportant

   may be the most significant of all.

We have but to be faithful

  as God fulfills His eternal purposes,

unfolds His glory,

and reveals

     what only He can do. 

O LORD,

We cannot know what is ahead,

but we can follow You into it.

Grant to us Your wisdom

                and courage today

   in these divine appointments,

         sacred encounters,

    and even the familiar.

When we are faithful

                 in the ordinary,

   You strengthen us for the eternal.

You anoint and You appoint. 

Never An Individual Serving

 

...the Father of mercies

and God of all comfort,

who comforts us

      in all our affliction,

so that we may be able

to comfort those 

  who are in any affliction

with the comfort

which we ourselves

    are comforted by God.

            2 Corinthians 1. 3-4

The comfort God gives us

     is never an individual serving,

but abides by God's

 fundamental law of mercy --

it gets all over everyone,

never meant to be limited

   to only our own needs.

God comforts us 

that we may be able

 and know how to comfort others,

equipped with compassion,

a pound cake,

   and a first-aid kit.

We don't just know

      how the hardship feels

   --been there, done that.

But we know the mercy of God,

   our need for community,

and to find grace to help

    in time of need.

              Hebrews 4. 16

It is not a weakness 

            to need help,

no shame in asking for help,

no sin in accepting it.

O LORD,

Cover us with Your mercy,

  grace and comfort

that we may in turn

be prepared and willing

   to be used by You

in the lives of

   all those around us.

Make us aware of needs,

    even carefully disguised

    or denied,

that we may love others

     right into Your arms.

Your comfort

   saturates all the way through.

May we comfort others

   not just with Hallmark sentiments

but in tangible ways 

          that say I love you.

               

Going Forth Differently

 

On the first day of the week,

each of you is to put

   something aside

   and store it up

as he may prosper....

          1 Corinthians 16. 2

The first day of the week

in the New Testament

   referred to Sunday,

the sabbath day of rest

              and worship.

Worshiping God

  changes us from the inside out,

equips and prepares us

for yet another amazing week,

   walking now with Him

             through each day.

Not "oh no, another week,"

   but oh good, another week,

seeing, grasping, seizing it

       as precious as it is.

Our hearts are realigned.

Our vision altered.

Our strength renewed.

Our pockets stuffed

           with love and grace.

We cannot help but 

        go differently

   into His days for us.

We worship God through our work.

But worshiping God

         triggers that response.

O LORD,

As we worship You,

empower us to grasp hold

      of Your truth and grace,

to not just put something aside

          and store it up,

but approach and navigate

   what is before us

with hearts refreshed

   and strengthened by You.

May our worshiping You

       change us,

sustain us,

and get all over 

   every part of our lives

for Your glory

           in this very day.

All This Darkness is a Small and Passing Thing

 

For I know

that my Redeemer lives

and at the last

He will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been

thus destroyed,

yet in my flesh,

     I shall see God.

          Job 19. 25-26

Job is probably one of 

  the most avoided books

            in Scripture,

not that it is so unattainable,

      but unfathomable

                 in its truth.

And we fear the hard stuff.

But after all the harsh realities

   that Job endures,

he does not just point to God,

   but Job knows Him a little more.

Redeemer comes with a capital R,

  past, present, future tense.

God Himself is freeing us

      from these calamities

and drawing us to Himself. 

He is with us now

       even in the hard stuff.

He is also with us

   on a through line to the end,

which is actually

    a new beginning.

"All this darkness is

    a small and passing thing."

                 (JRR Tolkien)

Walk with Jesus.

He is the light.

     He is the Redeemer.

O LORD,

Every one of us struggles

   with something visible

            or invisible,

sometimes that which we 

   cannot even put words to.

We may not understand

     even a smidgen of it,

but we can know You.

We don't just think

     or imagine or believe,

but we can know 

  You are the living God.

And that reality

         changes everything.

Help us to live that out

     before others today.

Slaying Invisible Dragons

 

In the thought of one

who is at ease

there is contempt

          for misfortune.

            Job 12. 5

It is so easy for us 

        to be critical

when it is not us

    who are struggling.

May the Lord 

        change our triggers

that we would instead

    pray for 

    and help when we can.

God intends for us

  to let compassion

            alter our eyesight

            and our actions.

We have no idea

   what others are going through,

nor the invisible dragons they face.

Why would someone choose 

                     to act like that?

Because they are not us.

O LORD,

Soften our hearts

and change our minds

   about those around us.

Help us to not criticize

or analyze,

but to reach out

             and help others.

You touched so many people,

   because You saw them

                       differently.

Empower us to do the same

in some small way  

    which is never small at all.

We can't walk a mile

               in their shoes.

But You do.

Totally Unaware of the Wonders

 

As for me,

I would seek God,

and to God would 

  I commit my cause,

who does great things

        and unsearchable,

marvelous things

    without number.

          Job 5. 8-9

My husband is backpacking

            in the majestic Tetons.

All he has to do is look up

              and be awed by the view,

        surpassing description.

But in the vast majority of things

 we encounter, accomplish,

or struggle with,

 we are totally unaware

   of the wonders, the great,

   and the marvelous

   that God has surrounded us. 

Some we might glimpse

        just a shadow.

Yet most extend far beyond our 

    limited comprehension.

May we remember 

   the eternal is unfolding

    and still being revealed.

We cannot yet know

  the ending of this story

  that God infuses with hope.

God is God,

     and we are not.

He carries us

  and covers us in what awes us,

and even in what 

          we cannot fathom.

Trust Me in this.

O LORD,

We seek not just

   Your unsearchable purposes,

or a finely tied up conclusions,

      but we seek You.

You reveal Yourself daily to us.

Open our eyes.

Make us aware.

Draw our attention

      not just to circumstances,

but to the eternal.

May we not seek

     great things for ourselves,

but for Your redeeming

      this broken world.

Guide our thoughts and prayers.

Align our hearts with Yours.

May we stand as a witness

   wherever You place us today

and speak of You.

 

Help! I've Fallen and Can't Get Up

 

The steps of a man

are established by the LORD,

when he delights

               in His way.

Though he fall,

he shall not be 

           cast headlong,

for the LORD upholds his hand.

                 Psalm 37. 23-24

Though he fall.

Change the pronoun and scenario.

        Though we fall.

We take our eyes off the Father.

We ignore the divine

               at our own peril.

We are distracted. We all are.

But when we do fall,

    God is right here with us.

If we are walking with Him,

even falling over

        a proverbial cliff,

God empowers us to

     mount up with wings

              like eagles.

We fall not into the

  bottomless pit of despair,

but right into His arms.

I've got you,

     He sings over us.

O LORD,

Help! We've fallen

          and can't get up.

Hold us tight

  in these scary places.

Bind us to You

    in the wild storms

   we don't even see coming.

We cry to You

  not just to fix this situation,

but redeem our fallenness

      and our despair

to draw us above all

            closer to You.

Order Your steps for us.

Make us incredibly aware

  and faithful to You.

In the chaos and clamor

of the world's empty promise 

      "THIS will make you happy,"

   help us to trust and follow You,

even when that may appear like

         the steeper path.

Establish our steps today, Almighty One.

Order Your ways

    in the midst of our disorder.

God's Fundamental Law of Reversing

 

... on this very day

when the enemies of the Jews

hoped to gain 

      the mastery over them,

the reverse occurred...

                Esther 9. 1

Even when things are

           looking bleak,

unraveling,

heading over a cliff,

or our foes and fears

  shouting at our door,

God does not just

          turn the tide,

but shifts it into reverse

   for His goodness

   to conquer and prevail.

God brings about the possible

      out of the impossible.

He turns the invisible

          into the visible.

He resurrects what is dead

     into new life.

God shows us

    a different way in this.

He brings it about

         and completes it,

   often in unexpected ways.

Where we only anticipate defeat,

we can stake our lives

on His steady persevering 

         work in the unseen.

            --Oswald Chambers

O LORD,

We seek You in our difficulties,

knowing that You are able

to conquer what terrifies us.

Help us to know

  Your fundamental law of reversing,

be it circumstances, 

        hoards of invading forces,

        or our fear of the dark

                        and unknown.

You have not abandoned us.

You are drawing us closer.

You are Master over this.

Show us Your way through,

   even in one step today.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Even In This. Even Today.

 

And who knows

whether you have not come

to the kingdom

for such a time as this?

         Esther 4. 14

And who knows whether 

we are in this situation,

   these crazy circumstances,

    or this really hard stuff,

for such a time as this?

          God knows.

Because He has placed us here.

God strategically positions

    and appoints His people

             --including us--

for His sacred purposes,

   assignments and encounters.

How would we approach

       these things differently,

if we knew that God was in them

     and God abides in us?

We cannot fathom

  the impact of faithfulness,

even when we are least aware.

Nothing random about

    where we are at all.

God's precise timing

  and exact positioning

are perfect,

even when we think

        God got it wrong.

Because He never does.

O LORD,

In what we cannot understand,

in the scary stuff,

in the way-beyond-our-abilities,

      You are with us.

You have equipped us.

You have given us Your Spirit.

You give us Your strength.

You cover us with

      Your everlasting love.

Give us the courage

    to be faithful to You.

Even in this.

Even today.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

If We See Something, Say Something

 

I will thank You 

   in the great congregation.

In the mighty throng,

        I will praise You.

             Psalm 35. 18

God has given each of us

        stories

of His faithfulness and glory,

not to keep to ourselves,

but to share

   and allow them to multiply.

Mary Oliver, a poet, once wrote:

        Pay attention.

        Be astonished.

        Tell about it.

That's the stuff of 

        being a witness.

If we see something,

                say something. 

When was the last time

           we did that,

  thanking God

       or praising Him

in the presence of others?

Or let thanks and praise sing

 in the quietness of our hearts?

O LORD,

Enlarge our hearts and

       vocabulary

that we may praise

 and thank You for 

        Who You are,

not just for what You do.

Open our eyes today

    to Your wonders,

not just noticing

what You have placed

      all around us,

but thanking You for it,

   and unable to wait

 to tell

         someone else.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Scrubbing Grout With A Really Bad Attitude

 

Do this in remembrance

               of Me.

          1 Corinthians 11.24

I remember once in the 80s,

scrubbing the grout of our white tile floor 

with a really bad attitude,

because people were coming

    and it had to be done.

Right in the midst of the drudgery,

I thought what if Jesus was coming.

Would you do that for Me?

Of course.

But what about remembering Jesus

   for those who were coming?

Not to earn their favor or love,

not because I have to,

     but I get to.

We may say, "I love you,"

  but doing something 

       shows it is real.

Whatever is before us today,

   may we remember Jesus

in all we do and say

and how we respond to others.

This verse is often used

       in Communion services.

In Hebrew, communion means

      to cleave or cling to,

recognizing an inseparable

            connection with God,

not just coming together

  but being together and tied tight.

Communion recognizes that.

So does the love of Jesus.

So does our love for others.

O LORD,

Change our hearts

    to not just show Your love

            in this broken world,

   but to actually love others

   in some way today.

Soften our hearts

          for those around us.

Let not a lack of forgiveness

          or bad attitude 

   stand between us,

nor keep us from You.

Even in the hard stuff,

give us Your love

to do it in

        remembrance of You.

You didn't hesitate to love us.

May we love others the same.

     

Pray Like You Mean It

 

And You divided the sea

                 before them,

so that they walked 

through the midst of the sea

           on dry land.

              Nehemiah 9. 11

The parting of the Red Sea

was not just a random historic event,

but that which still guides us

  in our own impossible situations.

God gives us hope

when our backs are 

             against the wall

and there appears no way out.

Hope in the Bible is not

               wishful thinking,

but that on which we can

          stake our lives.

God promises no matter what

          He is still with us.

"I am with you. 

           Trust Me in this."

Pray like you mean it,

listen to His voice,

follow Him one step

and then the next

       will be revealed.

O LORD,

We all face deep waters

  when we can't touch bottom.

But You don't just show up.

    You show us

               the way through

       or how to swim.

Help us to seek You in this

   and hold tight to You.

Reveal to us how to pray

       about our circumstances.

Empower us 

        not just to get through

              the deep stuff,

but to leave a witness there. 

Trust in the Slow Work of God

 

Many are the afflictions

            of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him

  out of them all.

            Psalm 34. 19

God does not promise 

   we will not have problems

   or troubles or struggles.

Indeed that hard stuff may

      flourish right

      in the center of His will

and bring about things

that otherwise wouldn't 

                be possible.

No matter the affliction,

      God promises

that He is with us

    right in the midst of the mess.

He brings the strength.

He brings us through.

Deliverance may come

  on unexpected paths,

sometimes not out of,

            but going through.

We can trust 

     His redeeming ways.

 In what appears unmoving,

   we can trust His slow work.

 God covers us powerfully,

              beyond our vision

              or sense of time.

For He is good,

and His steadfast love

         saturates even this.

O LORD,

May the difficulties we face

    draw us closer to You.

Form something new in us.

Help us to see these things

  with new eyes

          and a fresh heart,

not just to see how to handle it,

but to witness

        Your glory in it.

Keep us faithful

     in impossible places

as a witness to others.

Even today.

Even in this.

Through A New Lens

 

I do it all

for the sake of the gospel...

      1 Corinthians 9. 23

All things individually

   and collectively,

for, in and through

   the lens of the gospel.

How do we see this situation

    differently through that lens,

for the spiritual well-being

   of the souls around us?

And how do others

  see His abiding in us?

Not that we bring Jesus

  into our comings and goings,

but manifest His grace

   and Christlikeness

in what we do,

how we do it,

how we respond,

and even in our attitudes.

O LORD,

May we not allow our pride

or selfishness

or yes, stubbornness,

stand in the way

    of our loving others,

    even the irritable ones.

Help us to see our work

and our responses

through the lens of

      Your love for us

      and for others.

May Your abiding

     change our vision

and align our hearts

          with Yours.

Be manifest in us, Lord, 

          in all ways today

  to point others to You.

   

Divine Appointments and Strategic Assignments

 

Only let each person

   lead the life

that the Lord has

   assigned to them

and to which 

   God has called them.

        1 Corinthians 7. 17

God does not call us

    to a specific profession

like plumbing or nursing,

but He calls ourselves

   first and foremost

               to Himself.

And that big-C Call re-orders 

     all our little-c calls

and transforms not just

  the trajectory of our lives,

but this jam-packed day,

         this hard work, 

    this difficult conversation.

It is not how things happen to turn out,

but how God divinely appoints

  and strategically assigns us.

We can't do everything,

but we can do something

whether launching

         into unexplored territory,

coming alongside someone

    to encourage and lift up,

nurturing a little patch of what

    looks like no-nothing ground,

  or repairing a broken down wall

that God has entrusted in our care.

Because we cannot know

     how profoundly God is using us.

Lead that kind of life.

Not with a slack "whatever" attitude,

     but a heart for Whom,

knowing every word said, every task attempted,

every weed pulled, every brick put in place

   matters for all eternity.

O LORD,

Help us to realize that You have

                placed us here,

not just for a reason,

but by divine appointment,

   strategic assignment,

   and sacred encounters.

You have called us to Yourself.

You have called us

    as a witness to others

by how we live this life.

May we realize

 there is nothing random

              in what we do.

You are bringing us through

     for Your glory in this.

      

The Name at the Top of the Page

 

...for they perceived

that this work

had been accomplished

with the help

          of our God.

      Nehemiah 6. 16

If our abilities were 

     up to par,

if our work was 

  not so impossible,

if it didn't look like

  we couldn't get it done,

would we even 

  think of asking help

            from God?

God isn't looking for

  the next big thing

           from us,

    but to be faithful.

    Right here.  Right now.

    Even in this assignment.

We need not just 

     to put our head down

             and get it done,

   but lift our eyes to Him.

He shows us a new way through,

      grants us His wisdom,

          strength and words,

      and even brings the snacks

           to encourage us.

We don't just allow God

   into what is before us,

but He invites us

        into His glory in this.

Others are not watching

   to see if we

        succeed or fail,

but to see 

     that God is real.

No way we can

    accomplish this task

without Him.

O LORD,

Help us!

We are in the deep water,

way over our heads,

    abilities, and experience.

Guide us in our work,

  whatever it may be,

    for Your purposes.

Enlarge our vision

  to see our need for You,

not just to get our work done,

  but to bring honor 

           and glory to Your name.

Write Your name

    at the top of the page

and all the way through.

 

What In The World Can God Do With This?

 

Will they revive the stones

out of the heaps of rubbish,

and burned ones at that?

            Nehemiah 4. 2

God has.

God is.

God will.

God takes what we have,

  revives, restores, redeems 

and creates something new

   out of the most unlikely

   and unexpected situations

             and relationships.

God does not recycle our trash.

God resurrects and

     rewrites the story of our lives. 

What in the world

        can He do with this mess?

                 All things new.

Trust Me in this.

O LORD,

We all struggle with something.

We all face what is disordered,

     unraveling, and crumbling.

But You, O God,

   revive what we have,

   and transform our hearts.

Help us to see this day

    and what looks unsalvageable

            with Your glory all over it.

Skepticism has no power over You.

The pieces do not just come together.

  You design it all to fit.

First Response Not Last Resort

 

So I prayed to 

   the God of heaven.

      Nehemiah 2. 4

Caught in a difficult situation,

   Nehemiah's first response

    not his last resort,

                     was to pray.

This was not his first rodeo, 

            nor his last.

Praying was Nehemiah's pattern

 of approaching problems

  and His practice in responding.

When the trouble arose,

Nehemiah knew exactly

      what to do.

               He prayed.

He knew that God does

          not just show up.

God is already there,

          ready and waiting.

God shows us

   not just the first step,

but how to navigate

         all the way through,

    one step and then another.

And the first measure is praying,

in which

God changes our hearts

and sustains us for the next.

Not just when we pray,

      but while we pray,

something always happens.

O LORD,

We come before You

with our difficulties,

emergencies,

rocky roads, and ambushes,

but also with our joys and grateful hearts.

Thank You that You intercede,

You intervene,

You make possible

         the impossible,

You give us Your strength

  to see not just an outcome,

but to see us through           

           this journey.

Bind our blisters.

Heal our hearts.

Show us that there is

    not hope in circumstances,

    but our hope is in You.

You see.  You hear.

  You, Almighty One,

                act.

Not The End Of The Story

 

....but even now

there is hope

for Israel

   in spite of this.

       Ezra 10. 2

But even now

there is hope for us,

in spite of all 

   that we have done,

   or has been done to us.

God intervenes

         and redeems.

God is not about to 

     give up on us.

Hopelessness is when

   we give up on Him.

Because of His forgiveness

     and faithfulness,

this is not the end of the story.

            Never is.

His steadfast love 

              endures forever. 

O LORD,

But even now,

   in the midst of this mess,

   in this miry bog of despair,

   or dark night of the soul,

You are here with us.

You are carrying us.

You are bringing us through.

There is hope.

   Because there is You.

This is not the end of the story,

   but only deeper in You.

Guide us and carry us 

   as we trust and follow You.

Even in this. 

Even in spite of this.

   

 

Why He Put Us Here

 

When reviled,

      we bless.

When persecuted,

      we endure.

When slandered,

      we entreat.

            1 Corinthians 4. 12

Newton's third law of motion

   states that for every action,

there is an equal 

         and opposite reaction.

God invented physics

    to make the world work.

But God's foundational

              law of grace

   makes the world work too.

When we seek God

  and trust Him in volatile situations,

        deep down difficulties,

   and even everyday irritations,

He radically alters our triggers

   and how we counter

   the forces against us.

Not to react,

  but to respond with grace

  -- which is always unexpected.

It is not just turning the other cheek,

   but seeing a different opportunity

to bring the gospel here.

O God,

We pray for the wisdom

    to make radical choices.

We pray for a heart

    to see this hardship

    with Your courage.

Show us how to respond

          with grace

in the situations we find today.

Even when everything in us

          wants to fight back, 

or cry out unfair,

You show us a different way,

     Your steadfast love

which changes everything.

Because that is 

    why You put us here.

   

 

Our Own Personal Impossible Situation

 

...for the LORD had

   made them joyful

and had turned the heart

    of the king of Assyria to them, 

so that he aided them

in the work of the house of God,

   the God of Israel.

                Ezra 6. 22

God specializes in

     impossible situations

in order that His glory may be revealed.

It is not in us,

                  but in His might,

even though we would

    like to claim a favorable answer

                       as our own.

God has the power 

  to turn the heart of the king,

     even our own adversaries,

           foes and fears,

to bring about His purposes,

and astonish us even more

   that they would help us instead

      in the situation before us.

He swaps out their resistance 

               for His goodness sake.

May we see others differently.

May we see God differently.

God can turn the heart of the king.

   He can turn our hearts too.

And that alone may be the

      most extraordinary of all. 

O LORD,

Every one of us struggles with something

    far beyond our abilities, strength,

    and resources.

We pray for You to intervene

         in our circumstances,

that You will not just

                 work it out,

but cover these impossibilities

     with Your glory.

No matter the journey

           or the outcome,

empower us to know 

                   You are with us.

Help us to pray continually,

live faithfully,

love well,

and practice grace in this.

Because That Is Who We Are

 

And this was their response:

"We are the servants of the God

     of heaven and earth."

                   Ezra 5. 11

May others be compelled

  to ask why we live

            differently,

and to know to Whom we belong.

Who sees anything different 

        in us? 1 Corinthians 4.7

We serve God.

May that much be evident

in how we work, what we worship,

the choices we make,

how we respond

         and treat others,

not surprised at all

    that we are believers.

               "I thought so."

God strategically places us

   in the most unlikely places,

 usual and unusual

                     situations

to be a witness for Him.

And if anyone asks us,

  to speak of Whom we serve.

How would we respond?

O LORD,

May we be marked by our love

    and faithful service to You.

Because that gets all over

   everything and everyone.

May we see every task,

every unexpected glitch, 

every irritating chore,

    even the stuff 

         that falls apart,

as an amazing opportunity 

           to serve You

with a happy heart

and be a strong witness

            in this world.

Why do we do it?

Because that is who we are,

   to serve You with gladness

and because You lovingly

        placed us here to do it.

What Words Are We Repeating, What Words Are We Believing

 

And they sang responsively,

For He is good,

for His steadfast love

      endures forever.

           Ezra 3. 11

This truth is repeated

    41 times in the Old Testament.

God repeats in Scripture  

  what He doesn't want us

         to forget or ignore.

It is like putting it in BOLD type,

    underlined, 

    and in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

It is a call to worship,

a shout of praise

       and thankfulness,

and a daily reminder to us

   Who He is

   and who we are

             as His beloved.

Also translated as lovingkindness,

steadfast love spells out the goodness, 

    kindness and faithfulness of God.

When we recite these words,

     when we sing them,

when we engrave them 

                 on our hearts,

we put God in His rightful place.

If we start the day repeating this truth,  

 how differently we would live

     and respond to circumstances.

And at bedtime,

       grasp His immensity.

O LORD,

You are good.

You do good.

You cover us with Your goodness,

  even in unexpected ways.

Even in the hard stuff,

   we can know Your goodness there.

Keep our eyes on You.

Help us to know a hard thing

    may be an extreme grace. 

Your steadfast love

   does not just last,

but endures forever.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Seeing Through A Different Lens

 

For Christ did not send me

            to baptize,

but to preach the gospel,

not with words of eloquent wisdom,

lest the cross of Christ

  be emptied of its power.

              1 Corinthians 1. 17

All through Scripture

           and through history,

God uses the most unexpected

  and unlikely people,

            like us,

    for His mighty purposes.

Who, me?

        Exactly, He says.

He did not send us

    into this situation by mistake,

nor to be successful

       or win accolades, 

nor to do anything else

but to livestream the gospel

             before others

with grace and love

          and forgiveness.

And to bring the name of Jesus

  here and now,

not with big thesaurus words

  but the language of the heart.

We don't have to impress others

     in order to bring Him glory.

Indeed in our strivings,

   shortcomings and struggles,

others are compelled to ask

   who lives like that.

Look differently at this hard thing before us,

a seeming failure,

  even an outstanding success,

      through the lens of the gospel.

God grants us peace

         in the midst of chaos,

strength where there

     should be none,

grace and love for the underserved

             and the undeserved.

This situation may not be

         about us at all,

but the exponential multiplication

              of the gospel.

And that touches more people

    than we can ever imagine.

O LORD,

Send us out into this day

   clothed with the gospel.

Help us to be aware of

    every opportunity

to bring Your name here

  in word, deed and attitude.

May others not see

    a difference in us,

but they would see You.

You turn even the hard stuff

           into a grace.

And difficulties into the means of loving

     the world right to You.               

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

God Meets Us There

 

And stand in the

    Holy Place.....

     2 Chronicles 35. 5

Wherever we are,

among whomever, 

in whatever we are doing

    or struggling with,

is sacred ground,

a place to seek God,

worship Him,

serve every which way we can,

and having done all,

      to stand before Him.

What do we do 

   about the mess we are in,

the hard stuff,

the overwhelming-ness?

Stand in the Holy Place.

God meets us there.

God invites us in,

  a smorgasbord of His strength,

  a refuge from the storm,

that we may know Him more.

Right here.

Right now.

Even in this.

O LORD,

We yearn for Your Presence.

Help us to come to You

            first and foremost,

to realize Your holiness

even in this unexpected place,

and to know Your embrace

 when we need it so badly.

Empower us to stand still

     and know You are God,

to make a stand

         as a witness,

to rise up 

   and hold our ground.

This is no random situation,

  but a divine appointment

  and sacred encounter

for Your glory in this place.

May we run to You

   in this Holy Place

right where we are.