Everyday Decisions and Extraordinary Places

 

I have heard of you

that the Spirit of the holy God

           is in you,

and that light and understanding

and excellent wisdom

           are found in you.

           Daniel 5. 14

God has strategically placed us

in situations and among people

       who desperately need Him.

God brings a strong witness there

          through us.

Meditating on God's Word,

praying, and practicing

       the presence of God

infiltrated Daniel's heart

          and his mind.

And it becomes evident to all,

   even in us.

The Holy Spirit changes

what we do, how we respond,

what we love, and 

how we dwell with others.

We can approach difficulties,

navigate the narrow squeaks,

be faithful to God even here,

and go forth differently,

   even before kings,

especially in the crises.

O LORD,

Please help us to know 

that Your abiding in us

changes everything about us.

It is in the crisis that

   time in Your Word is revealed.

You don't give us a 

             different perspective,

but a heart changed by You.

Steady our souls

         by Your Presence.

Grant to us Your light,

understanding and wisdom

in everyday decisions

and extraordinary places

     for Your glory indeed.

Faithfulness For The Long Haul

 

If this be so, 

our God whom we serve

                   is able

to deliver us from the

burning fiery furnace,

and He will deliver us

 out of your hand, O king.

But if not,

   be it known to you, O king,

that we will not serve your gods

or worship the golden image

  that you have set up.

                 Daniel 3. 17-18

God can deliver

or God will give us the strength

  to endure these circumstances.

God walks with us.

His footprints leave a strong indelible

           witness there.

The book of Daniel took place 

  in the sixth century BC.

We still know their commitment

   and their faithfulness to God.

Trusting God in the 

    small everyday stuff

builds trust in Him

in the big overwhelming

   extraordinary situations.

There is no small stuff.

O LORD,

Help us to realize that

the courage of these men

was practiced over and over,

not based on natural abilities

but Your supernatural strength.

They trusted You.

     And we can too.

You are God.

May our actions and words

     and even our attitudes

reveal that we worship You.

Write Your witness

    in indelible ink.

No matter what unfolds,

Your glory shines through.

 

No Matter Where We Are

 

And the name of the city

from that time on shall be,

The LORD Is There. 

            Ezekiel 48. 35

At the end of a long book

of suffering and affliction

and the consequences of 

      wrongdoing,

The LORD Is There

is written in all capital letters.

Look around.

Seek God.

Bless and serve Him.

Because wherever we are,

in whatever circumstances 

       God has placed us,

we can know

    The LORD Is Here.

And live differently

  because of that reality.

O LORD,

May we not be stuck on

why in the world

         am I here?

But to be faithful to You

  right where we are.

You are with us.

You sustain us.

We are not in this place

     on our own or randomly.

You have written Your Presence

   in all capital letters.

Help us not just to know that

    but live that way today,

even in the divine appointments

we don't yet recognize.

Find us faithful here.

Even here.

On The Road Again

...and I shall walk

      in a wide place,

for I have sought

     Your precepts.

         Psalms 119. 45

Follow Me.

Walk with Me.

Abide in Me.

We can see differently

and thereby

   walk differently

in the shadows, the dark,

the storms, the rocky,

narrow and confusing places.

God's Word guides us

                   through.

And even the journey

  reveals His Presence with us.

We are aware of other things.

We are aware of Him.

O LORD,

May Your Word infiltrate 

    our souls all the way

    through to our feet.

Guide us in Your way.

Help us to know that

when we spend time

        in Your Word,

we walk differently

even in difficult places.

 

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Incremental Choices

 

I have chosen the 

   way of faithfulness.

          Psalm 119. 30

We do not just stumble upon

   being faithful to God.

Faithful tomorrow

   requires faithful today,

an intentional decision made

          multiple times a day.

What does faithfulness look like

  in what we face today?

Sometimes an obvious choice.

Sometimes a harder 

      course of action.

But we choose

what we ultimately love,

desire and delight in.

And faithfulness changes 

    the trajectory of our lives.

"How we spend our days is,

of course, how we spend

our lives." --Annie Dillard

What do we choose?

O LORD,

Infiltrate our hearts,

invade our decisions,

guide us into faithfulness,

make Your way obvious,

and grant us the courage

      to follow You into it.

We make choices every day.

We choose You.

Create in us a new heart

and let faithfulness

   get all over 

   what we do today.

 

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Rewiring Our Minds

 

The prayer of a righteous person

has great power

as it is working.

  

           James 5. 16

That's how to pray.

Not if it works,

    but as it is 

           being completed. 

The power is not in us,

  but as God is working.

The great power is 

not just what God does

  with our circumstances,

  our apparent needs 

      or cries of our hearts.

But what God forms in us

  through the act of praying.

Praying rewires our minds.

And radically readjusts

             our loves.

Praying seeks and entreats God

       not in carefully scripted words

   but livestreaming our hearts

                before Him.

And God responds,

   I thought you'd never ask.

God grants far more

   than our meager requests

and most often in

          unexpected ways.

O LORD,

We come before You

   with needs and gaps

   and wounds and aching.

And You come before us

  with Your healing, strength

 and power we cannot imagine.

Praying empowers us

   not to get answers

or a package on our doorstep,

but to know You more.

As we see You differently,

     and pray differently,

we see others

    and circumstances differently,

and ultimately ourselves.

Rewire our minds

   even in this situation today.

Fill us with Your power

   not to handle it,

   or endure it,

but to bring You glory.

The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving Is Not The Burnt Rolls

 

I will offer to You

  the sacrifice of thanksgiving

and call on the name of the LORD.

           Psalm 116. 17

The sacrifice of thanksgiving

is thanking God

even before we know the outcome,

even on that hard rocky road,

and even if we don't understand.

The true sacrifice may be

   being faithful and 

doing what is right not in our eyes

            but in His.

Thanking Him in the midst

     of what is going on,

even if we can't quite yet

    thank Him for circumstances.

And that is when 

   calling on the LORD comes in.

When we are seeking Him,

  we see differently

               how to respond.

And that may really

          surprise us.

God resurrects.

God rewrites.

O LORD,

What are You forming

  in us through this?

Not perhaps to let go

or just put up with hard stuff,

      but let You change us.

Not telling You what to do,

justifying our actions,

grumbling and complaining,

but asking You

                to cover us.

We are grateful to You.

And we know that

   no sacrifice is ever ignored.

 

Wasting A Little Time With Jesus

 

Draw near to God,

and He will draw 

         near to you.

         James 4. 8

It's not as complicated 

  as we make it.

When we draw near to God,

we discover He does not

          just show up,

but God shows us

  He has been here all along,

      waiting on us.

He is not the one who moved.

Wherever we are

           is not too far.

How can we draw near

          to Him today?

Every careful loving act,

every intentional grace to others,

not filling up the day 

      with good works and words,

   but being faithful to Him.

And that may mean,

even in the midst of our busy-ness

             and business,

to spend long-term,

unhurried togetherness with Jesus.

We scroll through our phones.

What if we wasted a little time

                with Him instead?

His Presence changes everything

  when we realize He is already here.

O LORD,

Show us how to draw near to You

  even in this mess we are in,

even in the chaos,

even when time is rushing past.

Help us to be intentional,

   not in finding time to be with You,

but making time,

      running toward You.

No time with You

              is ever wasted.

You multiply it.

Bring It On

 

He said to me,

"This is the table

   that is before the LORD."

 

       Ezekiel 41. 22

What are we bringing

   before God today?

Immense difficulties,

impossible problems,

overwhelming and disappointing,

       even our failures.

God says,

       Bring it on.

 Bring it to Me.

    Whatever it is.

Drag it over to the altar.

Lay it here.

God does the heavy lifting.

Nothing too little.

       Never too big.

The Holy Spirit hovers over

whatever we have to give

  and does something with it.

And then we can go forth

        differently through it.

The difficulty may not disappear,

but we are no longer alone in it.

We bring our hard stuff.

   God gives us His strength.

O LORD,

Of all the things You created,

You made an altar

   that we may worship You,

even in our shortcomings

        and really hard stuff.

Help us to drag these hurts

   and heavy burdens

   to this table before You.

Even more,

help us to leave them there.

And let You not just lift them

            but lift us.

Grant to us Your healing

   and strength

not just to deal with it differently

but to be faithful to You.

We confess that 

we have been struggling with it

            without You.

Carry us now, Almighty One.

Start With Dessert

 

Mercy triumphs

     over judgement.

        James 2. 13

For Thanksgiving,

we bring our specialties

    to the table,

our traditional offerings

 that everyone expects.

This year,

         make it mercy.

More than just a thin kindness,

but extending goodwill,

to see the best in others

  and want the best for them.

Judgment, criticism

and condemnation 

  lock the doors to 

  any kind of change.

But mercy pushes back

the darkness,

rejoices against circumstances,

and opens all realms to the

  possibility of reconciliation.

Judgment is a life sentence

            without parole.

Mercy releases

    the entire relationship.

But we cry,

     "they don't deserve mercy".

Neither do we.

O LORD,

With Your strength

and a huge dollop of Your grace,

  help us to be the ones

to bring mercy

  into our gatherings.

May we start with dessert

and let Your goodness preside.

Grant to us new triggers

loving instead of criticizing,

listening instead of avoiding,

seeing You, others, ourselves

         and this situation

with a fresh heart

    that only You can give. 

Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Dry Bones

 

The hand of the LORD

  was upon me,

and He brought me out

in the Spirit of the LORD

and set me down

in the middle of the valley.

It was full of bones.

       Ezekiel 37. 1

It is not that we have

   made a wrong turn

or misunderstood

   the center of His will.

Sometimes the places

   of greatest flourishing

are the least likely,

most unexpected,

barren and hopeless 

         patches of ground.

But God changes the

          landscape,

even knee-deep in

  dry bones and despair,

exactly where 

    to seek the LORD there.

Far beyond our abilities

    or imagination,

it is He

  who brings the bones together

--that which seems to be

disconnected, broken and lifeless.

And God unfolds His glory

    right before us.

Never give up

on what God can do

with all the bones around us.

Or what He can do

        through us.

Even here.

Even in this broken place.

O LORD,

Please help us

not to see beyond the bones

all around us,

but to trust You right here

     in their midst.

We pray for not just connecting

  what has fallen apart,

but healing

       for what can be.

May Your hand be upon us

    in this day ahead.

Help us grasp 

  not just possibilities

but Your realm of redeeming.

     

Just Like Southerners Hug

 

Do not neglect

   to show hospitality

        to strangers,

for thereby some have

entertained angels

                unawares.

             Hebrews 13. 2

God has placed 

    all manner of people

on our paths

  to love them tangibly.

Hospitality does not mean

  setting a beautiful table,

but inviting others

             to our table,

loving those we may not

              even know yet.

In Greek, hospitality

  is defined as love of strangers.

And entertainment

       is what that looks like,

   to receive a guest,

welcome them as someone special,

just as Southerners hug

  everyone within reach.

O LORD,

We pray that today

You would help us to

  entertain angels unawares,

willing to lean in,

step forward, put on the coffee,

set the table for conversation,

unlock the doors

     of our hearts,

and see what Your love

   can do in others' lives.

Help us to see strangers

   as others to love,

taking the initiative even to say,

    Hi, my name is______.

We may not know them,

   but You do.

The Fine Art of Ambushing

Strive for peace

  with everyone....

      Hebrews 12. 14

Want to know how

to approach and navigate

difficult situations

  and impossible relationships?

Ambush them.

Go forth differently

      and unexpectedly

by bringing peace into it.

Bury the ammunition

  so carefully stored.

Cast the weapons aside.

Surprise them

  and perhaps ourselves.

by allowing God's grace 

  to do something different here.

The Greek word for strive

means to pursue, press on, 

run swiftly to reach the goal

   with a new heart.

Not just going to happen.

Train for it.

O LORD,

There is not one of us

who does not struggle

   with something 

   or someone.

Help us to not just 

remember to pray for peace

   in these circumstances,

                 but strive for it

in tangible and intangible ways.

Order our steps there..

Re-order our hearts.

 

 

God Brings Us Through

 

By faith

Moses left Egypt,

not being afraid

    of the anger of the king,

for he endured as seeing Him

        who is invisible.

           Hebrews 11. 27

The plagues were not designed

just to change Pharoah's mind,

but to strengthen Moses' heart.

Moses was no longer afraid

   of what had previously

   paralyzed him.

He no longer said to God,

"You've got the wrong man,"

but now, "Let's roll."

In faith, Moses obeyed,

even in what had seemed

    impossible to him.

God forms something

    different in us too.

Obedience always brings us

to a deeper dimension 

    of trusting God

    and builds His endurance

    in us in extreme places.

Even when we don't understand,

God completes the unseen

and gives us His strength.

O LORD,

It is not for Moses' own courage

   that we remember him,

but for His obedience to You

in extenuating circumstances.

You call for us to go forth,

    but not alone.

               Not without You.

And You leave in the wake

 an enduring witness

  for thousands of years afterward.

Moses couldn't imagine that.

Neither can we.

Grant to us Your strength

   even in what we face today.

You bring us through.

Or The 457th Time

 

Now faith is the 

  assurance of things hoped for,

the conviction 

      of things not seen.

            Hebrews 11. 1

If we knew what 

     was going to come about,

we would not need faith.

If we knew the outcome,

  we would not seek God.

Faith means

       trusting in God

even in what we cannot yet see.

God does not show up.

      God shows us.

He reveals Himself to us.

Things do not just happen.

    But God unfolds them.

Unseen realities

        are no less real.

We can stake our lives

    on the Almighty,   

based on conviction

       rather than proof.

We throw our lot with Him.

With all He has done,

with all God is doing,

He is not about

   to abandon us now.

O LORD,

Thank You for deepening 

          our belief in You

     to trusting in You.

You are here.

You are working in us.

You continue to work

   until our faith becomes sight.

In Your Word,

the word faith appears 458 times,

just in case we forget,

just in case we didn't get it

     the first or 457th time.

May You find us faithful

    and full of faith in You.

Show us how to do that

      in this day before us.

 

That Sort of Different

 

And the people said to me,

"Will you not tell us what

these things mean for us,

that you are acting thus?"

Then I said to them,

"The word of the LORD

       came to me."

       Ezekiel 24. 19-20

Live that differently.

Make unexpected choices.

Respond in fresh ways.

Not just to be weird,

not for attention drawn to us,

   but to Whom we belong

             and have our being.

As theologian NT Wright said

recently in Time magazine,

"...for people to say,

'How come you seem to be

    sort of different?'

And the answer is,

'Well, we follow this man 

           called Jesus."

And that ought to show.

 

O LORD,

Help us to live before You

in ways that others

       can see You

and the difference You make

      in what we say,

how we pray,

what we do,

and how we love others.

Empower us to

   be that sort of different.

Soften our hearts

    and change our actions,

attitudes and responses

for Your glory

  even in this mess today.

 

All In This Together

 

And let us consider

how to stir up one another

   to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together,

as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see

    the Day drawing near.

             Hebrews 10. 24-25

The phrase one another

   appears 100 times 

   in the New Testament

     because it is so important. 

It underlines the profound 

       significance of fellowship

for our spiritual, relational,

emotional, physical and mental

    well being and growth.

Church is not just yet 

  another thing to do,

but a vital part of loving God

  and loving each other.

When we encourage someone,

it strengthens us too and forms

  a deeper kind of community.

Let us appears 13 times 

        in the book of Hebrews.

We are all in this together.

O LORD,

Help us to not just see 

      our need for each other,

but to do something about it

   even today

in ways both big and small.

Getting together with Your people

   is not just a weekly routine,

but a way of worshipping You,

and You change us through it.

Stir up our love for each other,

and as it says in my cookbook,

         rigorously.

Go Forth Differently

 

Where there is forgiveness of these,

there is no longer

   any offering for sin....

            Hebrews 10. 18

No need to beg for forgiveness,

    but to accept it.

We are already covered

   by forgiveness,

because that is why

            Jesus came. 

Why then do we have

  such a hard time

forgiving others

       or even ourselves?

What does forgiveness

             make possible?

Go forth differently.

O LORD,

You have taken our sin

     upon yourself

that we may be empowered

   to go into this life

not just relieved of our wrongdoing,

but able now to go forth forgiven.

And that changes us

      to our very bones.

Help us today to see 

  everything around us

      with a new heart

and Your grace 

        all over us.

Standing In The Gaps

 

And I sought for a man among them

who should build up the wall

and stand in the breach

before Me for the land....

           Ezekiel 22. 30 

Sometimes we find ourselves

in a situation when

     it is our turn at the plate.

It may be on the most

         ordinary of days,

seeing an unexpected gap,

or finding a crisis bearing down.

We look around

   and no one else

     is rising to the occasion.

Suddenly we realize

         it's our turn.

How are we responding

  to those around us?

What are we doing 

     in building God's kingdom

     right where we are?

One kindness heaped on another,

one sacrifice given

    that no one may ever notice,

paying attention to what

          is needed or crumbling.

If we always wait for someone else

       to take the initiative,

   the gaps get bigger.

What brick can we put into place

     today in this situation

for the spiritual well being

    of those we know

         and those we don't yet?

Standing in the breach

is taking responsibility

  when others can't,

         don't or won't,

   justifying inaction by saying,

          It's not my problem!

But being faithful means

defending, providing, protecting, 

          and acting on it,

seeing a need

            and walking toward it.

O LORD,

Grant us the courage

   to stand up

   and stand in the gaps

                for Your glory,

      just because we can.

You have strategically 

       placed us right here.

Help us faithfully follow You.

We don't know the outcome,

nor realize what we'll find

when we are faithful to You.

A lot hangs in the balance.

        It always does.

God's Goodness on Repeat

 

Let the redeemed of the LORD

            say so.....

             Psalm 107. 2

God has given each of us

   a story for His glory

and to point others to Him.

"Look what God has done"

and "Look what God is doing"

should grace our conversations.

Not "oh, everything works out"

   nor "I was so lucky,"

but acknowledging God in this. 

We talk about everything else.

God says,

   Tell them about Me

    in your own words

             and experience.

If we are silent,

how will others ever know

     His steadfast love?

O LORD,

You have carried us through

the ordinary, the impossible,

  and our personal calamities.

Help us to be faithful

   in telling others about You.

We can never know

   how it seeps in another's soul,

           but it always does

   and changes lives along the way.

And in the telling,

   remind us as well

   of Your goodness

                  on repeat.

That Means Now

 

...a better hope is introduced

through which

we draw near to God.

          Hebrews 7. 19

The world views hope as

      wishful thinking.

But God provides

        a far better hope,

that on which we can

   stake our lives on Him.

When we draw near to God,

when we respond to Him,

we continually realize

a much better hope around us

    and before us.

Not a platitude of

  "oh things will turn out"

  or "I wish this will happen,"

as if our present and future

   depend on wishing hard enough.

But God's got us.

We don't have to wish,

     because God gives us hope.

We can trust Him,

even on the journey

   of walking through with Him,

even when the way is rocky

  and we can't see

           the next step.

Even in the dense fog,

   the sun is still there.

A friend told me

  the other day in a tight spot,

she suddenly remembered,

    not that God is near,

    but God is here.

And that 

     changed everything.

Our hope is not an expectation

        but rock-solid reality.

O LORD,

You do not just show up,

    but You show us.

We are not alone in this,

  but surrounded

  by Your Presence.

You are with us.

And that means now.

 

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Generating A Forest of Sequoias

 

...and to make the dry tree

         flourish.

             Ezekiel 17. 24

No matter where we are,

even the most barren places,

God intends for us 

   to send down roots,

   bear branches,

   and produce fruit.

God changes the landscape

       through us,

and starts with our very own

    little patch of rocky ground,

            right where we are. 

We have only to be faithful,

growing even out of sheer rock,

in the most unexpected places,

  or amidst difficult circumstances.

Trust Me in this

      and be faithful.

God works through us

    in the most amazing places

    and incredible ways.

God brings the flourishing.

And not just for our own well-being,

because in creation

    and in God's designs,

one tree transfers resources

below ground to another.

God is generating a forest

           of sequoias.

Even here.

Even now.

O LORD,

We may not be where

         we want to be.

But You have placed us

        strategically

  for the spiritual flourishing

          of many people.

Reveal to us 

        not just what to do,

    but how to be Your people

even in this rock-hard,

   difficult desert.

Help us to never underestimate

    how You bring life to our souls.

And how You are using us

      for Your glory in this place.

 

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Not Alone. Not Without Me.

 

He rebuked the Red Sea,

and it became dry,

and He led them

   through the deep

   as though a desert.

So He saved them

from the hand of the foe

and redeemed them

  from the power 

              of the enemy.

           Psalm 106. 9-10

We all have impossible

   Red Seas in our lives.

How in the world can I 

         face this?

God says, Not alone.

      Not without Me.

In His steadfast love,

God uses it to bring us

    closer to Him.

What does it take for us

  to realize God is God

              and we are not?

Standing on the shore,

 we are not left on our own.

Through the deep

        and through the desert,

God redeems us from foes

  we don't even know about.

God says, Walk with Me

             through this,

one step and then another.

O LORD,

You alone bring us through

  the impossible things

            in our lives,

drawing us ever closer to You.

Help us to be ever mindful

  of what You are forming in us

       through this situation.

Grant to us the courage

   to trust You,

   step out where we 

     cannot even touch bottom,

and swim, if necessary.

You bring us through

  to a deeper place in You

and a distant shore

     we cannot yet see.

 

In Plain Sight

 

...in their sight.

      Ezekiel 12. 3-7

When God wants to get

   our attention in His Word,

   He repeats Himself.

This particular phrase 

           in their sight

appears seven times

    in just four verses. 

When we respond

  to God's voice and His Word

and are faithful to Him,

  as Ezekiel was

           even in the unusual,

God leaves a witness

       in that place

       through us.

Does anyone see

  anything different in us

in how we live,

for what we live,

how we respond

      and treat others

because we are believers?

May we be not afraid,

   not even hesitate,

to speak His name

and follow Him 

        in plain sight.

Others are watching

  to see if God is real.

O LORD,

Thank You for covering us

    with forgiveness

for all of the times 

  we remain silent

  or ignore opportunities

to speak of You

     and live before You.

Reveal ways to us today

   --nudge us if necessary--

not to bring You into the picture,

but to reveal

     that You are already here.

Leave a witness, Almighty One,

   even in the most ordinary moments,

that are never so ordinary.

Faithful When It Doesn't Make Sense

 

...God had sent a man 

           ahead of them,

Joseph,

   who was sold as a slave.

           Psalm 105. 17

As a favored son,

slavery came out of the blue, 

       totally unexpectedly,

and definitely not on Joseph's roster

        of dream jobs.

But unbeknownst to him,

       Joseph was standing 

   deep in the midst of God's purposes,

  strategic timing, divine appointments,

and right on the path of being equipped

      to serve God faithfully.

Slavery was just the training ground.

  and God turned Joseph's life

rightside up 

   to impact the known world

               for God's glory.

What is unknown to us

   is not unknown to Him.

Joseph could not yet see

how God was unfolding his story.

And now more than 3700 years later,

we are still reading about,

   touched and influenced by

the story of his faithfulness to God,

God brings forth His purposes

     in unexpected ways

and for the wellbeing 

of those all around us

   and even yet unborn.

God sends all of us

   to prepare His way

in more ways 

     than we can imagine.

O LORD,

We basically have no idea

       what we are doing

or what You are forming in us

    through this situation.

But we can be faithful to You

   in all that we do,

            both great and small.

And let You 

    unfold the wonders here.

Sometimes we catch a glimpse

          of Your glory.

But in the meantime, dear Lord,

       find us faithful.

And Find His Glory There

 

Seek the LORD

     and His strength.

Seek His Presence

     continually.

         Psalm 105. 4

What are we seeking

   in this situation before us?

A quick answer, success,

     or even relief?

But what if it is to remember 

    that God is with us?

Faith comes from what we practice

    on a daily basis, 

our habits we pursue,

what exactly we are seeking,

and how we respond

   to God in our circumstances.

Why is it so hard to admit

       we need the Lord?

By seeking Him,

grasping His strength,

     might and power,

God unfolds something new.

We have the courage

         to go with Him in this.

And we find His glory there.

O LORD,

May we seek You in this day

  and through all 

   the sacred encounters that 

   You have divinely appointed.

Help us to not be distracted

   by our own ideas

   or weaknesses,

but to be faithful to You.

            Even in this.

Empower us to listen to You,

to watch for You,

to pay attention,

   and to respond to You.

 

And Then The Remarkable Emerges

 

...and You renew 

the face of the ground.

         Psalm 104. 30

No matter what

         we are facing,

no matter what

   mess we've created,

God still has the power

    to resurrect and renew.

And in the process,

He does not just

  bring us back to square one,

  the broken pieces patched

         and glued together

    with a couple parts left over.

But God renews.

Even in our own barren landscapes

    when all seems to be lost

            or dead or dying,

    God resurrects life,

    when we allow Him in.

Bring it to Me.

And then whether storm

   or drought or flood,

take root and bear fruit.

God empowers us

to not give up

but grow into something new.

O LORD,

All around us seems

   to be dying or dead,

the trees losing their leaves

and the plants wilted.

The ground has become

         a barren place,

     dried up and hard.

So have our hearts.

But as we trust in You,

   bring life to us.

Send down our roots,

strengthen our weakness,

  and nourish us

     with miracle-grow.

Help us to turn to You,

knowing that You renew

   the barren landscapes.

You resurrect 

    what is deemed impossible.

You restore our souls.

When our delight is in You,

we don't just see

   the hard ground differently,

   but new life breaks through

                   radically new.

Soften our hearts

          with Your Spirit.

Keep us trusting you

         all the way through

   to the remarkable.

Translating His Glory

 

He made the moon

   to mark the seasons.

The sun knows

   its time for setting.

         Psalm 104. 19

Seasons change.

The sun rises and sets.

And as precise and

  dependable as they are,

they don't just happen.

But the glory of the sun,

the brilliance of

  leaves changing color

are evidence of

 God's intricate design,

       every day and season,

not nature calling to us, 

       but the Creator.

"In order that we finite beings

may apprehend the Emperor,

He translates His glory

   into multiple forms

--into stars, woods, waters,

beasts, and the bodies of men."

          -- C. S. Lewis

O LORD,

You have surrounded us

with beauty 

and the complexity of

     every living thing.

We stand in awe of You.

You love us that much

as to make this world

  a magnificent place

to know You more

       in every detail.