In Case of Storms

 

Do not be afraid of sudden terror

  or of the storm of the wicked,

                  when it comes,

for the LORD 

      will be your confidence

and will keep your foot

from being caught.

             Proverbs 3. 25-26

Not if but when,

   be prepared for the storms.

Panic will grab us by the neck

  and push us off the cliff.

But Jesus takes us by the hand

  and guides us through.

Let not fear distract us

   or rob us from sleep.

Trust Me in this.

O LORD,

In trusting You,

we approach and navigate

these storms in our lives

       differently,

because we know

             You are with us.

Let not fear prevail,

   but Your Presence with us.

Wherever, in whatever, 

     whenever, 

You bring us through.

        You always will.

Lead us into 

      Your way in this,

and protect us from despair.

 

The Stickiness of Witness

 

...to bear witness before them

                and the Gentiles.

When they deliver you over,

do not be anxious

   how you are to speak

or what you are to say,

for what you are to say

  will be given to you in that hour.

For it is not you who speak,

but the Spirit of the Father

   speaking through you.

            Matthew 10. 18-20

This verse does not say

   do not be prepared,

but do not be anxious.

God places us

in the most unusual situations

  strategically for His glory.

Be not afraid to speak of Him

  in our speech, work, 

  conversations or writing.

God uses us in ways

   we cannot ever imagine.

The words He gives us

   are a sticky witness,

to draw others to Him.

Be prepared

        to bear witness

Why am I here?

   Bring the name of Jesus.

O LORD,

We have no idea what words

   will be remembered.

We cannot conceive

   how they bear fruit

           and multiply.

All we need to do

   is pay attention

        and be faithful.

Even in this unlikely place

   or awkward situation,

You change lives forever

  with the seeds we plant.

Help us to make space

   for Your Spirit to enter 

in every sacred encounter

that we too often ignore.

 

Not Have To But Get To

 

And whoever gives

one of these little ones

even a cup of cold water

because he is a disciple,

truly, I say to you,

he will by no means

       lose his reward.

         Matthew 10. 42

Because we follow Jesus,

  we can see and respond

               differently,

not because we have to,

      but we get to,

not out of obligation,

      but sheer joy of serving.

Even an unexpected cup of water

   --literal or metaphorical--

 can change the course of a life.

No act of mercy

     is ever insignificant.

Even if no one notices,

                God sees.

God redeems.

God multiplies.

O LORD,

Open our eyes,

not just to see opportunities

             to serve You,

but to respond with grace

    and mercy and joy.

We can go forth differently

into this day

         or into this fray,

because Your love abides in us.

Help us to see this hard situation

     as an opportunity.

Guide us how to love others

   in their moments of need,

even in the most unlikely ways.

Align our hearts with Yours.

          

The Original Just Do It

 

Now then,

whatever God has said to you,

            do.

            Genesis 31. 16 

Whether we understand

   the significance or not,

whether inconvenient,

  uncomfortable

or even what stretches us,

the actual doing

        is not the main point,

but responding to God

and being faithful to Him.

He brings His fruit to it.

O LORD,

I can't do this. It is beyond me.

And You say, Good.

           Because I can.

Grant to us Your courage,

strength and vision

    to see this not as

    a bothersome task,

but a divine assignment

  with eternal implications.

And to just do it.

   You will probably surprise us.

Help us to not question You

  but to follow You into this.

Find us faithful in the doing.

And in our trusting You.

          Even in this.

          Even today.

God Is Saying Yes

 

...and Jesus said to them,

"Do you believe that I am

      able to do this?"

They said to Him,

             "Yes, Lord."

Then He touched their eyes,

saying, "According to your faith

       be it done to you."

 And their eyes were opened.

                  Matthew 9. 28-30

Do we believe God is able?

Do we even come to Him with

  our needs and desperations?

Do we acknowledge and trust Him

      in what He brings about

                   and how?

Even if the outcome or answer

  is not what we are seeking,

God is saying yes to something more

          and something deeper,

perhaps even beyond our lifetimes.

    Or right at this moment.

O LORD,

Not our way in this,

            but Yours.

Use this situation, this condition,

   these difficulties

to draw us closer to You.

Encourage us to know

  that You are at work,

not limited by our

             puny thoughts.

And that You are able

to do far more abundantly

    than we can ever imagine.

May Your Presence cover us

    and guide us

even in this difficulty today.

Open the eyes of our hearts

   not just to what is possible,

but to Your extraordinary ways

      in this very day.

More Than We Can Imagine or Pray For

 

 Then Jacob awoke 

 from his sleep and said, 

"Surely the LORD

    is in this place,

and I did not know it."

        Genesis 28. 16

We have no idea.

In the most unlikely,

unexpected, 

surprising places and situations,

    God is already here.

Past, present, future tense.

When we trust the LORD,

seek Him even in the midst

  of difficulties and strangeness,

follow Him one step

  and then another,

God reveals Himself to us.

Even in what we are 

   going through right now,

when it feels like we cannot breathe,

even when we cannot yet

    see His fingerprints,

God is already profoundly working.

God does what we cannot,

far more than we can imagine

    even know to pray for.

The LORD who is there 

       --who is right here-- whispers,

"I am with you. Do not be afraid."

O LORD,

Remind us daily,

even moment by moment,

that You are in this place

  and deep situations,

in so many ways

              we are unaware.

Assure us of Your Presence.

Help us to be faithful

  to what You have called us

in the familiar, strange,

awkward, and difficult.

Do Your mighty work, O God,

   even in ways and places,

    we don't realize.

Even in our hearts.

Just Not The Same

 

They said,

"We see plainly that the LORD

 has been with you." 

                Genesis 26. 28

What does that look like today?

Not necessarily success,

but how we handle 

ongoing adversities, 

cavernous potholes,

big disappointments,

 small irritations,

    even impossible people

                      differently

because we are Christ-followers.

People are always watching us

not to see if our lives are perfect,

but how we respond

when life doesn't appear that way.

They want to know

    if God is real

and He is here,

and if His steadfast love

    really makes a difference

in our lives.

O LORD,

Radiate from within us

  that others may come to

  know You.

Help us to make choices today

in divine appointments

  and sacred encounters,

even in the oddest places,

that reveal how Your love

has transformed our hearts.

Empower us

     to live differently 

     in these circumstances

   as a witness

   and for Your glory.

And know that 

   we are not alone.

You walk with us here.

        

Remember I'm In The Boat With You

 

And He said to them,

"Why are you afraid,

    O you of little faith?"

               Matthew 8. 26

Pretty much, Jesus asks me

that question almost daily.

Why are you afraid?

         Don't you trust Me?

Note the connection

  between fear and little faith.

Fear dissolves

  and no longer has a grip,

when we are trusting God.

Remember I'm in the boat with you,

             He points out.

Fear says, "We don't know 

  what to do.

  We are overwhelmed.

Faith knows that God knows

   exactly what He is doing.

Imagine that!

God overcomes

   what overwhelms us.

Faith does not preselect

     a favorable answer,

but seeks God Himself.

O LORD,

Why are we so afraid

   in this situation

   and the next?

You respond,

       Abide in Me.

We are not alone after all.

But You are along,

  guiding us

  and banishing fear.

           Be gone!

 

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A Series of Echoes

 

And in your offspring

all the nations of the earth

shall be blessed,

because Abraham 

  obeyed My voice

  and kept My charge......

        Genesis 26. 4-5

And in our own

     circles of influence

in which we dwell,

obeying the LORD,

responding to Him,

and being faithful in

whatever He has placed

before us 

   --no matter how big

                  or small --

   always reverberates.

Faithfulness resounds, 

   resonates,

   and echoes over and over.

for generations

    in unexpected ways. 

It is not just what we do,

but what God is forming

   in us and through us,

far beyond what we can

  imagine or pray for.

Lives in this generation

and a thousand years hence

          hang in the balance.

O LORD,

Abraham had no idea

how his faithfulness

      still reverberates.

Neither do we.

Dear Father, guide us

  into Your way

  and into this day

to stay faithful 

             even in this.

May You be blessed,

even as we seek

   to bless those around us.

Help us to listen to You

and go forth differently

  into the known

  and the yet unknown.

Because it is

      not unknown to You.

Go Forth and Go With

 

The LORD,

before Whom I have walked,

will send His angel with you

        and prosper your way.

                Genesis 24. 40

The actual structure

of the verse in Hebrew says,

"who I have walked before."

Abraham had walked 

  many miles with God,

not the first time of responding

to God to go along,

to go through, to follow,

to pursue, to go one's way,

to go on, 

not just to go forth,

  but to go forward in anything.

Abraham knew

to follow the LORD

even when he didn't understand,

   which was a lot of times.

To prosper may not initially appear

         as a grand success,

but beyond surviving

  to thriving in the unexpected,

to flourish and fulfill

      in the most unlikely ways.

God goes before us.

God goes with us.

We each have a chronicle

       of His faithfulness,

not yet finished.

O LORD,

Help us to trust You in this.

May we be assured 

   that You are with us,

guiding us 

      in the way we should go

  in the familiar

      and the dark unknown.

Not just to go forth,

   but to go with.

I can't do this.

    And you respond,

      But I am with you.

Empower us

     to follow You into it.   

 

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Never Gonna Let Us Go

 

The LORD is a stronghold

          for the oppressed,

a stronghold 

       in times of trouble.

And those who know Your name

     put their trust in You,

for You, O LORD,

have not forsaken those

     who seek You.

            Psalm 9. 9-10

Stronghold is both a noun

       and a verb.

The LORD is a stronghold,

   a refuge and a fortress,

in order to protect, nurture,

          and strengthen.

But God also

    has a strong hold on us.

Never gonna let us go.

We seek God

  and then realize that 

  He is the one pursuing us

                    all along.

He covers us 

    in times of trouble

which we rarely see coming.

May we live in His stronghold

and experience His strong hold

       in our everydays

so that we are already dwelling there

   when difficulties arise.

His strong hold transmits

      His strength to us.

O LORD,

Hold us tight.

Bind us to You.

Surround us with

     shouts of deliverance.

Sing over us

     Your steadfast love.

Help us to know

   and feel and recognize

             Your Presence.

You are a stronghold.

You are our stronghold,

    even in this situation today.

 

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Trust What I Am Doing Here

 

Then God opened her eyes,

and she saw a well of water.

               Genesis 21. 19

Seek God.

Pay attention.

And get ready for the unexpected

    in the ordinary 

              and the extraordinary.

We overlook the most incredible

  moments of God's provision

  and goodness

because we have not looked to Him,

nor waited

and watched with softened hearts.

Don't miss this, God whispers to us.

Trust what I am doing here.

O LORD,

Please help us 

to see our struggles,

   difficult situations,

or even this unknown place

        differently

because we have asked You

                to guide us.

And You reply,

       Follow Me into this.

Empower us 

    to recognize Your hand

and not dismiss 

   the well of water You reveal.

Align our eyes and our hearts

     with Yours 

in whatever we face today.

Prepare us to say Wow!

  I never saw that before.

 

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What We Miss When We Don't

 

Therefore, I tell you,

do not be anxious

        about your life,

what you will eat 

or what you will drink,

nor about your body,

   what you will put on.

          Matthew 6. 25

These are the very words of Jesus.

What is He trying to 

           get across to us?

Do not be anxious

  is repeated six times

          in nine verses.

What part of that truth

    do we not understand?

There is a reason for it.

Being anxious 

     jams all the phone lines,

blinds us to God's provision,

     protection and Presence,

locks the doors

   and cuts off the power.

But most of all,

    being anxious keeps us

    from trusting God Almighty.

And oh, what we miss

          when we don't.

Anxiety promises the world

  and drops us over a cliff.

Seek Me instead.

Have we even thought of

      trusting Him about it?

God provides a way through

      -- all the way through.

O LORD,

You are in control.

Help us to know we aren't,

 nor do you intend us to be.

You watch over us.

You care for us.

You provide a way through

  that we cannot see

             on our own.

May we not be dominated

     by impending doom,

  but by Your Presence.

Walk with us.

Go before us.

Guide our steps.

The unknown

   is not unknown to You.

We don't know what to do,

    but we know 

    we can trust You.

 

Not Often Enough

 

....and I will sing praise

      to the name of the

      LORD Most High.

             Psalm 7. 17

When do we sing praises

           to our God?

     Not often enough.

Because when we praise God,

  we see our circumstances

  and even our struggles

    with a new heart,

              fresh eyes,

       and a strength that

                is not our own.

God's goodness

  extends way out there

  in the most unexpected places.

Sing His name

               over this situation.

Recognize His signature

     over what we face.

Praise Him 

    not for what He does.

But for who He is.

And go forth into the day

differently as a result.

O LORD,

We don't praise You

           as we should.

And then we wonder

  why we struggle.

We praise You not just for

   Your goodness

         or blessings upon us,

     but because You are God.

Praise does not change You,

   but strengthens us

not by circumstances, 

        but by acknowledging You.

Not just praising You for good stuff,

but praising You in 

           what is so hard.

We can go forth differently

because praising You

                   changes us. 

May we write Your name

     all over this day.

Knowing Redemption Is In This Somehow

 

Is anything too hard

       for the LORD?

At the appointed time....

         Genesis 18. 14

We stand right in the midst

   of God's divine appointments,

although we rarely see,

  realize or recognize them as such.

This struggle? This ongoing problem?

          This tangled mess?

But we are called to be faithful

  even when we don't see the endgame,

or understand this chaos,

or what appears as mundane

              random or unfruitful.

We have no idea what God

       will bring from it.

Nothing is too hard for Him.

     And thereby we can

     go forth differently into it.

And know that there is redemption

          in this somehow. 

O LORD,

Your Holy Word is full of stories

  with the most unexpected journeys.

Help us to trust You 

    in our own walk with You.

Nothing is beyond Your power

     or the fulfilling of Your purposes,

        even if we can't see it yet.

Grant us the strength

     to stake our lives

     on Your appointed times.

You redeem all things

         in one way or a million.

Help Is Not On The Way

O LORD, how many are my foes!

Many are rising against me.

Many are saying of my soul,

  there is no salvation for him

  in God.

But You, O LORD,

are a shield about me,

my glory,

      and the lifter of my head.

I cried aloud to the LORD,

and He answered me

        from His holy hill.

           Psalm 3. 1-4

Our foes and enemies

     are whatever we fear,

both real and imagined,

in onslaught or an ambush.

They jolt us awake

     in the middle of the night, 

they pursue us relentlessly,

and they mock us when we

                trust God.

But You, O LORD...

are words of strength

   in whatever we struggle

and wherever You place us.

We are not to whimper 

         or run for cover,

but cry aloud to the LORD.

Help is not on the way.

God is already here.

We just didn't realize it yet.

O LORD,

We are all tripped up by fears,

   worries, anxieties

  and all of their ruthless clan,

when all along You are with us.

We need not submit 

          to their fearful demands,

but call out loud to You.

You are our shield, our glory

  and the lifter of our head.

Make Your Presence

      tangible to us today.

Redeem the impossible. 

What God Is Forming In Me Through This

And the waters 

   continued to abate

until the tenth month.

In the tenth month

  on the first day of the month,

the tops of the mountains

           were seen.

          Genesis 8. 5

Come on, come on, come on,

       Noah whispered every morning.

And then he saw

      the tops of mountains emerging

      from the waters

            as far as he could see.

Sometimes we wait.

And then, sometimes a little bit longer.

It is just not ready yet.

Indeed, we may not be ready yet.

And even then,

when it appears complete

     or seems right on time,

we may need 

   to wait some more.

"There is only one thing

harder than waiting,

and that is not waiting on God."

             -- Crawford Loritts 

God is bringing about

   that which is far bigger

   than our puny ideas.

He engraves His glory on it.

O LORD,

Waiting is never a waste of time,

but creates valuable moments

of trusting You,

not for a particular answer,

but what You are

    forming in us through this.

Help us to realize

that You are not restricted

   by circumstances or time.

You redeem every moment.

And we can trust You.

Waiting on You

     and trusting in You,

is never passive,

but a time of miracle grow.

 

Never Walk Alone

 

Enoch walked with God....

            Genesis 5. 22 24

Enoch's relationship with God

  and his moment by moment

  walk with Him

impacted everything about him:

what he loved,

what he pursued,

how he treated others,

where he went

   and where he didn't go,

what he thought,

what he said,

   and how he prayed.

These practices changed

  the course of his life

  and generations after him

             in profound ways.

Enoch was Noah's great grandfather.

And Noah needed

      that kind of strength.

O LORD,

Please help us to walk with You,

realizing our choices and witness

           point others to You,

those we know

     and those who come after us.

Make us faithful in the everydays

   and for the children 

    of the furthest generation.

It is not our footsteps

  that pave the way,

             but Yours.

  

.

 

Pushing Back The Darkness

 

...the people dwelling

              in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling

  in the region

  and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.

             Matthew 4. 16

Jesus did not come

   to give us Christmas break,

but to deliver us

      from our darkness.

Look to Jesus

       and follow Him out.

God never intended for us

   to live in despair.

Life can be so different,

pushing back the darkness

     instead of being paralyzed

                        by it.

Lord Jesus...Overcome what

             overwhelms us.

         (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

O LORD,

Come to us and bring us light, 

  the courage to follow You,

  and willingness to trust You.

May Your light

      not just bring us hope

   but to bring us through.

Help us to go forth differently

   into our circumstances,

          guided by Your light.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

But Knowing It Is

 

The LORD God took the man

and put him 

in the garden of Eden

to work it and keep it.

           Genesis 2. 15

God blesses that which 

He has given us to do,

far more than we can see

      or comprehend.

When we are faithful to Him,

  God multiplies exponentially.

We can't even count that high.

Any work done in His Name

  extends beyond our lifetimes

          to bless others.

There are no small tasks, 

nor insignificant work.

How differently would we approach

   and actually do our work

                if we realized that?

O LORD,

You give each of us

     daily assignments 

                 to serve You

   and to bring You glory,

even when no one notices.

Help us to grasp the eternal

  even in what the world ignores.

Empower us to trust You

           in all that You have

      granted us to do today.

Not questioning its importance,

    but knowing it is.

Find us faithful, Almighty One.

Even in this.

 

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Gets All Over Us

 

He stood in awe

       of My name.

True instruction was 

   in his mouth,

and no wrong was found

          on his lips.

He walked with Me

  in peace and uprightness,

and he turned 

         many from iniquity.

         Malachi 2. 5-6

The way we view God,

     love and serve Him,

impacts not only

      the trajectory of our lives,

but through our witness

   infiltrates everyone around us.

When we stand before the LORD

  in reverence , respect,

and overwhelmed by His majesty,

it gets all over us.

Our posture changes,

along with our attitudes, 

our actions, our responses,

how we see others,

  and how we see ourselves.

When we walk with Him,

whether on level ground

  or through extreme situations,

we go forth with a peace

     where anxiety overflows.

Others are watching us,

  not to see if our lives are perfect,

but how we respond

               when life is not.

When we choose uprightness

   in this upside down world,

our witness points many

                  to God's grace,

far more than we ever know.

O LORD,

We seek to worship You

   in all we do today

to bring You glory

and point others

     to Your new way of life.

We stand in awe of You.

May Your ways

            and Your grace

     be reflected in us.

Forgive us for even thinking

   what we do 

               doesn't matter.

Because it does

              for all eternity,

every loving word,

every holy moment..

         

An Extraordinary Inscription

And on that day

there shall be inscribed

on the bells of the horses,

   "Holy to the LORD."

And the pots 

in the house of the LORD

shall be as bowls

             before the altar.

          Zechariah 14. 20

May whatever we do

be inscribed 

by His sacred imprint,

nothing insignificant, 

nothing without beauty

  or divine purpose,

whether the collar of a horse

    or pots in the kitchen.

Worship reverberates,

altering what we do,

what we choose,

how we do it,

what we wear, and

how we serve God and others.

May we write His holy name

     all over it.

Nothing too big,

       no detail too small.

May we see it all

   as Holy to the Lord.

O LORD,

May Your holiness resound

  and reverberate

through how we serve You.

Divine appointments.

Sacred Encounters.

Holy Endeavors.

Even the familiar and ordinary

    is precious in Your sight.

Ordinary does not appear

       in Your dictionary.

Help us to see

    whatever we do

 can bring You glory.

Even today.

Even in this.