But He said to them,

"You give them

    something to eat."

They said,

"We have no more

than five loaves

           and two fish..."

          Luke 9. 13

(Now watch what God

     does with it.

What do we do

    with what we do have,

where we are today,

and with the time

      that has been given us?

We can't do everything,

   but we can do something.

That which we bring

           before God,

He makes more than enough

      for His incredible purposes.

God blesses and enlarges

not just our resources

           but our hearts,

so that we recognize

that it is not in us,

       but Him.)

O LORD,

We come before You

with what only appears

as limited resources.

We can't do everything,

but You show us

    what we can do.

You alone

     do wondrous things,

most of which

   we are so very unaware.

Show us, dear LORD,

creative ways

       serving You

       by loving others.

And to realize our calling

    is not to a job or a cause,

               but to You.

When we follow You,

    nothing is insignificant.

You who have made me

see many troubles

      and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

You will bring me up again.

                Psalm 71. 20

(These words from the Psalms

do not just comfort

and bring strength,

but reveal God's faithfulness

         and His Presence.

God has not promised us

         a life of ease

         in this broken world,

but "I am with you.

       Do not be afraid.

       Even in this,

       even through this."

God is stronger.

God is greater than this.

Hold fast to Him.

  

O LORD,

You have given us Your Word,

not just to read

and meditate,

but to be strengthened

         and changed by it.

You don't just give us

     a far-off hope

     for what might happen,

but hope in You

         not circumstances,

a hope,

a strength,

of knowing You,

    on Whom

    we can stake our lives.

Please help us

   to bring Your name

   into this place today.

But you shall seek the place

that the LORD your God

will choose out of all your tribes

     to put His name

and make

           His habitation there.

There you shall go...

                   Deuteronomy 12. 5

(Wherever God leads,

wherever we find ourselves,

even right where we are,

         sheltering in place,

bring the name of Jesus there.

This is not mistake,

          nor a wrong turn,

but opportunity for the gospel,

even in the most unlikely situations

    and among the unexpected.

It is not a foreign place,

    nor a bleak landscape,

    nor the impenetrable wilderness,

if we dwell with Him there,

if we dwell in His name.)

O LORD,

These are strange times,

     beyond our comprehension,

but You are not limited

   in any way by circumstances.

Bring Your name here.

Help us to seek You,

     not just an open door,

     not just a

           self-prescribed answer,

     but You in this place.

Nothing is ordinary in Your eyes,

no opportunity without purpose,

nothing but nothing wasted.

Our response to You,

     our obedience to You,

directly impacts

    those who come after us.

Please help us to find Your story

                    in this place.

Please help our story

      to point others to You.

For Your glory

                right here.

As for that in the good soil,

      they are those who,

hearing the Word,

hold it fast

  in an honest and good heart,

and bear fruit

       with patience.

               Luke 8. 15

(The seed

    is the Word of God.

Dig deep,

hold it fast,

nurture it

    every way you can,

and let it ripen.

God bears the fruit,

far beyond

    what we can conceive

or see,

or imagine,

deeper than our lifetimes.)

O LORD,

Keep us faithful

   in preparing the soil

   all around us,

even that which appears

       a bleak landscape,

You redeem.

Keep us faithful

   in sowing Your Word

in the lives of others

    and in our own,

no matter what.

Even now.

Even in this.

Even bearing fruit

     we will never see

     until the Other Side.

  

...and you shall

bless the LORD your God

for the good land

  He has given you.

         Deuteronomy 8. 10

(Even that which may appear

bleak and barren at the moment.

Blessing the LORD for it,

blessing the LORD in it

changes our hearts toward it

      and toward God.

We are too short to see

   His vision for the goodness

that is already there

                 and waiting.

Sometimes it is

not our circumstances

     that need to change,

but our hearts are

    what needs to ripen.)

O LORD,

You know.

You know what we are facing today,

even before we realize it.

You always work

from a heart of steadfast love

       and abundant faithfulness,

even in ways we can't

             possibly understand.

Please reveal to us

    how to bless You

    and to bless others today

for Your glory

           in unexpected ways

           and unlikely places.

You are in our midst.

How do we respond differently

     because we walk with You?

Rebuke the beasts

that dwell among the reeds...

               Psalm 68. 30

(We are paralyzed

        by what might be,

and even by what

    does not exist at all.

We expect a mountain lion,

   and it is only a squirrel,

   rustling in the leaves.

Anxiety only robs us blind.

What are we afraid of?

      "I am with you,"

           God reminds us

           over and over again.

Am I being fearful,

    or am I being faithful,

even in this lockdown

        to save lives?

Not focused on

   what we could be doing,

   or what might be next,

          but what is now.

What has God given

  for us to do today?)

O LORD,

Help us to focus on You today,

              Almighty One.

Help us not to fill our time

    but that You would

        fulfill every moment.

Help us to stay put

and not be overcome

      by isolation

but overwhelmed by Your Presence.

Help us to know

   that staying home

   is saving lives,

and not just our own.

Please show us how

to face this day differently

    because we know You.

To you it was shown,

that you might know

   that the LORD is God;

there is no other

              besides Him.

             Deuteronomy 4. 35

(Crises have a way

      of unraveling fictions,

      unplugging false beliefs,

      and revealing

             mass-produced idols.

We cannot know why

   these strange things are unfolding,

but we can know

    that the LORD is God.

He is holding us fast,

   no matter the circumstances.

Even now.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

You are good.

You are God.

You are the Almighty,

          even in this.

You protect,

You provide,

You hold all things together.

You have strategically placed

         each one of us

to bring Your name here

and love those around us

       right into Your kingdom.

               

"What if this disorienting season of quarantine is not simply isolating and inconvenient? What if it can provide a newfound space for reflection to ask some of life’s biggest questions and reorient ourselves around the truth to be discovered?"      --from a letter from the Veritas Forum

God is using this.  God is using us in it.