But One Thing We Can Know

 

But He said to them,

"It is I.

 Do not be afraid."

         John 6. 20

(We are not in this alone.

Nor is it something random,

      or a wrong turn,

      or a dead end.

How would we approach this

    differently if we knew

    God is in this?

God does not work in

     mysterious ways,

but in steadfast love

          and goodness,

even when we don't understand.

But one thing we can know:

   Trust Me in this.)

O LORD,

We tread in the familiar

    and the unknown.

Help us to not just know

    You are with us,

but that You are bringing

    Your glory

    and deep purposes

to what we only see

    as circumstances.

We do not know

       what to do,

but we can turn our eyes

        upon You.

This may be the ride of our lives

  or what looks like

  any ordinary day,

but You are still with us.

And that makes

     all the difference.

Not Lost In Translation

 

For those who honor Me,

I will honor.

            1 Samuel 2. 30

(This is not a conditional

if/then statement,

       but a lingering promise.

When we honor God,

   something always happens.

As we go into this day,

whether in achievement or defeat,

whether blue skies or storms,

may we carry His name here,

invite the weighty imprint

    of His Presence,

pursue His honor

and not our own arrogance.

Selfless acts and

    God-honoring choices

speak a foreign language

       in our society,

but His glory

     is not lost in translation.)

O LORD,

May we honor You

in whatever we do today.

Please reveal to us

  what that looks like

         in real time.

Refresh our hearts

   that we would join You

in the outworkings

  and redeeming

         of our circumstances.

Help us to know how to respond

   with Your steadfast love.

And write Your holy Name

   all over this situation.

  

Can't Touch Bottom and Way Over My Head

 

He rebuked the Red Sea,

and it became dry,

and He led them

through the deep

as through a desert.

       Psalm 106. 9

(Never deny His glory.

Never explain Him away.

No, we couldn't have

   done this at all

   without Him.

If it were not difficult

       or impossible,

would we even turn to God

  or acknowledge His hand?

What is my Red Sea

   right now in front of me?

God brings us through

   to His great goodness,

even in what we can't

       quite see yet.

Something out of our view,

     but not out of His sight.

And it just may be

what someone else needs

        to witness.)

O LORD,

We all struggle with something,

    deep and stormy,

and we don't just forget how to swim.

  We forget to follow You into it.

We ask You today,

not to remove the hard stuff,

    but strengthen us in it.

Reveal Yourself to us

   in what we experience.

Saturate Your glory

   all the way through.

Help us to be faithful

  to take a step into the deep.

You made a way through

     the Red Sea.

You guide us through our own.

Rocky Road Is Not Just An Ice Cream Flavor

 

He will guard the feet

of His faithful ones....

          1 Samuel 2. 9

(God does not promise that

there are not potholes,

nor that life will not be hard,

but He covers, sustains

and strengthens us

        with His Presence.

Even on this rocky road

      we walk today.

The journey will

   never be the same.

The faithful ones go forth

        differently into the day,

because they know they are

seen, heard,

      and deeply loved.

It is not that we will

    never trip up,

but in His hands,

       God redeems

in the most incredible ways.

And when we fall,

       He catches us

   and sets us back

   on our feet again.)

O LORD,

This is a scary and broken world.

Please cover us with Your shield.

Direct our feet

            and our hearts

   to what bears fruit

   and brings glory to You.

We know that others

       are watching us

to see the goodness You bring,

the strength You

        generously give,

and the secret joy

   that changes everything

   about us,

even where we go

and how we walk there.

Let Your footsteps

      be a guide to us

and a witness to the world.

     

What It Comes Down To

 

The man believed the word

that Jesus spoke to him

and went on his way.

              John 4. 50

(We can be assured

that in this broken world,

we will encounter

   what is a mystery to us,

   difficult, painful,

          and confusing.

But God is not

     surprised by it.

He is right by our side.

"Trust Me in this"

   changes how we walk,

respond and carry on.

In the hard stuff,

my grandmother used to say,

"And sometimes you just

    have to trust the LORD,"

no meaningless Hallmark phrase,

but the reality of His Presence

     spelled out in her life

            over and over again.

We never know the journey.

We never know

        the end of this,

because God's ways

      are seamlessly woven.

Having done all,

        to stand and trust.

Trust is taking hold,

binding ourselves to,

   and being led.)

O LORD,

You are trustworthy,

       faithful,

     and steadfastly loving.

Help us to walk

  into this day before us

with pockets bulging

     with Your grace

     and courage.

Even when it is beyond us,

   help us to trust You

and allow ourselves

             to be led.

May we bring Your name here

   and leave a witness

   in permanent marker.

Put It On, First Thing

 

Seek the LORD and His strength.

Seek His Presence

                   continually.

                Psalm 105. 4

(How differently we would approach

              this day,

              this difficulty,

              this road,

how differently we would navigate

       what is before us,

how differently we would journey

           through it,

     if we trusted God in this.

              Different experience.

              Different outcome.

Seek Me.

See Me.

Seek My strength

      and put it on,

                 first thing.

Count on My Presence,

     even in this.)

O LORD,

We are so often in the midst

           of a mess.

We realize so often that

   we are way over our heads.

Remind us who You are.

Remind us You are with us.

Remind us

     we are not alone in this.

We need not go it on our own.

     Indeed, we don't have to.

It is Your strength,

         not ours,

    that pulls us through.

You may or may not change

        these circumstances.

But You change our hearts in it.

And bring about Your glory.

Bringing About the Impossible

 

When You send forth Your Spirit,

they are created,

and You renew

       the face of the ground.

               

             Psalm 104. 30

(The Holy Spirit hovers over

what appears only to us

    as barren, rock-hard

    and impossible.

His Spirit infiltrates,

bringing about something

      new and unexpected

to sprout, to come forth

                  and flourish.

God has positioned us

to sow, nurture,

      and faithfully tend

this patch of ground

    and multiply here.

God brings about His fruit.

More than we can know.)

O LORD,

Renew the face of this ground.

May Your Holy Spirit

       hover and cover

this little patch of earth,

whatever it may be,

however difficult and arid,

   wherever we are today.

Change the shape

       of the landscape

       as only You can do.

May we bless others

through all we do and say,

    in how we respond,

    by how we love them,

---those we know

  and those we don't know yet.

May Your Presence

in this unlikely spot

            be compelling

   and evident.

             

 

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