While We Are Praying

 

On the day I called,

      You answered me.

My strength of soul

             You increased. 

             Psalm 138. 3

Even right in 

    the act of praying,

even while we are praying,

  God strengthens us.

Turning to Him

  not just for an answer

but into His Presence

        changes everything,

    including ourselves.

Call Me, the Lord says.

          Come to Me.

Even in this hard situation,

  His wonders are revealed.

God changes us

              even to have prayed.

Prayer opens the portals

     of tremendous strength.

Praying doesn't let God in,

  but opens ourselves up

             to Him.

God empowers us

     to do something hard,

     to try something new,

and to pray differently.

O LORD,

We admit that we have tried

   to do it all on our own.

And we realize

       that we need You

    so desperately.

Remind us to pray.

Remind us 

    of the strength You bring.

Show us not just what to do,

   but how to pray differently.

Help us to pray

     like anything's possible.

Because You increase

                 our strength

and enlarge our vision.

Cover us this day

          in incredible ways.

Songs That Never End

 

The LORD your God

           is in your midst,

a mighty One who will save;

He will rejoice over you

       with gladness;

He will quiet you

               by His love;

He will exult over you

   with loud singing.

         Zephaniah 3. 17

Amidst the darkness and noise,

may we never forget or ignore

    that God is with us.

He is right here in our midst,

working wonders

we cannot even comprehend.

He surrounds us with His love,

quiets our anxious hearts,

and what is that

    we hear over the tumult?

God sings His joy

       over us.

O LORD,

You are not just a mighty warrior.

       You are the Almighty One.

May we be aware of You

       right here in our midst,  

and trust You with

            all that is going on.

Help us to hear You 

     rejoice over us.

Strengthen us with 

   Your singing over us.

May we go into this day

  with the reality of Your Presence

  and the music of the spheres

        on continual repeat

        in our hearts,

the songs that never end.

 

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And Not Be Afraid Of Falling

 

Though the fig tree 

         should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the 

          olive tree fail,

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off

          from the fold,

and there be no herd

                  in the stalls,

yet

I will rejoice in the LORD.

I will take joy

    in the God of my salvation.

GOD, the Lord, is my strength.

He makes my feet like the deer's.

He makes me tread

          on my high places.

                Habakkuk 3. 17-19

Even when, even then,

   yet is the stuff of

           no matter what.

No matter the circumstances,

     God is still God.

He gives us His strength

    to hang in there with joy.

He calls us to dance there,

  and not be afraid of falling.

God reveals His ways

  not only to survive but thrive.

This is not the end of the story.

O LORD,

Enlarge our vision

not to look past circumstances

but to live differently in them.

Even when everything seems

    to be going wrong,

You still hold us together.

You bring us hope

   in the most unexpected ways

         and unlikely places.

Yet,

     we will rejoice in You.

Yet,

You whisper to us,

     Trust Me in this.

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Because He Leans In

 

...the prayers of all the saints

   on the golden altar

         before the throne....

            Revelation 8. 3

Many avoid the book of 

              Revelation

because of deep truths

  far beyond our comprehension.

But if we focus on what

     we do not understand at all,

     we miss what we can grasp.

This verse is one of them.

Visualize our prayers

     on a golden altar,

not fixed up

   with words that are not ours,

but just as we are,

       in all our messiness.

Praying is sacred and precious to God,

because our prayers

   open our hearts to Him.

God does not just listen

                to our prayers,

or answer on demand,

but He leans in

   as we come before Him.

God lifts our prayers to the altar

      when we come to Him.

He responds in eternal ways

we may or may never see

   until the Other Side of life.

God treasures our prayers,

  because He treasures us.

O LORD,

Our prayers lay on 

        Your golden altar.

We come before Your throne.

We bring our sorrows.

We bring our joys.

You take us up into Your arms.

How differently we would 

   navigate what is before us,

if we realized how much

     You cherish our prayers.

And how much 

            You cherish us.

I've Fallen And I Can Get Up

 

Rejoice not over me,

        O my enemy.

When I fall,

          I shall rise.

When I sit in darkness,

  the LORD will be

         a light to me.

           Micah 7. 8

Even at the point of our despair,

     we find the LORD there.

God triumphs over our fears,

   both real and imagined.

We will all face darkness 

    and dismay at times,

but we need not dwell there.

Walk towards His light.

God brings us through.

Do not be afraid. 

          I am with you.

Not "figure it out on your own,"

     but Follow Me.

Not "you got yourself in this mess,"

  but Take My hand.

We are covered 

  by His steadfast love

  and thick blanket of His forgiveness.

Listen carefully.

We are surrounded

     by shouts of deliverance. 

O LORD,

It is not a matter of if

           but when

we fall

and find ourselves in darkness.

You do not just show up.

You are already there

    to lift us up on our feet

and draw us back to You.

Grant to us the courage

   we need in this situation.

You are the Almighty.

May we never forget that.

Hold us tight.

Not Random At All

 

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be

among the clans of Judah, 

from you shall come forth for Me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from old,

        from ancient days.

               Micah 5. 2

So small and insignificant,

it had to be designated 

exactly where this Bethlehem

             was located,

which was where David was born.

Micah wrote these words

in the 8th century before Christ,

recognized even then

           by Jewish scholars 

as the birthplace of the Messiah. 

Even the Wise Men from the East

 knew of it (Matthew 2. 4-6).

No random place at all.

All of scripture pointed to Him.

God chooses the 

   most unlikely places

   and unexpected people

to bring about 

    His divine appointments

and unfold His sacred purposes.

            Even us.

O LORD,

Thank You that all through the Bible

You wove the scarlet thread

of Your love and forgiveness.

Make us aware this Christmas

that in Your steadfast love

that You sent Your Son 

        for each one of us.

Help us to not be distracted

  by all the season's trappings,

but boldly witness

      that You came among us

      and dwell within us.

May Your great light

    dispel the darkness

and fill us with 

   the hope of Jesus.

You see us.

You love us.

You came.

Faithful On Third Shift

 

Come, bless the LORD,

all you servants of the LORD,

who stand by night

in the house of the LORD.

           Psalm 134. 1

Sometimes we are called

   to serve the LORD

   and bless Him

          on the front lines.

Some of us 

   are on third shift,

serving God in ways 

that are invisible,

      not recognized,

 but vital for the Kingdom.

Never underestimate

        how God can use us,

even in the shadows,

even in the middle of the night

  or seemingly

           the middle of nowhere.

  His Presence is manifested there,

           and His purposes secured.

Be a faithful third shift warrior.

Even if no one ever notices.

         Because God always does. 

O LORD,

Awaken us to Your call

to be a faithful servant

  no matter the place,

  or time, or work,

even what seems like third shift,

  where the stuff of eternal significance

             is under the radar.

You have strategically

    placed us here

    for Your divine appointments

           and Your glory all over it.

And that is not just enough for us,

    but pure joy

    in being used by You.