The Secrets of Slow Cooking

 

...a pleasing aroma

      before the LORD.

         Exodus 29. 25

When the slow cooker

           is simmering,

and I enter the kitchen,

I am greeted by an aroma

  that can be created only

by the blending together of 

many ingredients and flavors.

That is what is produced 

by trusting God, 

responding to Him,

serving Him,

and loving others.

Every act of love, grace,

   faithfulness and worship,

blending together

            and slow cooking

into what is delightful to Him,

       the fragant aroma of Christ. 

O LORD,

May our lives today

be a pleasing aroma to You,

offering new flavors of loving You.

Help us to see 

   each individual ingredient 

              and experience

      --the sweet and savory--

in this day coming together 

     to bring glory to You.

What we love,

how we love,

       and who we love.

And that would be You.

Guiding Us In The Rest

 

And the disciples did

as Jesus had directed them...

          Matthew 26. 19

Even when it doesn't 

                 make sense,

or is terribly awkward,

or doesn't seem to matter,

or if we have a better idea

  for how it should be done,

         ...or done at all,

when we take heed

   to the voice of Jesus,

even His nudges 

  to the right or to the left,

God blesses not just

        our willingness,

but taking those actual steps

   of trusting Him.

God guides us in the rest.

And blesses far beyond

   what can be counted.

O LORD,

We seek Your direction

in the spaces and places

     before us right now.

Help us to listen to You.

And respond to Your leading.

Grant to us Your courage

   to take the first steps.

And then Your strength

       to trust you into it.

Help us to

    follow Your directions

          as we go forth

   into Your designs for us.

Write His Name All Over

 

In every place

where I cause My name

    to be remembered,

I will come to you

           and bless you.

          Exodus 20. 24

Worshiping wherever we are

changes us and even those

around us are altered

          by His Presence there.

Bring the name of Jesus

   in every place.

Someone is watching.

Someone is listening.

Someone's life is about

             to be changed.

His name is so powerful

   we cannot remain the same

...nor the place where God

has strategically positioned us. 

May we not be afraid

to speak of Me, write about Me,

     or serve Me there.

O LORD,

Write Your holy name 

    on this day 

    and in this place

and all over these circumstances.

You come to us and bless us

            by Your Presence.

May we come to You

  and bless You

through our worship and work

   and witness to others,

even those we would

    least expect

    to respond to You.

May Your name 

not just be remembered here,

but proclaimed.

While U Wait

Wait for the LORD.

Be strong 

and let your heart take courage.

Wait for the LORD.

                Psalm 27. 14

And while we wait,

pray like crazy,

be faithful to the work before us,

and trust in the 

         slow work of God.

God is on the move.

Be ready.

The issue is not

     just while we wait,

             but how we wait.

Wait in Hebrew is anything but

      a passive verb,

but means to look eagerly for,

to expect the LORD

  and fix our hope on Him,

and to bind and tie together

           a strong rope.

Waiting builds His strength

    and endurance in us.

What am I waiting for?

                   The LORD.

But perhaps He is the one

waiting for us to listen

         and seek Him.

O LORD,

Grant to us the wisdom

and strength to wait

when everything in us

wants to rush to the finish line.

Help us to trust You in this,

for Your perfect timing,

for Your purposes,

and for us to come and 

          abide with You.

The situation may not be complete.

And we may not be ready yet.

Help us to look eagerly

   not for a solution,

or end of a chapter,

          but for You.

 

Hope In Indelible Ink

 

Then the LORD said to Moses,

"Write this as a memorial

        in a book....."

                       Exodus 17. 14

Do not hesitate to write down

   what we are going through.

This experience of hardship

     or joy or difficulty

               is not for us alone.

But to share with others

to know that He is the LORD,

to trust God in unexpected

      and unusual places,

to see His glory

   even in impossible situations.

And to give others for generations

                hope

     in indelible ink.

Do not be afraid. I am with you.

                      Even in this.

O LORD,

You have given each of us

a chronicle of Your faithfulness

--episodes in the wilderness,

experiences in the familiar,

harrowing adventures,

a level path where there

           should not be one,

and a through-line

   of You abiding with us.

May we be faithful in sharing

      Your goodness

       and grace

 and the hope

 on which we can stake our lives.

Even so that

   we too would not forget.

     

        

Cannot Pray Too Much

 Whenever Moses held up his hand,

           Israel prevailed,

and whenever he lowered his hand,

           Amalek prevailed.

But Moses' hands grew weary,

so they took a stone

and put it under him,

and he sat on it,

while Aaron and Hur

          held up his hands,

one on one side,

and the other 

     on the other side.

           Exodus 17. 11-12

Never cease praying,

because even when we  

cannot discern how God is

working and infiltrating

  and moving mountains,

God calls us to be faithful.

As written in Les Miserables,

One can no more pray too much

  than one can love too much.

What if someday we will

   be held accountable

if we pray

            ...or if we don't?

O LORD,

Bringing our burdens to You

does not mean

            ceasing to pray,

but enlarging the scope

  to pray differently about them.

And to trust You more,

     not for a particular answer,

but awareness of Your Presence. 

Enlarge our hearts

   and our vision in how to pray.

Let not our hands grow weary

   in lifting up our concerns

                       to You,

even in what opportunities,

  struggles or situations,

       we face today.

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When We Can't Touch Bottom

 

When Pharoah let the people go,

God did not lead them

by way of the land

     of the Philistines,

although that was near...

But God led the people

around by the way

of the wilderness

        toward the Red Sea.

            Exodus 13. 17-18

O God, are You sure

   this is the right way to go?

Sometimes God leads us

in ways that make

   absolutely no sense to us.

Listen to Me.

Seek Me through this.

God has deeper purposes

  than what appears on the surface,

             even in adversity.

His glory covers the journey

  and the ongoing outcome.

This exodus experience 

        thousands of years ago

   still gives us hope

   on which to stake our lives.

Not wilderness at all,

         but God's wonders here.

And exactly 

      where we need to be.

O LORD,

Forgive us for second-guessing

   Your guidance,

and for trying to tell You,

     Master of the Universe,

what is best for us.

You guide us into unexpected

   and unlikely places

so that we learn that

   You are God and we are not.

Walk with us in the unfamiliar,

  on dry ground,

  and even through the sea

when we can't touch bottom.

We find Your strength

   and Your glory there.

And bring us over

               to the other shore.

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