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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Uncomfortable, Inconvenient, and Ridiculous

 

Then the people of Israel went

         and did so,

as the LORD commanded 

               Moses and Aaron,

        so they did.

             Exodus 12. 28

What makes the vital difference

    in the trajectory of our lives

is following God's lead,

responding to His call,

listening to His voice,

even if we don't understand

nor agree,

   or see the point in it.

Not just raising our hand,

willing and able,

       but actually doing it.

Learning to obey God

may mean 

     -- as in this case --

the difference between

           life and death.

Trusting God into it,

even when uncomfortable,

     or inconvenient,

     or seemingly ridiculous,

changes the course 

               of our lives

and everyone after us.

O LORD,

Help us to realize 

the impact of 

  choosing to follow You.

Make us aware of You

and provide us the courage

  to trust You

even when we can't see

      the outcome,

    nor the next step after this.

We see the scary unknown.

You see opportunities

  to bring Your name there.

Find us faithful, dear Father.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Equipped, Shoes Double-knotted, and Ready to Roll

 

...and we do not know

with what we must 

           serve the LORD

until we arrive there.

          Exodus 10. 26

We have no idea how

God has prepared,

   provided and equipped us

for where we are today

and for whatever is unknown

   coming down the pike.

Why are we going through

  this struggle or hard stuff?

That we may be strengthened

         and compassionate,

ready to go wherever God

  has strategically positioned us,

not as spectators

         but as first responders.

Even in this situation today.

"Oh, so that's why that happened."

"Ahhh, that is what this is about,"

all those odd things

  we don't understand at the time.

And sometimes still remain

               beyond our reach.

But not His.

O LORD,

Prepare our hands

  and soften our hearts

that we would be aware of You,

especially where You

   have placed us 

for Your goodness and glory.

May nothing

    --fear or lack of understanding--

stand in the way

of our faithfulness to You.

You have formed 

    something new in us,

forged by experience

and by the Holy Spirit

  surging in our souls.

Go Forth Into This Day

Let My people go,

that they may serve Me.

       Exodus 8. 1

From what has God 

  released us 

or unleashed in our 

        circumstances

that we may serve Him?

On the surface, 

it may not appear as 

     an opportunity,

but a hardship of some kind,

but God provides a path

    through the storm

and portals of ministry

to love others

  every which way we can.

Serving God

  arrives in unusual ways,

  in unexpected places,

and among the unlikely.

When we seize an opening,

something always unfolds

     in the spiritual realm,

sometimes in ways 

       we may not realize.

Let My people go?

 Have at it.

 Go forth into this day.

O LORD,

You have released us today

   to serve You.

Help us to be watchful

for every opportunity,

even those that are 

     not so obvious.

Bring Your glory

   to this place

and to our service

that others may see

Your steadfast love through us.

And aware that a thousand galaxies

  explode into view,

even beyond our scope.