...for not by their own sword

       did they win the land,

nor did their own arm

       give them victory,

but Your right hand and Your arm,

and the light of Your countenance,

for You delighted in them.

                   Psalm 44. 3

(God guides me in it,

God gives me strength to do it well,

and His indwelling changes 

      not only me,

                 but the outcome.)

Why are you cast down,

         O my soul,

and why are you disquieted

                within me?

Hope in God;

for I shall again praise Him,

my help and my God.

                Psalm 43. 5

(Remember His faithfulness

                in the past.

When I walk with Him,

    I am never alone.

He is bringing me through this.

No time to panic,

          but to trust God

both in it and through it.)

...but you shall
     love your neighbor
     as yourself;
I am the LORD.

          Leviticus 19.18

(impacts every relationship
                 I have,
my responses,
my choices,
my way.
What does that look like
         in this situation?)

...bring them to the LORD...

               Leviticus 17.5

(Offerings,
sacrifices,
cares,
concerns,
fear,
my day.)

As for me,
I am poor and needy;
but the LORD
     takes thought for me.
You are my help
     and my deliverer;
do not tarry,
        O my God!

           Psalm 40.17

(The turning point
is not when God shows up,
but when we realize
He is already working,
He is already here.
"But the LORD"
     changes everything.)

But immediately

He spoke to them and said,

"Take heart,

        it is I;

              do not fear."

                 Mark 6.50

(You are not alone.

Even in mystery,

        He is there with you.

No time to panic.

Even in this.

Follow Him into His purposes

   and lean into His Presence.

In what do I need to trust Him

                          today?)

And now, Lord,
      for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.

            Psalm 39.7

(We cannot know
       what is ahead.
But God is there with us
to bring us through.
Hope is not wishful thinking,
but that on which
we can stake our lives.)

But for you, O LORD,

          do I wait;

it is You, O LORD my God,

          who will answer.

                Psalm 38.15

(Seek God,

       not the answer.

God will direct,

God will answer,

God will redeem

     even what I cannot realize.)

The salvation of the righteous
       is from the LORD;
He is their refuge
      in the time of trouble.

                     Psalm 37.39

(The refuge of the LORD
is not a place of hiding,
    but a source of strength.)

...for today the LORD 

      will appear to you.

       Leviticus 9.4

(Not a rare event,

but a daily occurrence.

Watch and listen.

The LORD reveals Himself

to you every day.)

Trust in the LORD,
          and do good;
so you will dwell in the land
      and enjoy security.
Take delight in the LORD,
and He will give you
   the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the LORD,
trust in Him,
        and He will act.

             Psalm 37. 3-5

(First things first
infects everything about you.
What does this look like today?
How does it impact
                    a year from now?)

And as He passed on,
He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus
sitting at the tax office,
and He said to him,
         "Follow Me."
And he rose
       and followed Him.

                 Mark 2.14

(Right where you are,
right in the midst
      of what you are doing,
"Follow Me"
        into His day for you.
Nothing will ever be the same.)

Then I will thank You

in the great congregation;

in the mighty throng

     I will praise You.

            Psalm 35.18

(God has given you a story.

Your deliverance 

         is not just for you,

but that others would see

what the power of God

         does in a life.)

And Jesus said to them,

"Follow Me,

and I will make you 

become fishers of men."

And immediately

they left their nets

     and followed Him.

             Mark 1. 17-18

(What does that look like

    in my day?)

The LORD redeems

   the life of His servants...

                 Psalm 34. 22

(He redeems every detail)

Happy Valentine's Day, friend!

I will bless the LORD

          at all times;

His praise shall

continually be

          in my mouth.

                Psalm 34.1

(Praise is the antidote

          to despair.)

...Moses did not know

that the skin of his face shone

because he had been

      talking with God.

                Exodus 34.29

(a visible difference

 in his life

            and ours.)

Happy is the man

      who listens to me,

watching daily at my gates,

waiting beside my doors.

                Proverbs 8.34

(Put yourself on the

     way of righteousness,

shoes tied, lunch packed,

        watching expectantly.

Waiting on the LORD,

following Him into His purposes, 

is never passive.)

I will instruct you

        and teach you

the way you should go;

I will counsel you

    with My eye upon you.

               Psalm 32.8

(through every impossible situation)

But I trust in You, 

                 O LORD,

I say,  "You are my God."

My times are in your hands.

                  Psalm 31. 14-15

(God's timing is always perfect,

His purposes deeper

      than we can ever know.)

Behold,

I send an angel before you

to guard you on the way

and bring you to the place

that I have prepared.

             Exodus 23.20

(Follow Him into it.)

The LORD sits enthroned

        over the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned 

   as King for ever.

                  Psalm 29.10

(No matter what,

     God is still God.

God is still in charge.

Live that way.)

The LORD is my strength

        and my shield;

in Him my heart trusts;

so I am helped,

and my heart exults,

and with my song

   I give thanks to Him.

               Psalm 28.7

(You are not in this alone.

The LORD is your strength

       and your shield,

wherever He places you today.

No room for fear.

Go forth

      into His incredible purposes.)

And he said to the people,

       "Be ready..."

             Exodus 19. 15

(Available and ready

   for every good work

   God lays before me,

no matter what,

no matter where)

The LORD is my light

       and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold 

       of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

             Psalm 27.1

(The stronghold of the LORD

is not a place in which to cower

                and hide in fear,

but a place of strength

      from which to go forth.)

And the people of Israel went

into the midst of the sea

           on dry ground,

the waters 

     being a wall to them

on their right hand

         and on their left.

             Exodus 14 .22

(God does not say,

             "Swim!"

He says,

           "Follow Me."

Walk with Him through

     your impossible situation.

God will make a way.)