They said to him then,

"Who are you?

Let us have an answer

for those who sent us.

What do you say about yourself?"

He said,

"I am the voice of one

         crying in the wilderness,

'Make straight the way of the Lord,'

as the prophet Isaiah said.

                    John 1. 22-23

(Why are you here?

For this.

Prepare the way of the Lord

      in the lives of all those

      around you.)

Know that the LORD is God!

It is He that made us,

          and we are His.

We are His people,

and the sheep of His pasture.

                  Psalm 100.3

(Know,

       don't just believe,

the reality of who God is

     and who you are.

You are greatly beloved.

You belong.

That changes everything.)

Let us come into His presence

            with thanksgiving,

let us make a joyful noise to Him

       with songs of praise.

                    Psalm 95.2

(Acknowledging God

        every which way

is the direct route out of despair

                  and into His strength.

Praise honors God

              and changes my heart

even when my situation does not.)

When I blow the trumpet,
I and all who are with me,
then blow the trumpets
also on every side of all the camp,
and shout,
"For the LORD and for Gideon."

                         Judges 7.18

(Don't just utter a little prayer
about your impossible situation.
Surround it with prayer
on every side
    and claim it for His glory.)

And the LORD said to him,
"But I will be with you."

                      Judges 6.16

(Acknowledging the LORD'S presence
          is the significant difference
          in any struggle you may have.)

Does not the LORD go out before you?

                             Judges 4.14

(Don't just bring God along,
      follow Him into it.
He has prepared the way,
He has prepared His purposes.
The Presence of the LORD
               changes everything,
even this,
even in this.)

Mightier than the thunders 

              of many waters,

mightier than the waves 

              of the sea,

the LORD on high is mighty.

                     Psalm 93.4

(The LORD is mightier

         than anything I face today)

Because you have made
    the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your habitation,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For He will give His angels
                     charge of you
to guard you in all your ways.

                    Psalm 91. 9-11

(Fear is no refuge at all,
but that which is even more vulnerable.
Trust God into it.
Different journey,
completely different outcome.)

This will be a time for you

to bear testimony.

                     Luke 21. 13

(And that would be today,

in anything you say,

in everything you do.

God has placed you

     strategically for His purposes.

Right now.

Even in this.

Especially in this.)

Choose this day whom you will serve...

...but as for me and my house,

we will serve the LORD.

                    Joshua 24.15

(Intentional serving God,

even in this impossible situation,

even in this irritable relationship.

Make a choice.)

You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise,

        You still them.

              Psalm 89.9

(In God's strength,

   "still" is an active verb.

Even in the midst of turmoil,

God keeps me an agent of peace

          even in impossible situations.

Even in this,

             our God reigns,

no matter what

is swirling around you.)

      

If any one asks you,

"Why are you untying it?"

you shall say this,

     "The Lord has need of it."

                    Luke 19.31

(Heeding God's voice

in what He has placed on my heart

does not mean that I 

           must always understand 

           what God is doing.

He calls me to be faithful,

even when it doesn't 

        make sense to me.

"The Lord has need of it"

     is all I need to know.)

Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle,
but he who gathers
         little by little
will increase it.

               Proverbs 13.11

(Seek God's wisdom,
step by step
in that direction.
He will multiply and bless
daily time in His Word.)

...and when he came near,

He asked him,

"What do you want Me

          to do for you?"

                Luke 18. 40-41

(Do we even know what we want?

Do we even ask?

God always answers prayers,

sometimes in ways we never expect,

always in deeper dimensions

            than we can possibly grasp.)

Yea, the LORD will give what is good,

and our land will yield its increase.

Righteousness will go before Him,

and make His footsteps a way.

                        Psalm 85. 12-13

(There is not always a path,

but when we follow God into it,

     there is always a way.

What has God placed

            before me today?

He will lead you through the thicket.

You need not stand alone in this.)

Blessed are those

    whose strength is in You,

in whose heart

    are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the valley of Baca,

they make it a place of springs,

the early rain also

      covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

                       Psalm 84. 5-7

(When I trust in God and His strength,

    that changes everything,

even the landscape of my situation

    from desert to an oasis.

His strength leads to yet another strength.

God's got this.

I have only to follow Him into it.

Step by step.)

And the LORD said to Joshua,
"Do not fear them,
for I have given them
         into your hands."

                     Joshua 10.8

(In whatever difficulty I face,
in whatever I fear,
God provides the measure of victory.
If I seek Him,
He will lead me through it.
Fear just gets in the way
        of what God is doing.)

...but hold yourselves

      all in readiness.

                 Joshua 8.4

(Listening to God

      with shoes tied,

hearts ready to respond.

God has placed you

strategically

      for His purposes.

Even in this.)

...stood on dry ground

      in the midst of the Jordan.

                     Joshua 3.17

(God specializes

     in impossible situations.

Show me, O LORD,

    how to navigate this.

His vision is bigger,

His provision always deeper,

His purposes

        beyond what I can know.)

And Joshua said to the people,

"Sanctify yourselves,

for tomorrow 

the LORD will do wonders among you."

                             Joshua 3.5

(Set your mind on God,

watch expectantly

      and listen continually.

Don't miss what God

          has up His sleeve.)

Have I not commanded you?

Be strong and of good courage;

be not frightened,

neither be dismayed;

for the LORD your God

   is with you

          wherever you go.

                     Joshua 1.9

(The 11th commandment:

      thou shalt not be afraid.

How would you view

      this "ordinary" day,

this difficult relationship,

this uphill path,

this paralyzing decision,

    if you knew God was in it?

"I've got you."

No room for fear.)

      

The eternal God

     is your dwelling place,

and underneath are 

   the everlasting arms.

             Deuteronomy 33. 27

(Dwell on that.

God's got you.

Recite.

Repeat as necessary.

Bring this reality

          into your day.)

            

Anxiety in a man's heart 

         weighs him down,

but a good word

         makes him glad.

              Proverbs 12.25

(Encouragement

   is always in our power to do,

    surrounded every day

    by opportunities

             to love others that way.

What does that look like today?

I can never know what desperation

        another is carrying.)

...nor be of anxious mind...

your Father knows

that you need them.

Instead,

seek His kingdom,

and these things

shall be yours as well.

             Luke 12. 29-31

(When I seek God first in this,

it is not that things will

      just fall into place,

but God

   engineers the very details.

"Nor be of anxious mind?"

         He's got this.)

Your way was through the sea,

Your path through the great waters,

yet

    Your footprints were unseen.

                      Psalm 77.19

(Being guided is an ongoing journey,

even when we don't realize it,

yes,

     even in this,

that His power may be revealed.)

But the angel said to the women,

"Do not be afraid;

for I know that you seek Jesus

who was crucified.

He is not here,

   for He has risen,

as He said.

              Matthew 28. 5-6

(He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

Because He lives,

   that changes everything.)

     

And when the sabbath was past, 

Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, 

and Salome, bought spices, 

so that they might go and anoint Him.

And very early on the first day of the week

they went to the tomb when the sun had risen. 

And they were saying to one another,

"Who will roll away the stone for us 

              from the door of the tomb?"  

And looking up, 

they saw that the stone was rolled back

                --it was very large.

                                Mark 16. 1-4

(The greatest tragedy

    was transformed into

    the greatest triumph.

Because He lives,

    that changes everything.

Jesus rolls away 

       the boulders of your sin.

You are free

                 indeed.)

But He was wounded 

   for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

upon Him was the chastisement 

          that made us whole.,

and with His stripes

               we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray,

we have turned each one

          to his own way,

and the LORD has laid on Him,

the iniquity of us all.

                    Isaiah 53. 5-6

(There is no Easter

   without Good Friday.

God loves us that much.

These words in Isaiah were

prophesied 800 years 

before Christ came to earth

to save us from our sin.)

...do what is right

       in the sight of the LORD.

                     Deuteronomy 21.9

(The template over

all my choices today,

    in His Name,

    for His glory,

    in His sight.

Bring His grace to it.)

...to stand and minister

in the name of the LORD...

           Deuteronomy 18.5

(Wherever God places me today

  --in the place of His own choosing--

in all things and in all ways,

             in His name.

Even here,

      even in this.

All are divine appointments.)