For he held fast
         to the LORD...
And the LORD was with him;
wherever he went forth,
                   he prospered.

                       2 Kings 18. 7

(God brings forth a new outcome,
    something radically different,
when we are faithful to Him.
We will never realize
how deeply God uses us.)

And he did what was right

     in the eyes of the LORD.

                  2 Kings 15. 34

(What do I choose

   in what I face today?

My way or the High way?

One act of faithfulness

  engraves the way for the next,

for more than can be counted.

If we only knew

       the impact of what is right,

faithful to God,

gracious to others,

we would never even hesitate

to follow Him into it.)

And he said,

   "The LORD'S arrow of victory..."

 

                   2 Kings 13. 17

(What am I following

into this tough situation

or impossible relationship?

Follow God through it.

He will reveal Himself to you.

God's direction

    always points to Him.

His victory even in this,

even in you,

profoundly impacts others.

God's victory

 is never the end of the story.)

...that they should be

    the LORD's people.

                   2 Kings 11. 17

(Evident in all we do and say

     today in whatever we face,

wherever God places us,

even in our attitudes,

     glorifying to You, O LIRD.

May we be mindful

   of who we are

and Whose we are.)

So he prepared for them

         a great feast.

                    2 Kings 6. 23

(Kindness is

  a powerful force.

Take them by surprise.)

But about midnight 

Paul and Silas were praying 

and singing hymns to God,

and the prisoners 

were listening to them...

                  Acts 16. 25

(How you respond in crisis

depends on what you do

on the most ordinary of days.

Someone is always 

watching you to see

               if God is real.)

Then Elisha prayed and said,

"O LORD, I pray to You,

open his eyes

     that he may see."

So the LORD opened 

the eyes of the young man,

and he saw;

and behold,

the mountain was full

of horses and chariots of Fire

round about Elisha.

              2 Kings 6. 17

(Open our eyes, O LORD,

to the reality of Your Presence.

We are surrounded!

How differently would we live

if we realized God's hand

  in this impossible situation.)

Now the Syrians
on one of their raids
had carried off
           a little maid
from the land of Israel,
and she waited on Naaman's wife.

                2 Kings 5. 2

(Strategically placed
          for God's glory.
So are you.)

And Elisha said to her,

"What shall I do for you?

Tell me,

what have you in your house?"

And she said,

"Your maidservant has nothing

in the house,

     except a jar of oil."

               2 Kings 4. 2

(God does not add.

God multiplies 

   when we follow Him into it,

to bring us from 

    our obvious need

                  to His glory in it.

God specializes

   in what we see

   as impossible situations.)

...Is it because

there is no God in Israel

    to inquire of His word?

            2 Kings 1. 16

(Have I even considered

       God's way in this?

Have I even listened

    for His voice in this?

God works far beyond

                 the obvious.

Inquire early

              and often.

Show me, O LORD,

how to navigate

      not around this,

but through it

           for Your glory.)

Though I walk
     in the midst of trouble,
You preserve my life...
The LORD will fulfill
     His purpose for me.

                Psalm 138. 7-8

(No matter what,
no matter how difficult
            or impossible,
God is at work,
            even in this.
There is not just a reason for it,
     there is God's purpose all over.
In Him, all things hold together.
I have only to be faithful,
        follow Him into it,
and hold on tight.)
       

How shall we sing the LORD's song
        in a foreign land?

                             Psalm 137. 4

(Every which way we can
    in every word, deed
                  and attitude,
a new melody
   that resets my heart
   and points others to Him.
How does that sound like
       for me today?)

...to Him who led His people
          through the wilderness,
for His steadfast love
               endures forever...

                         Psalm 136. 16

(God does not always deliver
      out of an impossible situation,
but through it,
His purposes so profound
             we cannot grasp.
This hard place,
this difficulty,
this uncomfortable journey
       may not be about you,
but incredibly a chronicle
           of God's faithfulness
to encourage someone else
  to know that God is real.)

And he said to his servant,

"Go up now,

       look toward the sea."

And he went up and looked,

and said, "There is nothing."

And he said,

      "Go again seven times."

And at the seventh time,

he said, 

         "Behold, a little cloud

like a man's hand 

is rising out of the sea."

                   1 Kings 18. 43-44

(When we seek God in this,

          over and over again,

even in this impossible situation,

He reveals Himself,

sometimes in ways

          we never expect.

Listen for His still small voice,

watch for that little cloud

      suddenly on your radar

for His glory.)

He who forgives an offense
               seeks love,
but he who repeats a matter
       alienates a friend.

               Proverbs 17. 9

(Forgiveness opens a door
      to a higher road,
forgiveness sets aside pride.
What would happen
if I set aside my pride in this?
What if I carried grace into it
                              instead?
What if .....?)

...to put His name there.

                     1 Kings 14. 21

(Why am I here in this place?
Why am I here
     in this impossible situation?
Bear the name of Jesus
                          in all I do.)

I will not enter my house

       or get into my bed;

I will not give sleep to my eyes

       or slumber to my eyelids,

until I find a place for the LORD,

a dwelling place

   for the Mighty One of Jacob.

                    Psalm 132. 3-5

(Not fit Him in,

but follow Him in)

But Saul increased 

all the more in strength,

and confounded the Jews

who lived in Damascus 

by proving that Jesus

                 was the Christ.

                          Acts 9. 22

(Not by scripted answers

nor by winning any argument,

but by a transformed heart.

There is nothing more convincing 

about the gospel

than a life changed by grace.)

Now an angel of the LORD
said to Philip,
"Rise and go
toward the south to the road
that goes down from
      Jerusalem to Gaza."
This is a desert place.
And he rose and went.

                Acts 8. 26-27

(Our response is not dependent
on knowing God's purposes in it.
God always has profound designs
in what only appears
        to be wilderness,
too deep to understand,
too many dimensions to realize.)

But the LORD said

  to David my father,

"Whereas it was 

in your heart to build

a house for My name,

you did well 

that it was in your heart.

Nevertheless you shall

not build the house

but your son

who shall be born to you

shall build the house

       for My name.

           1 Kings 8. 18-19

(Your most significant 

work is living a life

faithful to God,

preparing the way

for a children yet unborn.

Plant big vision,

that will both outlive you

         and provide 

for generations to come.)

...and as he drew near to look,

there came the voice of the LORD...

                           Acts 7. 31

(What am I doing here,

what is this before me?

Trusting God

means following Him

even when I cannot yet see

    or understand

    the path or the outcome.

God will reveal Himself.

It is not that He will lead me.

He is guiding me through it.

I have only to be faithful.)

   

...sojourners in a land
      belonging to others...

                   Acts 7. 6

(God's profound purposes prevail
      even there,
      even in mystery,
      even in what I cannot yet see.
I am strategically placed
not in a wasteland,
but a frontier for His kingdom.
God changes the landscape
    by changing my heart.)
   

And he had peace
on all sides around him.

               1 Kings 4. 24

(In the Old Testament,
peace was the mark
of being faithful to God.
It is not that the situation
is different, but when we
are at peace with God,
we see things differently
and respond with grace
instead of conflict.
It doesn't have to be
      a confrontation.)

Our help is in 

the name of the LORD,

who made heaven

                 and earth.

                 Psalm 124. 8

(Not just a reminder 

       but a reality.

LORD, show me how

   to navigate this!)

...sweetness of speech   increases persuasiveness.

               Proverbs 16. 21

(Words are not returnable.

Choose carefully.

No returns,

     no exchanges.

How differently 

   can I say this?)

.., we hear them

telling in our own tongues 

the mighty works of God.

               Acts 2. 11

(God has given you

a story in your own words

that translates the gospel 

so others can understand.)

...and the LORD wrought
a great victory that day.

              2 Samuel 23. 10, 12

(Always in more dimensions
     than we can know.
When we follow God into it,
when we are faithful to Him,
even in what is incomprehensible,
the LORD does not
         work out an outcome.
He works in multiple outcomes.)

...and you shall be 

    My witnesses in Jerusalem 

and in all Judea 
                 and Samaria

and to the end of the earth.

                        Acts 1. 8

(You are strategically placed

        for His name's sake

right here,

          right now.

Yes, even here. 

This too is ministry.

As a sign was once fastened

above the exit door

of my church,

"You are now entering

       your mission field.")

 He said to them,
"Cast the net
on the right side of the boat,
and you will find some."
So they cast it,
and now
they were not able
       to haul it in,
for the quantity of fish.

                      John 21. 6

(When we follow God into it,
He always blesses
in incredible and impossible ways,
even in those things
we do not yet comprehend.)

Great peace have those

          who love Your law;

nothing can make them stumble.

                       Psalm 119. 165

(The residual effect

           of daily Scripture

works something radical in us.

God changes our hearts,

God changes our mindset,

God changes the outcome.

Get to where

       nothing can throw you

  and responsive to all.)