And Jesus stopped and called them, saying,

     "What do you want Me

           to do for you?"

             Matthew 20. 32

(How do I respond to Jesus?)

    

...and we do not know

with what 

     we must serve the LORD

until we arrive there.

                  Exodus 10. 26

(God's divine provision

    for His divine appointments

          His deeper purposes

                    in His timing.

Get ready to be astonished.

I may have no idea

   where, what, when, why

                    or how,

     but it is not unknown to God.

I have only to be faithful.)

...that you may know

that there is no one

    like the LORD our God.

                      Exodus 8. 10

(God's bottom line

         in all we experience.)

But the LORD said to Moses,

"Now you shall see

       what I will do..."

              Exodus 6. 1

(Moses had no idea.

Neither do we.

That which is

  beyond what we can see,

       imagine

       or comprehend.

"Just follow Me.")

But the LORD said to Moses,

"Put out your hand,

and take it by the tail"

--so he put out his hand

                and caught it,

and it became a rod in his hand --

"that they may believe

             that the LORD..."

                    Exodus 4. 4-5

(What fear does God want me to

        grab by the tail

that He can use

for His greater purposes?

God uses 

     the most unlikely people,

           oddest objects,

       and weird situations

in unexpected and unexplainable ways

                   for His glory.

Even us

with His tools in our hands.

For truly, I say to you,

if you have faith

    as a grain of mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain,

"Move from here to there,"

          and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible to you."

                          Matthew 17. 20-21

(What is your mountain?

It is not for me to move,

            but God.

Claim God's power over it.

God does not call me 

    to the heavy lifting,

but to "all-in" faithfulness to Him.

Seek God, not the answer.

Expect what is unexplainable

               if not for Him.)

And when they lifted up their eyes,

they saw no one

             but Jesus only.

                  Matthew 17. 8

(Not overwhelmed by circumstances,

not distracted by the urgent,

not irritated by what is happening 

            or not happening,

but see Jesus in this.

What does He want me to do?

             "Follow Me.")

...the God who has led me

    all my life long to this day...

                     Genesis 48. 15

(God is faithful still.

He continues to lead you.

Even in this.

Even through this.

Remain aware of His Presence,

remain in the reality of His Presence,

          even now.)

Thus Israel dwelt in the land of Egypr,

in the land of Goshen,

and they gained possessions I it,

and were fruitful

     and multiplied exceedingly.

                         Genesis 47. 27

(God uses powerfully

even what we see

as wilderness,

a place of exile,

a barren-looking landscape,

        or even affliction.

The turning point comes

when I stop asking "Why, God?"

    and pray expectantly 

             "What, God?")

    

But immediately He spoke to them,

"Take heart,

         it is I;

                have no fear."

                    Matthew 14. 27

(Now just watch

    what God does with this.

There are much more profound

        purposes in this.

"It's Me.

      I am with you."

Jesus comes to us 

         in our deepest need

and transforms our deepest fear.)

                 

And He did not do

    many mighty works there,

because of their unbelief.

  

                  Matthew 13. 58

(Not in believing what

     He is able to do,

but in Who He is.

It is not a matter

    of believing enough

    and it will happen,

but believing in 

     the Lord Jesus Christ.)

The name of the second son he called Ephraim,

for God has made me fruitful

        in the land of my affliction.

                       Genesis 41. 52

(Faithfulness even in the smallest 

          and most invisible responses

     doesn't just produce fruitfulness

     in impossible places.

Through faithfulness,

God changes your vision

   to see something deeper in this.

Not just what is underneath,

     but what is right before you.)

Joseph answered Pharoah,

"It is not in me,

          but God....."

 

                   Genesis 41. 16

(Not just acknowledging

     what only God can do,

but following Him faithfully through 

         what is not in me.)

Do not withhold good

    from those to whom it is due,

when it is in your power

                  to do it.

                  Proverbs 3. 27

(It is always in my power 

    to be kind and gracious

       and self-less.

Who has God has strategically placed 

           on my path to love today?

Enlarge my heart, O LORD,

      to visible need.

Deepen my vision

         to act on what is invisible.)

Do not be afraid of sudden panic,

or of the storm of the wicked

                 when it comes;

for the LORD 

      will be your confidence

and will keep your foot

            from being caught.

                     Proverbs 3. 25-26

("Trust Me in this."

Courage is knowing

                 God has this.)

Trust is

     taking the next step.)

     

Come to Me,

all who labor and are heavy-laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you,

           and learn from Me,

for I am gentle 

     and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest

                 for your souls.

For My yoke is easy,

        and My burden is light.

                 Matthew 11. 28-30

(God never intended for you

      to navigate this life by yourself.

"Fear not, I am with you.

    Let Me carry that with you."

Two of the greatest deceits from the Fall

   are randomness "it doesn't matter,"

   and self-sufficiency "I don't need you, God."

"Come to Me" is not a religion,

more than just another worldview,

but the most intimate relationship

                           of love.)

But God came....

          Genesis 31. 24

(God intervenes.

Listen for Him.

Watch for Him.

It is not that

        God "shows up,"

but He makes us aware

  that He is already present.

Even now.

Even in this.)

...now then,

whatever God has said to you,

                            do.

                            Genesis 31. 16

(Follow Me into this,

       Follow Me through.

Taking even one step

                       of faithfulness

releases you to take the next.)

Then Jacob arose from his sleep

and said,

"Surely the LORD is in this place,

      and I did not know it."

                           Genesis 28. 16

(Even when we do not understand

or things look bleak indeed,

God is right here with us,

using us in His extraordinary ways

     even on the most ordinary days,

maybe particularly

                in what only appears as ordinary.

God is working mightily

         in this appointment.

Some things we will only understand

             in the rear view mirror 

   or on the Other Side of life.)

...so he called its name 

           Rehobeth, saying,

"For now the LORD

     has made room for us,

and we shall be

       fruitful in the land."

               Genesis 26. 17

(In the most unexpected places

    and most unlikely people,

God brings fruitfulness.

Never discount 

    what incredible things

                  God is doing,

    nor where,

    nor among whom,

           including you.

That which is inexplicable 

       but for God.)

And Isaac went out to meditate

    in the field in the evening,

and he lifted up his eyes and looked,

and behold...

                         Genesis 24. 63

(Communing with God,

meditating on His Word,

listening and praying,

    always makes you aware

of something else on your radar.

Seek God first.

He is enlarging your vision.

  Behold what He has placed 

                      in your heart.)

Trust in the LORD

     with all your heart,

and do not rely 

     on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

  and He will make straight

                     your paths.

                    Proverbs 3. 5-6

(Take God at His Word.

Trust God in this.

     He is already guiding you.

Do not let the familiarity of this verse

    drain the reality of it.

Read it slow.

Marinate in it today.)

From there

        Abraham journeyed...

                    Genesis 20. 1

(When we listen,

            God leads.

Where He guides,

             God provides.

When we walk with Him,

     God always brings us 

 to a different and unexpected place,

      sometimes right where we are,

   not tomorrow but today,

always, always

      to know Him more.)

Ask,

     and it will be given you;

seek,

      and you will find;

knock,

      and it will be opened to you.

For every one who asks

                      receives,

and he who seeks

                      finds,

and to him who knocks

                      it will be opened.

                      Matthew 7. 7-8

(Have I even brought this

                  before the LORD?

God does not just provide

                     open doors;

   He knocks 

          on the door of my heart.

When I seek Him,

         and not just an answer,

He provides in ways

     far beyond what I ever expect.

God never works in 

                  singular outcomes.)

Is anything

   too hard for the LORD?

At the appointed time...

              Genesis 18. 14

(I may not be ready yet.

The right time 

        may not yet be ripened.

But I can know that

       Almighty God is already at work.

He steps in

and manifests the impossible

               at the appointed time.

God is never late.

His timing and provision

   are more perfect

   than we will ever know.

"Trust Me in this.")

Lift up your eyes,

and look from the place

             where you are....

                  Genesis 13. 14

(Don't miss out where you are today,

  be faithful in what is before you.

       God is at work.

   His mighty hand is guiding you

   in what is before you

                 and into what is next.)

But God...

          Genesis 8. 1

(Because there is God,

    because God is,

nothing is random,

or meaningless,

or empty without purpose,

        nor are you.

Because God is,

    everything is significant,

       profoundly designed,

       divinely appointed,

                  as are you.

Because God is,

    don't live as if He isn't.

"Be not afraid,

        I am with you."

God doesn't just intervene.

          God redeems).

And Noah did all

that the LORD 

    had commanded him.

                   Genesis 7. 5

(Noah responded to God

even in what

    didn't seem to make sense.

Responding to God,

following Him into something,

        is never a mistake,

even when it turns out

     different than you expect.

God prepares you for what is

and equips you

      for what is to come.

God's purposes prevail,

  even in what we may

          never live long enough to see).

Blessed are all

who take refuge in Him.

                      Psalm 2. 11

(Refuge in the LORD

     is not a place of hiding,

but a place of strength

           from which to go forth.

Not a place for cowards,

   but the address

          of the courageous).

In the beginning 

   God created

the heavens and the earth.

                 Genesis 1. 1

(Life all boils down to this reality:

                  God is.  

He created the world,

       and He created you.

Nothing random at all).

Happy New Year.

Don't just watch 

what God will do in this new year--

          join Him in it.