And Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced

because God had prepared for the people,

for the thing came about suddenly.

                             2 Chronicles 29. 36

(Worship prepares me

and equips me

         for what is next.

Even in what is unexpected,

devoting ourselves

            to what is eternal.

A mind set,

a heart set,

strategically placed

   and divinely appointed.)

O LORD,

We cannot know

what we will face today,

but in worshiping You,

         we are ready

to serve,

to love,

to bring You glory,

        even in this.

Nothing is random.

God is at work.

The LORD 

   is my shepherd...

         Psalm 23. 1

(Familiar words

       of profound truth,

a reality which radically 

   changes the course

   of our lives.

How we see God changes

    how we see others,

and how we see ourselves.

“Follow Me”

    into this day.

Please know how beloved 

   you are by Him.)

O LORD,

Be our shepherd 

into this day,

even in the parts

   yet unknown to us.

Help us to worship You

and follow You fully

   by loving others 

   on our path today. 

Let every word of this psalm,

every passage in these 8 verses,

resonate in our lives today,

changing our hearts

and impacting 

    everyone around us.

Do not be overcome 

           by evil,

but overcome evil

               with good.

             Romans 12. 21

(Bottom line.

      First response.

Continually in our power

             to choose.

What is God’s way in this?

         Always grace.)

O LORD,

You have loved us,

You have given us grace,

     over and over again.

Help us to practice grace

             to those around us,

     over and over again.

How does that look like

   today in this situation?

Help us to not react,

   but respond,

not for our honor

            but for Your glory.

Thus his troops were

   in front of Judah,

and the ambush

  was behind them.

       2 Chronicles 13. 13-14

(God specializes 

    in impossible situations..

God has already made

           a way through.

Follow Him into it.)

O LORD,

Help me not to

   just be aware of Your way,

nor trying to figure out

            Your purposes in this,

but recognize Your Presence.

We do not know

      what to do,

but our eyes

      are on You.

    2 Chronicles 20. 12

(First response,

not last resort.

Follow God’s way

           in this,

seek Him through it.)

Love you to the bone.

Praying this verse for you.

O LORD,

We have no idea

   what to do,

but You do.

Help us to be faithful to You,

despite circumstances,

no matter what,

       even when,

       even when.

Help us to keep 

     our eyes on You.

You are bringing us through 

      in unexpected ways,

for Your glory.

His heart was courageous 

in the ways of the LORD.

            2 Chronicles 17. 6

(Heart strengthening 

   in patterns and practice.)

O LORD,

Help me to realize 

my courage is in You,

    not in my own strength,

    or abilities,

    or even my feelings.

Please help me

   to follow You

   in this.

Practicing every day,

in every way,

not just patterns 

          of behavior,

but setting my heart

        on Yours.

...for the sake

        of my brothers...

        Romans 9. 3

(What am I willing

       to sacrifice 

for the spiritual well-being 

of those around me?)

O LORD,

Please make us very aware

of Your Presence 

    with us today

and of Your 

         divine appointments.

Help us to love others

   by being faithful to You.

Show us how in word and deed

      to love them into Your glory.

...for this thing is from Me.

              2 Chronicles 11. 4

(And that changes everything.

"Trust Me into it."

We may not know the outcome,

nor not even the next step,

but we can know

               that God redeems.

God can redeem even this.

God is at work.)

O LORD,

You never promised that

        life would be easy,

but that You are with us,

even into the impossible,

even into what is unknown

                          to us.

You have already

            gone before us.

Help us to recognize You

       even into Your redeeming.

And to trust You,

respond,

and follow You each step.

We may not be able to see it,

or understand it,

        but we can trust You.

Bring Your glory.

...but I did not believe the reports

until I came

and my eyes had seen it.

                  2 Chronicles 9. 6

(People are watching us,

          all the time,

not to see

    if we are perfect,

    or to watch when we are not,

but to see if God is real.

How do we respond

     to favor, failure,

     and to others in need?

Who sees anything

              different in us?)

O LORD,

Help us to live,

love

and respond as Your children.

And to bring Your name

    glory in impossible places

and Your distinguishing marks

                             on us.

Help us to not just

          act like believers,

but live radically different

             because we are.

How do we live differently

     in this volatile situation,

    through this deep bog,

even among those who don't know You

   because we are Yours?

Reveal, O LORD,

how that looks like

         today in real time.

Not our ways,

            but Yours in this.

As soon as Solomon

          finished his prayer

...the glory of the LORD

          filled the temple.

               2 Chronicles 7. 1

(When we pray,

God's glory comes upon it

in ways we cannot

                even imagine.

Everything changes

when we bring it before the LORD.

Even our hearts.)

O LORD,

Teach us to pray,

teach us to come before You,

and pray expectantly.

Not to seek particular answers,

        but to seek You.

Open our hearts

    to extraordinary change.

When we seek You,

     we see everything differently,

because You are already here.

You bring Your glory

                           to it.

For He is good,

for His steadfast love

            endures forever.

                 2 Chronicles 5. 13

(Not a motto,

not the refrain to a song,

but the reality

       that changes our lives.

Who He is

  distinguishes who we are

            and everything we do.

And that should look

              very different.)

O LORD,

How I see You,

directly impacts

       how I see others

    and how I see myself.

You are good

and Your love never gives up

          nor ever gives out.

No matter what.

May these words

      repeated so often in scripture

be not just a reminder,

    nor a refrain,

but a response to You.

...on the threshing floor

    of Ornan the Jebusite.

               2 Chronicles 3. 1

(That was the place

    where the temple was built.

Every ordinary place,

every square inch of this world

            is sacred to God,

wherever we are,

wherever He takes us today,

a place to bring His name there.)

O LORD,

May we serve you in this place,

may we bring Your name here.

Let Your glory

       get all over everything.

Bless the LORD your God.

             1 Chronicles 29. 20

(What does that look like today?

Agenda for the day:

      How can we bless Him

           in this difficult situation,

           in this mess?

Are we more interested in His blessing

       than in blessing Him?)

O LORD,

No matter the circumstances,

no matter the impossible people,

no matter the storms around us,

help us to bless You

        wherever we are,

        in whatever You have

           placed on our path and heart.

Help us to see differently

   not a "woe is me" affliction,

   but an opportunity to

      bring Your name and grace

               and glory to this place.

The world would look

               far different,

   if we were faithful to You.

Be blessed today, O LORD,

             for Your glory.

...for all the work of the LORD...

               1 Chronicles 26. 30

(Ingrained in whatever

                 I do today,

every divine appointment,

every divine encounter,

every good endeavor,

everything for His glory,

     no exclusions.

Nothing is insignificant

           in God's economy.)

O LORD,

We pray Your hand over

     everything we find to do today,

even that which is not on our map

or plans

or radar.

Please bear Your fruit through it

              for Your glory,

even in that which we

                    may never see.

...for their duties,

small and great,

teacher and pupil alike.

             1 Chronicles 25. 8

(Whatever we do,

nothing is insignificant

         in honoring God,

   no exclusions.

Sometimes even on

            the smallest details

    hinges the most profound,

even on what is hidden

                      or invisible

is revealed at some

        unexpected moment

    the great hand of God on it.

The faithful know that.

That is how they live,

    not under the radar

              but for His glory.)

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful to You

     even in what appears

     to be inconsequential

              on an ordinary day

              in ordinary ways,

because I can trust You

    to fulfill Your purposes for my life,

        even in this.

My anchor is

   not in favorable circumstances,

   not in my feelings,

   not in the ever changing forecast,

but in Your steadfast love.

Work in me and through me

         for Your glory.

Be strong and courageous.

Fear not.

Do not be dismayed.

                  1 Chronicles 22. 13

(God has never said,

"Life is going to be really easy,"

but "I am with you,"

              even in this.

His Presence changes

                 everything,

whatever God places before me,

whatever my struggle,

whatever I fear,

         both real and imagined.

How differently this situation looks

    when God is in the equation.)

O LORD,

You know this trouble,

this fear,

this impossible situation.

You have strategically

        put me in the midst of it,

to bring Your name here.

Show me, O LORD,

not if to respond,

           but what to do

           and how to do it.

That which is hard and scary

      only reveals

               my desperate need for You.

You never intended

         for us to do life without You.

...raise an altar to the LORD

       on the threshing floor...

                1 Chronicles 21. 18

(Right here, O LORD?

Worshiping God

     wherever I am today,

where God has

         strategically positioned me,

even in the most unlikely places.

Even in doing the most mundane

        or leading a company,

the threshing floor

              or the corner office,

scrubbing toilets

      or making multi-million deals,

this is sacred space.

Worship Him in it.

Bring His name here.)

O LORD,

Help us to raise an altar

             to You today,

in this work.

Wherever You are worshiped

           is holy ground.

Thank You

    that You use everything

                      for Your glory,

nothing insignificant

       in what I do.

You are present.

              Even here.

In Your name.

For Your Kingdom.

For Your glory.

    That changes everything.

...he who keeps understanding

       will discover good.

                   Proverbs 19. 8

(Seeking the wisdom of the LORD

always leads

to hidden treasure along the way.

God surprises us with unexpected packages

            and in unlikely ways.

Seek Him first

              and discover His good in this,

which always includes the welfare of others.

How do I navigate this situation

                           differently

       because I follow You?)

O LORD,

Help us to realize

that faithfulness to You

   is always the right path.

Reveal Your way

     through the impossible

  for Your glory in this.

Knowing You, O LORD,

           changes everything.

Seek the LORD

      and His strength;

seek His Presence

             continually.

          1 Chronicles 16. 11

(May seeking the LORD

be seamlessly ingrained

   in our patterns of being

  and at the core of

          how we respond,

that which transcends

  any and all circumstances.

Seeking Him

    and not just an answer,

       rooted as our first response

       not our last resort.)

O LORD,

Help us to seek You,

to see You,

to know Your strength,

to be aware of

             Your Presence,

     already right with us.

Even in this.

No matter what.

May we seek You

              continually,

without ceasing,

without interruption,

and realize how radically different

            life with You can be.

...for God

has gone out before you...

             1 Chronicles 14. 15

(Not asking "O LORD,

           prepare my way,"

or "please order my day,"

or "please show up."

God is way ahead of that.

Already there, already here,

           already done.

But instead,

looking not for an answer

or direction

or solution,

       but seeking Him.

God reveals Himself

    in unexpected ways

and breaks through

     what is impossible

     without Him.)

O LORD,

You intervene,

infiltrate,

invade,

intercede,

and bring Your Presence

in impossible unlikely ways

               and places.

You are here already,

and we have not realized it.

You are here all ready

                    and able,

    everything in place,

    table set, car packed,

 prepared for Your purposes

            in this.

Help us to seek You.

 

I will give thanks to the LORD

       with my whole heart;

I will recount all

       of Your wonderful deeds.

                   Psalm 9. 1

(On what do I dwell?

What I have

           or what I do not?

The hard stuff

  or the chronicle of

               His faithfulness?

Have I neglected

         to thank God?

Thanking the LORD

     is not basic manners,

but a heartfelt reminder to us

         of what He has done,

         in what He is doing.

Thanking Him

         brings Him glory

and points us--and others--

                    to Him.

Start counting.)

O LORD,

As we rise this morning,

   let it be to meet You

           and live in thankfulness

  for Your Presence in our lives.

We are thankful

            not just for stuff,

            or happy endings our way,

   or what appears successful

               or good or incredible,

but we are thankful for You

         --Who You are--

and that You are God

                and we are not.

Grant to us a grateful heart today

      for Your glory.

       

He did not seek guidance

          from the LORD.

           1 Chronicles 10. 14

(Never ends well.

Seeking God about a situation

    aligns our hearts with His

    and changes its trajectory.

What if

      I had come first about it

      before God?

How do I navigate this

                 differently

because I am a believer

and because

        I am listening to God?

What if

    I trusted Him about it?)

O LORD,

We seek You first thing

                in the morning

before every other distraction

    crowds into the room.

Help us to set our eyes on You

      and seek You

not just what to do,

not just looking for

         the latest new open door,

but walk with You on this path,

willing to let You

              to lead the way,

even right through

        the ordinary

which is never so ordinary

             at all in Your sight.

...for they cried out to God

                   in battle,

and He granted

          their urgent plea,

because

        they trusted in Him.

           1 Chronicles 5. 20

(The crying out to God part

      we can do pretty well.

It's the trusting God part

      we miss out on.

With what am I struggling

  that I need to trust God?

Everyone struggles with something.

Trusting God always results

   in a different trajectory

   and unexpected outcomes.

How do I navigate this,

approach this,

handle this,

walk through this,

treat others in this,

             differently

because I am a believer?)

O LORD,

We are the ones who

   should be trusting You.

But more often,

  we are the ones who

            are missing out.

What part of trust

      don't we understand?

You work

               and redeem

      in unexpected ways.

Am I willing to trust You

       in how You answer

       my cries for help?

We all struggle needlessly

   with what You never intended

   for us to carry alone.

Help me to trust You

                into this day,

          and into this fray.

Let my unlikely response

    bring You glory

    and point others to You.

And realize that trusting You

     points me to You as well.

I will sing praise

to the name of the LORD,

     the Most High.

               Psalm 7. 17

(Not just thanking God

      for this or that,

for what He has done

and what He is doing,

     but worshiping Him.

That is the strength

largely missing from our lives.

Worship always changes us.)

O LORD,

As we enter into this day,

as we begin another new week,

        we praise You by name.

We praise You audibly in words

and song and the way we

             speak to others.

We praise You

     by honoring Who You are.

If life were easy,

    we would not recognize

    our need for You.

In our praise,

    we verbally acknowledge

              Your Presence.

Adoring You

  is not just a Sunday thing,

but a daily place of strength

    with which to go forth.

Jabez called upon

the God of Israel, saying,

"O that You would bless me

     and enlarge my border,

and that Your hand

      might be with me,

and that You would

      keep me from harm,

so that it might not

           bring me pain."

              1 Chronicles 4. 10

(Do we even ask God

for His blessing,

His favor as a shield,

His hand upon us?

God always answers

    in some unexpected way,

not just for our comfort

or our convenience

or our great idea,

       but for His glory in this.

More often than not,

it never occurs to us

   to bring it before God.)

O LORD,

We come before You

     early in the morning

not to lay out

        our day before You,

but that You would

    lay out before us

    Your day for us,

everything in it

    dripping with Your purposes.

Align our hearts,

tweak our vision,

strengthen our souls

that we would

        bring You glory.

Even in this ordinary day,

even in this

         impossible task,

that we would recognize

    Your hand over us,

Your favor as a shield.

...the LORD hears

     when I call to Him.

                 Psalm 4. 3

(Always,

absolutely,

assuredly.

The key word here is

          "when."

First response,

           not last resort.

Even in the act of

     calling to Him,

God changes my heart.)

O LORD,

We come before You,

not to tell You

         what to do,

         how to do it,

         when it should be done,

but

   to pour our hearts before You,

to leave these heavy things

               on the altar,

and be willing to follow You

         even in what

         we cannot understand,

even for what

      is Your glory in this.

The following night

the Lord stood by him and said,

"Take courage,

for as you have testified

to the facts about Me

              in Jerusalem,

so you must testify

         also in Rome."

              Acts 23. 11

(Every act of obedience

--of responding to God--

no matter how seemingly small,

   or insignificant,

   or even "irrelevant,"

       (as you have...)

prepares,

equips,

and strengthens us

        for the next,

even that which appears now

      as impossible.

Faithfulness is built

                  in layers

   on the most ordinary days.

Every choice to follow God

              is significant.

If we only grasped that,

we would realize

     every day is extraordinary

and live very differently.)

O LORD,

Thank you for this day before us,

this extraordinary day

       You have placed before us.

Help us to follow You

    faithfully into it,

no matter what we see,

no matter what we cannot see

                         yet.

Please layer Your strength

               in us

         to take courage

not in our own abilities

          or myopic vision,

but in You.

For Your Glory.

 

When I had returned to Jerusalem

and was praying in the temple...

                    Acts 22. 17

(Worshiping and praying

changes us,

   more than we can fathom.

God guides our hearts

              and our minds

     and aligns our vision

                        with His.

God profoundly alters

     everything in us

and impacts everyone

             around us.

There is a lot more at stake

     than we will ever know.)

O LORD,

There are many things I cannot do,

     but I can pray to You

     all I can.

Guide my heart

       into Your day for me.

Help me to pray and to listen

   and to follow faithfully,

knowing that even

       while I am praying,

tectonic plates are shifting

              in my heart.

For Your glory, O LORD.

And I said,

"What shall I do, Lord?"

And the Lord said to me,

"Rise,

go into Damascus,

   and there you will be told

all that is appointed

           for you to do."

              Acts 22. 10

(One step of obedience

        leads to the next,

even when I don't know what,

even when it does not seem

                    to make sense.

Am I willing to follow the Lord

           into this day,

           in this place,

           into His appointments?

When I willing to be faithful to Him

       right where I am,

             in whatever I do,

       God changes everything,

        even my heart.)

O LORD,

We are so quick to look

             for open doors,

     for something different,

when we have not been faithful

   in Your appointments for us

                   right here.

We look for the extraordinary

        and miss the profound.

"What shall I do, Lord?"

   about everything before me

             in this day.

"What is Your way in this?"

"How do I navigate this differently

            because I am a believer?"

Help us to recognize Your voice

and respond to Your nudges,

            out of our love for You.

   

...he related one by one

the things that

        God had done...

              Acts 21. 19

(Let God use these experiences

      to encourage others,

a chronicle of His faithfulness

  to point others to Him.

God has given each of of us

a story

        for His glory.)

O LORD,

We stand amazed

not in what happens,

   but what You are doing,

and by how You are using us

         for Your profound purposes.

Make us incredibly aware

  of Your Presence with us today,

wherever You place us,

among whomever

               You have appointed.

Help us

       to bring Your name there.

Things do not just happen,

things are not just for a reason,

   but intimately designed

that all the world would know

             that You are God.

Even in this.

Hezekiah received the letter

from the hand of the messengers

and read it;

and Hezekiah went up

           to the house of the LORD

and spread it before the LORD.

And Hezekiah prayed

             before the LORD...

            2 Kings 19. 14-15

(Not taking things into our hands

        but placing them into His.

Spreading out our every fear

and concern

and need before the LORD

--that which is overwhelming

     and what only appears small,

that which is on my plate

         and what is on my heart.

Praying to the LORD

should be our first response

           not last resort.

Not telling God what to do

and how to solve it,

but opening our hearts

              to His way

and trusting Him into it.)

O LORD,

We don't know what to do,

   but our eyes are on You.

We lay out these things

           before You.

Help us to translate our worries

and fears

     into prayers before You.

Deepen our walk with You

         on this path before us

to take root downward

     and bear fruit upward,

not for a particular answer

or singular outcome,

  but Your glory all the way through.

Surprise us, O LORD,

with what You do with it,

  even in what we may

          never see until the other side.