Only let your manner of life

be worthy of the

       gospel of Christ...

                   Philippians 1. 27

(Does my life look any different

   in what I say and do

                 and pursue?

How do I approach this situation

                         differently

   because I am a believer?

Bring the name of Jesus there.)

O LORD,

May our lives be distinguished

   by hearts transformed

                      by You. 

Bring Your glory here,

knowing that what others see

     is not us,

              but Christ in us.

Please make us aware

   of every opportunity

to point others to You.

  

So shall My Word be

that goes out from My mouth;

it shall not return to Me empty,

but it shall accomplish

      that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing

      for which I sent it.

                       Isaiah 55. 11

(When I study God's Word,

it infiltrates my heart,

enlarges my vocabulary,

and penetrates

      even daily conversation.

God's Word invades the soul,

sends down roots

and bears fruit,

   even in the most barren landscape,

even in those who don't recognize

           it is the Word of God.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your Word.

Invade our hearts

   with Your truth, Your grace,

   not just knowledge of You,

          but knowing You.

May Your Word

   go forth even in the ordinary

and work powerfully Your purposes.

We cannot but know

   that Your Word

                changes everything.

Even us.

For you shall not go out in haste,

and you shall not go in flight,

for the LORD will     

               go before you,

and the God of Israel

      will be your rear guard.

                     Isaiah 52. 12

("Fear not.

I am with you.

I have already prepared

          not your way through,

    but My way in this.

You have only to

     follow Me into it.")

O LORD,

Please help us

      to take You at Your Word,

to follow You and know that

             You are sovereign in this.

Help us not to miss out

       the wonder of Your ways.

Please guide us into

             faithfulness to You

    and not to fear.

How differently would we live

    to know You?

Even in this.

  

Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted,

forgiving one another,

as God in Christ forgave you.

                 Ephesians 4. 32

(How do I approach

      this volatile relationship,

this difficult situation,

     this impossible person?

Being forgiven by God

  directly impacts

  my relationship with others.

I cannot but be

           changed by Him.

No matter what.

What can I do?

What is the very first step?

       Forgive and be kind.

God's loving purposes

   prevail beyond the obvious.)

O LORD,

I have no idea what to do,

        but I can be kind,

even to those who have wronged me,

even to those I don't even like.

I don't know how to handle this,

        but I can forgive,

                     and love them,

let go of the bitterness,

not just moving on

           but walking with them.

You are working Your purposes

              through this.

Your love and forgiveness

        change the outcome

                         completely.

This is just yet another opportunity

         to practice grace

and to love others

                     to You.

...walk in a manner

   worthy of the calling

to which you have been called,

with all humility and gentleness,

with patience,

bearing one another in love...

                   Ephesians 4. 1-2

(Others are continually

              watching us

not to see if we are perfect,

but desperately to know

             if God is real.

We are called to Christ.

How do I approach this day,

this impossible situation,

this volatile relationship,

this hardship,

              differently

because I am a believer?)

O LORD,

You are good.

You are great.

You love us.

You redeem.

Please help us this day

     to follow You

     into Your glory in this.

Help us to

        walk with You,

even into what we

            cannot understand.

You give us strength,

You bring us through,

You daily bear us up.

You never intended for us

    to do life without You.

Help us to be faithful

   to our calling in You.

I will break in pieces

  the doors of bronze

and cut through

            the bars of iron

...that you may know

            that it is I, the LORD,

the God of Israel,

who call you

               by your name.

               Isaiah 45. 2-3

(Why is this situation so difficult?

That we would know

     beyond a shadow of a doubt

that He is God.

God is doing something incredible

        in us and through us,

His power within,

                for His glory in this.

Even in what we cannot understand,

even with what we struggle,

far beyond our imagination

or what we can see,

             You are here,

             and You are sovereign.)

O LORD,

You are doing a great and mighty work,

     something new in this place

                     and in my heart,

always Your deepest purposes

  that we most often cannot grasp.

Please help us to be faithful

         in the ordinary

         and in the extraordinary,

              even in the outrageous,

to bring Your name here

and grace, love and hope

                  for Your glory.

Use us today, O LORD,

         right where we are.

Out of Zion,
the perfection of beauty,
        God shines forth.

                  Psalm 50. 2

(Where does awe come from,
           if not from God?)

O LORD,
Thank You for Your creation
and Your incredible beauty in it
to draw us closer to You
and to exalt Your Name
                over all the earth,
even among those
      who do not yet know You.

Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or dismayed
before the king of Assyria
and all the horde that is with him,
for there are more with us
              than with him.
With him is an arm of flesh,
but with us
       is the LORD our God,
to help us
and to fight our battles.

                        2 Chronicles 32. 7-8

(Everyone struggles with something.
God is with you.
       Are you with Him?)

O LORD,
Help us to grasp the reality of Your Word,
the direct translation of Your Presence:
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid or dismayed
                   no matter what.
Please help us to walk unencumbered
      by fear or despair.
And  to walk faithfully with You through this.
We are not alone.
                 

My eyes are ever
         toward the LORD,
for He will pluck my feet
      out of the net.

                Psalm 25. 15

(God's deliverance manifests itself
           in many unexpected ways,
sometimes an exit door,
sometimes strength for the journey,
and sometimes airlifted out of there.
Do I recognize
        His hand in this?)

O LORD,
Please help us to realize
that You have strategically placed us
               for Your glory
even in volatile situations,
even in murky places,
even with highly difficult people.
Please help me
     to follow Your scarlet thread
     even through the thicket,
to know that Your purposes mean
          getting my feet wet
          and hands dirty,
and to come to know You more.

...because we have sought
    the LORD our God.
We have sought Him,
and He has given us peace
               on every side.
So they built and prospered...
 
                   2 Chronicles 14. 7

(How different the course of our lives
when we seek the LORD.
We do different things,
we do things differently,
we are not distracted
              by unrest or despair,
    but know how to respond.
Seeking God in this
             changes everything.
    Even my heart.)

O LORD,
Did it even occur to us
       to seek You in this,
not to panic
            but to pray?
Please help us not to
                get ahead of You,
nor lag behind,
not blazing our own trail,
         but abiding in You. 

But I, O LORD, cry to You;
in the morning
   my prayer comes before You.

                     Psalm 88. 13

(First response every morning,
that which entirely alters my day.
Spread out, O LORD,
       Your day for me.)

O LORD,
Please set my heart
       on Your path for me today,
aware of Your Presence,
responsive to Your voice,
sensitive to those along the way.
Align my heart
                to Yours.

If anyone asks you,
    "Why are you untying it?"
you shall say this:
   "The Lord has need of it."

                 Luke 19. 31

(Live in such a way
that others are compelled
           to ask why
if not for God.)

O LORD,
Please help us to follow You
into the every days
            and into the impossible,
responding to You
and realizing that our obedience
               always impacts
               everyone around us.
Help them to ask:
  "Why would anyone choose to live that way?"
  "Why would anyone choose to love that way?"
Because of Your grace.
Because of Your Presence.
Because You are God.

And He told them a parable
                to the effect
that they ought always to pray
          and not lose heart.

                     Luke 18. 1

(Did it occur to me
               to pray about that?)

O LORD,
Teach us to pray,
not just how,
but when,
for whom,
about what,
           and why.
In Your name.
For Your glory.
In all things,
    because nothing is insignificant.

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,
but whoever gathers
                little by little
will increase it.

                  Proverbs 13. 11

(In the Bible,
wealth covers far more
           than one's finances,
but the condition of one's heart.
The LORD is our treasure,
gathering His Word verse by verse,
response by response to the LORD,
faithfulness by faithfulness,
praying and praying again,
loving others,
loving God deeper still,
one heart of trust
              layered on another.)

O LORD,
You have promised in Your Word
when we seek You
           with all our heart,
we will find You.
Please help us
             to be found in You.
What we value
    will change the course of our lives.
You are our treasure.

You shall march around the city,
all the men of war
going around the city once.
Thus shall you do
                for six days...

                Joshua 6. 3

(That is what faithfulness does:
following and
         responding to the LORD
even in what seems to make
                no sense at all,
willing to be ridiculous
    for His deeper purposes.
Do we trust God in this?
My friend the other day said,
    "God really did know
                what He was doing."
Imagine that.)

O LORD,
Help us to follow You,
help us to trust You,
help us to thank You
            even for this,
            even in this.
You are with us.
You are guiding us.
We don't have to understand
     for Your purposes to be fulfilled.
Help us to be faithful
  wherever You place us today.

And Moses and Aaron went
into the tent of meeting,
and when they came out
they blessed the people,
and the glory of the LORD
    appeared to all the people.

                Leviticus 9. 23

(Worship changes us
more than we can ever know.
Everyone worships
                     something.
And that is revealed
      by how we live.)

O LORD,
May the time I spend with you
    be written all over my face,
all over my actions
and attitudes
and words.
How I worship You
    changes everything in my day,
in how I see You,
how I see others,
how I see myself.
May I exalt You, Almighty One,
     in all of this day,
Your glory all over everything.
  

And He went throughout
               all Galilee,
teaching in their synagogue
and proclaiming the gospel
              of the Kingdom
and healing every disease
and every affliction
      among the people.

                 Matthew 4. 23

(Wherever God strategically
           places us today,
may we bring the
         name of Jesus there.
There are no random encounters,
   only divine appointments.)

O LORD,
As we prepare for the day,
what to wear,
where to go,
what to take with us,
how to prepare,
may we bring Your gospel,
     the love of Jesus in us
          and through us,
even to unexpected situations,
unlikely people,
places near and far.
May Your grace
   get all over everything.

And the waters
       continued to abate...

               Genesis 8. 5

(Give God the space
           and time to work)

O LORD,
Help us to know
that Your way
         and Your timing are perfect,
even in mystery.
You are not just on time,
        but before time.
You have gone before us
  to prepare Your way in this.
Sometimes things
         just need to ripen
for Your purposes,
for Your glory,
and that we may realize You
          in yet a deeper dimension.

Blessed are all
  who take refuge in Him.

                  Psalm 2. 12

(Taking refuge in the LORD
    is not a place of hiding,
but from where to go forth
         in His strength.
It is not a singular decision
          in panic and problems,
but a pattern of being and doing
     in the every days of life.)

O LORD,
You are not just our hiding place,
    but in Whom we abide.
When we daily engrave Your Word
        and recognize Your Presence
                 covering us,
then in the crisis,
we know exactly where to go:
  to continue to walk and abide in You.

Behold,

     God is my helper;

the LORD

   is the upholder of my life.

              Psalm 54.4

(Recite,

repeat,

remember Whose you are,

say out loud Who He is.

I am not alone in this.

"Do not fear.

       I am with you.")

O LORD,

Please help me

to turn my eyes to You,

not ignoring circumstances

   but being able then

   to respond to them

and bring You glory.

Even in this.

You have not left me alone

      to deal with what is

      impossible and overwhelming,

but that I may know

   You are right here with me,

that I may know Your strength,

that I may know You

                       more.

But the LORD of hosts

    is exalted in justice,

and the Holy God

    shows Himself

           in righteousness.

             Isaiah 5. 16

(God is revealed

in what is good and right

             and loving.

Nothing done to honor Him

        is ever insignificant.

Little things

   are never so little at all.

How do we approach this differently

       to honor God

and welcome Him into it?)

O LORD,

Be glorified this day,

no matter what is on Your path

                for us today.

May all we do and say

   and even think about

bring You honor

and exalt Your Presence

               among us.

Be revealed through us

   that others see You

in whatever is good

       and right and gracious.

Please help us to be aware

     of the opportunities around us

          wherever we are today

for Your glory,

for Your kingdom,

in Your name.

...the area of influence

       God assigned to us,

to reach even to you.

                2 Corinthians 10.13

(Friendships,

neighbors,

people at work,

even casual encounters

        are never random

   but divinely appointed.

Live out the name of Jesus there.

Even those

  we would least expect

         are watching us,

not to see we are perfect,

but to see

           that God is real.)

O LORD,

You are great.

You have strategically positioned us

         here

         for Your glory

and for the salvation of many people.

Please help us to live faithfully,

love them fully

            beyond all expectations,

pray for them continually,

 practice grace

                 even in this,

and bring

     the name of Jesus here.

The point is this:

whoever sows sparingly

  will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows bountifully

  will also reap bountifully.

               2 Corinthians 9. 6

(To apply this verse

  only in terms of financial giving,

              misses the point.

What is my heart

   in this opportunity before me?

What is my immediate response?

Whoever prays,

whoever gives of themselves,

whoever serves, obeys,

          loves the Lord God,

sees life differently,

sees God differently,

sees others differently.

Plant big trees.

Plant a lot of trees.

God will bring the fruit.)

O LORD,

You are the Almighty One.

You see these things before us,

the difficulties,

the potholes,

even interruptions

    and disappointments

    and utter failures,

as opportunities

         to bring You glory.

Please  help us

  to sow bountifully in this,

to pray bountifully,

to serve and love You

     with a whole heart.

If we only knew a glimpse

  of what You are doing with this,

we would not hesitate

                    at all.

If we only knew Your heart in this,

     it would boggle our minds.

               

Offer to God

   a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

and perform your vows

   to the Most High,

and call upon Me

   in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you,

  and you shall glorify Me.

              Psalm 50. 14-15

(Faithfulness to God

even when it appears impossible,

it is totally unexpected,

           overwhelming,

           ridiculous,

           and terrifying,

We have no idea His purposes

                      in this,

or why He would have

        chosen us to do it.

Why?

To bring Him glory.

          Bottom line.)

O LORD,

You are continually working

     in ways we cannot see,

on paths we would not have

         ever found,

in all things huge

  and even in what appears

     insignificant at the time,

beyond our radar

     but deep within

     Your designs in this

for the welfare of the city,

for the salvation of many.

Please help us, dear Jesus,

    to point others to You

and above all things

        to bring You glory.

Even in this.

How do I approach this differently

     because I love You?

In the morning

         sow your seed,

and at evening

    withhold not your hand,

for you do not know

         which will prosper,

this or that,

or whether both alike

                will be good.

         Ecclesiastes 11. 6

(There are no small things,

there are no

        insignificant moments.

A simple word of encouragement

   may produce more fruit

than a whole day of

        checking off boxes.

And at the end

of the most productive day,

   leaving behind

            unexpected graces,

even what others may never

       realize came from us.)

O LORD,

We do not lay our day

                before You,

but You

    lay Your day before us.

Please help us

        to follow You into it,

to be faithful to You

    in all things with excellence,

to respond and not react

        in volatile circumstances,

to manifest

   Your greatest commandments

    to love You and love others,

no matter how that may look.

A red letter day

   has Your name written

                    all over it.

              

...be joyful,

for this will go with him

in his toil

through the days of his life

that God has given him

            under the sun.

           Ecclesiastes 8. 15

(Has it occurred to me

     to be joyful in this?

The task may not change,

but a joyful heart

changes the journey,

how I do the work,

    and always the outcome.

Joy impacts everyone 

               around me.

How do I approach this

                differently 

because I am a believer?)

O LORD,

Your joy

is what gives me strength,

not impervious to circumstances,

      but all the more

      responsive to them.

Fill each of us with Your joy

that we can seek to do

all the good we are able,

             even in this.

Please help us 

     to choose Your joy

and to bring You the glory.

For we are the temple

       of the living God...

      2 Corinthians 6. 16

(God dwells in us,

Christ has changed us,

do others see a difference

                      in us?

Do they see Him?)

O LORD,

You are great and almighty.

We worship You.

May our worship

    change everything about us.

May Your indwelling

    make the invisible

               visible in ways

      we do not even know.

May those around us

               see You,

even in this,

maybe especially in this,

an unexpected response

   that points them to You.

God is our refuge

               and strength,

a very present help

                  in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear

though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved

      into the heart of the sea...

                      Psalm 46. 1-2

(This verse is a promise from God,

this verse is a response from us.

It is in the daily abiding with Him,

the daily equipping

      on the most ordinary days,

that builds our strength

and deepens our relationship with Him,

on favorable days

       and in the hardest ones.

Seeking to know Him more

    doesn't just happen

          but always takes intention.

The crisis just reveals

  the source of our strength

         and our utter need for Him.)

O LORD,

You are our refuge,

not a place to hide,

but in Whom to abide

     and go forth strengthened.

May Your strength

                be revealed in us

    to point others to You.

Help us to live in such a way

and to grasp every opportunity

   to know You more

that we would bring You glory.

Even in mystery,

even in impossible situations,

even on this very day.

            

I know that You

   can do all things,

and that

   no purpose of Yours

   can be thwarted.

                Job 42. 2

(God's power and purposes prevail,

even in what

      we cannot possibly grasp.

This verse is the definition

                    of trusting God.

This verse is the basis

        for our hope in Him.

Things are not just going to work out

                           "for a reason,"

but all things fit together

     in a multitude of purposes,

His fingerprints,

His inscrutable love,

His glory

             all over it.

Even in this mystery,

even in this pain.)

O LORD,

May Your purposes in this,

may Your power in this,

may Your glory prevail.

Grant us the strength we need

      to follow You

      into Your profound ways.

Help us to be faithful

   when we cannot yet

                    see the next step,

    and to love others to You.