...I did not run in vain

or labor in vain.

          Philippians 2. 16

(We just cannot see

    the effects and the outcome

from where we are standing.

We have just to be faithful.

God takes care of the rest.

There are no

        insignificant obediences,

nothing but nothing

  that God does not use.

Occasionally we

capture a glimpse of

    what God is doing.

But someday,

    on the Other Side of life,

we will see His glory all over

what we only thought

     didn't make a difference.)

O LORD,

Thank you for the daily times

    to be faithful to you,

to run with you,

and know that You are

     with us

     and using us for Your glory.

Help us to not be just efficient

or productive in this day,

but faithful and fruitful

   in whatever course is

   right before us.

For Your Kingdom.

For Your glory.

In Your holy Name.

 

I want you to know,

    brothers and sisters,

that what has happened to me

   has really served

   to advance the gospel.

...knowing that I am put here

for the defense of the gospel.

             Philippians 1. 12, 16

(That changes everything

to know that we are put here

for eternal purposes

that others may know Christ.

In every circumstance,

even in the midst of every hardship,

we are strategically positioned

to bring the love and grace

     and name of Jesus there.

Nothing random at all

     but eternally appointed,

even in this,

even in what we cannot yet see.

God changes not just our attitude,

        but our hearts).

O LORD,

We cannot know fully

    Your appointments for us.

We cannot foresee

    how You are using us

    for Your kingdom and glory.

But we know You are at work

    for the sake of the gospel.

And You are not done yet.

Help us to be faithful to You

    even in the little things

that never turn out

       to be insignificant at all.

Help us to see

       and respond differently

because we know You.

Empower us

   to put the gospel

into words and actions.

 

Enlarge the place

       of your tent,

and let the curtains

       of your habitation

be stretched out...

          Isaiah 54. 2

(It is not that we live

in such a narrow, limiting,

    suffocating space,

but that we see it that way.

Think about ministry

    serving God

    and loving people

with a fresh vision.

Enlarging does not just mean

      bigger and louder

                    but deeper

     with eyes wide open.

God sees this situation

beyond what is on the surface.

God grants us a profound vision

in this time, place

       and among these people.

God strategically places us

        for His glory here.

Nothing ordinary in that.)

O LORD,

Your thoughts, O God,

are so much higher than ours.

Help us to follow You into this

   and not be distracted

by what we only see as ordinary.

Help us to seek You

       and listen now

to Your voice in this.

Help us not draw close

   the curtains of our habitation,

but let Your light in

   and to know that You dwell here.

Help us to not miss out

     on Your wonders and glory

                         all around us.

...and those who

          love His name

shall dwell in it.

              Psalm 69. 36

(God does not have to

take us to new surroundings

or open new doors.

Loving Him

    and honoring His name

roots us in a

         different mind space

     with a transformed heart.

Our circumstances

        may or may not change,

but we do.

Loving Him is reflected in

how we see others,

how we see our situation,

how we see ourselves.

And God gives us strength

to live differently

     right where we are.)

O LORD,

May we walk in love

     as You have loved us,

not just passing through

         or getting through,

but planting and rooting love

     right where we are,

even among the skeptics,

the resistant, the rebellious,

   and those who are

            inwardly desperate.

May the fragrant aroma of Christ

          linger in all we do.

And may Your grace bear

        the sweetest fruit.

Help us to see others differently

     by loving them differently.

 

 

But the Lord GOD

          helps me...

        Isaiah 50. 7

(Absolutely impossible,

incredibly difficult,

way too hard for me,

exactly where we

             need to be

to realize Who God is

and in Whom

                   we rely.

I can't do this.

"Good," God says,

    "because I can."

Not my way,

               but His.

Not my strength,  

     but walking with Him

and realizing I need Him.

How can I do this?

God never intended for us

   to do life without Him.)

O LORD,

Be our strength.

Be our vision.

Help us to see this

      entirely differently

because You help us.

We are not alone.

And You make

     all the difference

in the journey,

in the outcome,

for Your glory.

Rebuke the beasts

that dwell among the reeds.

                  Psalm 68. 30

(We learn to trust God

     in the every days,

to turn to Him,

casting our cares on Him,

and how to listen to Him,

so that we will know

    His Presence,

not trusting every voice

                 but His alone.

To not be controlled by

       the what if's

               in a fearful way

   but by setting our hearts

                        on Him.

Am I driven by fear of what

           may not even exist?

    Or learning to trust God

           a little more each day

       in the face of my foes,

      both real and imagined?)

O LORD,

Let not the beasts

         in our lives

in all different sizes

rule what we do

and how we go forth.

May we walk in Your Presence

        and strength,

even in this struggle

  that You would be known

  by others and by us.

Help us to be wise

and strong in what counts

   --dwelling in You.

And that looks

            very different.

 

I will break in pieces

   the doors of bronze

and cut through

   the bars of iron,

I will give you

   the treasures of darkness

  and the hoards

         in secret places,

that you may know

    that it is I,

the LORD,

the God of Israel,

who calls you

         by your name.

        Isaiah 45. 2-3

(God works in the impossible,

in mysterious ways,

in unexpected places,

far beyond our imagination

     or even our prayers,

that we would not just know

that He is the one

   who brought this about,

         precisely fit together,

but that we would

      know that He is.

He is God Almighty.

To know Him

   and make Him known.)

O LORD,

You answer us when we call

in ways we sometimes

            do not recognize

            or expect

            or maybe even want.

But You are working mightily

   even when we don't see it

and even when we do.

Break down the locked doors

and lead us in Your way

                in this.

May our decisions be

     rooted in Your Presence

and not swayed by fear.

May we be witnesses

            to Your power

and be a witness to others

  not just by pointing them

                     to You

but by lives transformed

  by Your love and grace.

Even right where we are,

even in a place where we

       would not rather be,

even among the rebellious,

to bring Your name

     and Your glory here.

 

 

...that they may see and know,

may consider

    and understand together,

that the hand of the LORD

       has done this,

the Holy One of Israel

       has created it.

          Isaiah 41. 20

(Why is this SO hard?

Why is this impossible

     for me to do?

So that God may

   bring His glory to it.

Not only that others

   would see His hand,

but that we would

      realize even more

  Who God is.

Only God Almighty

         could do this.)

O LORD,

You are the Almighty.

You specialize in what

we only see as impossible.

Even through this difficulty,

even in this affliction,

     You are God.

May You be known

               and glorified

that all the world

      would acknowledge You

and we would

   know how great and mighty

                 You are.

You bring the wow

               and wonder to it.

 

Lift up your eyes on high

            and see:

   who created these?

He who brings out

their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of His might;

and because

He is strong in power

      not one is missing.

             Isaiah 40. 26

(Lest we forget

          in the darkness,

God gave us the stars,

    every night,

    right on time.

Not one is missing,

every star is named,

to remind us that

    He cares even more

        about us.

And that is just the stars.

Why else do we all

       stand in awe?

The splendor of nature

   is not an accident,

but a call to worship Him.)

O LORD,

May we not explain You away

in the wonders we see,

but go forth in worship

     and stand in awe

     of Your Creation,

knowing it didn't just happen,

but You intricately designed

what takes our breath away.

And You love us

           even more.

Help us to be bold today

   in pointing others to You.

 

...for I bear on my body

     the marks of Jesus.

         Galatians 6. 17

(And what are those marks?

Those by which we have

      been transformed,

those by which we are

      identified as His.

Love, joy peace,

patience, kindness,

goodness,faithfulness,

gentleness and

         self-control.

   Galatians 5. 22-23)

O LORD,

Help us to not just be

    aware of You today

but to be transformed

    by you in every detail,

in every divine appointment,

in every difficulty,

in every joy.

As we have opportunity,

may we bear Your name

        into this day.

For Your honor.

For Your glory.

For Your steadfast love.

 

Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm

         the feeble knees.

Say to those

  who have an anxious heart,

"Be strong;

             fear not!"

             Isaiah 35. 3-4

(Faithfulness and strength

are built in layers

     and daily decisions

on the most ordinary days.

What am I doing today

to increase spiritual endurance

      for the extraordinary?

On what we base our trust

is revealed suddenly

       and unexpectedly.)

O LORD,

May we seek You

in the dailyness,

knowing that

You give us strength

for what we don't

              see coming.

Being strong

       and fearing not

is not something we can do

            without You.

Help us to realize that

anxiety and fear

     just sap our energy

   and distort our vision.

But trusting in You

      shows us Your way

through what only appears

             as impossible.

 

...and He will be

the stability of your times...

               Isaiah 33. 6

(Learning to pursue God

in the quiet times

that we know

       and not just believe

His Presence

      in the hard stuff,

not if it comes

              but when.

God is our strength

   and our stability,

not dependent

           on circumstances,

but empowered

     to respond to them.)

 

O LORD,

Help us to seek You

   in quiet and favor

so that we know

          Your voice

   and Your Presence

when everything is

        chaos around us.

May Your Spirit

be not just obvious to us

but as a beacon to others.

Your strength

   gets all over everyone.

 

Trust Him at all times,

          O people;

pour out your heart

          before Him;

God is a refuge for us.

           Psalm 62.8

(All times means literally

the past,

the now,

and the next.

Trusting Him is the path

    and the direction

    to His refuge,

a place of refreshing

            and strengthening

from which to go forth.)

O LORD,

We seek You,

     not just answers

     or new doors

     or favorable times,

but Your Presence

even in the unlikely

         and the unexpected.

Help us to trust You,

even in what we do not

      know or understand.

Help us to sit before You

   for Your way

   and Your direction in this.

And to rest in You.

 

O LORD, You are my God;

I will exalt You;

I will praise Your name,

for You have done

     wonderful things,

plans formed of old,

     faithful and sure.

            Isaiah 25. 1

(On what I dwell

sets my mind

   on how I see circumstances

and establishes my heart

on His goodness and greatness.

It is not just what God has done,

     or will do,

but what He is doing

     not just in the next,

             but in the now.

God multiplies

  far beyond what we can see.

Trusting God, praising Him,

   exalting His name

                strengthens us.

Worry just drains away

     all available energy.)

O LORD,

You have done wonderful things

          in our lives

in unlikely places,

impossible circumstances,

and in ways we will

      never even be aware.

You are bringing us through

   into Your eternal plans.

You are faithful,

and we can trust You,

even when we

     cannot see anything

                   yet.

Keep us in Your perfect peace

   and align our hearts

                  with Yours.

 

I have been

    crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live

but Christ who lives in me.

And the life I now

          live in the flesh

I live by faith

           in the Son of God,

who loved me

and gave Himself for me.

            Galatians 2. 20

(How do I live differently

in light of Christ in me,

navigate the storms,

approach the hard stuff,

respond to difficulty,

love those around me,

make new choices,

and bring Him glory?

Not by my strength

  but Christ who lives in me.

A believer has a

      new operating system

based on His love and grace.)

O LORD,

You grant us power,

strength and wisdom

that we recognize

        as not our own,

against all that we fear,

    both real and imagined,

wherever we go

and in whatever we pursue.

It is not just that

         You are with us.

You are in us,

the difference of

          knowing about You

and knowing You.

Please show us how to

   respond unexpectedly today

because we know You

   and You live in us.

 

 

...a blessing

in the midst of the earth.

         Isaiah 19. 24

(What am I aiming for?

On what is my heart set?

To achieve and

          be successful?

Or to be a faithful witness

to the grace

     and love of Jesus

right here,

right now,

in the narrow squeaks

and unexpected trials

and unlikely places?

God has strategically

   appointed each one of us

not to seek to be blessed

    but to be a blessing

    in the midst of the earth.

What does that look like

  in my situation today?)

O LORD,

Help me to see this day

   with a different heart,

not to seek blessings

but to be the blessing

         in this situation

because we seek You.

Guide us into Your anointing

          and appointing.

Align and re-align our hearts

   to be aware and watchful

   not just of opportunities,

but to be a first responder.

May we sing aloud Your strength

lest others simply see us

            as just a nice person

not as one of Yours.

For am I now

seeking the approval

of man

         or of God?

      Galatians 1. 10

(Whom I worship,

whom I trying to please

determines

        how I respond.

Is it all about me?

Or are my eyes

   focused on God in this?

Whose glory is at stake?)

O LORD,

Please help me to

keep my eyes on You,

my heart aligned with Yours,

seeking out Your appointments,

responding even to the unexpected

   in ways that honor You.

Please release me

from anything that keeps me

         from You

or anything that distracts me

   from bringing You glory.

Help me to realize

that I am right where I am

for the sake of the gospel

and to love others

     right into Your kingdom.

 

Give thanks to the LORD,

call upon His name,

make known His deeds

      among the peoples,

proclaim that His name

                 is exalted...

for great in your midst is

the Holy One of Israel.

            Isaiah 12. 4, 6

(Not a checklist

     of things to do,

but a reminder

     of who He is.

How would that daily liturgy

of giving thanks,

calling upon,

making known,

and proclaiming Him,

change our hearts,

vision for what we see,

and impact how we respond?

The Almighty

           is in our midst.

Even today.  Even in this.)

O LORD,

Guide our minds and thoughts

and responses

                to You.

Help us to set our hearts

                      on You

to bring You glory

               in this day

and to be used by You

for Your great purposes.

Realign our affections

    to Your steadfast love

and make You known

         in word and deed.

 

 

When I am afraid,

   I put my trust in You.

In God, whose word I praise,

        in God I trust;

I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

               Psalm 56. 3-4

(How many of our decisions

are done out of fear

   instead of trusting God?

In God I trust is meant to be

not just imprinted on our coins

   but on our hearts.

In God I trust radically changes

what we see, what we do,

how we approach and navigate,

     and what we pursue,

not out of fear but in love

   and trusting the Almighty.)

O LORD,

May we trust You more.

May we listen and follow You,

trusting You one step

       and then the next.

Guide us on Your paths.

Help us to respond

            to what is real

and not be distracted

   by our broken imagination.

Help us to not waste

      our energy worrying

but build our strength

     by trusting You.

 

But He said to me,

"My grace is sufficient for you,

for My power is made

   perfect in weakness."

...For the sake of Christ, then,

I am content with weakness,

insults, hardships, persecutions,

and calamities.

For when I am weak,

     then I am strong.

     2 Corinthians 12. 9-10

(For when I am weak,

when I realize I am

    not in control after all,

then I know

        that God is sovereign.

It is not I, but Christ in me.

For when I am weak,

God's grace and power

     become more obvious

both to me and others.

My witness in this world

is to bear witness to Him.)

O LORD,

For Your sake

        and not our own,

we see something different

in favorable circumstances

and hard struggles.

Grant to us Your strength

that we may know You more

    and make You known.

Sustain us in the impossible

and in this broken world

        for Your glory.

You never intended for us

to do life without You.

Help us to trust You even more.

Behold, God is my helper;

the LORD is the

   upholder of my life...

For He has delivered me

     from every trouble,

and my eye has

     looked in triumph

     on my enemies.

       Psalm 54. 4, 7

(The reality is that

we can't after all

   do this ourselves.

No, we can't do it,

but God

    brings us through.

God redeems,

        even this.

With Him,

we look in triumph

over anything we fear.

God is our strength

   and stability in all things.

When we trust Him,

we approach and navigate

       entirely differently,

even when we cannot

           see the outcome,

and even when we do.

God provides a way

  and the strength

  through the impossible.

We have just to be faithful.

Nothing is random.

God the Almighty

          is our hope.)

O LORD,

We can trust You to

provide Your strength

in the most unlikely places

and in unexpected ways,

in whatever we are facing.

You are with us.

We are not alone in this.

Worshipping You

            through this

changes our hearts

                and vision.

Guide us

and provide us Your strength,

               Almighty LORD.

 

 

...but they do not regard

the deeds of the LORD,

or see the work

          of His hands.

           Isaiah 5. 12

(What we miss because

we don't seek Him,

recognize His hand,

or acknowledge

     God has everything

     to do with this.

The LORD is in this,

and we are oblivious.

This day,

this journey,

this work,

even this impossible task

could be radically different

when we follow Him in it.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just

     see Your hand,

not just to seek success

       or an answer,

but to seek You.

Your fingerprints are

      all over this.

Help us to not claim

      it for ourselves,

but to acknowledge You

and Your deeper work

   far beyond our lifetimes.

Empower us to know You more,

            even in this.

...the area of influence

God assigned to us,

to reach even to you.

       2 Corinthians 10.13

(God has strategically

   anointed and appointed us

to a personal mission field

that He may be honored

in our relationships

  and the choices we make

for the sake of the gospel,

in every encounter

   and every appointment,

even in those we do not

         see coming,

even those not on our agenda,

              but His.)

O LORD,

Others are watching us,

not to see if we are perfect,

but how we respond

     when we are not

and life is tough.

Others are watching us

      to see if You are real.

Help us not just to be aware

        of Your Presence,

but sensitive to Your ways

and follow You

    for Your Name's sake

and the sake of the gospel.

May nothing distract, deceive,

lead us astray or enslave us

    from honoring You today.

May Your steadfast love

   pour through us

in the ordinary and extraordinary.

Help us to learn Your ways

in navigating this life.

To choose You in this

and practice Your Presence

         over and over again.

 

 

The point is this:

whoever sows sparingly

  will also reap sparingly,

and whoever

           sows bountifully

will also reap bountifully.

       2 Corinthians 9. 6

(God's fundamental law

       about sowing:

What am I sowing?

How am I sowing?

And for whom?

Generosity is not just

      about giving.

   But about sowing,

investing, engaging,

putting forth effort,

and sacrifice

    in so many dimensions.

Abundance in giving

  is never singular.

It is not just about stuff.

    But our hearts in it.

Generous in every way,

in every good work,

in every good attitude,

in every gracious act,

in every response,

not because we have to,

     but we get to.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just see need

          all around us,

but how to respond to it.

And not just see need,

     but people.

Fill our hearts

with the abundance of

    Your steadfast love

that we may sow

   with great hilarity

for Your glory and grace

even in barren

   and unexpected places.

 

For we aim

at what is honorable

not only in the Lord's sight

but also in the

           sight of man.

         2 Corinthians 8.21

(Our relationship with Christ

comes with a

     360 degree awareness

of His Presence in all places

    and those around us,

serving the Lord,

loving Him,

loving others

that He may be known.

Our salvation is not based

      on our behavior,

but our behavior is

   radically changed

   because of our salvation,

His love for us,

      our love for Him.)

O LORD,

You are with us.

You surround us.

You open our eyes

           and hearts

to everything around us.

Help us not just to be

aware of You,

but changed by Your Presence,

in love with You,

in awe of You,

worshiping You

      wherever we are

and among whomever,

witnessing Your glory.

 

As you do not know

the way the spirit comes

to the bones in the womb

of a woman with child,

so you do not know

         the work of God

who makes everything.

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. 5-6

(Whatever God places before us

       or on our hearts,

do with all excellence,

for in our work and worship,

there is no insignificance.

We can never know

how God is using it,

    just that He is,

the extraordinary

       even in the ordinary.

The simple act

   of sowing tiny seeds

produces a forest

that far outlasts

      our lifetimes.

We have only

   to be faithful to Him.)

O LORD,

In whatever we do,

You bring completion

            to it,

in unlikely places

  and unexpected ways.

There is no end to

    what You sow through us.

There is no separation

    between work and worship.

Faithfulness and

           fruitfulness

     are inextricably woven.

You, O LORD, redeem.

Even this hard place.

Even this mystery.

Even this lowly task

  that is more sacred

             and eternal

 than we can ever know.

 

That your trust

may be in the LORD.

         Proverbs 22. 19

(What is the meaning

            of this incident,

this hardship,

this awesome joy,

this rocky road,

this glorious path?

That we would

        know Him more.

That we would trust Him,

      no matter what.

God is still sovereign,

even over what

   we don't understand.

At the end of our rope,

the bottom of the pit,

hanging on by a thread,

God is right here with us.

"Trust Me in this."

God is already redeeming.

Trusting Him is

not having to see

     His fingerprints,

but knowing He is using this,

far beyond what we can know.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You more.

Help us to know You more.

Help us to make You known,

to share the testimony

     You have given us

as a strength for others

and to point to others

        that You are God.

You are the Almighty God

      in Whom we trust,

our Savior whom we love

   and You love us.

Trusting You

     may not change

     the circumstances,

but radically changes

             our journey.

We choose to run with You.

 

Sing praises to God,

    sing praises!

For God is the King

   of all the earth.

          Psalm 47. 6-7

(What am I listening to?

What am I humming?

What songs are

    stuck in my head

    on automatic repeat?

Songs of grumbling

and complaining

and dissatisfaction?

Singing praises to God

doesn't just make us feel good

but actually physically

      changes our brains

      and ultimately our hearts.

We can change

    the station we

    are influenced by.

Praise sees differently

and looks differently

altering how we live,

choices we make,

how we respond,

how we love God

     and love others.

How can I approach this day

   and even this difficulty

with praise to God

   in my heart and words?

What song

    am I singing today?

What new song

    am I composing?)

O LORD,

May we sing out loud

the song that never ends,

the song of Your steadfast love

and joy in unexpected places.

May our lives

    be radically different

even in what we sing.

May we be aware

that others are listening

   to what we praise

and the songs of our heart.

 

There is nothing better

for a person than that

he should eat and drink

and find enjoyment in his toil.

This also, I saw,

is from the hand of God,

for apart from Him

who can eat

  or who can have enjoyment?

           Ecclesiastes 2. 24-25

(God is our source of joy

in whatever we do.

He does not promise

everything will be fun,

but that there is joy

        through Him.

May we seek out His joy

in whatever He places

before us to do,

not in striving to

      earn His favor,

but out of sheer love

                  for Him

and sheer joy in

    getting to serve Him,

sometimes in the most

  unexpected and unlikely ways.

God brings the fulfillment

      and completion to it.

We have only

        to be faithful.)

O LORD,

We come before You

not just in time of need,

but in serving You

in the extraordinary

   and in what we only see

   as ordinary.

You bring Your joy to it.

In Your eyes,

there is nothing mundane,

nothing that You cannot use

for Your glory

and for Your kingdom.

Even in this.

We can approach

the hard stuff differently

because You dwell in us.

Help us today to be ready

and equipped

and aware of opportunity,

even in the

      not so obvious ways

   of Your glory.

 

For the love of Christ

            controls us.

...that those who live

might no longer

       live for themselves

but for Him...

   2 Corinthians 5. 14-15

(What does it look like

for the love of Christ

      to control me

      in this situation?

To respond, act,

and love others differently

not just because

   of my love for Him,

 but His love in me.

"It is not I who live,

but Christ who lives in me."

Nothing can

        ever remain the same.)

O LORD,

Dwell in us richly.

Help us to live in that reality.

Help us to live like that.

Release,

restore,

redeem

and empower us

   to be faithful

   and a witness.

Even in this.

Control us, O LORD,

by Your love.