Thursday, March 31, 2022

 

Blessed be the LORD,
   the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be
         His glorious name forever;
may the whole earth
    be filled with His glory.

                     Psalm 72. 18-19

(Writing His name
         on the top of this day
and recognizing His glory all over
    not just in the past or the future,
   but in the present tense.
It is not that God will redeem,
   but He is already on it,
even in the really hard parts,
       even in the absurdly weird,
       even in the favorable,
   with wondrous works
        we don't recognize as such
    and sometimes
            we don't understand.
But still wondrous
          beyond our vocabulary.)

O LORD,
We come before You this day
not seeking Your blessing
    but to bless You.
Show us what
        that looks like today.
May Your glory
    get all over it this day,
Your signature inscribed
         in indelible ink.
Your goodness comes
     in many shaped packages,
but it comes.
You are with us.
    May we never forget
         with You we walk.




Wednesday, March 30, 2022

 

...and He sent them out
to proclaim
       the kingdom of God
and to heal.

                    Luke 9. 2

(Jesus sends us out
       into our days
to do the same:
to bring His name there
and to bring healing
        to the table
and into our situations
      and relationships.
What is in our hearts?)

O LORD,
Help us to not be tripped up
    by circumstances
    or potholes
    or head-on collisions,
but to be responsive
   wherever You lead us today.
Help us to approach
        what is before us
with Your Word
   and a heart that seeks to heal.
May kindness be on our lips,
    grace overflowing in our pockets,
and Your name written
          over all we do and say.


Tuesday, March 29, 2022

And you shall rejoice
  before the LORD your God
in all that you undertake.

          Deuteronomy 12. 18

(Rejoicing before the LORD
      in what we do
      and in all we do
radically changes what we do,
how we do it,
how we approach it,
how we navigate through,
and changes us
     right in the middle of it,
a calm in the midst of the storm,
a underlying joy
    even in impossible situations.
Not a change of attitude
   but an act of worship.
How can we bring joy
    to our tasks today
in worship and witness
and even in with-ness?
Joy impacts our hearts
  and everyone around us.)

O LORD,
Please fill us with Your joy
    in all that we do today
that we would bring
   Your holy name
   right where we are.
Help us to know
  there is no insignificant work
  in Your eyes
and nothing that You do not
     use for Your glory.
You have woven into our day
   sacred encounters
   and divine appointments,
far more than we realize.
Help us to worship You fully
         in our work today.
No matter what.



 

Monday, March 28, 2022

And some fell
    into good soil
and grew
and yielded a hundredfold.

               Luke 8.8

(Wherever we are,
in whatever we are doing,
among whomever
          we find ourselves,
sow,
share,
teach,
show grace,
bring the love of Jesus there,
without having to know
    the outcome or result.
That is what faithfulness does.
The growth and fruit
   are what God does with it
   in the most impossible places
   and among unlikely people.
Someday we will stand amazed
                     and humbled
by the forests God has created
      from the tiniest seeds.)

O LORD,
Help us to walk with You today
   that You may use us
   for Your glory
   and for Your Kingdom.
Help us to write Your name
   at the top of the day
that in all things
       we are aware of You
      and follow You into it.
Help us to be responsive
    to what is around us
and faithful to You in it.
May our love for You
    be magnified today
and get all over everything.

 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

 

Soon afterward
He went on
through cities and villages,
proclaiming
   and bringing the good news
of the kingdom of God.

                  Luke 8.1

(Wherever we are,
wherever we go,
we are ultimately there
  to bring the name of Jesus,
proclaiming in word,
deed,
attitude,
and how we love others
and face circumstances.
Not just being nice people
    but something far more:
          changed by Him.)

O LORD,
May we not just be aware of You,
   but bring Your name
to all that we do,
wherever we are,
and among whomever
              we find ourselves.
You have strategically placed us
    to bring Your name there.


Saturday, March 26, 2022

 

Hear, O Israel: 
The LORD our God,
      the LORD is one.
You shall love the LORD your God
   with all your heart
   and with all your soul
   and with all your might.
And these words
       that I command you today
  shall be on your heart.

              Deuteronomy 6.4-5

(What is on my heart?
What a different place
   this world would be
if we loved God that way?
How we love God
   changes how we see Him,
   how we treat others,
   and how we view ourselves.
Loving God
  changes the course of our lives
  and everyone around us.
Not a matter of following rules,
      but loving God.
What does that look like today?
How different our hearts,
     how different our world.)

O LORD,
Your love daily lifts us up,
     holds us together,
     strengthens us,
   and helps us see in the dark.
May our love for You
  change everything about us,
invade all that we do,
infiltrate every dimension
                   of our hearts,
and bear incredible fruit
    that will outlive us.


Friday, March 25, 2022

 

Only take care,
and keep your soul
             diligently,
lest you forget the things
   that your eyes have seen,
and lest they depart
  from your heart
  all the days of your life.
Make them known
  to your children
  and your children's children...

                 Deuteronomy 4. 9

(What does taking care of my soul
        look like today?
Not just in what I do,
   but where is my heart in this?
What am I pursuing with intention?
What do I talk about freely
               with others,
   be it a grandchild,
   a co-worker,
   on the driveway
             with a neighbor?
Be ye not distracted
  from what strengthens
      our relationship with God.
Seek the LORD in this,
be aware of His Presence,
remember His faithfulness,
         and make Him known.
Even here.
Even in this.)

O LORD,
Open our eyes to
   making You known,
even in ways we don't see
           as witness to You.
Help us to seek You
    with all intentionality
and realize the difference
     of Your dwelling within us.
Help us to not just remember You
       but respond to You
       all through the day.
And make You known
    by both our words
    and how we love others.
Bring Your glory to this day,
  both in the tangible
  and the transcendent.
      

Thursday, March 24, 2022

 

For the LORD your God has
  blessed you
  in all the work of your hands.
He knows your going through
   through this great wilderness.
These forty years
    the LORD has been with you.
You have lacked nothing.

                 Deuteronomy 2. 7

(The wilderness
      is never a barren landscape,
but a place of great wonder
         even in the unfamiliar,
         even on the upward slopes,
         even on the rocky path
            or windswept desert.
Look for His beauty here.
God did not promise
   that life would be easy,
            but "I am with you."
And that makes all the difference
         and all the awe.
We have just to be faithful
                    on all terrain
   and aware of His Presence.
Even here.
Even in this.)

O LORD,
You walk with us.
You hold our hand.
You are with us.
What we are sweating through,
     struggling with,
     faithfully working in,
is never a surprise to You.
Help us to acknowledge You
    and not explain You away.
We have a long chronicle
            of Your faithfulness
    to encourage us.
We have seen nothing yet,
compared to Your glory
    in what You are doing,
beyond our myopic vision
    and far beyond our lifetimes.
    

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

 

See, the LORD your God
has set the land before you.
Go up, take possession,
as the LORD,
    the God of your fathers,
has told you.
Do not fear
          or be dismayed.

            Deuteronomy 1. 21

(God has set this day,
       His day before us.
"Trust Me in this."
Fear and dismay
   always sets us
   in the wrong direction.
It cost the Israelites
             forty years.
Practice His Presence
     even in the little things,
which are never insignificant.
Carry not fear and dismay
  but instead your chronicle
        of God's faithfulness.)

O LORD,
We have not come this way
                   before,
but You go before us.
Help us to remember You
    throughout the day,
listen and respond
with faithfulness and grace.
You have set this day before us.
Help us to be faithful
in bringing Your grace to it.
Help us to trust You,
even in this.

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

 

But He would withdraw
to desolate places
              and pray.

             Luke 5. 16

(Praying was a continual
and intentional practice
                  of Jesus.
How different our world would be,
how different this day would be,
how radically different we would be,
          if we did the same?
Praying should be our first response,
            not our last resort.
Praying shifts
   the tectonic plates of this world,
   including our hearts,
far more than we can imagine.
We may not know what to do,
   but praying ties on our shoes.)

O LORD,
May we not be reluctant
      to come before You
not just with needs
and requests
and cries for action,
and with our confessions,
          but with our praise,
even when we don't understand,
even before we see
            the outcome of this.
Order my day, O LORD,
   reorder my heart.
Guide my steps.
Direct my thoughts.
Align my heart with Yours.
Confirm Your Word
         in all I do and say.
Dwell in my heart today.
Help me to follow
            and run with You.


Monday, March 21, 2022

 

"Put out into the deep
and let down your nets
             for a catch."
And Simon answered,
"Master, we toiled all night
and took nothing! 
But at Your word,
   I will let down the nets."
And when they had done this,
they enclosed
   a large amount of fish
and their nets were breaking.

                 Luke 5. 4-6

(When we listen to God
    and respond to Him,
even in the familiar,
     and the ordinary,
God brings blessing from it.
Sometimes we actually
           "oh, wow,"
            see the outcome,
sometimes the result
  is embedded
  far beyond our lifetimes.
But the fruit is always there,
a full net,
    not even one fish missing.)

O LORD,
Of all the things we do today,
may we listen to You
    --and not argue--
may we respond to You
    --even in a barren place--
and may we trust You
   for Your answers,
                 not ours.
Help us to realize
that the biggest impact
     of their obedience
was a deepening
of their relationship with Jesus.
Help us to trust You too.



Sunday, March 20, 2022

 

...when I remember You
            upon my bed,
and meditate on You
  in the watches of the night,
for You have been my help,
and in the shadow of Your wings
                I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

                    Psalm 63. 6-7

(David wrote this psalm
when he was struggling
with life and death situations
           in the wilderness,
being pursued by his adversaries.
No wonder he could not sleep.
What nudges us awake in the night?
         How do we respond?
Seeking only to get back to sleep
   or buried alive in worry and fear?
Or seeking God even in this?
Listening to Him in those moments,
praying to Him,
remembering His strength,
meditating on His Word,
pushing back the darkness
   by singing a new song of joy,
and clinging only to Him
   not to circumstances.)

O LORD,
Even in the quiet moments
  of half past darkness,
You are here with us.
May we rest in You fully.
May we listen to You
    with a renewed heart.
Whatever amount we sleep,
    make it enough, O God.
When we awake in the night,
    rock us in Your Presence.
Help us to turn to You
and not let fear and anxiety
              in the door.
May our sleep be sweet.
May our time with You
              be strengthening.

Saturday, March 19, 2022

 

For God alone,
         O my soul,
wait in silence,
for my hope is from Him.
He only
is my rock and my salvation,
               my fortress;
I shall not be shaken.

                   Psalm 62. 5-6

(For what do I wait?
For circumstances to change?
      Or waiting on God?
Hope is the Bible
  is not wishful thinking
that things will be different,
but knowing on Whom
we can stake our lives.
Though circumstances
     shatter or unravel,
our hope is not shaken.
We can trust Him.
This is not the end of the story,
but perhaps only the
   exciting part of the redeeming.
This life is not
              all there is.
When it comes down to it,
our hope,
our only hope is in God alone.
We all know that in our souls.
It is why in dire straits,
    all people cry out, "O God!")

O LORD,
May we trust in You
        at all times,
even when we don't understand,
even when we think we are
          at the end of our ropes.
You are here with us.
Help us to turn to You,
   to pray not to panic,
and to pour out our hearts
                   before You
   instead of complaining
   and grumbling to others.
You are our refuge.
Our witness in this situation
      is how we respond,
not to circumstances
                  but to You alone.

Friday, March 18, 2022

 

...appoint steadfast love
         and faithfulness
to watch over him!

             Psalm 61. 2-3

(And what if we prayed
      these words of strength
                 and wellbeing
      over those in our lives?
Not just how differently
              would they live,
but how differently would we
      live and love and respond?
Prayer doesn't just change things,
          praying changes us,
even in how we pray
                  and for what we pray,
how we view God
and consequently how we view
            others and circumstances.)

O LORD,
May we be mindful
        of following You,
even in how we pray.
Take us to a higher place
that even in praying to You
    we pray differently
as You align our hearts
                 with Yours.
Change our words
        as You change our hearts.
May this prayer from the Psalms
   --anointing and appointing--
     be ready on our lips
               and in our hearts.



Thursday, March 17, 2022

 

O, grant us help
    against the foe,
for vain is
   the salvation of man!
With God
   we shall do valiantly;
it is He who will
      tread down our foes.

            Psalm 60. 11-12

(Everyone struggles
           with something.
The key phrase here is
           with God.
Am I trying to do this
              on my own?
Our foes are anything we fear,
     both real and imagined.
Not the vain cry of the world
        "believe in yourself,"
but believe in Me.
Trust God in the journey,
for His strength and direction,
  and for His multiplicity of
                    outcomes.
God is with us.
He will be there too.
The blessing may be
       in the last place
       we would look for it.)

O LORD,
Help us to seek You,
not just Your help,
   or an answer,
   or an escape route,
but to draw close to You,
             even in this.
May our first response be
        to trust You,
not our last resort.
Guide our eyes,
our hearts,
our efforts
in alignment with Yours.
Help us to approach
        our struggles
    or this impossible situation
               differently
because we love You.
And may our response
   be a witness to others
that You are very real.


Wednesday, March 16, 2022

 

In all of our comings and goings,
   remembrance today
   to pray for Ukraine.

O my Strength,
I will watch for You,
for You, O God,
     are my fortress.
My God
   in His steadfast love
   will meet me;
God will let me look
      in triumph on my enemies.
...O Lord, our shield.

                Psalm 59. 9-11

(Let us not forget
    that God is powerful
    and He is with us.
God is our strength,
our fortress,
our shield
with Whom we go forth
         strengthened
against anything we fear,
       both real and imagined.)

O LORD,
O Almighty God,
in Your steadfast love we pray,
please intervene
            in our struggles
    and in the Ukraine
that all the world
would realize Who You are
and see Your glory
        poured all over.
Bring peace, O God,
  even in this impossible situation.
Hold back the darkness.
May the oppression unravel
      and hearts be changed.
Send Your deliverance
and remind us to pray
            without ceasing.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

 

...for you will go before the LORD
      to prepare His ways...

                    Luke 1. 76

(Even if we don't understand
what God is doing,
we can be faithful
     in following Him
in unexpected ways
and in the most familiar.
Sometimes to go forth,
sometimes to stay put,
  but mindful of Him,
even in what only appears
            as ordinary,
fulfilling and serving in ways,
preparing the hearts of others,
   even when we do not realize
               His hand in this,
which is most of the time.)

O LORD,
Prepare not just
   Your ways for us
but that we would prepare
   Your ways in others.
May we be sensitive
above all to Your leading
with our eyes on You
  wherever and in whatever
  You guide us today.
May we bless You
    in our words and deeds.
For Your Kingdom.
For Your glory.
In Your name.



Monday, March 14, 2022

 

By the blessing of the upright
     a city is exalted...

                   Proverbs 11.11

(What am I bringing to the table?
What am I bringing to
            this situation,
            those around me,
            those I know,
            those I don't know?
May we seek to bless this place,
  wherever God has placed us
                                today.
In darkness to bring light.
In tumult to bring His grace.
In whatever situation
      seeking to bless others
and pour God's glory
              all over it.)

O LORD,
Guide our hearts
    to see needs
--both visible and unseen--
and to fill the gaps
      with blessing.
Even in those things
        and places
        and among people
far beyond our understanding.
Sharpen our imagination
   that we would bless You
   in incredible ways
by blessing others.

Sunday, March 13, 2022

 

Now there was no water
    for the congregation.
And they assembled
     themselves together
     against Moses and Aaron.
And the people quarreled
                  with Moses....

            Numbers 20. 2-3

(When we are in a tough spot,
     or even a place of abundance,
     what is our first response?
Do we come before the LORD,
          drawing near to Him
in time of need or in favor?
Where God guides,
                 God provides.
Have we left room
      for His glory in this?
Trust in the
       slow redeeming of God.
Nothing random.
Nothing insignificant.
No mistakes.)

O LORD,
Even in what we consider
    the impossible,
You show Your glory.
Help us to trust You
and to know that
   complaining just
   trips us up
and keeps us from
         seeing Your hand
     even in this.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

 

...and behold,
the staff of Aaron
   for the house of Levi
had sprouted
and put forth buds
and produced almonds.

           Numbers 17. 8

(Faithfulness always
    produces fruitfulness
in incredible ways
to point others not to ourselves
            but to God.
It is not just what we do,
but what God does
             through us,
sometimes in ways
we never comprehend
                      or see.
The fruit may come
       beyond our lifetimes,
but it always comes.)

O LORD,
Even when we cannot see it,
bring Your fruitfulness
to what we are doing
             in Your name.
Please sprout
even the dead sticks
             in our lives,
wherever we are,
whatever our struggles,
no matter what.
    For Your glory alone.


Friday, March 11, 2022

 

But if the LORD
   creates something new...

           Numbers 16. 30

(Live in expectation
    not of what God will do,
but how He is already doing.
Even if we do not see it
            in our lifetimes.
Even if it is not something new
          but His faithfulness revealed.
God creates something new
   even right where we are
maybe not in circumstances
         but in our hearts.)

O LORD,
Draw us to You
that we may see clearly
      and differently
both in what is known
            and unknown,
what is both familiar
            and strange,
what is common
    but never mundane,
what is extraordinary
    right where we are.
You are our helper,
You are the upholder
              of our very lives.
May we recite, repeat, engrave
and practice daily
            Your Presence
from our first breath of the day
    to the vespers at sundown.
Whether we see anything new
                 at all,
You are still God.
You are still working.
You redeem.




Thursday, March 10, 2022

 

Now the man Moses
      was very meek,
more than all people
who were on
   the face of the earth.

           Numbers 12. 3

(God anoints, appoints
    and uses the most unlikely
to fulfill His purposes,
those who know
it is not in them
                 but God.
They have learned to trust God
     in the journey
     and for His outcome.
Being humble is
    not thinking less of oneself,
but thinking less about oneself.
God does not call us
     to be successful leaders
             but faithful servants.
There is a lot more at stake
   than we will ever know.
Am I willing to trust God
                 in this?)

O LORD,
Help us to approach
this difficulty,
this impossible task,
      with a different heart
      and new vision
because we trust You.
We do not know what to do,
  but our eyes are on You.
Help us to make it a pattern
    to ask, trust and turn to You
    first.
Order our days.
Guide our steps.
Direct our thoughts.
Align our hearts with Yours.
And give us Your courage
        to go forth with You.
You are already with us.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

At the command of the LORD
            they camped,
and at the command of the LORD
            they set out.

                    Numbers 9. 23

(Sometimes God says go,
sometimes He says stay.
We may not be done here,
we may not be ready
                to move on.
Being faithful is just as much
a new threshold
and a path before us.)

O LORD,
Help us not just to
         go or stay
but to be faithful
in everything before us.
May we come before You
for You to place Your plans
               before us,
not our agenda for You.
Help us to trust You
even in what
    we don't understand.

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

 

The lips of the righteous
know what is acceptable...

              Proverbs 10. 32

(Not just the right thing to say
but what is upbuilding
            in the situation,
even in the hard stuff
  and among difficult people.
What am I bringing
                 to this table?
Practicing over and over
          not just words of grace
   but a new heart in this.
Well-practiced
            and ready to use
    at a moment's notice.
Words of grace
         never wear out
      and never get old.
Others are watching and listening
       --even other believers--
to see if we really believe
           in His grace.
Do we react
                   or respond?
What have we practiced?
Not working on our attitude
          but being found in Him.
Seeking our way through this
                 or His?)

O LORD,
We pray that You would
   enlarge our vocabulary
that we would respond
            appropriately
   in the heat of the situation
not just realize it afterwards.
Grant us not just right words
     but a right heart.
Use our words
to bring unexpected blessing
and Your glory
   even in dark places
   and among unlikely people.




Monday, March 7, 2022

 

The one who offers thanksgiving
as his sacrifice
glorifies Me...

             Psalm 50. 23

(The sacrifice of thanksgiving
is thanking God,
despite circumstances,
even in their midst,
before an outcome is obvious,
and even if we never
              realize the results.
We cannot know
       what God is doing with this
in our lives
               or another's,
but we can trust Him in it.
A grateful heart
   is a rare jewel in this world,
shining like a light in the darkness,
a different word among the grumbling,
a distinctive voice amidst
     despair or complaining.
Thanks-giving changes how we
          see everything,
          how we respond,
and how we trust God.)

O LORD,
You don't just give us
    a path to walk,
but show us how to walk it.
Help us to know
  the strength of gratefulness,
Your mighty hand on us
        even in the hard stuff.
Grant to us
   a new heart in this,
even in the ordinary,
even in the difficult,
that we may glorify You.
May we be a help
      to those in need.
And a different voice
        in this situation,
full of Your grace and love
in unexpected places
and among unlikely people.

Sunday, March 6, 2022

 

The LORD bless you
         and keep you;
the LORD make His face
   to shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up
His countenance upon you
    and give you peace.

            Numbers 7. 24-26

(How differently would we
    approach what is before us
if we went forth into this day
with these words of blessing
overflowing from our hearts.
Not wishing others well,
but singing a blessing
             over them,
not just for human wellbeing
    but the power of God.
May we live with
    His name upon us
and His love in us
   to love all those around us.
God uses us to bring
   these sacred words
              of blessing
--spoken and unspoken--
into every appointment,
every encounter,
every relationship.)

O LORD,
Help us to come before You
    and before others
with blessing on our lips,
Your words already formed
             in our hearts,
Your love translated into actions.
May we not seek blessing
                 for ourselves,
but to bless You
          and bless others.
We find our joy
     being loved by You.
We can't help but
              live differently.




Saturday, March 5, 2022

 

Walk about Zion,
go around her,
number her towers,
consider well her ramparts,
go through her citadels,
that you may tell
            the next generation
   that this is God,
our God forever and ever,
He will guide us forever.

              Psalm 48. 12-14

(Seek God
every which way we can--
His Word, His Presence,
His appointments, His people,
His ways,
in worship, witness and with-ness--
that we may tell others
          who God is
and the chronicle of
              His faithfulness.
Connect the dots for someone.
The wellbeing of souls
    hinges on
    what we talk about.
Someone is listening.)

O LORD,
May we seek You
    into this day before us
and seek to acknowledge You
    in what we see and do
and tell others about.
May we be aware
not just slipping You
       into conversation
but in loving others
      by speaking of You.
We so freely talk about
     so many things.
May we freely talk
            about You
without reservation.
You have placed us
          strategically
in the lives of others
    for Your name's sake.
Help us to point them
                  to You.

Friday, March 4, 2022

 

...keeping guard
   over the sanctuary.

          Numbers 3. 28

(How do we keep guard,
protect, watch over,
respect, nurture,
take care and maintain
the church
      in this culture,
      in this city,
      among people?
Worship far exceeds
  the walls of the church
and infiltrates the lives
   of those who worship
   and even those who don't.
We are not called
       to attend church.
We are appointed
       to be the church.
Our lives should look different
   not because we belong
              to a church,
but because we
           belong to Him.
Deeper love,
ready response,
faithfulness not to a cause,
    but to our Savior.)

O LORD,
Help us to not just
             find community,
but to be the community
               of believers,
engaged,
woven in,
living out Your Word
   in worship,
       witness,
       and with-ness.
Help us to not neglect
   the profound significance
   of the church
            in our wellbeing
     and in others' lives,
the salt and oxygen
           of our little habitat,
    which is never so little.
Help us to realize how much
    we need church family
and how much our world
          needs the church.

Thursday, March 3, 2022

 

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

(God's Presence is
not diminished by circumstances.
Even then,
God is with us,
still our refuge,
     our strength,
    and help,
made evident even more
   in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
        though_________
        (fill in the blank).
Prayer is our first response,
not our last resort.
Practicing over and over
      His Presence with us
                 in the everydays
radically changes our response
             in the crisis.
Sometimes the hardest thing
is to sit still
and know that He is Almighty God.)

O LORD,
You are our refuge and strength.
Help us to realize that.
Help us to seek You
not just for what You do
but for Who You are,
          the Almighty God.
Be our refuge,
not to cower as in a hiding place,
but from which we go forth
            strengthened,
ready to respond to You
and not paralyzed by
          circumstances.
Help us to
    practice Your Presence
over and over and over again,
engraving Your reality
            in our hearts.
Why are we here
         in this situation?
To seek You
and see Your glory in it.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

 

If you walk in My statutes
and observe My commandments
              and do them....
        
                    Leviticus 26. 3

(Our lives will be
          very different,
fruitful in drought,
secure even in the face
          of all alarms,
fulfilled in spite
         of circumstances
         to the contrary,
no matter what
   life throws at us.
Walk with Him,
aware of His Word,
       and live it out.
God redeems.
Our lives are not our own
but impact the world
in the most profound ways
that may never be recognized.
There are no small obediences
      nor insignificant people.
Love God.  Love people.
   Every which way we can.
Even now.  Even in this.
Fruitful and multiplied.)

O LORD,
Walk with us
as we choose to follow You
        into this day
and into Your appointments.
Anoint us with Your grace
and strength
and courage,
       no matter the shadows,
  no matter our skills
        or degree of difficulty.
Help us to be mindful of You,
knowing our momentary choices
       impact the trajectory
                  of our lives.
And we get to
   walk with You.




Tuesday, March 1, 2022

 

If we had forgotten
     the name of our God,
or spread out our hands
     to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For He knows
  the secrets of the heart.

                  Psalm 44. 20-21

(No surprise to God.
No surprise to others either.
What we worship
does not just impact our hearts,
but the trajectory of what
                    we choose.
As author James K. A. Smith says,
   "We are what we love."
The core of what we worship
          changes us.
The core of what we worship
     is evident in what we say,
how we treat others,
what we do,
what we see
if or how we respond,
and not just what we love
       but in how we love.
Have we forgotten God
    or not trusted Him
in what is before us
or who is before us?
Both crises
     and our everyday choices
do not just
          reveal our character
but our hearts
and our relationship with You.)

O LORD,
May we come before You
not to lay out our agenda
           for You in this day,
but that we would follow You
   into Your appointments
                       for us.
Write Your name
   at the top of the page
     and all over the day.
Help us to follow You
   into both the joys
   and dilemmas,
and not just be mindful of You,
   but have the mind of Christ
                        in this.
Help us to live with a whole heart
          before You
          and before others.
Align and realign
             our hearts with Yours.
May Your glory
  get all over everything.