...but my heart stands in awe

                 of Your words.

I rejoice at Your Word

   like one who

   finds great spoil.

               Psalm 119. 161-162

(God unfolds His blessing,

     His strength, His wisdom,

              grace and love

       through His Word.

When we come before it,

     when we  dive into it

              with great awe,

we read it differently,

we ponder it,

we strive to let it sink in

     and seek to live it out.

Every time we open His Word,

God changes us

     --and everyone around us--

             through it.

These are not just printed out pages,

     but the very words of God.)

O LORD,

Draw us not just to reading Your Word,

   but draw us in

that we would know You more

     and the reality of Your Presence.

Change us through it.

Help us to realize Your treasure

    as Your Word plays out

    in whatever we face or do today.

Thank You for Your Word.

 

When Daniel knew

    that the document had been signed,

he went to his house

where he had windows

     in his upper chamber

     open toward Jerusalem.

He got down on his knees

             three times a day

and prayed

and gave thanks before His God,

    as he had done previously.

              Daniel 6. 10

(The foundation was already laid.

This was not the first time

            Daniel trusted God for his life.

He lived in such a way

         that God was seen in all he did,

         in who he was,

         in how he prayed.

His first response

     was what he did every day.

"If we do not do the running

 on the ordinary days,

 we shall do nothing in the crisis."

            --Oswald Chambers)

O LORD,

May we seek You

  to pray and trust and worship

  on the most ordinary days.

That we may know fully

    Your Presence,

           even in the hard stuff.

You are near, O LORD.

You are our strength.

May Your Word

   engrave faithfulness in us.

May trusting You

            be our default.

 

I have heard of you

that the Spirit of the holy God

                 is in you,

and that light and understanding

   and excellent wisdom

                  are found in you.

                  Daniel 5. 14

(We all worship something.

If we do not worship God,

a lesser god will take

             His rightful place.

Whom or what we worship

    and honor and glorify

will be evident in

            our character,

how we respond,

what we pursue,

how we love others.

What do others see

         differently in us?

Do they sense the evidence

     of the Holy Spirit

      residing there?

That we are faithful to Him?)

O LORD,

We seek not Your blessing in this day,

     but that we would bless You.

Help us to love You with all our hearts

              and minds and strength.

Let that love be evident in

         how we respond to circumstances

         and how we love others around us.

In all that we do today,

      bring Your glory to it.

Please grant to us Your wisdom

                 and understanding

and Your light in situations

     we cannot carry on our own.

 

For this very reason,

make every effort to supplement

        your faith with virtue,

and virtue with knowledge,

and knowledge with self control,

and self control with steadfastness,

and steadfastness with godliness,

and godliness with

                    brotherly affection,

and brotherly affection with love.

                   2 Peter 1. 5-7

(Step by step,

layer by layer,

choice by choice,

    deepening our faith.

And realizing these

    are not just supplements

              or attachments,

but a pursuit that

   empowers us to grow in Him.

And it starts with today.

What choices am I making

            in this day

     to abide in Him?)

O LORD,

We praise You

    because You are with us.

We honor You

    because You are God.

May our lives

         and what we choose

    reflect Your glory.

Help us to grow in You.

Nudge us

    to make different choices

    to follow You fully.

Let our faithfulness to You

   be nurtured in layers

   and daily decisions.

Be thou our vision

            and our strength.

     

 

Daniel answered the king and said,

"No wise men, enchanters,

     magicians, or astrologers

can show to the king the mystery

     that the kind has asked,

but there is a God in heaven

           who reveals mysteries...

                  Daniel 2. 27-28

(Daniel does not draw

          attention to himself,

but points the entire kingdom

     to the reality of God Almighty.

But there is a God in heaven

   --on that reality,

     we can stake our lives.

Nothing random,

nothing without divine purpose,

trusting God

          and being faithful to Him,

even into

      what we cannot yet understand.)

O LORD,

We can live differently

    with hope and joy

          even in the hard stuff,

because You are God Almighty,

            and we are not.

Our prayers to You

for provision, protection, purpose

             and deliverance

are always in some way

     answered unexpectedly,

because there is a lot deeper

           in Your designs

      than we are aware of.

Help us to trust You

    and point others to You

in all that we are,

in all that You have given us

                 to do.

 

...always be prepared

to make a defense to anyone

            who asks you

for a reason

             for the hope

that is in you,

yet do it with gentleness

                  and respect.

            1 Peter 3. 15

(Always be ready,

stay watchful for that unexpected moment,

    to point others to the hope of Jesus.

People are watching us

   to know why we are different,

   why we respond differently,

   and to know after all,

              that God is real.

They don't want a prepared sermon

       or a memorized script.

They are homesick for God.

They want to know our story.)

O LORD,

Help us to know that there are

     no random circumstances,

     nor chance encounters,

but only divine appointments

    to be faithful before others

   and to bring the name of Jesus

               at a moment's notice.

Help us to be aware

               of sacred opportunities

    in unexpected places

    and among unlikely people

to love them into Your Kingdom.

 

And on the banks,

on both sides of the river,

there will grow all kinds

           of trees for food.

Their leaves will not wither,

nor their fruit fail,

but they will bear fresh fruit

              every month,

because the water for them

   flows from the sanctuary.

Their fruit will be for food,

   and their leaves for healing.

                  Ezekiel 47. 12

(What fruit are we bearing

                  with our lives?

What kind of fruit

     do others see

     and experience through us?

What we sow,

into what we send down our roots,

on what sustains us

    impacts not just our lives,

    but everyone around us

          for multiple generations.

The LORD provides.

The LORD sustains.

The LORD brings the growth.

What a beautiful visual

   of God's faithfulness.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

O LORD,

We seek to bring You glory,

wherever You have placed us,

that Your name may be known

and we can thrive,

         even in the drought.

Your faithfulness

    always unfolds fruitfulness.

You are here in this place,

     and we can trust You.

May we honor You this day

    in all that we do,

    in seeking the good of others,

    in bearing fruit

             even in impossible situations,

for Your Kingdom,

for Your glory,

in Your name.

 

...and I shall walk

         in a wide place,

for I have sought

             Your precepts.

              Psalm 119. 45

(When we soak in God's Word,

not just reading a passage,

but bringing scripture with us

              into the day

     and into our ways,

God brings us to a new place.

God enlarges our space,

        our thoughts, our actions.

He guides us in unexpected ways.

He reveals passages

                 previously hidden.

He leads us through

   when there seems to be

   no possible way.

He gives us the grace

      to bring His name to it.

God rewires our minds

               and our hearts.

Have I considered

    seeking God about this

            and trusting Him with it?

Anxiety is trying to take control

     over what is rightly His.)

O LORD,

May Your Word sink deeply

      in our hearts and minds

and infect all we do today.

Help us to read Your Word first and pray

    as we head into

    what is before us today.

Enlarge our hearts

           to follow You.

Help us to find Your way in this

    that brings You glory

in the familiar and the unknown,

and point others to You.

 

They shall enter My sanctuary,

and they shall approach My table,

to minister to Me,

and they shall keep My charge.

                 Ezekiel 45. 16

(Wherever we are,

    no matter where we are,

we are on holy ground,

   the place of God's own choosing

   to bring His name there.

We approach this situation,

     the known and the unknown,

     even the really difficult,

by approaching it differently

   as in ministering to the LORD.

How do I pray,

how do I see this --or them--

                   with a new heart,

how do I respond

          with unexpected grace?

 Because this is not a random encounter,

     but a divine appointment

     to minister to the LORD

        by ministering to others.)

O LORD,

Help us to see this day,

this place,

this point in time

        as Your sanctuary,

a place to worship You,

a place to bless You,

a place to bring Your love

     and grace

     and the name of Jesus there.

Reveal Yourself to us today

          as we dwell in You,

even in the most unlikely places

   and among unexpected people.

Astonish us by Your Presence

              with us all along.

 

I have stored up Your Word

              in my heart,

that I might not

           sin against You.

             Psalm 119. 11

(Stored up in my heart,

    not in my notebook.

Reading, meditating,

    memorizing, living it out,

       not just giving it a nod.

Every time we open God's Word,

     we cannot help

           but being changed by it,

     and everyone around us

              is infected.

Do we even consider His Word

         as a protection?

Not as an impenetrable shield,

       but a deeply saturated soul.

Through His Word,

  God does not turn me from sin.

             He changes my appetite.

He gives me strength

   to follow Him,

           to respond and love

           in impossible places,

the courage to push back

                the darkness,

  and to live out His Word.

These are not just words on a page,

    but the very Word of God.)

O LORD,

Penetrate our hearts with Your Word

   not just to avoid potholes

but to live out Your Word

        even in the turmoil around us.

Your Word does not just protect us,

    but protects others

    by how we choose to live with You.

Work Your Word in us this very day

   that You may be glorified.

Help us to approach difficulty

          with a new heart

  because we have spent time with You.

 

This is the table

    that is before the LORD.

               Ezekiel 41.22

(Perhaps this situation

      is not just a difficulty,

or a hard place,

    or an irritation,

but how would I approach it

     if it was an opportunity

          to worship God in it?

The situation is the

       table of my sacrifice.

Am I willing to place it

               on the altar,

  to respond differently,

to bring Him glory

   in the most unexpected places?

Not to earn His love,

   but because we love Him

   and He loves us.)

O LORD,

We come to the altar

with our mis-doings,

        and our not-doings,

   and a large dose of pride.

We come to the altar

   and realize that

   You have beat us to it.

You have sacrificed Yourself

       that we may be saved.

May we see this hard situation

        before us

as a way to love You,

   not just to "say grace,"

but to bring grace to the table.

Be blessed and honored,

             O dear LORD.

You are already redeeming

               what is before us.

          

 

...look with your eyes,

and hear with your ears,

and set your heart upon all

   that I shall show you,

for you were brought here

in order that I might

          show it to you.

           Ezekiel 40. 4

(There is never anything random at all

       in God's positioning system.

We are right here,

      not "for a reason,"

      but in His Presence

           and for His purposes.

God is not trying to

       "teach" us anything,

but to dwell with us,

       and deepen our relationship

                       with Him.

"Sit here with Me a while."

        Look, listen, respond.

He has strategically positioned us

         specifically to reveal

                    Himself to us

and to point others to Him.)

O LORD,

We do not just seek You

    for instructions,

        but we seek You.

Help us to trust You

    in where You have placed us

    to live and move

           and have our being.

Reveal Yourself to us

   on Your paths for us today.

Help us to look and listen

               expectantly.

Our situation may not be changed,

          but we are changed

          by Your Presence.

 

For great is His steadfast love

                   toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD

      endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

                 Psalm 117. 2

(Even in what we cannot understand,

     we can stake our lives

     on His steadfast love for us.

Even in our disappointments,

      His faithfulness endures.

We just see dimly,

            but He is right here.

We may never understand it all,

    but we can always trust His Word.

I don't know much,

   but one thing I do know

is that God knows far more

               than I ever will,

God loves me far more

               than I can realize,

and I can trust Him

      even in the shadowlands.)

O LORD,

As with the prophet Ezekiel,

   we can respond to mystery

          or a field of dry bones,

   when things are falling apart

           or coming together,

      "O Lord GOD, You know!"

                     (Ezekiel 37. 3)

You love us.

You are faithful to us.

This situation and these things

           are not a surprise to You.

Help us to respond

         in faithfulness to You,

even right where we are today.

Bring Your glory here.

We can live, love, respond

                   differently,

when we know You love us,

    when we trust You,

not for an answer

       or a prescribed outcome,

but trusting You

                in all You are,

             and all You do.

 

Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters,

when you meet trials of various kinds,

for you know that the testing of your faith

                    produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness

            have its full effect,

that you may be perfect and complete,

                       lacking in nothing.

                      James 1. 2-4

(We live in a broken world.

God did not promise

     that life would be easy,

but that He is with us.

The text does not say if

             but when,

   not once but in various kinds.

Not that we should be

                to be afraid of it,

       but prepared,

by dwelling in the Almighty,

           marinating in His Word,

           seeking Him in prayer,

           serving Him

                   in all of life,

     and building relationships

                     with His people.

When life is hard,

   His strength covers us.

God is gracious, righteous

                      and merciful.

Sometimes His goodness

     is wrapped in mystery.)

O LORD,

We can trust You

        even in the hard stuff.

Not that You will bring us through,

   but You are bringing us through.

You do not leave us

               in the desolate,

but use us in impossible places

       for Your glory there.

Help us to have a new heart,

            fresh vision,

        and renewed strength

that can come only from You.

 

Do not neglect to show hospitality

                  to strangers,

for thereby some have

     entertained angels unawares.

                   Hebrews 13. 2

(Someone once asked Henry Nouwen

           what is ministry.

He replied, "Can you receive people?"

Hospitality is not throwing parties,

     but literally means love of strangers.

You never know how God

                     is profoundly using you,

   by how you love, accept

           and embrace people.

God has strategically appointed

    and positioned us to love others.

Who is on my path today?)

O LORD,

Fill our hearts with Your love

   and open our eyes

   to all those around us.

Help us to not just be aware,

   but ready to respond

with kindness and grace

   an encouraging word,

a welcome mat

       and the porch light on.

 

Therefore lift your drooping hands

and strengthen your weak knees,

and make straight paths for your feet,

so that

what is lame may not be

          put out of joint

but rather be healed.

                 Hebrews 12. 12-13

(What efforts am I making

to increase strength and healing

in my heart

      and in my relationships?

Even Jesus said to the lame man,

            "Get up."

Am I lounging in my complaints

          and friends with misery?

Have I become comfortable

     with what has sidetracked me?

But our wounds do not define us.

     Our identity is in Christ.

     We are His beloved.

What can I do today

               towards healing?

Every step is profound.

As my friend Chris Davis says,

"The proof of desire

               is in the pursuit."

It doesn't just happen.)

O LORD,

We ask You for healing.

We ask You for the courage

     to seek Your strength

     and for Your newness,

even right where we are.

Help us to turn our eyes to You

    and practice over and over

what brings us

        in closer relationship to You.

You are our strength.

You are our healer.

Help us to be a testimony to others

         of a life transformed by You.

 

He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm,

     trusting in the LORD.

                Psalm 112. 7

(We learn in layers,

      in incremental steps,

               to follow God,

   even in the face of bad news.

         "Trust Me in this."

Even in what appears as hardship

        or bad news or calamity,

   even in what is good,

                  God redeems.

The steadfast love of the LORD

      endures forever,

   not limited by circumstances.

We can stake our lives on that.

We do not just endure,

                      but thrive,

not because we are

       inherently strong people,

but as my friend Nancy Gurthrie says,

    we are tethered to Christ

            who is strength Himself.)

O LORD,

Even in what this day holds,

    You hold us tight.

Help us to not fear,

           but to trust You.

You are the One

   who tethers us to Yourself.

Help us to see differently,

        even to see in the dark,

that You are good

and Your steadfast love

                endures forever.

You hold us fast.

Keep us faithful to You,

    in what is hard

   and even in favor.

Because someday we will see

       Your goodness in it.

 

He considered that

       God was able...

             Hebrews 11. 19

(Have we even considered

    God in our calculations?

God is not one of many variables,

           but the constant.

God does not wiggle or work

                   His way in,

but engineers everything

    --the pieces, steps,

      journey and outcome.

Have we considered

               God in this?

Have we even considered

             praying about it?)

O LORD,

You are here.

You can be trusted

   even in this situation,

not for our preconceived notions

        or carefully crafted answers,

but Your will, Your way,

             Your goodness in this.

In what we can see.

In what we cannot yet.

Help us to walk with You

    even when we don't understand,

knowing that You do.

 

And without faith

   it is impossible to please Him,

for whoever would

           draw near to God

must believe that He exists

and that He rewards those

          who seek Him.

                 Hebrews 11. 6

(Faith means seeking God

    for who He is,

    not just for what He does

    or for our own selfish gain.

Seeking, responding,

    believing and trusting Him

are all elements of faith,

knowing that God is God

            and we are not,

knowing that even in what

       is so very difficult,

we don't have to understand     

                 the mystery,

but just to still stand

     in His steadfast love.

Faith is not waiting for God

                    to show up,

but for us to come before Him.)

O LORD,

You are faithful.

We can go far beyond

    believing that You exist,

by trusting You,

         even in the hard stuff.

Faith is walking with You,

    shoes tied on,

ready to serve right here,

      even when it doesn't seem to matter,

ready to run with You,

                because it does matter.

We just can't see it

      from where we stand.

But You do.

We can stake our lives on that.

We can stake our lives on You.

 

And let us consider

  how to stir up one another

  to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together,

        as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see

          the Day drawing near.

                  Hebrews 10. 23-25

(How do we respond to our own need

    and to the difficulty of others?

Consider how to stir up one another

    to love and generate good works,

living in community with one another

                    every chance we get.

Because it is not just a time of meeting,

         but a time of meeting needs.

              Even our own hidden ones.

It seeks the welfare of others,

       in this shattered world.

Love, good works and fellowship

   push back against the darkness.

We need other believers

                far more than we know.

And they need us.

We desire community at church.

    Are we the missing link?)

O LORD,

Help us to not just go our own way,

but consider Your way in this.

Open our hearts,

guide our thoughts,

how to respond,

how to pray,

how to follow You.

We need You.  We need Your people.

Help us to seek out other believers

      and let Your love

               bind us together.

And find You are among us.

 

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 108. 12-13

(The key words here are

            with God.

We are not alone.

Am I trying to do this by myself?

God says, "Trust Me in this."

Remember that our foes

   are whatever we fear,

       both real and imagined.

God guides us through.

Fear only trips us up

     and ties our laces together.

How would I approach

            this scary situation,

            this hard place,

            this overwhelming thing,

if there was nothing to fear?)

O LORD,

You show us Your deliverance,

not just in the outcome,

but in the journey,

        running with You.

You do not just deliver us from,

     but deliver us through.

And we come to know You

      and trust You even more.

We love You.

Help us to follow You today

   in whatever is before us.

         

 

Let the redeemed of the LORD

              say so,

whom He has redeemed

                       from trouble.

                   Psalm 107. 2

(God has given each one of us

      a story of His redemption

      in our lives,

a daily redeeming,

not a singular event,

but a journey

       of walking with Him.

We talk about a lot of things,

   but do we talk about

   God's hand in our lives,

how we have seen Him,

how He has changed

       the course of our lives?

Let the redeemed

                      say so.)

O LORD,

We have cried to You

          in our trouble,

we have rejoiced

          in Your blessings.

Help us to not just

       see Your redeeming,

but to acknowledge You

              before others.

Help others to realize

  there is something different in us,

and that would be You.

 

He rebuked the Red Sea,

and it became dry,

and He led them

       through the deep

       as through a desert.

So He saved them from

     the hand of the foe

and redeemed them

     from the power of the enemy.

                   Psalm 106. 9-10

(Seeking God,

     listening and responding to Him

always provides a way through,

   even in what may be

            a hidden passageway

   that we have not realized,

impossible to see

                       without Him

and a protection of which

            we are not aware.

We all have a Red Sea

     in some dimension

                  every day

   that we should seek Him

         through it.

How can I approach this difficulty,

         this overwhelming situation,

                          differently?

"Trust Me in this.")

O LORD,

Help me to know

    that I am not alone in this,

but You are with me.

Guide my steps.

Order my day.

Align my heart

                with Yours.

Help me to direct it to You.

Please direct my eyes

     to Your way in this.

 

...and make the dry tree flourish.

I am the LORD,

I have spoken,

and I will do it.

              Ezekiel 17. 24

(Not just that we would survive

      but thrive.

God changes the landscape.

Even in the most barren places,

  to be His redemptive presence

                           there,

to be His people,

    knowing Him,

    known by Him,

    known as His.

Flourishing extends far beyond

       our own well-being.)

O LORD,

Help us to see these situations

         --even the ordinary

                       or unexpected--

    with new eyes and fresh hearts

that we would not just

              find a way through,

   but bear Your fruit,

   even in drought

            and the really hard places.

    for Your glory

    and to point others to You.

Show us how

  to be Your redemptive presence

            even in difficulty.

Help us to

             practice grace in this

 for You to be seen

                  and known.

 

....I have not done without cause

all that I have done in it,

      declares the Lord GOD.

                   Ezekiel 14. 23

(Even in what we don't understand,

even when we think we know.

God specializes in what

            we see as impossible,

that we may know Him more.

Don't get ahead of Him,

   don't lag behind,

always trust 

     His eternal purposes in it.)

O LORD,

In all that is swirling around us,

help us to rest in You,

knowing that random

      is not in Your lexicon

but Your goodness is

   seamlessly woven

in favorable times

        and difficult situations.

You have a strong hold

              on us.

Even when we don't understand,

    we can trust You all the more.

...but that they may be

             My people

and I may be their God,

   declares the Lord GOD.

              Ezekiel 14. 11

(Repeated 68 times

      in the book of Ezekiel

is the phrase:

that they may know

        that I am the LORD.

Knowing the LORD

          is a relationship

   that shows us

           who we really are.

And on Whom we can depend.

We are loved.

We are accepted.

We belong.)

O LORD,

Help us to love You

         and trust You even more.

Empower us to

      live as Your people,

to realize what that means,

to be a redemptive presence

                     in this place

     because we know You.

You are our God

    and that changes everything.

 

 When He summoned

       a famine on the land

and broke all supply of bread,

He had sent a man

                 ahead of them,

Joseph,

    who was sold as a slave.

                 Psalm 105. 16-17

(We all at some point of another

find ourselves

      in the midst of mystery.

Why am I here?

Why am I going through

          this hard place

     or this strange situation?

But there is nothing random in it.

We are all strategically placed

    and trained and equipped by God

to serve Him and His Kingdom

    and to love others

                   right to Him.

God has sent us ahead,

      to be a Joseph there,

even in the most unexpected places

     and among unlikely people,

the familiar and the unfamiliar,

        for His glory there.)

O LORD,

We have witnessed

               Your grace to us.

Help us to live

      as a living testimony to You

      among those around us,

          to be a Joseph there.

You have given each of us

       a story for Your glory,

even in places

     we would not have chosen,

even in places we are not aware

    of Your hand upon us.

Help us to know that

              You are the LORD.

Help us to know

            and trust You even more.

Even in this.

                           

      

 

And behold,

the glory of the God of Israel

            was there...

            Ezekiel 8. 4

(When we respond to God,

when we follow Him

          right where we are,

God reveals Himself

   in unexpected ways

   and unlikely places.

God's glory

     suddenly emerges,

there all the time.

We just didn't see it yet.

God was in this

             after all,

     and we did not know it.

Watch for

          glimpses of His glory,

    all around us,

    even through the hard stuff.)

O LORD,

You have surrounded us

   even in this broken world,

Your glory shining

            through the cracks

            and the gaps,

            and the crevasses.

Help us to keep our eyes on You,

    seeking not just Your glory

                 but Your strength

and Your Presence continually,

   in what is before us today.

You are with us,

                 even in this.

 

...and You renew

    the face of the ground.

                 Psalm 104. 30

(There are no waste places

    where God cannot revive

               the landscape.

Even the wilderness

   is a place of wonder

and the opportunity for redeeming.

Even in what appears

        as impossible and barren,

God uses us

          to sow a forest

that will outlive us.)

O LORD,

Guide our hearts

   and thoughts

   and attitudes

to see the extraordinary

               even in the ordinary.

You have made this place,

     and You have put us here

                        for Your glory.

Help us to plant tiny seeds,

 even today, even in this situation,

    to nurture the dry ground

for a forest of Your making.

To bring shade and fruit

    for generations to come

that they may know

             that You are God.

And we would trust You more.

 

Now Moses was faithful

     in all God's house

as a servant to testify..

          Hebrews 3. 5

(God has strategically placed

         each one of us

right where we are today

to testify to those around us

  --those who believe

          and those who do not--

God's immense love and grace.

To witness and be a witness

   that He may be known.

Faithfulness always matters,

   far more than we can realize.)

O LORD,

Help us to see what is before us today

     not just as what we need to do,

but how we can be faithful to You,

                even in this.

May our faithfulness

        initiate our actions and reactions,

        our words

                 and even our attitudes.

Today is not what we can get done,

     or what we can accomplish,

but our faithfulness to You

     and Your faithfulness to us,

         built up in layers.

Another dimension in this day,

another way of knowing You more.

Great is Your faithfulness,

            O God our Father.