Seeing in the Dark

 

...a sacrifice of thanksgiving

           to the LORD...

          Leviticus 22. 29

(Is the sacrifice of thanksgiving

because we are thankful

to the LORD

for what has already happened 

                    (past tense)?

Or the act, attitude, and

   words of visible gratitude

   before we see an outcome?

A sacrifice of thanksgiving

             is not for something,

       but to God.

Trusting Him in the shadowlands

   says, "I trust You, O God,

   no matter what comes.

      You are still with me."

Most often we cannot comprehend

       His vast goodness over us.

Sometimes we catch a glimpse,

             but He is always here.

Being thankful is being mindful

      of His steadfast love.)

O LORD,

We all too often drag our

       messiness to the altar.

We also offer praise

      when things are good.

Grant us now the courage

   to be thankful

   in the now and the not yet.

You go before us,

You walk beside us,

    You have our back.

We lay before You

     our thankfulness,

even before we know

    how You are unfolding

          this situation.

Help us to live faithfully.

You give a grateful heart

    the ability to see in the dark.

In our sacrifice,

           we see You.

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His Anointing and Appointing

 

...for the consecration

of the anointing oil of his God

is on him:

              I am the LORD.

             Leviticus 21. 12

(We are all marked by

God's anointing and appointing

             on each of us.

      We are the LORD's.

Not that we are any better

   or superior in some way to others,

but we walk with Him,

   repentant, forgiven,

              and faithful,

making different choices,

  because we are loved

  and He covers us by His grace.

Being consecrated is a sign of

           being set apart,

     a visible indication

     of an inward dedication.

We are anointed and appointed

    by God in this place,

    situation and relationship

for His purposes

        and for His glory.

Do we approach our days like that?

Setting apart does not mean

                  letting go

but holding tight

    not to self-centeredness

               but to God.

And that requires

     determined choices

     every sacred day.)

O LORD,

Help us to see ourselves

    as being Your beloved,

specially anointed by Your grace

and appointed

     even to the hard places

to bring Your name and love

     to these circumstances.

May Your anointing

            soften our hearts.

May Your appointing

            sharpen our eyes,

         on You alone.

Help us by Your strength

to live faithfully today,

love well,

and practice grace in this.

 

Even in the Darkness

 

Why are you cast down,

            O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil

            within me?

Hope in God;

for I shall again praise Him,

my salvation and my God.

              Psalm 42. 5, 11

(These verses are mentioned

     twice in this chapter,

emphasized because

          we've all been there.

God never promised

      life would be easy,

but that He is with us

               all the way,

on the mountaintops,

         in the valleys,

   and slogging through the

              miry bogs.

"Trust Me in this

   and keep walking with Me."

We have hope.

And we can live differently

   through circumstances

   because we know Him.

When we trust God,

    we see all things differently.

We make new choices.

We may be walking in darkness,

    but we need not dwell there.)

O LORD,

You are here even now

   in the dark night of the soul.

Help us to listen to You

   and respond,

   strengthened by You.

Freshen our vision

   that we would approach

   and navigate the hard stuff

       with new hearts.

Thank You for this day.

Work Your mighty wonders

    in it and through us.

Help us to walk with You

   with courage and grace

and to see this situation

    with Your light before us.

We hope in You.

You draw us to Yourself.

God's Multiplication Tables

 

And He asked them,

"How many loaves do you have?"

...And they took up

the broken pieces left over,

   seven baskets full.

               Mark 8. 5, 8

(When we are willing

to offer God what we do have,

not focusing on the lack,

            God multiplies.

There is not just enough

but leftovers

          --lingering effects.

God's work always

   exceeds our vision

   and imagination.

Now watch this!)

O LORD,

It is not that we give this day

           to you

                 or our stuff,

but You lay out Your day

       for us.

You multiply not just our efforts

       but our lives.

May we have willing hearts

   to follow you and serve

in obvious needs

    and unexpected ways.

Soften our souls

      for Your glory,

even on the most ordinary days.

Help us to be

     generous with grace.

God is Great and God is Good

 

But may all who seek You

   rejoice and be glad in You.

May those who love Your salvation

 say continually,

      "Great is the LORD!"

                Psalm 40. 16

(Where is the light

     in all this darkness?

God's steadfast love

   is not dependent on

   favorable circumstances

             and blue skies.

In Him, we have hope.

How differently would we live

  if we rejoiced,

if we imprinted those words

         on this situation?

                Or on our hearts?

Repeating Great is the LORD

is not to make us feel better

   or look on the bright side,

          but to tie us to His mast.

Because when the storms come,

    we already know how to respond.)

O LORD,

We cannot tell You enough

             of Your greatness.

May our words and actions

    display healing and hope

                and joy

    in this broken world.

Please help us to navigate

     the smooth sailing

     and the storms

not with a sense

            of Your greatness

  but the reality of it.

You are with us.

You do not just bring us through.

You draw us to You.

You are good and You are great.

Red Sky at Morning, Sailor Take Warning

 

But immediately

He spoke to them and said,

"Take heart.  It is I.

    Do not be afraid."

And He got into the boat

                  with them,

   and the wind ceased.

             Mark 6. 50-51

(And would we be afraid

   if we knew

that God is in this scary situation,

     this really hard place,

     this unfamiliar -- or familiar--

              volatile happening?

And that He is in the boat

                         with us,

    guiding us through the waves?

It does not mean that

    there is nothing to be scared of,

but we can approach and navigate

      the chaos or the difficulty

with fresh courage and strength

  because we are with

                   the Almighty One.

God is bringing something new

        into our situation.

He does not just leave us alone

             in the storms.

He covers us with His wonders.)

O LORD,

As Jacob said,

  "If I knew You were here,

  I would not have been afraid."

Enlarge our vision

   that we may see

   this difficulty differently

by knowing that You are with us,

knowing You are still here,

   and knowing after all,

        You are God.

Guide us through troubled waters,

and assure us

           of Your Presence,

              right here, even in this.

You bring Your peace to us

    in the midst of a storm

    we didn't see coming.

You don't throw us

             a life jacket,

   saying, "Good luck with that."

But You whisper to us,

              "Trust Me in this."

We can depend

       on Your strong embrace.

You get into the boat with us.

Faithfulness in the Ordinary

 

O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure

                       of my days.

Let me know how fleeting I am.

       

                   Psalm 39. 4

(God has granted each of us

      a measure of days.

May we not waste them,

   but make the most of our time,

even today, even in this,

to seize every opportunity

               as we are able

   to fulfill His plans for us.

We can't rewind the past,

  the days we have wasted,

    but we have today.

May we use the time before us

        for His purposes and glory.

Our lives consist of ordinary days.

We can't do everything,

    but we can do something,

   nothing insignificant in His sight.

When we come before Him

   at the beginning of the day,

God lays out His day for us,

    with no interruptions,

    just divine appointments.

May we beware of distractions

   that only deflate our tires,

take up every seat in the room,

and keep us

   from our appointed tasks.

What is the one thing today?

        To honor Him.)

O LORD,

We confess what we have done

    and what we have left undone.

Forgive our sin

             of wasting time.

Align our hearts with Yours.

Order our days.

Help us to keep our eyes on You.

Grant us the courage

   not just to walk away

           from what distracts,

      to avoid the potholes,

           but to walk with You.

Empower us

   not just to get something done,

but to be faithful

  in whatever You place before us.

Be fruitful in us.

This is the day You have made.

May we rejoice

              and be glad in it.

The Waiting Room

 

But for You, O LORD,

        do I wait;

it is You,

    O Lord my God,

who will answer.

            Psalm 38. 15

(What are we waiting for?

Or are we waiting at all?

The Hebrew word for wait

means to hope,

to tarry, to trust,

   to stay on Him,

to be patient, and

    to watch with expectation.

God does not just show up.

   He is already here.

Waiting allows us to see

    the reality of His Presence.

Not just that God will answer.

   But He is already answering.

"Taste the moment to the full,"

            wrote Henri Nouwen.

Savor this time.

     God is working mightily.)

O LORD,

Help us to seize these moments

       --or seasons-- of waiting.

It is not that You are absent,

    but that we are not ready yet.

Thank You for the gift of waiting

    that we may know and trust You

    and see something different here.

Enlarge our hearts

    that we may see this time

    You have given us

with fresh vision

     and that You bring Your glory

     even in the waiting room.

There is not just a reason for it,

             but Your glory in it.

We do not wait for answers,

   but we wait for You.

May Your joy

     course through our veins,

unrestricted by time..

I Want To Be Like You

 

Mark the blameless

and behold the upright.

               Psalm 37. 37

(How do the faithful ones

            live differently?

They are what they love.

        And it shows.

May we take notes:

   What they choose?

   How they respond

     in unlikely ways?

   How they treat others

       with unmerited favor?

   How they bring grace

     and good will to the table?

What lingers?

     The aroma of Christ.

May we watch them.

Mark them.

Highlight what they do

   and how they bear 

          the marks of Jesus.)

O LORD,

Help us to pay attention

    to the faithful who follow You,

those who do not just

       ask for Your blessing,

but seek to bless You

   and cover others

          with Your goodness,

even when it doesn't make sense.

It is not how we behave,

      but how we navigate

   with a heart changed by You.

Almighty One, empower us

    to be faithful

    and honoring to You

no matter the situation,

no matter if anyone is watching,

      but for Your glory alone.

May our love for You

   radiate from within us.

What God Brings to It

 

And other seeds fell

          into good soil

and produced grain,

growing up and increasing

and yielding thirtyfold

and sixtyfold

and a hundredfold.

...The sower sows

              the Word.

             Mark 4. 8, 14

(Do not just hide God's Word

    in our hearts,

but sow it in the lives

    of all those around us,

planting passages,

digging deep,

filling our conversations,

   and nurturing souls.

We can never know

the immensity of God's fruit

      by speaking His Word.

And those who receive it

     may really surprise us.

When we are faithful,

God brings both the growth

       and His glory

in ways we may never see.)

O LORD,

Open our eyes to opportunities

    to speak of You

    and speak Your Word

into the lives of those around us.

Let Your Word flower

           and bear fruit

in unlikely situations

   and unexpected people.

And even in us.

Help us to be faithful to You

    today

even in our conversations.

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The Hardest Part is the Little Bit More

 

...he shall restore it in full

   and shall add a fifth to it,

and give it to him

   to whom it belongs

on the day he realizes

                    his guilt.

            Leviticus 6. 5

(What does it take

           to make it right?

We cannot rewind,

   or pretend it didn't happen,

   or hope a "sorry" will stick.

Not just ignore our mess,

   or justify our wrongdoing,

   or kind of apologize,

but make it right

    and add 20 percent to it.

We are forgiven,

but we still need to reconcile,

restore,

and turn the relationship

          rightside up,

   as much as in our power to do.

Not just enough,

     but a little bit more,

knowing that little bit more

   may be a big slice of our pride.

Not just that we receive grace,

     but practice it too.)

O LORD,

Help us to practice grace

   in the hard places of life,

because Your grace

          cost You Your life.

Please empower us

    not just to fess up

                to You,

but grant us Your courage

  to restore what we can

         and add a fifth to it.

Grace always employs

   going beyond the necessary

         to the unexpected.

The object always involves

         relationship.

Heal, O LORD,

    the brokenness,

stop the bleeding out,

redeem what tears us apart.

Bring Your glory

   even to this volatile situation.

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We All Mess Up, But We Don't Have To Dwell There

 

And the priest shall make

    atonement for them,

and they shall be forgiven.

           Leviticus 4. 20

(This same sentence is repeated

seven times in chapters 4 & 5,

underlined as it were,

   in case we don't get it

               first time through.

This is the gospel.

The book of Leviticus shows us

       our need for Jesus.

God provided the means

   to be reconciled with Him,

whether we sin intentionally

       or didn't mean to.

The sacrifice in the Old Testament

was not required to earn His love,

but an expression of repentance,

not just saying "sorry,"

    or even "I messed up,"               

              but "I want You."

Jesus came to make our atonement

   (think "at-one-ment").

We are loved.

We are forgiven.

Forgiveness is the

   deepest expression of love.

God reveals His heart to us.)

O LORD,

You came to earth to

    set our hearts right with You.

Thank You that You love us

           that much.

   Even now.

   Even in how we mess up.

Thank You

    that we are forgiven.

Please help us

           to live differently

    because we are forgiven

--- to forgive others

   as we have been forgiven,

to love others

   as You have loved us.

O LORD,

    align our hearts with Yours.

And let that show

   in how we respond today.

  

Well Aware

 

And rising very early

           in the morning,

   while it was still dark,

He departed and went out

   to a desolate place,

and there He prayed.

                 Mark 1. 35

(How then would we live

  if we started our days

               in prayer?

Not just one more thing to do,

  but that which governs

      everything in our day.

Acknowledging His Presence

    from the very start of the day

brings His freshness and strength

       that alters our trajectory.

Different choices, a new heart,

   realigned vision,

   and pockets full of grace

     for the expected and unexpected.

Every day -- even the "ordinary"

           is profoundly significant.

Prayer makes us aware.)

O LORD,

We come to You at the start

     of this new day You have made.

Grant to us Your strength, wisdom,

      love and grace,

   not just to get through it,

but to bring You glory in the details.

May our deeds, attitudes,

  and responses reveal

          our love for You.

Help us to pray

    and know You change us

    even in the praying.

Not Until the Rearview Mirror

 

So Moses finished the work.

...and the glory of the LORD

      filled the tabernacle.

                 Exodus 40. 33, 35

(Most of the time,

we don't realize

how much our work matters,

     in the every days,

     in the short run,

     and when no one even notices.

We don't see His glory

               all over it

     in our doing

until long after

    we complete our work.

God is not finished with it yet.

He is still filling up His glory

          in what we do.

No work is ever insignificant.

As my grandmother used to say,

        "Never for naught."

We have but to be faithful

and trust Him

   with what He places

         through our windshield.

And only later,

    see what He is up to

    in our rearview mirror.)

O LORD,

Please help us to be faithful

        to You and to our work

that You may bring

         Your glory to it.

Empower us to follow You

   and trust what You are doing

   in our lives

   and in those all around us.

Fill us with Your strength

to point others to Jesus

by how we do our work,

through our words, attitudes,

      and Your grace.

We thank You

  that Your purposes far exceed

  what we can ever imagine.

Your vision stretches

    both before and behind.

Your redemption and glory

      leave a visible imprint.

The Redeeming of Unusual Objects

 

He made the basin of bronze

and its stand of bronze

from the mirrors

      of the ministering women

who ministered at the entrance

of the tent of meeting.

               Exodus 38. 8

(Everyone contributes

    to the worship, witness,

    well-being and with-ness 

      .for God's glory.

What has God placed

                    in my hands

     with which to honor Him?

We all have gifts and giftedness

     to glorify Him.

Do we consider where we stand

      as an opportunity for ministry?

   Or what we hold in our hands

         as means to serve Him?

Nothing insignificant here.

 It is not just how we view it,

         but how God redeems it.

God calls us to be faithful

    in what we see as ordinary

    and experience His wonders in it.

It's all ministry.)

O LORD,

Please help us to see that

    worshiping You

    changes not just how we see,

    or what we say and do,

but remodels our hearts.

We offer to You

   for Your glory and purposes

the things You have given us.

Nothing worthless in Your sight.

You do not just restore

     or re-purpose,

turning mirrors into lampstands.

You redeem.

And that is what

           abides forever.

Even in ways we may

                      never see.

But I Can Do Something

 

Let every skillful craftsman

    among you

come and make all that

   the LORD has commanded...

...every craftsman in whose mind

   the LORD had put skill,

everyone whose heart

   stirred him up to come

to do the work.

         Exodus 35.10, 36.2

(God has wired and equipped

    every one of us for His work,

restoration, and beauty

                   in this world.

How differently would we

  do the work before us

--to even see need 

           or opportunity--

if we had the mind and heart

   to serve the LORD in this?

Ability and attitude.

Willing and able.

I can't do everything,

     but I can do something.)

O LORD,

Help us to see this day

   with a different heart.

To know that

   we worship You

   in all that we do.

Grant to each of us

   the courage, wisdom

   and strength

to honor You today

  with a willing heart,

good attitude,

       and faithfulness.

Everything matters.

Even in what appears

  to us as a small task

is far more significant

in Your Kingdom

    than we can know.

Nothing Random Here

 

And all the people

    among whom you are

shall see the

    work of the LORD,

for it is an awesome thing

that I will do with you.

              Exodus 34. 10

(God has strategically placed us

    right where we are

    and among whom we are.

Nothing random here.

God has given each of us

   an ongoing story as a witness

to ourselves and others

          to reveal Himself.

Not just what He is 

   capable of doing,

             but who He is.

God is not just "using us"

    for His glory and Kingdom,

but working in us and through us

   His steadfast love and grace,

embedded not only

           in the extraordinary

   but in our everyday interactions.

We are so unaware

     of His divine appointments,

     sacred encounters,

     and awesome work through us.

Others are continually watching us,

not to see if our lives are perfect,

or how we respond when it is not,

     but to know that God is real.)

O LORD,

We trust in Your holy name

    not only in what You are doing

    in our situation,

but how You reveal Yourself.

Help us today to tie our hearts

            to Yours,

to be faithful in all we do,

   in what seems ordinary,

   or incredibly difficult,

to walk with You through it

    for Your glory, not ours.

Please help those around us

     to see Your hand today.

May we respond to this situation

     with a heart,

     aligned with Yours.

Shoes Tied On, Double-knotted

 

Blessed is the one

   who listens to Me,

watching daily

          at My gates,

waiting beside My doors.

           Proverbs 8. 34

(Not waiting for marching orders,

or impersonal GPS directions,

or step by step instructions,

    but waiting and watching

                  for Him,

not rushing ahead

                or lagging behind.

Shoes tied on,

    prayer and His Word

    layered in our hearts,

        ready to walk with Him

with great anticipation

      through every moment of this day.

God changes the trajectory

          of our lives

     by transforming our hearts.

He gives us His incredible strength.

He walks us through His wonders,

    even in deepest difficulty.

We are blessed

         by walking with Him.)

O LORD,

We stand in great anticipation

   of all You will reveal to us,

all that You have ready for us,

    when we walk with You.

Help us on this rough trail

    to see Your wonders

    hidden beneath the rocks.

Empower us to

         keep our eyes on You

and worship You

   in whatever You place

          before us today.

Help us to stand watching

                 for You

and be faithful to You

        in all we do.

The Unexpected Way Through

 

You are a hiding place for me,

You preserve me from trouble,

You surround me

    with shouts of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you

    in the way you should go,

I will counsel you

    with My eye upon you.

                 Psalm 32. 7-8

(And when we stand in trouble,

the rocky place, the miry bog,

          and dense fog

   -- which all of us face

      at one time or the next--

God's fundamental response

   of kindness and mercy

              meets us right there.

The hiding place is where

    we are strengthened by Him,

shielded even in the midst.

God reveals His way

    through this difficulty

    step by step,

    strength by strength.

His shouts of deliverance

   may not be the way out of,

but the way through,

calculated to bring us

             --and others--

   closer in knowing Him.

God has a strong hold on us.

He does not just "show up."

We are the ones

                late to the party

in realizing He is here all along,

His hand and steadfast love

  give us courage

            every step of the way.

"Trust Me in this."

Nothing random here.)

O LORD,

Please help us in our weakness.

Infuse us with Your strength.

Even in the hard stuff,

     You are with us.

We stand in the

        circle of Your Presence,

even here,

even in this.

Teach us Your way in this

and know that

Your purposes are unfolding.

And we cannot do this

            without You.

Now Watch This

 

Blessed be the LORD,

for He has wondrously shown

   His steadfast love to me,

when I was in a besieged city.

I said in my alarm,

  "I am cut off from Your sight."

But You heard the voice

   of my pleas for mercy

when I cried to You for help.

             Psalm 31. 21-22

(Despair comes in all kinds

    of packages

    and unexpected situations.

But we are not cut off

   from His sight nor His might.

God hears.  God sees.

          God responds.

God specializes in

   those impossible situations

   when we are hemmed in

         on all sides by distress,

and it doesn't look like

    it is going to end well.

But we are not alone after all.

God brings His strength to us

     and His victory to it

in incredible ways

  when we are faithful to Him.

The ancient Hebrew says,

  "He has made marvelous

      His lovingkindness to me."

And God whispers,

            "Now watch this.")

O LORD,

It feels like we are besieged

       by this situation,

surrounded on all sides.

But the reality is that

   You are the one

    who surrounds us on all sides.

You are our refuge

    and send us forth strengthened.

Help us to turn to You

    and know You are with us.

And to realize

      we cannot do this by ourselves.

We need You.

Grant to us the courage

    to walk with You in this.

Order our thoughts.

Equip our souls.

Align our hearts with Yours.

Cover us by Your shield.

Let not fear

    --real or imagined--

             trip us up.

But to trust You

             even more.

Whose Name is Written on This?

 

You shall make

a plate of pure gold

and engrave on it,

   "Holy is the LORD."

          Exodus 28. 36

(That is what we should

    engrave on our own work,

whatever we do

             and how we do it,

     "Holy to the LORD."

Even now.

Even this.

Our work

      --whatever it is --

is an outpouring of worship

              to the Almighty.

We don't often think that way,

but worship changes everything,

   and it changes us.

Engraving "Holy to the LORD"

   alters not just how we see it,

but how we see God

and how we see ourselves.

Whose name is written on this?)

O LORD,

In whatever is ahead of us today,

    --the beautiful and the difficult--

 help us to see how

     to engrave Your name on it.

Because we desire to bring You honor

      and unfold Your holiness

      even in unexpected places.

Help us to leave Your fingerprints here

    through all we do,

not just in our achievements,

         but for Your glory and beauty.

Every moment,

     even the hard stuff,

              is holy to You.

Well done

 

Well done,

  good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful

   over a little,

I will set you over much.

             Matthew 25. 21, 23

(God does not call us

     to be the best

or the most successful.

He calls us to be faithful

  in whatever He has

  placed before us.

We don't always

    see the fruit from that.

But God multiplies faithfulness

   to a thousand generations.)

O LORD,

What have You entrusted in our care

       on this day?

Please show us how to approach,

          and navigate,

          and invest Your grace into it.

Even when we don't understand,

even in the really hard stuff,

please help us to trust You

                      even more

    as You fit it all together.

And bring Your glory to it.

Empower us to be faithful

in both the familiar

       and the extraordinary.

We adore You.

Healing takes more than an extra large bandaid

 

O LORD my God,

I cried to You for help,

   and You have healed me.

            Psalm 30. 2

( "Help me!" is most basic of prayers

 in any language, circumstances,

     or season of life,

through many dangers, toils and snares.

Crying out to the LORD

   is not just the beginning of healing,

but the start of trusting Him,

  and admitting we need Him

               after all.

In this passage in ancient Hebrew,

the word heal means

to mend, cure, cause to heal,

repair, stitch together,

             and make whole.

God does not just bring us through

    our distresses when we come to Him,

but in His hands, 

   when we trust Him with it,

   the broken parts are healed

         and become even stronger.

God hears every cry of the heart.

And He specializes

     in every kind of ailment,

wound, injury and affliction.

Healing is more than

      just putting a band-aid on it,

but making us whole.

Trust in the slow redeeming

                       work of God.)

O LORD,

How differently we should live

if we started out our days

       asking You to help us,

not just when we are

   stuck in the mud

   or overwhelmed by

      what is staring us in the face.

Please help us.

We need You.

We need You more and more.

Please heal our wounds

         for Your glory

and that we may serve You

   fully and faithfully.

Empower us with Your strength,

   even in the midst of pain,

that we would be a witness

   to others of Your Presence.

We know that You can even use

      our troubles

   to strengthen us in You.

You redeem all things.

Writing His Name on It

 

Ascribe to the LORD

   the glory due His name...

               Psalm 29. 2

(Give God the glory in this situation,

not claiming our own efforts

      or skills or strength or victory.

The word ascribe in Latin means

            to write.

Are we writing His name at the top

           of our day?

 Attributing the outcome to Him

     ---His work, His purposes,

          His glory, not ours?

Even in the hard stuff,

  may we neither neglect what He is doing,

  nor explain Him away,

       but give Him the glory.

Whether it appears like failure

       or a roaring success,

   we can realize His Presence

                   with us.

 Pointing to His glory

 and not our own accomplishments

      is a strong witness to others.

What kind of person lives like that?

     One who walks with Him.)

O LORD,

We don't have big enough vocabularies

     to adequately ascribe 

             honor and glory to You.

May we bring You glory

     even in the every days,

even in the wild successes,

      which may be the same.

You are enthroned as king

             over our lives.

Jesus over everything.

Help us to not claim glory

   in what is rightfully Yours.

The Big Bang

 

...Moses spoke,

and God answered him

              in thunder.

            Exodus 19. 20

(When we come before God,

speaking, praying,

laying our concerns before Him,

God answers in

              unexpected ways.

Sometimes a whisper in the night.

Sometimes when He really needs

    to get our attention,

              with a boom of thunder.

But He always responds to us.

Sometimes 

            with a new answer.

Sometimes

      "walk with Me awhile."

But the point is

   not how He answers,

but have we even considered

           praying to Him about it?

Prayer is our portal to worship

   and to what we do

   the rest of the day.

Keep listening.

God never responds

        with a singular reply

   but with His continual Presence.)

O LORD,

May we dwell with You this week

   and through the noise

   all around us,

        may we hear Your voice.

Guide us into our days.

Order our thoughts.

Re-arrange our hearts.

Unplug our ears

   that we may follow You

             more closely.

Empower us that we would know

      we are seen, heard, helped,

      and fully loved.

Always and forever.

Already in Place

I believe that I should look

upon the goodness of the LORD

    in the land of the living!

Wait for the LORD;

be strong,

and let your heart take courage;

      wait for the LORD!

               Psalm 27. 13-14

(The exclamation points here

are not randomly placed,

  but an expression of zest

  from the poet King David,

a shepherd boy and king

  who knew in real life

        what waiting was all about.

Waiting means the time

            is not ready yet.

Actually we may not be ready yet

   to recognize, acknowledge

   and be grateful for His goodness

which comes in so many

    different shapes and packages

and mostly when we least expect.

Trust in the slow work of God.

And we might find this hard place

    brings about His goodness,

    not just for us

          but for generations to come.)

O LORD,

Just because something is hard

   does not mean that

               You are not in it,

   but deeply involved.

Even when we cannot see

     Your goodness YET,

help us to trust You

         for Your Presence with us.

Let our hearts take courage

    to walk and wait

and know that You are God.

Even in this.

Your goodness is not around the corner,

       but right here with us.

You are good.

You do good.

You do not withhold good.

We just don't recognize it yet,

   but it is unfolding all around us.

 

Not At All What We Expect

 

And he cried to the LORD,

and the LORD showed him 

                     a log,

and he threw it into the water,

    and the water became sweet.

                   Exodus 15. 25

(When we come before the LORD

          with our needs,

are we willing to take His help

   and accept 

   what He puts in our hands?

When we pray,

     God empowers us

     to see all things differently,

new dimensions and possibilities

          even in a barren place.

It is not that we need new doors,

    but to have a new heart in this.

The very act of praying

                          changes us.

"You gave me a log?"

       His glory comes with it.)

O LORD,

You make possible what

    we don't even know to ask.

You don't just give us the tools

      or change the situation,

but You give us Yourself

             and change our hearts.

Help us to trust you more

   and be struck by what

   we cannot see.

                           Yet.

Turn the impossible

       into Your glory today.

Even in what we never see

       or comprehend,

You give us exactly

                what we need.

Open our eyes to Your wonders.

Oh, the Places We'll Go

 

When Pharoah let the people go,

God did not lead them by way

    of the land of the Philistines,

    although that was near.

...But God led the people

around by the way

of the wilderness

            toward the Red Sea.

           Exodus 13. 17-18

("But why, God?

This other way is

      easier and quicker

      and much more obvious."

But God has bigger plans

     than the quickest route.

The place of His glory is rarely

          evident to us.

God leads even us

     in unexpected ways

     to places not on our radar

     and among unlikely people.

Not just for His purposes

         or for His glory,

but that we would trust Him

                     even more.

And as a result,

     Oh, the places He'll take us.)

O LORD,

You go before us

   even right into what appears

          an impossible situation.

But we can trust You in it,

   even in a strange place,

   even into a Red Sea.

You give us dry ground

      where we don't expect it.

We are not alone.

You guide our way.

You change our hearts.

What is the one thing in all this?

Not that we barrel swiftly

      towards an outcome,

but the best part,

what we experience,

walking with You

               on the journey.

What Does This Mean?

 

And when in time to come

your son asks you,

      "What does this mean?"

you shall say to him,

"By a strong hand

the LORD brought us

      out of Egypt,

  from the house of slavery."

           Exodus 13. 14

(God has given each of us

   a chronicle of His faithfulness

and a collection of

     interwoven stories

     of our relationship with Him.

That is our testimony

    and witness among others,

not meant to be hidden away,

    but that the living, indwelling God

    would be seen and known.

Do we seize opportunities

   to tell of the wonders

      and everyday strength

      God has placed in our lives?

How will others know

     they are not alone,

     they are loved, heard, seen,

     and there is a God

        who knows their names too?)

O LORD,

Please help us to live out

     Your grace and love

in our relationships

   and all that we do.

May others know

  we are not "just nice" people,

but our hearts have been

          transformed by You.

Help us to live in such a way

   that others feel compelled

             to ask why.

And that we would look for

         and capture those moments

     to answer

       "what does this mean?"

You have changed

   the trajectory of our lives.