Pouring It Out

Pour out your heart

               like water

before the Presence

      of the LORD.

        Lamentations 2. 19

(Anxiety, worry and stress

   are the outcome

   of holding it in,

 inflating what we cannot control,

 blinding us to what we can do,

and blocking out

         all available light.

God does not just show up.

  He is waiting for us

to come to Him,

drag these distresses

             to the altar,

and show us His way

   through the darkness.)

O LORD,

Please change our triggers

  from anguish, anger

                  and despair,

to turning to You instead.

Grant us Your strength

  to lift that seething kettle

and pour out our concerns

           to You.

You never intended us

    to carry them.

May Your glory

  evaporate all our fears.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

And The Strength To Do It

...so that those

who have believed in God

may be careful

to devote themselves

     to good works.

          Titus 3. 8

(Good works are anything

we undertake to do,

to bring goodness

     even to a mess,

to be selfless

     in times of need,

to be thoughtful,

    attentive and kind.

Good works show

  what transformed hearts

  look like on the outside.

Even unbelievers expect us

  to act differently

  and with grace.

Others constantly watch

  to see if God is real.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just see

  the gaps and brokenness

  and the mess

but be devoted to You in it.

Help us to be careful

   to listen to You,

   respond,

and be a strong witness

   in times of need.

Strengthen us

          with fresh hearts

to love others

     right to You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

Unusual, Unlikely And Unexpected

 

They called to the LORD,

and He answered them.

In the pillar of the cloud,

  He spoke to them.

           Psalm 98. 6-7

(God always responds

   when we call to Him,

sometimes in the most

  unusual, unlikely

  and unexpected ways.

The question is not

    is God listening?

but are we responding

     to Him?

He leads us in ways

    we haven't considered.

He provides the wisdom

           and strength

   to follow Him

   on His higher way.)

O LORD,

We come to You.

We call to You.

Help us to listen

          and respond

to Your ways in this.

Align our hearts with Yours.

Not just to get an answer,

   but to know You more.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

A Big Pink Eraser

 

Ascribe to the LORD

  the glory due His name...

          Psalm 96. 8

(It is not just that we should

     give God the credit

  (for what He has done

                      anyway),

but give Him the glory.

We don't need to write

       His name on it,

but erase ours.)

O LORD,

Forgive us for taking the credit

   for what You have done,

the wondrous and marvelous

  workings of Your hand.

Forgive us for calling

  these things coincidence,

  or luck,

  or claiming ownership

           for ourselves.

May we write Your name

  at the top of the paper

  and the top of the day

and live differently

              as a result.

For Your Kingdom.

For Your glory.

In Your name.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Inseparable Link

 

They profess to know God,

but they deny Him

           by their deeds.

            Titus 1. 16

(That which is evident to all

     --even unbelievers--

is the inseparable link

between faith and practice,

   belief and behavior.

Our witness is grounded in

practices, patterns,

whether we respond

           or react,

faithful in our deeds,

   and kindness in our words.

What different choices

    do we make?)

O LORD,

May we not just

    be mindful of You,

but bear the mind of Christ

in whatever we face today,

with whomever we are,

wherever You lead us,

and how we do our work.

Help us to make choices

that both honor You

and reveal Your grace.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Hard Places And The Splendid

 

But afterward

     I will restore...

      Jeremiah 49. 6

(Whatever the struggle,

God does not abandon us.

God is not just

  bringing us through something,

never "teaching us a lesson"

    like a punishing dictator,

but drawing us in love

           closer to Him.

Instead of asking why,

  "what is God forming in me

   through this situation?"

God does not return us

  to our original condition.

We cannot help but be changed,

restored, refreshed, renewed,

repaired, redeemed,

and returned, yet not 

    to the same starting point.

 But strengthened.

He does not just make

       the broken new,

but also the familiar

    and the ordinary.)

O LORD,

Thank You that

  You walk right with us

through the hard places

      and the splendid.

Revive our hearts

  to see circumstances

          with new eyes.

Surround us with

   Your steadfast love.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Strengthens Us Instead

 

If the LORD

  had not been my help,

my soul would soon have

lived in the land of silence.

When I thought,

     "My foot slips,"

Your steadfast love,

             O LORD,

      held me up.

When the cares of my heart

                 are many,

Your consolations

          cheer my soul.

                Psalm 94. 17-19

(May we not even think about

   doing this on our own.

And certainly not leave home

        without Him.

Different journey.

   Different outcome.

          Every time.

"Hold My hand in this,"

            God whispers.

"You are not alone.

      I am walking with you.

I will bring help

  from unexpected sources."

What threatens to bring us down,

   strengthens us instead.)

O LORD,

You do not just show up.

   You are already here,

   waiting for us.

May this situation

  form a deeper trust in You.

Help us to hold tight,

     listen and respond,

not just to see another path

   through this miry bog,

but see You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Deep Pockets

 

And the Lord's servant

  must not be quarrelsome,

but kind to everyone...

            2 Timothy 2. 24

(One of our strongest witnesses

   is how we treat others

   and whether we react

   or respond

         to circumstances,

   both difficult or favorable.

In the inconvenient, uncomfortable,

              and difficult,

   it is evident to all

         Whose we are.

We respond differently

   -- we CAN respond differently--

   as a believer,

marked

   by gentleness and grace,

not a natural response,

   but a supernatural one.

We have been changed.)

O LORD,

Help us to reflect Your grace

by being extraordinarily kind

   in unlikely circumstances,

   unexpected situations,

   and volatile relationships.

May we not be seen

    as simply nice people,

but transformed by Your love.

Use this situation

   as a powerful witness

to draw others to You.

Grant to us

    deep pockets of kindness.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Fear Just Deflates Our Tires

 

...for God gave us a spirit

               not of fear,

but of power and love

   and self control.

           2 Timothy 1.7

(God does not say

   there is nothing scary,

but "Do not fear.

             I am with you."

What if there was

  no reason to be afraid?

How differently

   would we approach it?

How differently

   would we trust Him in it?

Worry does not solve anything.

Fear just deflates

            all our tires.)

O LORD,

Run with us into this day.

Help us to see Your way

     through it

and come to know You more,

   right in the fray.

Fulfill Your purposes

and grant to us the courage

  that is rooted in You.

Bring Your glory

   into impossible places.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Because Trusting Does That

 

For I will surely save you,

and you shall not fall

          by the sword,

but you shall have your life

    as a prize of war,

because you have

  put your trust in Me,

 declares the LORD.

           Jeremiah 39. 18

(When we put our trust in God,

not in our own abilities

        or achievements,

nor favorable circumstances,

nor luck

  or another object of worship,

         everything changes.

Trusting God,

listening to Him,

   responding to Him,

does not just lead to

     a new door opening

     nor another path revealed,

but to Him.

We see everything differently.

Trusting Him does that.)

O LORD,

Please transform our wondering

  of why is this happening?

into a reflection of

  what are You forming in me

  through this?

Help us to trust You more,

even in what 

         we don't understand,

because You are

  right here with us.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Wearing A New Wardrobe

 

Pursue righteousness,

godliness, faith, love, 

steadfastness, gentleness.

           1 Timothy 6. 11

(Nothing more powerful

   to bring into this day,

impossible situations,

or volatile relationships.

How we approach and navigate

  changes the course

  of our lives and others.

What if these six pursuits

    were our responses

    to difficulty instead?)

O LORD,

We pray that You will engrave

  these pursuits in our hearts.

Please change our intents,

   our triggers,

   deeds and words,

and what we wear into this day.

May we bring honor

           to Your name

in how we respond today.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

God Does Not Show Up

 

Call to Me

  and I will answer you,

and will tell you

great and hidden things

that you have not known.

         Jeremiah 33.3

(Have we even considered

asking the LORD about this?

What is unknown to us

  is not unknown to Him.

When we call upon Him,

not with an open mind,

    but an open heart,

God reveals Himself.

   Ask, listen, watch.

God does not show up.

   He is already here.)

O LORD,

Reveal not just the answers,

   the solutions,

   a pathway,

   or even send a rescue helicopter,

but soften our hearts that

   we would come to You,

lay out our concerns

           and joys

before You,

not just listening

     but responding.

And We Don't Have To Be

 

And you shall be My people,

and I will be your God.

        Jeremiah 30. 22

(Know who we are.

 Know Whose we are.

      And live that way.

When we follow God,

 committed to Him,

what steps do we take,

what direction to pursue,

how differently do we live

  and how does that look?

Not without hard places,

  but His strength to endure.

Not without adversaries,

  but a heart to love them.

Not hinged on circumstances,

   but bearing His joy

         in the everydays

     and even the storms,

We are loved.

We are not alone in this.

God is our God,

and we don't have to be.)

O LORD,

Guide us in Your ways today

that we would be seen

       as Your people,

strategically positioned

to sow Your love and grace

   in unexpected places,

to bear Your fruit

   in every good endeavor,

to treat others with mercy,

and to witness

      Your glory here.

Even in this.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

A Party Going On

 

...and as the bridegroom

rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God

   rejoice over you.

         Isaiah 62. 5

(God rejoices in us.

He sings songs of delight

           over us.

He loves us

               that much.)

O LORD,

Knowing You

is not a belief system,

a religion,

even a worldview,

but a lasting

    and eternal relationship.

Thank You for loving us.

We adore You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Even Here

 

But seek the welfare

of the city

   where I have sent you

   into exile,

and pray to the LORD

         on its behalf,

for in its welfare

you will find your welfare.

         Jeremiah 29. 7

(Because when we are faithful

      in unlikely places,

God surprises us

with what we never see coming.

God redeems in incredible 

       and impossible ways.

May we seek peace, completeness,

   relationships and healing

right where God has planted us,

even in this particular desert

    or extenuating storm.

Nothing random about it at all,

but a sheer opportunity

to bring God's light and glory

to a dark and broken place.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your Word

that helps and empowers us

to see this city or situation

with a radically changed heart.

Show us Your way into it

and reveal to us

how to navigate differently

because we love You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Whatever Lies Before Me

 

As for you,

 brothers and sisters,

do not grow weary

        in doing good.

 2 Thessalonians 3. 13

(When we are doing something

      we are passionate about,

there are not enough hours

                 in the day.

When we are doing good,

    there is never a lack.

What if

    instead of growing weary,

we brought a new heart to it?

What if

    it energized us instead?)

O LORD,

We pray for a joyful heart

   in whatever lies before us,

knowing that it is not just

    what we do,

    but how we do it

        that brings You glory.

May the work of our hands

   and rightly ordered hearts

bear a strong witness today.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Saying Something Now

 

...do not hold back a word.

It may be that

     they will listen....

         Jeremiah 26. 2-3

(Our reluctance

    for whatever reason

of speaking of the Lord

             and His Word

  impoverishes the earth.

We claim that 

   others are not interested,

   would be offended,

or will not listen or respond

                      anyway,

        but they do hear us.

God plants a forest

        with tiny seeds.

Others are just waiting

  for us to say something.)

O LORD,

May we listen

   and respond to You.

Show us how

  to sow Your Word

            into this situation

and sew Your Word

   into these conversations.

You have placed us

   in this strategic time

   and carefully designed space

   for such a time as this.

Bring forth Your fruit

    even decades from now

    for Your glory.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Swapping Out Our Triggers

 

But we ought always

to give thanks to God

              for you....

        2 Thessalonians 2. 13

(This challenge or encouragement

       or dare

does not come with exemptions,

like if we like someone or not,

      or only if they are nice to us.

But exhorts us to give thanks,

approaching a relationship

with new eyes and a fresh heart.

How differently would we respond

                  to them?

Because God knows

  that criticism and animosity

       lead us to a dark hole.

But thankfulness

  changes our hearts

  toward others

and more often than not,

        changes them too.)

O LORD,

Please swap out our triggers

to treat others with grace

   instead of pride.

Align our hearts with Yours

   that we may see others

   with a loving spirit.

And to take the high road

  by always giving

            thanks to You

for the souls

You have placed on our paths.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Is not this

    to know Me?

declares the LORD.

     Jeremiah 22. 16

(No matter the experience,

the hard situation

          or the good,

what we understand or not,

wherever, whenever,

   whatever, or however,

we can set our minds

   and hearts 

   on knowing Him more.

Every step along the way

  --even one step forward

    or two steps back --

God is drawing us

       closer to Himself.)

O LORD,

Even in the unexpected

             and unlikely,

You redeem in ways

  that we can know You more.

We can approach and

     navigate differently

because You are with us.

Nothing random here,

    only the profound.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

Every Moment Holy

 

....and proclaim there

the words that I tell you.

            Jeremiah 19. 2

(Every opportunity.

Every moment holy.

Sometimes the most unlikely

and unusual places, times,

  or people we encounter.

Someone is watching.

Someone is listening.

Someone we least suspect

  is desperate for the gospel.

Bring the name of Jesus.

Even here.

Even now.

God has strategically

   placed us for His glory.)

O LORD,

Make us aware

not just for opportune moments

to point others

   and love them to You,

but to look for those

   divine appointments.

Help us to bring Your gospel

  in everyday matters and

  even in volatile moments.

Enlarge our vocabulary

  to speak of You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Even In Drought

 

Blessed is the man

who trusts in the LORD,

whose trust is the LORD.

He is like a tree

         planted by water

that sends out its roots

         by the stream,

and does not fear

   when heat comes,

for its leaves remain green,

and is not anxious

    in the year of drought,

for it does not cease

              to bear fruit.

         Jeremiah 17. 7-8

(No reason to fear,

no abyss of anxiety,

because we

       don't have to carry that.

God is sustaining us.

Trust Me in this.

He is the one

         who bears us up

and brings about the fruit

that endures

   long after our lifetimes.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You

  even in drought.

Even in whatever

     we are going through.

Bring Your fruit through it

and Your glory all over it.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Can't Get Enough

 

Your words were found

   and I ate them,

and Your words

   became to me a joy

and the delight of my heart,

for I am called by Your name.

  O LORD, God of hosts.

             Jeremiah 15. 16

(These words are not just

    the words of people,

but the very words of God.

Do we treat scripture

               like that,

  as God's word to us,

   His strength within?

God changes not just

  our hearts and minds

  through His Word.

He changes our appetite.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize

that You reveal Yourself

   through Your Word.

You give us strength

   and hope through it.

You nourish and sustain us.

You alter significantly

      what we desire,

      what we seek,

      and what we pursue.

We can't get enough of You.

And through it,

You radically change

     the course of our lives.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Definition of Anxiety

 

They did not remember His power,

or the day when He

redeemed them from the foe.

                Psalm 78. 42

(Definition of anxiety:

    forgetting or ignoring

    that we are not alone.

Be not afraid.

        I am with you.

When we cry out,

"God, I can't do this,"

    He replies, "Good.

    Because I can."

We have short-term

              memory loss.

But God covers us with

   His long-term faithfulness

   and steadfast love.

Trust Me in this.)

O LORD,

Please remind us that

we are not in control,

nor need be,

    because You are.

You are God in three persons

and we are not one of them.

Freshen our vision

by helping us remember

our very own chronicle of

   Your faithfulness.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

God Does Not Hand Out Road Maps

 

Thus says the LORD,

Stand by the roads and look,

and ask for the ancient paths,

where the good way is,

     and walk in it,

and find rest for your souls.

         Jeremiah 6. 16

(We  don't have to forge

    our own road in this situation,

    this impenetrable forest,

    this impossible day,

but just ask the Father:

  What is Your way in this?

God may show

    an untried way through

or even redirect us.

God does not hand out

      roadmaps

--figure this out on your own--

or print out marching orders,

but reveals Himself to us

   in a milliondy ways.

Did you consider

    asking Me about this?)

O LORD,

Help us first thing

not to lay our agenda

               before You,

but stand in Your Presence

as You lay Your day

               before us.

May we not just

  come before You,

but walk with You

       step by step.

  

Navigational Tools

 

...so walk in a manner

     worthy of the Lord,

fully pleasing to Him,

bearing fruit

     in every good work,

and increasing

     in the knowledge of God.

          Colossians 1. 10

(To set this passage

before us at the dawning

   of a new day,

radically changes the course,

not just of these hours,

but the very trajectory

        of our lives.

Not just grasping a wavering attitude,

     but ingraining a mindset.

To walk, to please, to bear, to know,

   all seamlessly interconnected,

   all life-changing.)

O LORD,

May we catch a glimpse

of what walking with You

      looks like.

Synchronize our thoughts

         with Yours.

Help us to navigate

           a different path

to bring You glory.

         

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Find SOMETHING

Whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence,

if there is anything

          worthy of praise,

think about those things.

            Philippians 4. 8

(Dig deeper,

look for them,

seek it out,

find something or anything,

not just to think about,

   but on which to dwell.

The Greek word whatever

    means exactly that:

as many as or as few,

how much, how little,

as great as, as small as,

whether in someone

          else's behavior,

          reaction,

          or attitude,

                   or our own.

On what we dwell

  shapes our responses

and our witness

           to the world.)

O LORD,

Be it chaos or storm,

ineptitude or attitude,

may we pursue

 the mind, grace and

               love of Christ.

Help us not just to see

  with a different heart,

but approach, navigate

  respond and dwell.

Empower us

  to be different

 even in slim pickings

and merciful to both

ourselves and others.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

Fill in the Blank

 

But the LORD said to me,

"Do not say,

  'I am only a youth,'

For to all to whom I send you,

        you shall go,

and whatever I command you

        you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you

        to deliver you."

        Jeremiah 1. 7

(Do not say,

     "I am only a (fill in the blank.)"

No matter how skilled or unskilled,

no matter a small task or important,

no matter our job, position or title,

no matter a casual kind word

         or a corporate presentation,

first place, last, or lost in the middle,

we are being used powerfully

                by the Almighty

                for His glory

  in far more ways

  than we can even imagine.

We are seen, heard and sent.)

O LORD,

Please help us to be faithful

wherever we are,

in whatever we are doing,

to go into a scary place,

    or to stay in the familiar,

to follow You right into it.

It is not in us,

           but Christ.

And that makes

   all the difference.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Capturing Our Attention

 

But this is the one

   to whom I will look:

he who is humble

and contrite in spirit

and trembles at My Word.

         Isaiah 66. 2

(When we seek, listen,

   and respond to Him,

are sensitive to His leading

  and trusting Him in it,

revere and stand in awe

          of His Word,

God changes us

through those daily pursuits

  and intentional choices.

We are not capturing His attention,

    but He is capturing ours.

And nothing remains the same.)

O LORD,

In whatever we face today,

please align our hearts

              with Yours.

Capture our attention.

Help us to respond

        differently

because we choose

   to walk with You.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

Let Me Carry That For You

 

But when I thought

how to understand this,

it seemed to me

     a wearisome task,

until I went

into the sanctuary of God...

           Psalm 73. 16-17

(We are not going to

       understand all things,

because we are not God,

but we can trust Him in it.

Wearisome in the Hebrew means

    what is heavy and laborious,

that which is too much

   for us to handle on our own.

God invites us

    to come before Him,

even to drag those mysteries

    and boulders

    up to the altar,

to seek Him

and not just a reason.

Let Me carry that for you.)

O LORD,

It is in the heavy

  unexplainable stuff

that we come to realize

that You are God

    and we are not.

Help us to leave

  our weariness with You

and know You more.

And to trust You

in what You are forming in us

for Your goodness and glory.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

And Others With Us Along The Way

 

...Who led them

   through the depths.

          Isaiah 63. 13

(No matter the wilderness,

or desert,

or the miry bog of the soul,

God does not leave us there.

   He leads us through.

In going through the hard stuff,

   we learn to trust Him more.

It is not just making it to the outcome

   or even getting to the other side,

but how God sustains us

every step of the journey

  and what we see along the way.

He does not intend

   for us to dwell there or on it.

He takes us to a

  deeper place in Him

and brings others with us.)

O LORD,

Lead us through the depths

and make us aware

of Your wonders

      all around us.

Help us to trust You

 and see Your goodness

in unexpected places.

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

What If I Didn't Complain About This

 

Do all things

without grumbling or questioning,

that you may be blameless

   and innocent children of God

without blemish in the midst

of a crooked and

         twisted generation,

among whom you shine

as lights in the world,

holding fast to

    the word of life....

        Philippians 2. 14-16

(Things are so dark and broken

  in this world

that even not complaining

     is a strong witness.

Others are watching us,

not to see if our lives are perfect,

but how we respond

         when it isn't.

The word all

    means exactly that.

Not that we are impervious

     to the hard stuff,

but we walk differently in it.

Grumbling never makes it better,

but does not trust

        in the goodness of God,

even in what we don't understand.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize that

   what we dwell on

is manifest in how we speak

       and how we respond.

Make us a clear witness

   to point others

           to Your light.

May we respond differently

because we are not carrying

  boulders of grumbling

  and complaining.

Shine through us, we pray.

What Looks Different

 

Have this mind

   among yourselves,

which is yours

            in Christ Jesus.

           Philippians 2. 5

(The mind of Christ

  does not come

  as a side benefit

      to our salvation.

It is the one thing,

  not an auxiliary,

  nor an extra attachment.

The mind of Christ

and all that results from it

is not something to bring along,

    but to put on.

And not leave home without it.

Our mind controls

  everything about us,

not just what we do and say,

but how we respond,

how we see circumstances

    and treat people.

If we put on the mind of Christ

    in this particular situation,

           what looks different?

What is different?

Everything.)

O LORD,

Infiltrate the neurons

    in our minds

and every fiber of our hearts

that no matter

      what we face today

that we would magnify

  Your gospel

in the difficult,

the familiar,

and the unexpected.

Help us to respond

   with Your mind in this.