And Every Moment Inbetween

 

From the rising of the sun

       to its setting,

the name of the LORD

   is to be praised.

           Psalm 113.3

(The bookends of our days

and every moment

            in between.

There is not a day

 that God does not reveal

        His Presence.

May we be aware

           of exalting Him

throughout the day

and thanking Him

         every night

before we sleep.)

O LORD,

From the moment we wake up

to the last vestiges of the day,

      You are here with us.

Help us to not just be

            aware of You,

not just mindful,

  but having the mind of Christ

in whatever we face today.

The sunrise and sunset

            are glorious,

                   as are You.

May we worship You with awe

    all the day long

in everything we do and say

          and think today.

Healing, blessing, or stored up ammunition?

 

Strive for peace

  with everyone....

        Hebrews 12. 14

(The perfect gift

     for the holidays.

And sometimes

            the hardest.

But peace

   doesn't just happen.

In the Greek,

strive means to pursue,

to run swiftly, press on,

whatever it takes,

to run after, to follow after

   --not a passive verb at all.

Everyone means everyone,

    no exclusions

as much as it is up to us.

What does that take

    in this situation,

    in this relationship,

        as a believer?

It doesn't just happen.

What are we bringing

       to the table?

Healing, blessing,

or stored-up ammunition?)

O LORD,

Forgive us for bad attitudes

and hearts that

  are not aligned with Yours.

Saturate us with Your peace

  that we would not just

  have the band-width

         to bring peace here,

but strive with

        love and intention.

Show us Your way

  to change the conversation

with unexpected grace.

The Crowd On The Side Of The Road

 

Therefore,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud

               of witnesses,

...let us run with endurance

the race that is set before us,

         looking to Jesus...

           Hebrews 12. 1-2

(No matter what we are doing

      or not doing,

whether we are aware or not,

others are

     constantly watching us,

not to see if we are perfect

   but how we respond

   when life is not.

They desperately want to know

   if this God of ours is real.

And if our eyes are on Jesus,

          that shows.)

O LORD,

Help us to keep our eyes on You

and our hearts aligned

                    with Yours

that we would know and see

   the difference You have made

and that evidence is obvious

   to everyone around us,

believers, seekers,

             and even to us.

May we be faithful

  to what You have set

            before us

and to run it with joy

 and endurance.

The What If And The What Is

 

He considered

that God was able...

      Hebrews 11.19

(Have we considered

not just the what if,

but the what is?

The reality that

      God is able.

That completely changes

how we look at situations,

not that our own ideas

  and wishes take place,

but knowing 

--not just hoping--

   that God is using this.

God is able

and is doing far more

than we can imagine.)

O LORD,

Please help us

to not just be mindful of You,

but have the

    mind of Christ in this day,

in this situation,

  even in this mess.

Stop us in our tracks

that we would first consider

not if we can do this,

but how You are working,

   

On That We Can Stake Our Lives

 

Now faith is the assurance

of things hoped for,

the conviction of things

      not seen.

       Hebrews 11.1

(Faith is not a world view,

nor creed,

nor religion,

but confident trust

     in the Almighty God,

a strong conviction

on which to stake our lives.

There are things in view,

   things that we can know,

but so much more

than we can ever comprehend.

When we trust in God,

we are not dependent

    on wavering circumstances,

but confident that

God is in them with us.

We have just to

           be faithful.

We don't have to know

the meaning, purpose,

      or outcome,

because He does.

God never works

   in singular results.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You more,

not impervious to

           circumstances,

but responsive to You,

    no matter if we

     understand or not,

because we can never

   capture the eternity

embedded in them.

May we be guided

not by our faith,

but led by You

   into Your designs,

divine appointments,

and sacred encounters.

We may not be able

    to see in the dark,

but are assured that

        You are with us.

On that we can 

    stake our lives.

GOD in Capital Letters

 

Then they will know

that I am the LORD.

      Ezekiel 26.6

(This phrase,

this truth,

this promise

is repeated 68 times

  in the book of Ezekiel.

Whatever in scripture

   that is repeated

is not a typographical

               mistake,

but God's way of

putting it in bold print

   and all capital letters.

GET THIS!

And it is not just aimed

   at another person.

What does it take for

     us to realize that

the LORD is God,

      and we are not?

How are we seeking

  to know Him more?

And what does it take

   for us to respond?)

O LORD,

You are God Almighty.

Help us to not just

  see You in this day,

but to know You more.

You are already here

        with us.

And that changes our day

 and strengthens our hearts

in immeasurable ways.

Help us

      to realize that truth.

Pray All Over Them

 

In return for my love

     they accuse me,

but I give myself

              to prayer.

          Psalm 109.4

(Do the unexpected:

       pray for them instead.

Praying is not just

          how to respond

   in the volatile or hurtful,

but praying protects us

      in the midst of assaults

and shows us

  how to handle adversaries.

Love them to death.

Pray all over them.

May our prayers be triggered

    when we are attacked.

They can't touch us

  when we pray in return.)

O LORD,

I have never thought of

   praying as a shield over us

nor as a strength to

       block what seeks

       to bring us down.

Instead of fighting back,

  rouse up in us

  the power of prayer.

May praying be our first response

   and strongest defense.

Put On Your Thinking Cap

 

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. 24-25

(The word consider comes from

the Old French meaning examine

or in the Greek, 

      to fix one's eyes upon.

As a daily challenge,

put on your thinking cap

for how can we personally

   stir up love in this situation

and bring good works

    into these circumstances.

It doesn't just happen.

Coming together is 

   not an option,

   but a source of strength

and covers all of us with

   a little more courage.)

O LORD,

Please help us to consider,

to think about, pray about,

   and respond to 

how we can approach this day

           differently.

Help us to not just

   think about ourselves,

but what we can intentionally

       bring to the table

for the well-being

       and nurturing of all.

Make us aware of opportunities

to give a little more courage

     to those around us,

simple words that change

the course of a day

    or trajectory of a life.

His Victory In Measurable Means

 

With God

we shall do valiantly.

It is He

who will tread down

             our foes.

         Psalm 108.13

(In the Psalms,

our foes or adversaries

are anything we fear,

  both real and imagined.

The Almighty God

  is distinguished

by what He does,

by who He is,

and by how He loves us

  through the difficulties.

We were never meant

      to face them alone.

When we walk with God,

  He brings the victory

  in a million different

          and unexpected ways.

Anxiety, worry, stress,

  and despair

  are not modern constructions,

but what results from

  trying to live and measure up

              without God.

That is why this verse begins

           With God.)

O LORD,

Help us to not just see

  this situation with different eyes,

but to realize You are here.

Let Your strength

    pour over

    and evaporate our fears.

Show us a new way in this

    not just how to deal with it,

but to know You more.

Reveal to us Your strength.

Bring to this struggle

    in some impossible way

             Your glory.

Impossible Is Not In God's Dictionary

 

For He shatters

   the doors of bronze

and cuts in two

   the bars of iron.

...He turns a desert

   into pools of water,

a parched land

   into springs of water.

            Psalm 107. 16, 35

(God specializes

   in impossible situations,

even these crazy ones

     we are facing today.

If they were not difficult,

   if we took care of them

   with one hand tied

          behind our back,

    would we even seek Him?

Would we give Him the credit?

Sometimes God unlocks a door.

Sometimes He airlifts us

             out of the swamp.

Sometimes He gives us new shoes

                or a new heart.

Sometimes God provides a path

  through an impenetrable forest,

a way impossible to see

  and pass through without Him.)

O LORD,

Give us x-ray vision

that we would see past

   the bars and locked doors.

Help us to see in the dark.

Guide us through the desert

  right to a source of water.

And know it is from You.

No matter our circumstances,

  help us to trust You in this.

Bring about Your glory here

  in our very own impossible

        location.

You have placed us here

           strategically

to write Your name over it.

No matter what happens,

       Your glory.

Not Just An Ordinary Day

...and keep My sabbaths holy

that they may be a sign

  between Me and you,

that you may know

that I am the LORD your God.

           Ezekiel 20. 20

(Sunday is not just about

       attending church

   or going to Target,

but recognizing that time

     as a sacred retreat,

not an ordinary day at all

     filled with ordinary things.

We would be embarrassed to

  realize with what we replace

  our opportunity to worship.

It is time to rest in Him,

  to be renewed, refreshed,

  and remember who God is.

Worshiping God changes us

   in unfathomable ways.

We approach and navigate

   the new week ahead

   differently

         because we worship.

And the trajectory of our lives

  is altered more than we know.)

O LORD,

It is not whether we have

           time to worship You,

but we cannot

               afford not to.

You are the LORD

            our God.

Everyone worships something.

May we worship You

   not just at our convenience,

but in life-altering ways.

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It Should Look Very Different

 

If a man is righteous

and does what is

  just and right....

         Ezekiel 18. 5

(As believers

and followers of Jesus,

our lives should look

 exceptional in what

            we choose,

a fresh and different heart,

a deeper strength,

an unusual joy,

an incredible blessing

  to everyone around us,

responsive to need,

gracious in

    volatile situations,

loving even those

   who do not love us.

It is not that circumstances

  will be different,

for we live in a broken world,

  but how we handle them,

how we approach and

how we navigate

        the journey through,

because we walk

              with Him.

It is not I,

      but Christ in me.)

O LORD,

Grant to us the courage

  to do what is good and right.

Help us this very day,

in the mess we are in,

in trouble, toil and snare,

to live distinctively

         as believers.

Please change our hearts

that we would bring

  unexpected grace

      and restoration to this.

And crack open the door

   for Your glory

   all over it.

Please empower us

   to live differently

      and in Your name

to point others to You.

Reveal what is extraordinary

                 in this day

   even in the ordinary.

Finding Help in Time of Need

 

Let us then with confidence

draw near to the

          throne of grace,

that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help

      in time of need.

       Hebrews 4. 16

(When we draw near to Jesus

and personally realize

     the grace that is there,

it does not just help

  ourselves in desperate times,

but opens up and unfolds

unfathomable resources,

bottomless reserves,

and awareness

         to help others.

We find grace to help

  in any kind of need.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your mercy

    upon us

that we can know how to respond

   to those around us

who need Your grace too.

You do not just re-supply us

  but enlarge the scope

 of Your ministry through us.

Draw us near.

You are who we need.

Making the Dry Tree Flourish

 

...and make the dry tree

        flourish.

         Ezekiel 17. 24

(We all go through seasons

          of drought,

but these are not just

   times of dead and dread.

Even then,

God's hand is upon us,

God is redeeming

      the hard stuff.

God makes even the

  most unlikely and unexpected

  to bear fruit.

He is deepening our roots

  in preparation

  for the fruit to come.

We can never fully realize

    how God is using us,

       first person present tense.

God is transforming

             the landscape.

What we are going through,

    how we are growing,

how we respond,

  is a witness to others,

encouragement to the saints,

and a testimony of His grace.)

O LORD,

Help us to trust You

     in the dry seasons,

knowing that in even the

      hard stuff

      and barren fields,

You are profoundly

   working, nurturing

and bringing Your glory

   in impossible places.

Even in our hearts.

Dry Ground and His Glory

He rebuked the Red Sea,

and it became dry,

and He led them

through the deep

   as though a desert.

So He saved them

         from the foe

and redeemed them

from the power of the enemy.

            Psalm 106. 9-10

(What impossible Red Sea

    are we facing

or see coming up the highway?

When we seek God

         and trust Him in it,

He reveals stepping stones

-- how to approach it

   and how to navigate it--

      in unexpected ways,

step by step,

sometimes day by day,

not just an answer

   but an assurance

   of His Presence with us.

If it weren't impossible,

  would we seek Him in it?

He knows what we are

             going through,

because He is

      right here with us.

What does trusting Him

        make possible?)

O LORD,

Guide us, we pray,

   not just in Your way,

but closer to You.

This Red Sea

    is not a surprise to You,

nor the way through.

Bring Your glory

       to this situation.

And like the incident

           of the Red Sea,

may these circumstances

  stand as a testimony

to us

 and generations to come

that we can trust You too.

 

In Their Sight

 

In their sight...

for I have made you

a sign

  for the house of Israel.

       Ezekiel 12. 6

(God has strategically placed us.

In their sight

   is repeated six times

   in this passage.

Others are watching us

  continually to see

if our relationship with God

  creates a different

     response in us

and if we actually live out

         our faith.

Move freely among them

as a witness and testimony

    of the living God.)

O LORD,

Speak through our words

   and deeds

to those who do not

       know You.

Help us to walk continually

  with You

even in awkward situations

 ans volatile spaces

to bring You glory

and point others to You.

What Am I Doing Here?

 

...He had sent a man

           ahead of them,

Joseph,

who was sold as a slave.

          Psalm 105.17

(God had far deeper purposes

         already embedded.

God did not abandon Joseph.

He designated him

  in that strategic place

                    and time

for the goodness

  and welfare of many.

Just as God has placed

      each one of us

      in this very day,

even in the strangest

  of circumstances.

We may be there

    to prepare the way

    for others.

But God always

      prepares our way.)

O LORD,

Thank You for the story

and faithfulness of Joseph

to encourage us

   to stay steadfast,

no matter

       the circumstances.

You go before us.

You dwell within us.

You show us

         a better way

  through whatever

  we face today.

And give us

    Your strength.

            

Can you hear Me now?

 

And he said to me,

"Arise,

go out into the valley,

and there I will

          speak with you."

        Ezekiel 3. 22

(When we respond to God

  and follow Him

  into the unexpected,

  among the unlikely,

  into the familiar, unknown

             or unusual,

God speaks to us

     in amazing ways.

"Can you hear Me now?"

It is not that we give Him

     margin to speak,

but leeway for ourselves

            to listen.

It is not a one-way conversation.

But, "There I will speak with you.")

O LORD,

What incredible things we miss

   because we have not

   made space to listen to You.

And even more,

  missing a deeper relationship

           with You.

You open our eyes

                and our hearts

to what is really

            before us.

And Your Presence with us.

You reveal to us

  not just a way through,

but align our hearts

          with Yours in this.

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Writing It Down

 

In the thirtieth year

    in the fourth month,

on the fifth day of the month,

as I was among the exiles

     by the Chebar canal....

              Ezekiel 1. 1

(There are no ordinary days,

whether the one before us now

  or the ancient ones.

To be exact,

   this chronicle was written

   in the summer of 593 BC.

The specificity of time and place

  establishes the accuracy

               of the scriptures,

bearing none of the marks 

    of legend or hearsay.

God cares about real places,

   real people,

   and very real situations.

Including ourselves.)

O LORD,

Thank You for the faithfulness

   of the saints who have

   gone before us,

who were faithful to You

  even in messy circumstances,

and left behind a written record

  of Your mighty hand on them.

Help us to be such a witness

  to those who are yet unborn

and to all those

     who surround us now

that they would know that

   You are the LORD.

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The Fine Art of Restoration

 

Restore us to Yourself,

               O LORD,

that we may be restored.

          Lamentations 5.21

(The point of restoration

is recognizing that

God is who we desire,

           after all.

Restoring is not going back

  but going forth refreshed,

  repaired, renewed,

  and redeemed.

We can walk into this day

         differently.

We return to a familiar point,

               but changed,

  turning about and

  seeing it for the very first time.

We want something new.

God says,

     "Let's try this again."

He does not bring us

   necessarily to a new place,

but God brings us

              to Himself.)

O LORD,

We look to so many things

  to provide

  what only You can give.

Restore our first love

           for You.

You make all things new,

   even our hearts in this.

Help us to not just

       see You in this situation,

but walk renewed with You,

right in the midst

      of the impossible.

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We Can't Help But Sing This Song

 

But this I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope.

The steadfast love

           of the LORD

           never ceases.

His mercies

  never come to an end.

They are new

      every morning.

Great is Your faithfulness.

     Lamentations 3. 21-23

(God says,

  "If you remember anything,

   remember this:

       I am with you."

Our hope is not

   in circumstances,

                but in Him.

His steadfast love

     and extreme mercy

have no expiration date.

He has given each of us

  a chronicle of His faithfulness,

past, present and future.

On that we can depend.)

O LORD,

Bring to the surface

         of our thoughts,

infiltrate our despair,

banish our worries,

by calling to mind,

not just what You do,

     but who You are.

May the tune

  of Your faithfulness

be on a continual loop

     in our hearts,

making us responsive,

           not anxious,

to our situation today.

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