Friday, August 22, 2025

God's Fundamental Law of Reversing

 

... on this very day
when the enemies of the Jews
hoped to gain 
      the mastery over them,
the reverse occurred...

                Esther 9. 1

Even when things are
           looking bleak,
unraveling,
heading over a cliff,
or our foes and fears
  shouting at our door,
God does not just
          turn the tide,
but shifts it into reverse
   for His goodness
   to conquer and prevail.
God brings about the possible
      out of the impossible.
He turns the invisible
          into the visible.
He resurrects what is dead
     into new life.
God shows us
    a different way in this.
He brings it about
         and completes it,
   often in unexpected ways.
Where we only anticipate defeat,
we can stake our lives
on His steady persevering 
         work in the unseen.
            --Oswald Chambers

O LORD,
We seek You in our difficulties,
knowing that You are able
to conquer what terrifies us.
Help us to know
  Your fundamental law of reversing,
be it circumstances, 
        hoards of invading forces,
        or our fear of the dark
                        and unknown.
You have not abandoned us.
You are drawing us closer.
You are Master over this.
Show us Your way through,
   even in one step today.

 

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Even In This. Even Today.

 

And who knows
whether you have not come
to the kingdom
for such a time as this?

         Esther 4. 14

And who knows whether 
we are in this situation,
   these crazy circumstances,
    or this really hard stuff,
for such a time as this?
          God knows.
Because He has placed us here.
God strategically positions
    and appoints His people
             --including us--
for His sacred purposes,
   assignments and encounters.
How would we approach
       these things differently,
if we knew that God was in them
     and God abides in us?
We cannot fathom
  the impact of faithfulness,
even when we are least aware.
Nothing random about
    where we are at all.
God's precise timing
  and exact positioning
are perfect,
even when we think
        God got it wrong.
Because He never does.

O LORD,
In what we cannot understand,
in the scary stuff,
in the way-beyond-our-abilities,
      You are with us.
You have equipped us.
You have given us Your Spirit.
You give us Your strength.
You cover us with
      Your everlasting love.
Give us the courage
    to be faithful to You.
Even in this.
Even today.


 

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

If We See Something, Say Something

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Scrubbing Grout With A Really Bad Attitude

 

Monday, August 18, 2025

Pray Like You Mean It

 

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Trust in the Slow Work of God

 

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Through A New Lens

 

I do it all
for the sake of the gospel...

      1 Corinthians 9. 23

All things individually
   and collectively,
for, in and through
   the lens of the gospel.
How do we see this situation
    differently through that lens,
for the spiritual well-being
   of the souls around us?
And how do others
  see His abiding in us?
Not that we bring Jesus
  into our comings and goings,
but manifest His grace
   and Christlikeness
in what we do,
how we do it,
how we respond,
and even in our attitudes.

O LORD,
May we not allow our pride
or selfishness
or yes, stubbornness,
stand in the way
    of our loving others,
    even the irritable ones.
Help us to see our work
and our responses
through the lens of
      Your love for us
      and for others.
May Your abiding
     change our vision
and align our hearts
          with Yours.
Be manifest in us, Lord, 
          in all ways today
  to point others to You.
   

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Divine Appointments and Strategic Assignments

 

The Name at the Top of the Page

 

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

What In The World Can God Do With This?

 

Will they revive the stones
out of the heaps of rubbish,
and burned ones at that?

            Nehemiah 4. 2

God has.
God is.
God will.
God takes what we have,
  revives, restores, redeems 
and creates something new
   out of the most unlikely
   and unexpected situations
             and relationships.
God does not recycle our trash.
God resurrects and
     rewrites the story of our lives. 
What in the world
        can He do with this mess?
                 All things new.
Trust Me in this.

O LORD,
We all struggle with something.
We all face what is disordered,
     unraveling, and crumbling.
But You, O God,
   revive what we have,
   and transform our hearts.
Help us to see this day
    and what looks unsalvageable
            with Your glory all over it.
Skepticism has no power over You.
The pieces do not just come together.
  You design it all to fit.

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

First Response Not Last Resort

 

Monday, August 11, 2025

Not The End Of The Story

 

....but even now
there is hope
for Israel
   in spite of this.

       Ezra 10. 2

But even now
there is hope for us,
in spite of all 
   that we have done,
   or has been done to us.
God intervenes
         and redeems.
God is not about to 
     give up on us.
Hopelessness is when
   we give up on Him.
Because of His forgiveness
     and faithfulness,
this is not the end of the story.
            Never is.
His steadfast love 
              endures forever. 

O LORD,
But even now,
   in the midst of this mess,
   in this miry bog of despair,
   or dark night of the soul,
You are here with us.
You are carrying us.
You are bringing us through.
There is hope.
   Because there is You.
This is not the end of the story,
   but only deeper in You.
Guide us and carry us 
   as we trust and follow You.
Even in this. 
Even in spite of this.

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Why He Put Us Here

 

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Our Own Personal Impossible Situation

 

Friday, August 8, 2025

Because That Is Who We Are

 

Thursday, August 7, 2025

What Words Are We Repeating, What Words Are We Believing

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Seeing Through A Different Lens

 

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

God Meets Us There

 

And stand in the
    Holy Place.....

     2 Chronicles 35. 5

Wherever we are,
among whomever, 
in whatever we are doing
    or struggling with,
is sacred ground,
a place to seek God,
worship Him,
serve every which way we can,
and having done all,
      to stand before Him.
What do we do 
   about the mess we are in,
the hard stuff,
the overwhelming-ness?
Stand in the Holy Place.
God meets us there.
God invites us in,
  a smorgasbord of His strength,
  a refuge from the storm,
that we may know Him more.
Right here.
Right now.
Even in this.

O LORD,
We yearn for Your Presence.
Help us to come to You
            first and foremost,
to realize Your holiness
even in this unexpected place,
and to know Your embrace
 when we need it so badly.
Empower us to stand still
     and know You are God,
to make a stand
         as a witness,
to rise up 
   and hold our ground.
This is no random situation,
  but a divine appointment
  and sacred encounter
for Your glory in this place.
May we run to You
   in this Holy Place
right where we are.

 

Monday, August 4, 2025

Walking Differently There

 

Sunday, August 3, 2025

God's Got Us On Every Side

 

......and He provided for them
          on every side.

                  2 Chronicles 32. 22

When we pray,
God multiplies whatever 
     we are praying about
to cover and provide 
and guide in 
             far more ways
than we even know to ask.
When we set our eyes on Him,
God redirects our attention 
   to His way in this,
and consequently 
             a different direction,
vision, mind and heart
to trust Him 
            in so much more.
God's got us
         on every side.

O LORD,
As we keep our eyes on You,
   we can trust You
   to lead us through.
We don't have to know
   the outcome
   or even the bigger picture,
to realize Your Presence,
be assured of Your purposes,
and know Your embrace.
You provide in a million 
  eternal dimensions.
We are grateful to You.
Help us to know
             You are here.
We are surrounded on every side.


Saturday, August 2, 2025

God Doesn't Want Our Leftovers

 

And they brought
         in abundantly
the tithe of everything.

      2 Chronicles 31. 5

When we tithe,
when we give a portion 
  from what we have done
  or been given,
it prevents our stuff
  from taking 
      God's rightful place.
We may not even realize
     our idols
     in many such disguises.
Releasing our iron grip,
increases our awareness
   of His strong hold on us.
May we hold tight to God,
not to anything that
stands in the way
or trips us up
  from loving and serving Him.
God doesn't want our leftovers
     nor our stuff,
            but our hearts.

O LORD,
May we be fully, deeply,
   and faithfully Yours
in all we do and say,
think and pray.
And to serve and love You
     even in the unexpected
with a whole heart,
   willing mind,
open hands and swift feet 
         down to our very souls,
our utmost for His glory.



Friday, August 1, 2025

Run Swiftly And Don't Let It Go

 

Thursday, July 31, 2025

God's Strategic Positioning

 

But Jehoshabeath,
the daughter of the king,
took Joash the son of Ahaziah
and stole him away
from among the king's sons
  who were about to be 
  put to death,
and she put him and his nurse
in a bedroom.
...so that he would not
        be put to death.

       2 Chronicles 22.11

Never underestimate
the strategic positioning
and courage of the women
         in the Bible.
Never underestimate
where God has
     deliberately placed us
for His Kingdom
and the spiritual, physical,
  and emotional wellbeing
  of those all around us.
May we be aware of 
   God's strategic positioning.
It may seem an insignificant
    gesture or act,
but obedience to God
and faithfulness to Him
is always in some way
a matter of life and death.
We all stand on the shoulders
    and choices of the faithful
who came before us
and for those who come after us.

O LORD,
Find us faithful
in whatever You have
       put before us today,
wherever You have placed us,
among whomever 
          You have appointed.
May we respond immediately
       to Your nudges
and be listening to Your voice.
Multiply what we do
   that You would be magnified
in every detail
             for Your glory today.

 

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The Inside Out of Things

 

For we are powerless
against this great horde
that is coming against us.
We do not know what to do,
  but our eyes are on You.

            2 Chronicles 20. 12

Without hesitation,
   and no matter someone's worldview,
what is the very first thing
   people say when in trouble?
            O God.
We all implicitly know our limitations,
      our lack, our shortage.
But our weakness is actually
   what strengthens us,
because when we are
      powerless,
      under siege,
      and floundering,
we realize our need for God,
    the inside out of things.
For when I am weak,
   then I am strong.
             2 Corinthians 12. 10
When our eyes are on the LORD,
not on our circumstances
         or inadequacies,
God gives us a new heart.
We go forth differently,
because we go forth with Him.
No longer in defeat or despair,
    but trusting God in this.

O LORD,
We pray this verse before You.
We don't know what to do,
    but our eyes are on You.
We don't just ask
    for a way through this mess
    or stranglehold in our lives,
but Your Presence with us.
Our eyes are on You.
Our hearts yearn for You.
Reveal not just Your hand
          in this situation,
but reveal Yourself to us.
Order our day.
Order our way.
Reorder our hearts
      as we worship You.

 

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

From Overwhelmed to Overcome

 

Monday, July 28, 2025

Even In What We Don't See Coming

 

For You equipped me
    for the battle.

           Psalm 18. 39

God equips us with strength.
But He also equips us
          with a new heart,
for what we see
  and what we don't see coming.
Sometimes that means
   seeing that it is
   not a battle at all.
Equip in Hebrew means
to be girded, held close,
     and encompassed.
We are not alone
   in whatever we struggle.
   God is with us.
He does not give us weapons
        but tools
to push back the darkness
   like grace, mercy and love.

O LORD,
We don't just need Your help.
      We need You.
Come to us.
Surround us.
Carry us through these struggles.
Grant to us Your wisdom
          and Your grace
to see this situation differently,
  even right now
        in the middle of the mess
                  or the pain.
Sing, Almighty One,
   Your victory song over us.

Sunday, July 27, 2025

So Much More To It

 


For we do not know
what to pray for
as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself
     intercedes for us
with groanings
           too deep for words.

         Romans 8. 26

There's a lot of things
    we do not know,
what to pray,
how to pray,
      and what God does.
But when we are speechless,
the Holy Spirit takes 
    our prayers to 
    a far deeper level,
way beyond our vocabulary
        or comprehension.
We think we are praying
              about something,
but God knows
  there is so much more to it,
way deeper than words,
   far beyond answers
and all about
    our relationship with Him.
We are not the lone voice
      of a long-distance pray-er.
   The Spirit intercedes for us.
May we allow ourselves
    to be led,
to listen,
and repeat after Jesus:
   not my will
   but Yours be done.
Prayer is an exercise
       in submitting to God.
Prayer is the practice
  of letting God
   align our hearts with His.

O LORD,
There is so much about prayer
   that we don't know,
even that we cannot yet know.
But we know 
    that we can call to You.
You help us to pray.
And You respond
  in a million
 infinite and eternal ways.