Even In The Middle Of Nowhere

 

And they set out from Marah

    and came to Elim;

at Elim there were 

twelve springs of water

  and seventy palm trees,

and they camped there.

           Numbers 33. 9

And all along 

   our hard journeys,

God provides

     in the middle of nowhere,

a rest area on the highway,

a moment of refreshment,

a word of encouragement,

a kindness, a bit of shade,

    or a sip of cold water.

God gives us a glimpse

    of His Presence

when we feel totally alone

        on this long road trip.

He does not show up.

      He is right here with us.

We are not wandering after all.

He is drawing us

         closer to Him.

O LORD,

Thank You 

   for keeping us going,

strengthening us

when we need it most,

when we need You most.

Open our eyes

      to Your wonders

      all around us.

Encourage us

  in knowing You are here,

You are there ahead,

You have been with us

          all along.

Even in this,

even in the shadowlands,

Your steadfast love

   and purposes prevail.

Help us to know it doesn't require

           a palm tree

   to know that.

Take The High Road

 

Hear my cry, O God,

listen to my prayer.

From the end of the earth

  I call to You

  when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

     that is higher than I,

for You have been my refuge,

a strong tower against 

                       the enemy.

                Psalm 61. 1-3

From the ends of the earth

        and the end of our rope,

   God listens

   when we call out to Him.

When we are desperate

and walking in the

    valley of deep darkness,

               God responds.

He guides us

  to take the high road

              in this situation.

Follow Me,

take refuge in Me,

   and go forth strengthened.

We see differently

               from the high road,

not just the circumstances,

nor a new view,

                 but Him.

O LORD,

May we not wait

    until the slippery slope,

    imminent defeat,

end of our rope,

    or helicopter airlift rescue,

before we call out to You.

Walk with us on this mountain.

Help us to choose

   the high road

     and perhaps more difficult path,

not just to bring honor to You,

  but to be with You 

in the journey and the outcome.

Lift our eyes from the gravel

   to the amazing views.

 

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Stuck In Our Heads

 

But I will sing of Your strength.

I will sing aloud

of Your steadfast love

       in the morning.

For You have been to me

a fortress and a refuge

  in the day of my distress.

            Psalm 59. 16

Have you ever passed 

a moving car and the driver

is singing out loud

         with all his heart?

Be that driver.

Because when we sing aloud

   about God's strength

  and verbalize His Presence

       at the beginning of the day,

it is a song that never ends

    throughout the hours.

The tunes stick in our heads

      and permeate our day.

We are changed by it,

because we are aware

      of His abiding with us.

We go forth strengthened.

Healing has been triggered

  by music engraved in our souls.

God hums the melodies with us

    as we navigate our day.

And pushes back the darkness.

O LORD,

Whether facing triumph or sorrow,

journeying through pain or joy,

may we still be singing with You

           when the evening comes.

Something is different

      among Your people, O Lord,

a strength that is not our own

and Your Presence abides

      in so many dimensions.

You have a strong hold on us.

You give us the songs

   to sing out loud

in all that we do and say and pray.

How can we sing of You

       in these circumstances?

Every which way we can.

Others are listening

not to our voices,

            but to Your glory.

 

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Between A Rock and A Hard Place

 

Then the angel of the LORD

went ahead

and stood in a narrow place,

where there was 

      no way to turn

either to the right

           or to the left.

           Numbers 22. 26

Sometimes God

stops us dead in our tracks,

right between 

    a rock and a hard place.

Turn neither to the right

  nor to the left.

            Turn to Me.

God shows us His way.

And sometimes 

        --rather many times--

we will not understand.

But we don't have to.

   We have only to be faithful --

to walk, to turn, 

    to stay right where we are--

for His protection,

     provision and Presence.

Limitation is neither a stop sign

   nor a U-turn,

but a form of guidance.

Don't go there.

  Go this other way through.

O LORD,

Help us to know that

there are no small obediences.

Every action and response

  layers upon the next.

Make us so aware 

    of Your guidance today

in Your divine appointments

      and sacred encounters,

nothing random at all,

            only eternal.

And whether we feel

  confident on our journey,

or feel like we have

         nowhere to turn,

may we turn to You.

No place better

  than to be with You.

Campsites, Rest Areas, and of course, the Snacks

 

And the people of Israel

set out and camped

in Oboth.

And they set out from Oboth

and camped at Lye-abarim...

From there they set out

             and camped...

From there they set out

            and camped....

          Numbers 21. 10-13

And so on,

                and so on.

Aren't we there yet, O LORD?

It may feel like we are wandering

      in the wilderness,

but every step, every turn,

   every place we set up camp,

        God's purposes prevail.

God whispers,

There's something I want you

           to see here,

    something to know,

    someone to love for Me.

Where in the world 

             is God taking us?

It doesn't matter as long as

  we are traveling with Him

  into His purposes.

God provides the campsites,

the rest areas,

   and the snacks along the way.

Trusting God brings 

    His strength to us

and opens our eyes

    to His wonders.

O LORD,

We ask You to guide us.

You say, 

           Follow Me.

And don't miss the views.

You have brought us 

            to this place,

   familiar or strange,

that we may trust You more.

Walk with us

           all the way through.

Patience For What We Do Not Yet See

 

And the people became impatient

              on the way.

             Numbers 21. 4

In the Hebrew, impatient

literally means 

      "reap too early."

When we do not trust God

  for His goodness

                  and timing,

we are digging up

  what God has planted

       before it bears fruit.

And then we wonder why

  there is no life there.

We are the ones who miss out,

not just in the outcome,

  but the growing season.

With impatience comes

taking things into

             our own hands

as if we know better than God.

And what we reap is

weariness, anxiety, fear, stress,

a bounty crop of 

    what we don't want,

and missing out

          on His goodness.

O LORD,

Help us to trust You

  not just for Your goodness,

but Your wonders

  growing beneath the surface,

deep roots and abundant fruit,

     that we don't yet see.

Not only holding out for it,

  but cultivating the very ground

  You have entrusted us.

In the ordinary and extraordinary,

  You are creating

         the great and holy.

Help us to trust You in this day 

  when we don't yet see

what You are nurturing

       in us

       and through us.

Both Sides Of The Coin

 

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in You.

In God,

   whose word I praise,

            in God I trust.

I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

...This I know that

            God is for me.

In God, whose word I praise.

In the LORD,

    whose word I praise.

In God I trust. 

         I shall not be afraid.

          Psalm 56. 3-4, 9-10

God hears us.

     And God is acting.

We can go forth

bold, confident and secure,

  not in our own abilities,

but trusting God

        to bring us through.

Fear calls out, "Over here, this way!"

   and then turns off the flashlight.

But with God, we can walk

  with Him through the brokenness

          and every such difficulty,

in what we cannot do on our own

      or even think we can.

Hope is not wishing for,

but knowing that God is with us.

We can trust in Him.

He does not just show up.

          He shows us

   both sides of the coin:

In God I trust.

   I shall not be afraid.

O LORD,

Help us to realize the connection

between trusting You

  and not having to be paralyzed by fear.

We don't have to live that way.

You are not just a 911 emergency call.

Empower us to know

  we can trust You,

  even when we are not afraid.

So we already know to trust You

    when fear stares us in the face.

Help us to live differently

  in this fearful broken world.

Even in every moment today,

          for Your glory here.

But We Do

 

Then Moses and Aaron went

from the presence of the assembly

to the entrance 

of the tent of meeting

       and fell on their faces.

And the glory of the LORD

  appeared to them.

               Numbers 20. 6

It is on our knees before the LORD

in prayer, submission and worship

  that we see God differently

and another way through

            the difficulty.

God's glory covers the situation

   and changes our hearts.

Seek His Presence.

         He is already here.

O LORD,

No matter where we are

or where You have placed us,

amidst blue skies or storms,

when we worship You,

   something always happens.

Circumstances may

               or may not change,

     but we do.

You bring Your glory here

in the most unlikely ways

   and unexpected situations.

Find us faithful, O LORD.

Find us on our knees.

Your glory reverberates

  even when we are not aware.

Holds Us Up And Holds Us Together

 

Behold, 

      God is my helper.

The LORD is the

        upholder of my life.

         Psalm 54. 4

Nowhere does God say

we must pull ourselves up

     by our bootstraps.

That is a prescription for despair,

  desperation, and gloom.

Instead we can abide

       in the promises of God.

God does not just give us hope.

He does not just send help.

    God gives us Himself.

He is my helper

   and the upholder of my life.

Recite. Repeat. Remember.

    And live that way.

God holds us up.

God holds us together.

He helps us, aids, girds,

surrounds, defends,

and gives us the victory.

He gives a story

             for His glory.

God is right here with us.

Lean on Me.

I've got you.

Stay with Me.

O LORD,

Do not just remind us

   of Your Presence.

But grant to us the courage

   to live differently,

even in the really hard stuff.

Help us to turn to You

  and walk with You

             all the way through.

You help.

You uphold.

     Even in what we face today.

 

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What Does That Look Like

 

...from each its best part

is to be dedicated.

...When you have offered

from the best of it,

           then the rest...

           Numbers 18. 29-30

When we dedicate to the LORD

  our best work and efforts,

   God multiplies the rest.

Are we worshiping Him

     with our leftovers?

When we reorder our loves,

    God reorders our lives.

God is not just in first place,

      but infiltrating all,

not even prominent,

         but preeminent.

What does that look like?

Whatever is offered to God

   and done for His glory,

even the leftovers

         bless the world,

twelve baskets overflowing.

O LORD,

Help us to live in such a way

   that You are honored

         by our every effort,

glorified in every choice,

selfless and loving

  and faithful in whatever

  You have given us to do.

You gifted us with this day.

We offer You our best

     and all the rest.

Guide us through, Almighty One.

 

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Because That Is What He Does

 

But if the LORD

  creates something new....

         Numbers 16. 20

We can trust God

    to do exactly that,

even in the familiar and strange,

deep in monumental difficulties,

infiltrating our ordinary days,

and visible in unexpected events.

Change, transformation,

and the extraordinary 

do not just suddenly appear.

God creates.

God unfolds.

God brings about the new.

Trust Me in this.

God makes something possible

  we never would have expected.

His glory is always like that.

His steadfast love

             prepares our hearts.

O LORD,

Open our eyes

     and enlarge our hearts

to see, experience and

  accept what You are doing.

It is not IF You are

     creating something new.

You are doing that

               all the time

   and all around us.

Help us not just to 

     recognize Your hand,

but to acknowledge You

  in all we do today.

 

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Objects In The Rearview Mirror

 

Would it not be better

for us to go back to Egypt?

          Numbers 14. 3

Not trusting God 

distorts what was,

what is,

     and what is ahead.

We can go forth differently,

   secure and confident

when we follow HIm 

into His ways for us.

Even in the hard stuff,

   His steadfast love prevails.

Even when we don't understand,

  God whispers,

           Trust Me in this.

The LORD is with us.

We need not fear.

We need not waste time, energy

            and resources

  looking elsewhere.

Objects in the rearview mirror

are never as they appear.

Look to Me.

O LORD,

Forgive us for second-guessing

Your plans and directions

      and purposes.

Grant to us the courage

    to follow You,

every step, every turn,

           every day,

right into Your goodness

  and steadfast love.

Both the Foolish and the Beautiful

 

She has done 

a beautiful thing

                to Me.

       Mark 14. 8

Following God,

trusting in Him,

obeying, and serving Him

seem like the most

   foolish things

in the eyes of the world.

They comment

         what a waste of one's

  time, talent, treasure,

                  and life.

And yet, 

nothing is more honoring 

            to God Himself.

And no greater witness

  to those around us.

O LORD,

Grant to us the opportunities

   to be really foolish in our faith,

consecrating our lives

and all we do

   for Your Kingdom and glory.

May we create today

  what is beautiful to You

in whatever we do,

wherever we are,

among whomever,

  and how we do it

--out of our deep love for You.

In The Battles We Face

And when you go to war in your land

against the adversary 

            who oppresses you,

then you shall sound an alarm

         with the trumpets,

that you may be remembered

    before the LORD your God,

and you shall be saved

                   from your enemies.

                Numbers 10. 9

The adversary always promises

   shiny trophies and high scores.

But all along, aiming to take us down.

The resounding alarm is not

  to get God's attention,

                     but ours,

not to remind Him,

  but for us to remember:

God is not just with us,

but it is He who brings the victory,

most often in unexpected ways.

We all struggle with something,

  no matter how perfect

  someone's life appears.

In the battles we all face,

may we know that

  the adversary is not our friend.

Sound the alarm.

Only God saves us

  from our foes and fears,

    both real and imagined.

O LORD,

Make us aware of You

  and attentive to Your Presence.

May we hear the trumpets

  while we walk

  in the mine fields

     and enemy territory.

Help us to not just 

       remember You,

but respond to You.

Take us to another place

   even where we are,

not despite circumstances,

     but in their midst.

You do not just show up.

        You show us.

Bring Your victory

    in amazing ways.

 

Walking Us Through

 

At the command of the LORD

the people of Israel set out,

and at the command of the LORD

          they camped.

             Numbers 9. 18

We may not understand

where the LORD is directing us,

or why He has us 

           in this particular situation,

to go right now to another location,

or to stay right where we are.

But we can be attentive,

responsive and faithful

                   to Him.

When we are in His Word

   and seeking Him in prayer,

God does not just guide us.

    He walks us through.

O LORD,

Help us to trust You

wherever You lead us,

whether You desire us

    to stay and hold down the fort,

or to pull up stakes

  and follow You into

  what is unknown to us.

Above all,

we know that You are with us.

Grant to us the courage

   to pack it up

or to send down roots.

Guide us every step

   into this day.

May we be willing to walk with You

    into Your wonders.

Pour over us Your strength

   for the journey.

As If We Live In Another Kingdom

 

...to bear witness

           before them.

           Mark 13. 9

There are no random situations,

no places where God is not,

   nor that He cannot use

            for His glory there.

And when we find ourselves

in difficult circumstances,

awkward, exhausting, hurtful,

strange or alarming,

and we don't know what to do,

  above all,

  bear witness there.

Bring the name of Jesus

      every which way we can:

in actions, attitudes, words

and how we respond

   in unexpected ways,

as if we live in another kingdom

                which we do.

Nothing accidental in these details,

   but incredibly eternal.

O LORD,

You intricately engineer

      our circumstances,

even the confusing ones,

  as opportunities for Your glory.

Help us to be aware of Your presence,

to be mindful of Your walking with us,

   and be intentional in honoring You

and loving others,

        even the impossible ones.

We have no control 

                over the situation,

but we can bear witness to You

       no matter what.

And that's what matters,

                 even today,

           even in this.

On The Holy Ground Wherever We Are

 

...everyone who could come

to do the service of ministry

and the service of bearing burdens

in the tent of meeting...

           Numbers 4. 47

God never intended for us

     to just go to church,

but to be the church,

inside and outside its walls.

Everyone is assigned a ministry,

           sometimes daily,

  all that is done in serving God,

no one thing

   more sacred than another.

We are all anointed and appointed

         to serve and to worship,

on the holy ground,

               wherever we are,

It gives a whole new meaning

     to the term worship service.

O LORD,

Please make us aware of

  all the opportunities to serve You.

Help us to know that each act

     done in Your name

  is just another way of worshiping You.

Use all we do

           to bring glory to Your name.

And that is not a burden at all,

    but pure joy in loving You..

Moving That Mountain

 

Truly, I say to you,

whoever says to this mountain,

"Be taken up

   and thrown into the sea,"

and does not doubt

                   in his heart

but believes that what he says

       will come to pass,

it will be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, 

whatever you ask in prayer,

believe that you are receiving it,

          and it will be yours.

                 Mark 12. 23-24

In Hebrew literature and scripture,

moving a mountain

  was a metaphor for doing

  what was obviously impossible.

No little molehills,

   nor sand dunes,

but the big stuff in our lives

     that we all encounter.

Impossible for us is

  always right down God's alley

  and in realms of His power.

But the mountain we want to disappear

   may be exactly what God is using

   for His eternal purposes.

Sometimes God moves that

      overwhelming burden,

sometimes He removes it.

But He also may show us

   a way through, around it, 

how to dig a tunnel with a spoon,

   or scale the heights with Him.

God supplies our every need

  to handle those mountains,

     even carrying it with us.

Confidence in God's power

  always works hand in hand

  with submission to His will.

God may have planted it here

    for deeper purposes

    than we can fathom.

What is God forming in me

      through this?

What does this mountain

               make possible?

O LORD,

When we are faced with the impossible,

   You reveal Yourself

    in incredible ways.

Help us to trust You 

  with what we cannot comprehend

  and know that You are good.

Fulfill Your purposes

  even in the mysterious

 and the majestic.

Help us to ask in prayer.

Help us to trust You in prayer.

Surprise us by Your power,

   even in this.

Never Just A Wilderness

 

The LORD spoke to Moses

in the wilderness of Sinai....

            Numbers 1.1

What in the world

           am I doing here

in this unfamiliar, unknown 

and uncomfortable place?

God speaks to us too

in the most unexpected places

     and unlikely situations,

even in those barren

  wildernesses of our lives.

Why here?  

Why in this forsaken place?

Perhaps because 

we could not -- or would not--

   listen or respond to Him

   any other way.

God does not just say

         Look to Me,

but Look Me in the eye.

Sometimes it takes a wilderness

  where we have no one but Him

         for us to listen.

"But there's nothing here, O God!"

            I am.

It's never just a wilderness. 

O LORD,

Thank You for leading us

   even into the desert

   or the deserted places

that we may listen to You.

Thank You for speaking to us

       right there,

revealing not just Your majesty

     and wonders in this place,

        but revealing Yourself.

Help us to be still

     and know that You are God.

 

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Not Running Ahead

And they were on the road,

going up to Jerusalem,

and Jesus was walking

          ahead of them.

                   Mark 10. 32

Whatever path we are on,

  may we follow God on it,

even if we do not quite know

  where this road is leading.

Because He knows.

God has prepared us for it.

Just don't get ahead of Him.

Jesus may be directing us

   to places or situations

   or people we do not know,

or to pay attention to those

       right where we are.

We do not just pass through.

God has many divine appointments

  and sacred encounters

                    along the way.

He may be protecting us

 in some way that doesn't

       seem to make sense.

God does not just show up

          but shows us.

We are not alone on this road.

He guides us, feeds us,

and gives us His strength

             for the journey,

all the way through.

Are we there yet?

         Just follow Me.

O LORD,

We may feel like 

  we are just wandering,

but You know

 exactly what You are doing

and where You are taking us.

Grant to us Your wisdom

and stir up in us

   the willingness to follow You.

Help us to fulfill Your purposes

      wherever You guide us.

And to not miss Your beauty

           along the way.

Take our hand

           and guide us.

Help us to not run ahead of You.

 

Not Just A Nice Person

 

Consecrate yourselves, therefore,

and be holy,

for I am the LORD your God.

Keep My statutes

           and do them;

I am the LORD

   who sanctifies you.

        Leviticus 20. 7-8

God says in no uncertain terms,

          Be Mine.

That people will not only see us

    as different or just nice,

           but that we are Yours.

Because the LORD is our God,

we have the freedom to live differently

             in this broken world.

May we set our minds,

set our hearts,

set ourselves apart to love God,

  love others,

and take another path through.

The sacred is instituted, 

not just in listening to what

  God says in His Word,

not just agreeing with Him,

                  but by doing,

putting God's love into action

in our work and relationships

      and daily choices.

O LORD,

May we be known as Yours.

May we be marked by

     Your anointing

  and Your appointing.

Help us and guide us

  in setting ourselves apart

in whatever we do today

in Your name,

for Your Kingdom,

  and for Your glory.

Others are not just watching us,

but desperately want to know 

      You are real

and that You transform lives.

That's Why

....for I am the LORD your God.

          Leviticus 19. 3

The LORD spelled out directions

in how to treat, love,

and relate to other people

--family, friends, neighbors,

poor and rich, strangers,

         and even our foes.

Because from the 

   very beginning of time,

He knew we needed

           a little help there.

    And we all still do.

It's not just friendly advice.

Jesus calls love your neighbor

  the second great commandment.

Why should we take heed?

   Because God says so

and He knows what happens

             when we do,

      and when we don't. 

I am the LORD your God

  is repeated eight times

  in the first eighteen verses

          of just this chapter.

I am the LORD.

           That's why.

O LORD,

You are not just the LORD,

  but You are our God.

And our relationship with You

  infiltrates not just

           how we behave,

        but how we love,

   and how we relate to others.

May others see Your love in us.

And may we realize that 

   You love others through us

    and make Yourself known.

You have strategically placed us

   right here today for that purpose.

Find us faithful, dear Jesus.