He opened the rock,

and water gushed out;

it flowed through the desert

           like a river.

              Psalm 105. 41

(Between a rock

       and a hard place,

God's most amazing work

         emerges,

His incredible provision

    in impossible situations,

that which only God can do.

In His perfect timing.

In His Holy name.

For His glory.

Where God guides,

            God provides,

even more than

       we can imagine.)

O LORD,

There is no one like You.

Help us to seek You,

    to recognize You,

    to follow You.

Even into the ordinary,

even into this quarantine,

even into the scary

    and hard places,

You surround us

and provide

and bring Your glory here.

We cannot fathom

   what You are doing with this.

You are already in this place,

   and we did not know it.

The LORD repay you

  for what you have done,

and a full reward

  be given you by the LORD,

            the God of Israel,

under whose wings

  you have come

             to take refuge.

                Ruth 2. 12

(Faithfulness to God

always produces fruitfulness

in some amazing way

                by His hand,

that which we can see,

and that which will extend

    far beyond our lifetimes.

What am I doing here,

  in this hard and endless work,

  in this foreign place,

  in these strange circumstances,

  beyond what makes sense

                           to me?

Just an intricate

     and integral part

of God's grander narrative.

More than we can

              ever imagine.)

O LORD,

Help us to be faithful to You,

     today in this work

that You have placed

     on our paths

              and on our hearts.

Please sustain us

   by Your strength

and by Your deeper purposes

for Your glory in this,

for the fruit You are using

          for Your Kingdom.

Even in the hard stuff,

help us to

      bring Your name here

to bless You in this day.

Even now.

Even in this.

Seeking You in it.

We would be astonished

    if we knew the outcome

of Your ways in this

           ordinary task.

In Your eyes,

in Your ways,

in Your purposes,

     there are no

     insignificant obediences.

I went away full,

and the LORD has

brought me back empty.

               Ruth 1.21

(If Naomi only knew

    what was ahead

and her vital role

in God’s grander narrative!

It was not the end 

             of the story.

It is never

       the end of the story.

Just not yet

  to the exciting part.

God is not about

   to abandon you now.

God guides,

God provides,

God redeems in ways

  we cannot even imagine.)

O LORD,

May we follow You

   into Your purposes today

that transcend 

        all circumstances,

even that which we

               don’t understand.

Even the strange 

          turning of events

     is no surprise to You,

but a deeper revealing 

        of Your faithfulness.

May we make You known 

   and bring You glory.

No matter what.

Because it all matters.

    More than we can know.

....to Whom

you bore witness...

               John 3. 26

(Did I bear witness

           to Jesus

in this situation,

or use it to draw 

attention to myself?

What we talk about,

on what we dwell,

what we pursue,

what we choose

          and why,

reveal who or what

   is at the core 

   of who we are.

Our stories

bear witness 

to whom or what

   we stake our lives.)

O LORD,

We come before You

at the dawning 

           of a new day,

at the beginning 

           of a new week,

that we would bring

     Your name to this,

that You would align

     our hearts to Yours,

that we would 

     bear witness to You

in the commonplace 

  or even the impossible,

our story 

    for His glory.

O LORD,

how manifold are Your works!

In wisdom

You have made them all;

the earth is full

          of Your creatures.

                Psalm 104. 24

(God reveals Himself

    through His creation,

many-sided,

comprehensive,

an interconnected collection

            of the sacred.

We are surrounded

       and cannot but notice

all the precise workings

         of the universe

that we take for granted,

His designs and appointments

    that stir up awe,

the undeniable awareness

               of the Creator.

Nothing random at all.)

O LORD,

You created the world

          out of Your love.

You created each one of us

      for Your glory.

We stand on holy ground.

We cannot help

       but give praise to You

for the wonders You created,

all that never ceases to

                   amaze us.

Please guide us into this day

     that You have made

and walk with us

            all the way.

The LORD is

     merciful and gracious,

slow to anger and

  abounding in steadfast love.

              Psalm 103. 8

(This is who God is.

If we are His,

these things should also

    distinguish us,

not just in what we do,

    but who we are,

  in how we love Him,

  and how we love others.

Practice these.

Even now,

even in this.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your mercy

and grace,

Your perseverance with us,

Your abounding love

    that never fails,

   even when we do.

Transform our hearts

  that Your strength and hope

  and Your Presence

would be evident

     in all we do and say

     and even in our attitudes,

in all places

          for Your glory.

Would we live differently

  if we knew this is why

  You have placed us here?

...offered it on the rock

       to the LORD,

to the one

    Who works wonders.

            Judges 13. 19

(Am I willing to place this

      before the LORD?

My hands off,

not advising Him

   on how to do it and when,

my ears listening

  my shoes tied,

                ready to respond?

Am I willing

to let Him

  to work His way,

       His will,

       His wonders in it?)

O LORD,

Your purposes go far beyond

     our myopic vision.

Please help us

    to walk with You

    through affliction,

    through what we cannot understand,

    through the hard parts

         all the way to Your glory,

aware of Your Presence,

aware of Your Strength,

awed by Your wonders.

Help us to recognize Your hand,

Your grace,

Your love and Your power,

        even in this.