...and keep the charge

       of the LORD your God,

walking in His ways

and keeping His statutes,

His commandments,

His rules,

and His testimonies,

as it is written in the Law of Moses,

that you may prosper

           in all that you do

       and wherever you turn,

that the LORD

     may establish His word...

                   1 Kings 2. 3

(Prosper in our culture

   is a word that has been

   hijacked for personal greed.

Prosper in ancient Hebrew

   does not promise you will

   be rich and successful,

but that you may be wise

  in all that you do

  and wherever you turn.

In keeping charge, seeking God,

  walking with Him,

  paying attention,

our relationship with God

    changes the trajectory

                   of our lives

and influences the lives

   of everyone around us,

even far beyond our lifetimes.

There are

       no small obediences.)

O LORD,

Help us to pursue You

     in all that we do

     and wherever we turn,

          with great intention

     trusting You,

     following You,

     paying attention

       to our relationship with You.

Even what we consider as details

     matters far more

     than we will ever know.

May we be aware

   that You are

          confirming Your Word

                     in us

and revealing Yourself

      in lifechanging ways.

 

 

As the LORD lives,

who has redeemed my soul

    out of every adversity...

            1 Kings 1. 29

(God does not promise

that things will be easy,

or always perfect,

comfortable and successful.

But God redeems,

even the hard stuff,

even the odd-shaped pieces

      we do not understand,

far beyond our lifetimes.

Others recognize

          Jesus in our hearts

by how we respond

     to both the favorable

     and adverse.

We never know

         who is listening,

         who is watching,

to see if Jesus really

              makes a difference,

if Jesus has changed

              our hearts.)

O LORD,

Thank You for what

         being with You

         does in us.

Help us recognize

      Your Presence with us,

help others to see

   the difference You make,

help us to know

             You redeem,

not just someday,

but backwards and forwards

          and even in the now.

We just can't see it

    from where we are standing.

But we can trust You in this.

 

But Peter said,

"I have no silver and gold,

but what I do have

        I give to you.

In the name of

       Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

rise up and walk."

             Acts 3. 6

(We can't do everything,

    but we can do something.

We can see others

             differently

   and respond to them.

We can love them.

But what I do have,

because we are

         loved by Jesus,

   we can love others.

How can we help others

       rise up and walk?

By seeing them differently,

loving them in unexpected ways

    and pointing them to Jesus.

Our stuff has very little

               to do about it.

Our hearts have everything

               to respond.)

O LORD,

We pray that we would be

      not just mindful of You,

but have the mind of Christ

         even in this situation,

         even in this relationship.

Love is always desperately needed.

       Grace is always unexpected.

Help us to see others

    with different eyes

    and a different heart

because we see You

                differently.

May Your love and grace

              and forgiveness

   radiate among us

and point others to You,

   even when we are unaware.

 

...but the LORD

      was my support.

He brought me out

      into a broad place.

            2 Samuel 22. 19-20

(On whom or what

we seek in the everydays

becomes our support,

     our stronghold,

     our strength

on which we rely

          in the crisis.

It is not just in

         the great victories,

but everyday

     is a story of God's faithfulness.

Our circumstances may

           or may not change,

but when we see God differently,

we see our circumstances

      --the known and the unknown--

                 as an adventure.

God grants to us

new eyes,

a new heart,

          and His strength.)

O LORD,

You live.

And that changes everything.

You are our support

                   and security

   even in the scary places

when we don't know

          where to step next.

In the midst of the impossible,

the unexpected, the unlikely,

the overwhelming,

    that is when we

             recognize Your hand.

You give us Your peace,

not by an absence of conflict,

     but by Your Presence.

You give us Your refuge,

    not in which to hide,

but to be strengthened

     to go forth

                  with You.

 

     

 

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where

        does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

   who made heaven and earth.

                      Psalm 121. 1-2

(As one of the psalms of ascent,

this passage does not imply

       looking over a beautiful vista,

but the impossible mountain,

           sheer cliffs,

           and steep slope before me.

How do I approach it?

How do I navigate it?

How do I endure?

We all struggle with something.

But where I seek help

   defines the journey and outcome.

God grants me help

            step by step,

seeking Him

     and moving forward

     in His strength,

               not our own.

Take one step

    and the next will emerge.

And in the process,

others are encouraged

             to trust Him too.

How we approach this ordinary day

         or degree of difficulty

directs us to Him

and points others to God

   who are watching us

   on the side of the path

to see not if we are successful

    but faithful to Him.)

O LORD,

May Your strength be revealed

    not just to us,

but to all those around us.

How in the world

        do we ascend these hills,

   if not by Your strength?

Our help comes from You.

May we never forget that.

Whatever it may be,

conquering the mountain is not

                 the point,

but trusting You.

 

In my distress

    I called to the LORD

and He answered me.

                 Psalm 120. 1

(Not complaining,

nor grumbling,

nor worrying,

but calling to the LORD

   is the hinge of change

   and the turning point,

a heart willing to turn to God,

          ask for help

          and accept it.

This is the first verse

    of the Psalms of ascent,

the songs that were sung

     on the hard upward climbs.

What am I singing?

God knows there are

   many impossible hills

   in each of our lives.

And He is with us on every one,

       every step of the way.

It is not that the view from the top

          is glorious and triumphant,

but realizing His Presence with us,

His strength and vision

              when we have none.)

O LORD,

The path is steep.

We are out of water

     and out of strength

     and sometimes feel

           out of our minds.

Help us to walk with You.

Bless our conversation

        and abiding with You.

It is not that You are teaching us.

   You want to be with us.

Every step of faithfulness

          leads to another.

And in each step,

     we come to know You

                         more.

You are with us.

           Even in this.

Let Your hand be

         ready to help me,

for I have chosen

             Your precepts.

            Psalm 119. 173

(Our relationship with God

      changes us.

We can respond differently

    because we know Him.

His peace is not

       an absence of turmoil,

   but His Presence with us.

Our relationship

    is not just a 911 call

              in times of crisis,

   but a pattern of life,

a continual conversation,

a deepening relationship,

knowing He is there,

knowing His hand,

knowing on Whom

   we can stake our lives,

   in good times and in trouble.

And God empowers us

  to be ready to help others.)

O LORD,

We all struggle with something.

But we can know

          --not just believe--

that You are with us

             to help us

  and hold us by Your hand.

Help us to seek You

              continually

   no matter the circumstances

that we may know You

              even more.