He made my feet

    like the feet of a deer

and set me secure

              on the heights.

...You gave a wide place

     for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

              Psalm 18. 33, 36

(Trusting God

     is a step-by-step following,

not always to somewhere else,

  but faithfulness right where we are.

We cannot tell by our own sight

           which rocks are unsteady

    or where that other path goes,

but God guides us in His way,

            even in unexpected places.

We cannot ever know for what

     He is bringing us through this

and how He is training us

                to trust Him even more.

There are no small obediences,

      nor insignificant ones.)

O LORD,

Make our feet like the nimble deer

   and set us secure

              in the high scary places

          and even in the ordinary.

Guide our feet, our thoughts,

     even for what we pray,

that we would know You,

          trust You,

    and love You more.

Even today.

 

...finding one pearl

                  of great value...

            Matthew 13. 46

(This day is not going to be perfect.

Indeed, we all may be slogging

        through miry bogs

        and what appears as barren fields.

But may we not overlook

   what God has placed before us

   or caught in the underbrush,

          the thicket,

 or a downright mess

             all around us.

Look for that one pearl today,

    dig for it, if necessary,

   wash away the encrusted mud,

and treasure it in your heart.

A kind word, an act of the unexpected,

   or even an opportunity

         to stand in the gap for someone else.\

Don't overlook His treasures.

Search for what may not

      initially appear as precious.

God helps us to see differently

   and live abundantly

with His joy in our hearts

not dependent on circumstances.)

O LORD,

Open our eyes that we may see

         Your Presence in our situation,

that pearly of great value

    that would be You.

Help us to look for Your joy

   in whatever we face

and indeed seize every opportunity

           to share You with others.

 

His master saw that

   the LORD was with him

and that the LORD caused

   all that he did to succeed

               in his hands.

               Genesis 39. 3

(Do we see what we do differently

      because we walk with the LORD?

Do others see the LORD

                   in what we do

and how we choose to do it?

Even in what is really difficult,

even in what appears as failure

     or turns out unexpectedly,

God redeems for greater good.

God multiplies through us.

We may be part of the equation,

   but God brings the outcomes,

that are never singular

and mostly beyond our vision.

Joseph had no idea

             what God was up to.

But he was faithful all the same.)

O LORD,

You have strategically placed us

        on this sacred ground

that we do not fully understand.

But we can be faithful to You

   in Your innumerable purposes

   and deep within Your will.

Use us this day,

                   and in this way,

    for Your glory.

 

I bless the LORD

who gives me counsel;

in the night also

    my heart instructs me.

I have set the LORD

         always before me;

because He is at my right hand,

      I shall not be shaken.

               Psalm 16. 7-8

(When we set the LORD before us,

He counsels us,

guides our thoughts,

aligns our hearts with His.

Even in the middle of the night,

we bring our concerns

         not to the god of worry,

                       but to Him.

When we set our hearts

              and minds on Him,

we can walk with Him

                     through it.

Even in the night,

   He is whispering our name,

"Do not fear.  I am with you.")

O LORD,

Thank You that we can abide in You,

even in the storms that

           threaten to swallow us alive.

Help us not just to sense Your Presence,

   but to know Your Presence with us.

We set You before us today

     in whatever that is on our path,

knowing that we can walk differently

        because we walk with You.

 

Do not be afraid

          of sudden terror

or the storm of the wicked,

          when it comes,

for the LORD will be

     your confidence

and will keep your food

            from being caught.

            Proverbs 3. 25-26

(God does not say

     "There is nothing to be

                      afraid of."

He points out, "when it comes."

But we need not panic

           nor be afraid.

Take just one step

     and then another.

He holds us

   even on the shattered pavement

                   of this broken world.

The LORD allows us

      to live differently

because we walk freely with Him

              in His strength.

Are we looking at our inadequacies

      and the scary cliffs around us?

Or looking to Him

          and holding His hand?

"Walk with Me

        and don't miss the view.")

O LORD,

Help us to trust You

     in the every days

that we may know Your strength

          in the extraordinary ones.

You are so faithful.

You do not just keep us in Your sight.

       You are with us.

Let not fear trip us up,

or worries bog us down.

We don't have the bandwidth for that.

As we quiet ourselves in Your Presence,

     may Your strength and confidence

     seep all over us

that we would be faithful to You,

   even in what is before us today,

because it all matters to You..

 

Come to Me,

all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you,

      and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy,

        and My burden is light.

                   Matthew 11. 28-30

(We carry around a lot of

     unnecessary baggage

     and anxieties and fears

that God never intended for us

                   to drag along.

A trusting relationship with Jesus

  does not just change our trajectory

                but the journey.

Jesus guides us, gives us strength,

   and shows us

                His way in this situation.

He aligns our hearts with His.

"Walk with Me"

     with a willing heart to learn

              and abide with Him.

We will not just see things differently.

          We will be different in it.)

O LORD,

We do not just come to You,

    but we walk with You into this day,

knowing that You are with us,

ordering our day,

guiding our steps,

directing our thoughts,

and aligning our hearts

                    with Yours.

Grant to us as we go forth

        into this task,

        or difficulty,

   Your strength, courage,

             wisdom and rest.

Please multiply Your grace in us.

 Whoever finds his life

         will lose it,

and whoever loses his life

        for My sake

will find it.

                Matthew 10. 39

(What are we looking for?

           Life in Him?

What are we doing today

           for His sake?)

 

O LORD,

May our eyes be focused on You

      and Your way for us.

May we live for Your sake

      in this situation

and walk with You.