Be strong and courageous.

Do not fear

    or be in dread of them,

for it is the LORD your God

        who goes with you.

He will not leave you

                     or forsake you.

         

            Deuteronomy 31. 6

(Worry blocks out

               all available light.

Fear only promises

              to let all the air

              out of our tires.

God is not about to

         abandon us now

   on the side of the road,

   in the middle of despair,

   or the darkness of night.

God does not just go with us,

   God even goes before us.

"Walk with Me.

You already know how to trust Me,

because you have walked with Me

            through so much before now.

         I am still with you.")

O LORD,

Help us to keep our eyes on You

        and not on circumstances.

Help us to keep our hands in Yours.

You hold us tight.

You guide us through

   what we cannot handle on our own.

You bring Your glory

           in unexpected ways.

You bring Your name to dwell

          in unlikely places.

Grant to us

   the courage we need for today

and know that in Your Hope

  we can stake our lives.

 

He divided the sea

and let them pass through it,

and made the waters

stand like a heap.

              Psalm 78. 13

(God's power is not always

revealed in ways

that we would anticipate

    or according to our plans.

God specializes in the unexpected.

Sometimes God's deliverance

             is directly through

             what overwhelms us,

that we may know

       He is God

       and we are not.

God reveals in ways

    that cannot be explained away

    or claimed as our own doing.)

O LORD,

You are continually adding

   to Your chronicle of faithfulness

                                 to us

   and for us to know You more.

Things may be outside our control

        but not beyond Yours.

Help us to not just know what to do

                  or Your way in this,

but realize beyond a shadow of doubt,

    how very much we are loved by You.

We are not defined by our circumstances.

We all struggle with Red Seas in our lives.

          But we can know You more

          and be known by You.

We can hope not for answers,

              but hope in You.

On You, we can stake our lives.

 

And all the peoples of the earth

shall see that you are called

by the name of the LORD...

               Deuteronomy 28.10

(We look differently

    because our hearts have been changed.

Strength, joy and hope are evident

            by Whom we worship

      and on Whom we stake our lives.

Grace, love and kindness abound

      in how we treat others.

Trusting in God guides our way,

      even in the hard and scary places.

Following God changes not just our hearts,

         but everything about us.

We bear His name

    and behold His Presence,

    no matter the circumstances.

God changes the course of our lives.)

O LORD,

Help us to listen to Your voice,

marinate in Your Word,

follow Your path,

and respond to You,

    no matter the circumstances.

Help us to live in such a way

   that You cannot be explained away.

Help us to live in such a way

   that others see You.

          

 

Now as they went on their way,

Jesus entered a village.

And a woman named Martha

   welcomed Him

             into her house.

               Luke 10. 38

(Jesus knew exactly

        where He was going.

What Martha saw as

   a simple act of kindness

   and hospitality to a stranger

radically changed her life

            in profound ways.

There are no insignificant kindnesses.

When we invite Jesus

        into our days and our hearts,

He does not just rearrange the furniture

   but transforms in unexpected ways

        the course of our lives

   and consequently in the lives of others.

There are no ordinary days

           in the sight of God.

Every step we take

   traverses sacred ground.)

O LORD,

Help us to realize that this day

     is anything but ordinary.

May we see all those around us

    as divine appointments

    and even interactions with strangers

               as sacred encounters.

We ask You to enter into this day,

   but realize You are already here,

                 waiting for us.

Guide our steps.

Order our thoughts.

Align our hearts with Yours.

Help us to see -- and respond--

   differently in the familiar

   and always in the unexpected.

When the earth totters,

and all its inhabitants,

it is I

who keep steady its pillars.

               Psalm 75. 3

(The key word here is

            when.

We live in a broken world,

 but we can abide in God.

We will be shaken

        in some manner,

   mostly in the unexpected storms,

            we didn't see coming,

      but we can trust in Him.

God has a strong hold on us.

    He ties us to His mast.

He takes our hands

                   in His.

God is our refuge,

protection, provision,

       and place of strengthening,

no matter the circumstances,

          and there will be many.

Trust Me in this.

             Even in this.)

O LORD,

We do not just believe in You,

but we can stake our lives

                  in Your care.

And no matter the earthquakes

in this broken world,

   You are with us,

guiding and providing.

Help us to keep our eyes on You.

Let not fear and worry rob us

    from serving You

    and loving others

      in their desperate need.

May we live in such a way

   that others see You

and run to You.

 

But as for you,

go and proclaim

   the Kingdom of God.

            Luke 9. 60

(In every way we can,

wherever we are,

every opportunity,

          even now,

          even in this,

          even in words.

Bring the name of Jesus.

Point others to Him.

Proclaiming is a way of life.

It is how we

         navigate our days.)

 

O LORD,

Open our eyes

   and enlarge our hearts

that we would see You,

those around us,

     and circumstances differently.

You have strategically positioned

     every one of us

to love others right into Your arms,

    every sacred encounter,

    every divine appointment.

Nudge us, Almighty One,

    not just to say something,

    but to love others

       in word and deed.

 

...let not your heart faint.

Do not fear or panic

   or be in dread of them,

for the LORD your God is He

   who goes with you

   to fight for you

           against your enemies,

to give you the victory.

               Deuteronomy 20. 4

(Our enemies are anything we fear,

         both real and imagined.

And sometimes the imagined

         appear the fiercest of all.

When we walk with God through this,

    God brings the victory

            in the most impossible situations

and covers us with His glory

                        in unlikely ways.

Sometimes we will understand,

sometimes it is far beyond

            what we will ever see,

but even then He whispers to us,

          "Trust Me in this.")

O LORD,

We are shattered.

The darkness is menacing

       all around us.

We are threatened by it.

But Almighty,

         You are good.

         You bring good,

   even to what appears defeat.

Fill us by Your strength.

Give us Your courage.

And help us to

    bring Your name here.

You cover us with Your victory

              and Your glory

for our sake,

for Your sake,

and for Your Kingdom.

Help us to trust You

    even in the storm.

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