Casting Out of Reach

 

... casting all your anxieties

                     on Him

because He cares for you.

                 1 Peter 5. 7

(In Greek, all means

          exactly that:  all.

What favorite anxieties

       are we holding onto?

They do nothing

        but clog up our thoughts

        and trip us up.

God never intended for fear and worry

       to distract us

       or for us to carry.

God has much bigger things

                    for us to do

    than to drag anxiety along.

God gives us His strength,

       and wisdom in exchange.)

O LORD,

May we acknowledge Your love for us

    by being mindful of You in all things.

When we dwell on You,

   You change what we think about,

what we do,

          how we do it,

    and how we respond.

Show us how to live differently today.

May our lives be marked

   by Your strength in us

   and Your Presence with us

      which cannot be explained away..

We are eyewitnesses of Your majesty.

No Exclusions

 

...in order that in everything

    God may be glorified

    through Jesus Christ.

 

              1 Peter 4. 11

(In everything,

    individually,

    collectively,

         any and all,

in what seems obvious,

even in the unexpected

    and in strange situations,

may God be glorified

          in all that we do.

The big picture is made up

    of even the tiniest details,

    which are never insignificant.

What is our aim in this?

    Our own glory or His?)

O LORD,

We ask that Your glory

        cover, influence,

   and infiltrate all that we do.

May You not just appear important,

          nor prominent in our choices

       but preeminent in our lives,

by what we love

      and how we serve You

   in responding to others

              and loving them.

What We Don't Even Know To Ask

 

He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what is in the darkness,

       and the light dwells with Him.

                     Daniel 2. 22

(The unknown is

        not unknown to God.

When we seek Him

         and not just an answer,

   God helps us see in the dark.

He does not give us

            the entire picture,

   but the light we need

      for our next step.

When we walk with Him

            and toward Him,

He reveals what we

    don't even know to ask.)

O LORD,

It is so reassuring to

       not just know You

   but to trust You,

even in the shadowlands,

even in what we cannot understand,

even in what is

        way too deep for us.

Embrace us by Your Presence.

Grant to us Your light.

   Help us to seek You

         in the darkness,

knowing You are with us

                        still.

Fruit of the Month Club

 

Their leaves will not wither,

nor their fruit fail,

but they will

   bear fresh fruit every month,

because the water for them

   flows from the sanctuary.

                   Ezekiel 47. 12

(The source of our sustenance

                and strength

       is from the LORD.

Wherever we are,

   take root downward,

                 bear fruit upward.

God changes the landscape

          through us

and provides for the welfare

                 of many people.

Worship changes us

     in multiple dimensions.)

O LORD,

May we bear witness to the gospel

    by bringing fresh fruit

             with overflowing bushels

    to hard situations.

Please help us to respond unexpectedly

             even in drought

with goodness, grace,

                  love and mercy.

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Step by Step by Step

 

...and I shall walk in a wide place,

for I have sought Your precepts.

                  Psalm 119. 45

(Even in impossible

     and improbable places,

God guides us step by step.

We can trust Him even more.

Not that the trail will be easy,

   but He walks with us.

And that makes all the difference.)

O LORD,

Even in the high and scary places,

even where we can't

         touch the bottom of the pool,

even in what we cannot understand,

    You are with us.

We can trust You in this step

    and then the next.

Fear just blocks out the light,

    and worry trips us up.

But You, O LORD,

     guide us in Your ways.

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Do The Math

 

May grace and peace

   be multiplied to you.

              1 Peter 1.2

(God always works

    in higher math.

God does not just add,

   but multiplies

   far beyond our understanding.

We cannot even

          count that high.

And God uses us

   to bring grace and peace

   to the most unlikely places

and among impossible people.)

O LORD,

How differently we would approach

    the situation before us,

if we walked with You through it.

Please bring Your grace and peace

  and multiply Your glory.

Even in this.

Even now.

Help us to realize that there are

     a lot more moving parts

     and variables

and dimensions only You can see.

Help us to be bearers of grace

    and watch You multiply.

A Lot More Going On Than We Can See

 

The prayer of the righteous person

has great power

               as it is working.

               James 5. 16

(The key words here are

          as it is working.

Prayer is a matter of 

           trusting God in this,

   trusting God that He is working,

   and trusting Him with

      His timing, His ways,

         and His millions of outcomes,

   most of which exceed 

         our myopic vision.

It is not just

      what we pray,

but how praying about it,

      changes us too.

We have no idea how powerful

     prayer impacts us

     and everyone around us

                     for generations.

If we did, we would never

        be reluctant to pray.

Have I even considered

   praying about this situation?)

O LORD,

Please remind us

   that You are with us,

working in us and through us.

Help us not just

         remember to pray,

but to know that

         You are powerfully working.

We can trust You,

    even when we cannot

             see in the dark.

But we can pray.

   And know You more.

Your Presence changes

                everything.