Wherever He Places Us

 

And Gedaliah swore to them

   and their men, saying,

"Do not be afraid

because of the Chaldean officials.

Live in the land

and serve the king of Babylon,

and it shall be well with you."

              2 Kings 23. 24

(Being faithful to God

  wherever He places us,

even in the strange,

unfamiliar and uncomfortable,

even in enemy territory,

to be a witness there

in word, deed and attitude.

Infiltrate the culture

    for God's Kingdom.

Don't be like them,

but show them

  life can be very different.)

O LORD,

Help us to know

that every morning

we are going

     into the ministry.

You have given us opportunity

   to be a witness here,

to love others

         right into Your arms,

to let Your Word seep into

every dimension of our lives.

Help us to live in such a way

  that others are compelled

to ask why.

And that would be

        Your love and grace.

Every Which Way We Can

 

Praise the LORD!

            Psalm 150. 1

(The Hebrew word for praise

means to make brilliant

           in sight and sound,

to commend,

to celebrate, to glory,

to shine, to give light to,

that in which one glories,

and an expression of admiration.

Praise is mentioned in this psalm

       13 times in six verses.

Have we even considered

   how to praise God today?

What has He placed in our hands

   not just to praise Him for

            but to praise Him with?

Where has He placed us

   to bring His name here

into our encounters

        and our conversations?

Praise is not just about

           what God does,

   but Who He is.)

O LORD,

We are so grateful for Your goodness

             to us.

But even more, Almighty One,

      we are so grateful for You.

Thank You for loving us so much.

Thank You for revealing Yourself

     to us in millions of ways.

Grant to us the words today

   to express our praise to You.

And may others not just hear,

  but get caught up

         in praising You too.

With All Our Stuff

 

Thus says the LORD,

the God of David your father,

"I have heard your prayer.

I have seen your tears.

Behold, I will heal you."

          2 Kings 20. 5

(We are seen.

We are heard.

We are so deeply loved.

When we pray,

it is not just that

   God sees and hears us,

but through prayer,

we are able to see and

   hear God's response.

He opens our eyes

    to something different.

He enlarges our hearts

    to recognize Him.

Prayer is not just about

        speaking to God,

but listening to Him.

God always hears us.

Are we paying attention

              to Him?

God responds

with a compassionate heart,

   in a lot of unexpected ways.

May we not miss Him.)

O LORD,

Thank you for inventing prayer

   that we can come to You,

and we can come before You

       to know You more.

Help us to not hold back

  the things that concern us,

that which we fear

             or worry about,

that which distracts us

        from trusting You.

Abide in us this day.

Help us to confide in You.

Help us to listen.

Pray or Dismay

 

Hezekiah received the letter

from the hand of the messengers

             and read it,

and Hezekiah went up

    to the house of the LORD

and spread it before the LORD.

And Hezekiah prayed

           before the LORD....

              2 Kings 19. 14-15

(His first line of defense --

                  and ours:

spread it before the LORD,

      every detail.

Not just lay it there,

        not just pray about it,

        but pray through it.

The very act of praying

   does not change God,

nor even the circumstances,

but God changes us

  and draws us closer to Him.

We spread out our dilemma

           before God,

and He spreads His covering

           over us.

We see differently.

We respond differently.

First response,

         not last resort.)

O LORD,

We come to You

with what is overwhelming to us.

Please work in us

          and thorough us

Your strength and wisdom

that Your intervening power

   brings Your glory to it.

Remind us,

           nudge us,

   to come to You.

Fear locks all the doors.

Worry deflates the tires.

But You, O LORD,

   turn hardship

           into worship.

Draw us to You today.

Holding Fast

 

For he held fast to the LORD.

He did not depart

          from following Him,

but kept the commandments

that the LORD commanded Moses.

And the LORD was with him.

Wherever he went out,

           he prospered.

             2 Kings 18. 6-7

(What is the one thing?

For he held fast 

             to the LORD.

Being faithful to God

  wherever He places us.

As St. Patrick prayed,

"Binding ourselves to Him."

That changes everything:

how we approach our day,

how we navigate

     hard stuff and the joys,

what we do, what we say,

the way we pursue,

how we view circumstances,

   ourselves, others

              and God Himself.

God changes

     the course of our lives.)

O LORD,

Please help us

  to hold fast to You

when so much is

   trying to distract

   and pull us away.

May we take Your hand

   and walk with You.

Guide us into this day.

Empower us

     not just to be faithful

but to know how

       to do that.

Grant to us

   a different way through this

that we may be a witness

     even in the ordinary,

especially in the unexpected.

Help us to know

        Your strong hold on us.

Out of the Ordinary

 

And God was doing

extraordinary miracles

by the hands of Paul.

            Acts 19. 11

(God works

far beyond what we can know,

or imagine,

or maybe even ever see.

   And we can trust God

that He is doing extraordinary things

                 through us.

 Present tense,

using our hands and our hearts

  to accomplish His wonders

  through our ordinary endeavors.

We have just to be faithful

        on this sacred ground.)

O LORD,

Please make us sensitive

      to Your leading and purposes,

even in what we consider

           only as ordinary.

Enlarge our vision

  to know that You are at work.

You are always at work

   through every good endeavor.

May we bless You this day.

And may You bless others

   all around through us,

dripping with astonishing deeds,

    done only by Your mighty hand,

whether recognized as 

        a miracle straight from You

       or out of our love for You

There is no insignificant faithfulness.

Arrows of Victory

 

Then Elisha said, "Shoot,"

           and he shot.

And he said,

"The LORD's arrow of victory..."

             2 Kings 13. 17

(When we follow

      God's direction in this,

even when it doesn't appear

           to make sense,

God brings His victory

in unlikely and unexpected ways.

He releases

            His arrow of victory.

There are no small victories,

      only eternal ones.

There are no small obediences.

We may not be able

      to see the outcome,

but we can trust Him into it.

Victory is not about winning

    but being faithful.

Victory is not redefined,

   but what is being redeemed.)

O LORD,

We pray as You guide us

    into this day

    or into this fray.

Help us to claim for You

  whatever You have

  put before us.

It is not about success

           or failure,

but what You do with it.

Soak our situations

     with Your glory.

Empower us to bring

   Your grace and mercy

into volatile circumstances,

that all concerned

   will know You are here.

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