Practicing Peace in Impossible Situations

 

Peace, peace to you,

and peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.

        1 Chronicles 12. 18

(Peace does not hinge

on an absence of conflict,

but another way through it,

a sense of well-being

that pervades even in

   the midst of trouble.

And that comes from

recognizing God's help,

  strength and Presence.

Have we prayed over

     this situation first

to seek His way in this?)

O LORD,

There are so many forces

   around us that try

   to keep us from You.

No matter the trouble,

please use this situation

   to form something new

and fresh and different

                  in us.

Help us to practice

         the art of peace

  in impossible situations.

Build Your strength

    layer upon layer

that we would already know

how to bring Your name here.

You are our peace.

   On You we can depend.

And You have made us

  peace-makers

  for Your glory,

even in --or especially in--

   the midst of hardship.

Show us Your different way

    right through this day.

God's Way Through the Chaos

 

He did not seek

  guidance from the LORD.

           1 Chronicles 10. 14

(And then we wonder

       what went wrong?

Ignoring, avoiding,

    turning away from God

    never ends well.

Neither the journey

            nor the outcome

   can ever be the same.

We need always to ask:

    Am I walking with God

    through this situation?

God enlarges our minds

    to approach and navigate

                  differently.

He alters our hearts

   to grasp the unexpected

and see another way in this,

   His deeper vision and

     incredible purposes.

And provides His strength

    far beyond our own.)

O LORD,

We seek not just Your guidance,

   but we seek You.

Help us to follow You

   in whatever is before us,

whether bushwhacking

      through the thicket

or staying in our lane.

Synchronize our thoughts

      with Yours

that we may walk differently

        into this day.

           .

Rest Stops

 

Coasting along with difficulty,

we came to a place

      called Fair Havens,

near which was the

         city of Lasea.

           Acts 27. 8

(Right in the midst

        of the hard stuff,

the rough seas,

the difficult navigating

    what is before us,

God grants a rest stop.

Not a place to quit

  but to be strengthened,

even for a moment

      a rock to sit on,

   an unexpected kindness,

   or an encouraging word,

in the most unimaginable

        circumstances.

Seize His fresh joy in

  whatever form it takes.)

O LORD,

When we are weary,

   You guide and provide.

Refresh our souls today

  in some unexpected way

to shore up our faithfulness.

If it were all smooth sailing,

  would we pray as much?

Help us to know that

  You are forming something

   much deeper in us

even in this hard situation.

Inscribed in Every Moment

 

...for they cried out to God

       in the battle,

and He granted

          their urgent plea,

because they trusted in Him.

            1 Chronicles 5. 20

(Everyone struggles

            with something.

The difference lies in what

     we rely on,

in whom or what we trust,

in what we stake our hope.

When we trust in God,

  everything unfolds differently.

God walks with us

          through the battle.

It is not just going to be ok.

God is doing something

     far more eternal with it,

   and strengthens our hearts.

The present is being transformed.

The past redeemed.

The future completed.

His Presence inscribes His glory

     in every moment.)

O LORD,

When we can't see beyond

   the circumstances,

   the hardship, or the darkness,

please help us to trust in You.

You grant to us strength,

  but You also renew our vision.

Give to us the capacity

   and ability to trust You

right into this day.

Help us to walk with You.

Go Differently Into This Day

 

But You, O LORD,

are a shield about me,

my glory,

and the lifter of my head.

              Psalm 3. 3

(Go differently into this day.

God does not say

      "It's going to be ok,"

but "Do not be afraid.

       I am with you."

And that changes everything.

Not that all will be easy

     and the path paved

     without potholes 

             or speedbumps,

but God is working mightily

   in the uphill battles

   to bring His glory here.

Even when it is hard,

  God is forming 

  something very different in us.

Even when it is harder still,

      God is unfolding

             something eternal.

The truth is 

    when it is so far beyond us,

   we lean on Him more.)

O LORD,

You are so faithful to us,

  bringing us closer to You.

Please help us

   to be faithful to You

   when we don't understand.

Keep Your grip strong

     on our lives.

Empower us

  to go differently into

this day, this difficulty,

this amazing opportunity.

Grant to us a fresh vision

  even in the ordinary

to see You everywhere.

Others are Listening

 

The following night,

the Lord stood by him

and said,

"Take courage,

for as you have testified

to the facts about Me

       in Jerusalem,

so you must also

       testify in Rome."

                Acts 23.11

(God has strategically placed

   each one of us

on this sacred ground

             and time

to bring His name here

  and live out the gospel.

Every opportunity

    that we bear witness

    and share our faith

God strengthens us

            for the next

and gives someone else

  the freedom to do the same.

Even when we are unaware,

   others are listening

   and impacted for eternity.

We are nourished

      by our experience.

God enlarges our hearts

            for other people.

We see and respond

    with a new energy.)

O LORD,

Make us aware.

Help us to pay attention

   to the needs of souls

   all around us.

Reveal to us how to respond

    and love others

            right to You.

Grant us the courage

  to speak of You

even in unexpected places

    and to unlikely people.

Help us to tell stories

   of Your love, grace

and faithfulness to us

so others can know

        Who You are.

Work, Word, and Witness

 

And He said to me,

"Go,

for I will send you

far away to the Gentiles."

        Acts 22. 21

(We can never fully realize

how God will use us

--our words and deeds,

  our testimony and witness--

in unexpected places

  and among unlikely people.

Near or far,

to those familiar or foreign,

even when it appears

    to no avail,

we can be faithful to God

   right in this place

and fulfill the work,

   words and witness

He has given us

      for His Kingdom's sake.

Paul had no idea

   that his faithfulness

would impact us

       2000 years later.

His journeys spread the gospel.

Even his imprisonments

  enabled him to write it down.)

O LORD,

Please help us to

        be responsive to You today.

Be a witness through us

   to all those we encounter.

Bless our words

  that You may be known.

Enlarge our heart

  that we may love others

all around us

    by telling them about You

in our words and deeds

and how we love them.