Can't Do It Without You Too

 

...and I made preparations

           for building.

         1 Chronicles 28.2

(In God's kingdom,

 in His purposes,

 in His work,

each one of us is vital

     to do our part.

We are all anointed

             and appointed,

sometimes to hit the last nail,

  to bring the work

  to completion.

Sometimes to come

    alongside others to help,

    assist, encourage,

    or hold a board in place.

Sometimes with no recognition

    to prepare, gather,

         cut up the veggies,

 for someone else

       to pull it all together.

Are we seeking our own glory

     or the glory of God in this?

May we acknowledge the quiet ones,

even to be one of the quiet ones,

   behind the scenes,

     who do the heavy lifting,

the thousands of faithful ones 

 who prepare

  for the wellbeing of others

  and take joy in serving God.

That's what the Body does.

God says, "We can't do it

        without you too.")

O LORD,

Help us to approach this work

  with a willing heart

to contribute what we are able

  for Your kingdom.

Help us to realize there are

    no small acts

         of faithfulness

    or singular heroes.

And indeed, what is most valuable

    may be the most invisible

                   to our eyes,

   but extraordinary in Yours.

Grant to us the eyes and heart

   not just to pitch in,

   or play our part,

but to bring You glory

in whatever You place

     in our hands today.

Let not pride handicap us,

but let Your grace

      saturate it all.

Not Just a Repair Job

 

When the LORD restores....

         Psalm 14. 7

(The word restores does not

appear as future tense

  --something in the

unforeseeable time to come--

   but first person present.

Past, present and future

  are intimately woven.

God is incredibly already at work,

  not just in the process,

  but in the completion.

God does not just repair

  and glue together

  the broken fragments.

God redeems.)

O LORD,

We pray not for restoration,

    but pray to You.

We cannot know

      how the pieces unfold

      or are divinely fit together,

  the visible, the unseen,

  even what does not yet exist.

But we can know

           and trust You.

Your redeeming

   is never limited just to us.

Please help us

  to keep our eyes on You.

Even in this.

Bubbling Up

 

...who prophesied with the lyre

in thanksgiving and praise

           to the LORD.

        1 Chronicles 25. 3

(The word prophesy in Scripture

  is not limited or defined by

  the worldly concept

         of predicting the future.

Not just a statement

        of what is to come,

  but a revealing of what is now,

     a declaration of reality.

We may not be able

      to play the lyre,

but we can bear witness to God

     in many other capacities.

Prophesy here means in Hebrew

  to be softened,

 to cause to bubble up and 

   pour forth words abundantly,

singing and speaking,

playing the instruments

      in their hands,

worshiping in all they did,

     divinely influenced.

May we go forth into this day

   with the same bubbling up

and pouring forth,

praising God through our work

   and words

   and even the songs we hum.

Oxford mathematician John Lennox

   has been asked repeatedly

   why he didn't go into the ministry.

He replies,  "Every day

     I go into the ministry."

Indeed, we do as well.)

O LORD,

Help us to bubble up

and pour forth praise to You

   in and through all we do.

May our lives be evidence

    of Your truth and grace.

May our work

    be a form of worship.

Empower us

   to bear witness to others

in our words, work,

             and attitudes.

May we not just hum Your praise,

not just being aware of the melody,

   but know every note

   and every word.

Worship bears witness to others

    through with-ness with You.

May we sing with You

               into this day.

 

       

Learning how to Breathe Differently

 

Good sense makes one

     slow to anger,

and it is one's glory

  to overlook an offense.

            Proverbs 19. 11

(The strongest person

in the room is not the loudest

        or meanest.

But one of our

       most obvious and visible

attributes and witnesses

  is to be slow to anger

  and to overlook an offense.

The offender is not perfect,

       nor are we.

Being slow to anger leaves

  a lingering aroma of grace

instead of generational

   bleeding-out wounds

   in relationships.

Know how to back away

  and no one gets hurt.

Strangely enough, this

 passage literally means

  that how we breathe 

  in a volatile situation

changes both our stance

       and countenance.)

O LORD,

Give us the strength

  to breathe differently

in hardship, when attacked,

 when we are wounded,

 or in an explosive situation.

Fill us with Your breath

  of grace and forgiveness.

Change the trajectory

    of these circumstances

for Your glory instead.

 

Not on our Own

 

And the LORD gave

   victory to David

wherever he went.

 1 Chronicles 18. 6, 13

(The ancient Hebrew word

          for victory

is defined by

   the LORD helped David.

It further means to save,

to liberate, to enlarge,

to make wide, spacious

          and abundant.

David did not face

  these overwhelming situations

  on his own.

The LORD helped him.

And David knew it.

David sought not to win

  but sought the LORD.

God always shows us

  a different way through

when we walk with Him in it.

The word wherever

  is not restricted to

  a specific physical location,

  but in anything and everything.

Even in this.)

O LORD,

We all struggle with something.

And we all need You.

Help us not just in the journey

     or the many outcomes,

but to seek You

   even before we take a step.

Guide us in how we approach

      these difficulties,

      the miry bogs,

      this rocky path,

      these impossible people,

and how to navigate Your way

   right in the midst.

Show us, O LORD,

      how to walk with You

in a way that brings You the glory.

     

Direct it to Me

 

Seek the LORD

    and His strength.

Seek His Presence

    continually!

    1 Chronicles 16. 11

(Because when we seek God,

   we see Him

           in all things.

God is not just

   in the grand narrative

but in every detail of our lives.

When we pray and seek Him,

   not just an answer,

God enlarges our vision.

We see circumstances

    with fresh eyes and heart

and our situation

    with a new strength

    that He provides.

What can I do?

God says,

   "Direct it to Me."

Seeking Him is our first response

as we go into our days,

not just in times of trouble

  or despair or mystery,

but even into the joy.)

O LORD,

We seek You into this day

   You are unfolding before us.

Guide our hearts and acts

   and thoughts

   that we may grow stronger

and learn to trust You

              even more.

You are forever with us.

We need not walk alone.

   You never intended that.

Open our eyes

    to Your Presence.

Transform our hearts

   into this day.

The Incredible Lord of Bursting Through

 

And David said,

"God has broken through

my enemies by my hand,

   like a bursting flood.

Therefore the name

of that place is called

   Baal-perazim.

       1 Chronicles 14. 11

(Baal-perazim in Hebrew

literally means

the Lord of breaking through.

And that is the God

          we worship,

not trusting in a

   change of circumstances

   but in Him.

God does not just show up.

He equips us for many

       years beforehand

through every experience

of following, responding

       and trusting Him.

God goes out before us

             and behind us.

We can trust Him

  backwards and forwards.

God bursts through

  our impenetrable walls

and all that is overwhelming.

He shows us

   a different way through.)

O LORD,

Please help us

     to know Your Presence

     in the situations we face.

Help us to turn to You first

  and follow You

        into Your purposes

    and designs

    and wonders.

Form Your strength in us.

Grant to us Your courage

   in the impossible.

Burst through, Almighty One,

  not just in what is visible

                but eternal.

May the sake 

         of Your holy name

    energize us.