We Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

 

What no eye has seen,

nor ear heard,

nor the heart imagined,

what God has prepared

  for those who love Him.

           1 Corinthians 2.9

            Isaiah 64. 4

(We ain't seen nothing yet.

We cannot imagine

   nor comprehend the depths

and the wonders of

     His steadfast love,

     goodness and mercy,

even far beyond our lifetimes.

We can trust Him,

        forwards and backwards,

present, past and future tense.

Even the stuff we don't understand,

           God redeems.

We can go forth differently

into this day

knowing this promise.)

O LORD,

Thank You for Your Word

and Your promises that are

   woven throughout scripture.

We do not navigate

   through this life alone.

You do not just walk with us,

  but You prepare our path

                 before us.

You do not just show up.

     You are already here.

Help us to trust You

   even in what we face today.

All the Way in, All the Way through

 

You have said,

    "Seek My face."

My heart says to You,

"Your face, LORD,

       do I seek."

       Psalm 27. 8

(How do we go

    into this day,

this impossible situation,

what is overwhelming,

a rocky path

       or none at all?

God tells us exactly how.

Turn towards Me.

To seek, to strive after,

to search out by every means

    in worship and prayer,

to live in His Presence,

to realize

   His eyes are already on us.

God says literally,

    Look Me in the eye.

He does not just show up.

He has already gone

                 before us.

He is already with us.)

O LORD,

Your face, LORD,

      do we seek.

Guide us not just

      into this day

      or Your way through,

but abide in Your Presence.

Help us to trust You

     forward and backward.

May we walk differently

  because we seek Your face.

May we be aware

       of Your Presence.

Even in the Scary Stuff

 

Though an army

  encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war arise

                against me,

yet I will be confident.

          Psalm 27. 3

(Yet,

even in these hard

   and scary situations,

   we are not alone.

We can trust Him

in the midst of the volatile

            and overwhelming,

      even in this.

God is not just with us

      in the blue skies,

but all the way through

  the storms and struggles.

Trusting God is layered

     in the everydays,

in our patterns,

in our first responses,

equipped, trained

   and practiced

when it does not seem to matter.

So that we know Him,

        and know to trust Him,

when it is a split-second

   matter of life and death.

Trust Me in this.

             Even in this.) 

O LORD,

Please walk us through

   these hard places

with Your strength.

Surround us

   in the overwhelming

that we would bring You glory

  in impossible circumstances.

You have strategically

       positioned us

  for Your purposes.

Help us to see this situation

         with Your heart,

to grasp Your vision

and to be Your hands and feet.

Cast out our fear

  and fill us with trust

that we would walk differently

      with You in this.

And With A Happy Heart

 

And the men

  did the work faithfully.

      2 Chronicles 34.12

(Whatever task God has

    placed in our hands,

    whatever within reach,

    before us on this path,

or odd job God has called us 

                  to pursue,

may we work faithfully,

willingly,

and as my son-in-law says,

     "with a happy heart."

I used to tell our girls,

  "It doesn't count

   if you complain about it."

It is not just about accomplishment,

     or effort,

            but our hearts in it.   

We can never know

   how incredibly God will use

 our work,

            our attitude,

     or our faithfulness

              for generations.

There are no menial tasks,

           ordinary days,

    nor insignificant work.

We live in the profound

  and amidst the remarkable.)

O LORD,

How can I serve You faithfully

          in this situation?

How can I be faithful to You

                    in this day?

Thank You for the opportunity

    not just to do stuff in Your name

but to be a faithful witness

          right down to the details.

May our work be

               as worship to You.

No matter the task,

  please bring Your glory to it.

         

Super Glue All Over

 

Be strong and courageous.

Do not be afraid or dismayed

before the king of Assyria

and all the horde

   that is with him,

for there are more with us

        than with him.

With him is an arm of flesh,

but with us

    is the LORD our God,

to help us

    and to fight our battles.

          2 Chronicles 32. 7-8

(It is not a matter that we struggle,

    --because we all 

            struggle with something--

         but how we respond to it.

The key part of this verse is

           but with us,

With us is the Almighty 

with Whom we can walk 

differently in what we face.

It is not a matter of

  holding on with both hands,

but letting Him hold tight to us.

In His strength and courage,

   we can see a way through.

The Hebrew word for strength

      emphasizes adhesion

--to tie fast, bind strongly,

           hold and stick fast.

Super glue can withstand

   extreme conditions

because it seeps into material

         and below the surface.

God is stronger still,

       not just a quick fix.

God does not just help us,

        but is with us.

He is our strength.)

O LORD,

You call us to approach our

    struggles and storms

with fresh hearts

       strengthened by You.

Help us to realize

       You are with us in this.

And You are in this.

Use this overwhelming situation

    to draw us closer to You.

Our courage and strength

       are only in You.

You have

  an unbreakable grip on us.

Help us to bind ourselves 

            to You

and face this struggle

            with You.

 

Road Trip

 

Make me to know Your ways,

                 O LORD.

Teach me Your paths.

                Psalm 25. 4

(Even in this thicket

            or miry bog,

following His leading

  on undiscovered trails,

that which are not so obvious,

even bushwhacking

               when necessary.

Not just a path or road through,

  but the manner and matter

  of walking with Him

          on this journey.

A path is engraved

   by frequent use

   and faithful following.

God always takes us

              somewhere,

and that would be

    a deeper relationship with Him.

A path is a course of life,

a mode of action,

     and a way of worship.

And our comings and goings

  will be very different

                 as a result.

And pave the way

          for many others.)

O LORD,

Guide us into this day.

Help us to be willing

   to follow You

in the familiar

         the unfamiliar,

         and the inconvenient,

   but always

   in what brings You glory,

even if it doesn't feel like it.

Teach us Your way

   into it

   and all the way through.

Something Always Happens

 

And Hezekiah and

   all the people rejoiced

because God had

   prepared for the people,

for the thing came

         about suddenly.

          2 Corinthians 29. 36

(God goes before us

     to prepare our way.

He provides, He multiplies,

        He redeems,

    even the hard stuff.

And when we worship,

  something always happens.

We can go forth differently

       into the day.

God shakes things up.

Circumstances may change

                  or not,

   but we approach and

   navigate with a fresh heart.

God enlarges our vision.

God moves powerfully.

God makes visible

         the invisible.

Worship helps us see

    His amazing hand.

And we rejoice.)

O LORD,

Help us to follow You

           into this day.

Help us to worship You

     all the way through.

Make us sensitive

     to Your Presence

to see and respond

                to You,

not just what to do

    but who to be.

You bring about things

  suddenly and powerfully.

May we not miss a thing,

   nor be surprised.

Synchronize our thoughts

   and words and actions

                  with Yours.

Help us to direct this day,

    this dilemma,

    our fear and our hope

                         to You.

Strengthen us

      in our worship.