Because God Has Put Us Here

 

...to give light

to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death....

             Luke 1. 79

(We may find ourselves

       where we rather not be.

Why are we in this situation,

    dark and messy

    and maybe not even

                of our own doing?

Because God has put us here.

Nothing random at all.

God is generous

       with sacred encounters,

       divine appointments,

and as writer Kate Gaston says,

          "holy collisions"

to bring hope and light

      to the brokenness of this world.

And to let those in despair know

      life doesn't have to be this way.

We are not alone.

God is with us,

             even here,

             even in this.)

O LORD,

We try to do life without You,

and then wonder why we

    end up in the gutter of despair,

agony of defeat,

    and gloom without hope.

Please grant to us

    the awareness to be light

in the shadowlands

and to show others Your hope

   by how we love them.

 

And Take Everyone By Surprise

 

....and behold,

you have done nothing

        but bless them.

        Numbers 23. 11

(We are all faced with

volatile situations,

difficult relationships,

  and struggles of all kinds.

May we respond the same way 

    with unexpected blessing 

    and striving for good will.

May we see it as a conversation,

instead of a conflict

        or confrontation,

willing to grasp the best in

   and want the best for.

When faced with trouble

     and opposition,

what if we blessed instead?

And take everyone by surprise.

May others see

      a different heart in us,

      transformed by the gospel.

When we come before Him,

   God changes our triggers

   and the trajectory

                 of the situation.

God can redeem,

                    even this.)

O LORD,

Before we rush into the fray,

help us to stop,

        come before You,

and seek Your way into

   whatever is before us.

Empower us to approach,

navigate and negotiate

   with Your amazing grace.

And to experience

   what You make possible

       in the impossible.

Ready To Run

 

...let it be to me

    according to Your word.

            Luke 1. 38

(We don't have to have figured

     out the journey, the outcome,

     the details, or how in the way

              we can do this.

It is not that we need to

   lay out our day before Him,

but that we let God

   lay out His day before us.

Not interruptions nor detours,

or things not working out,

   but seeing them as divine appointments

   and sacred encounters.

This prayer of Mary

    changed the history of the world.

These words are not the voice

              of reluctant surrender,

but instead ready to roll in whatever,

whenever, 

        and however God leads.

God walks with us.

God brings the snacks.)

O LORD,

Place before us today

Your plans, purposes and

   ways to bring You glory.

We come before You

   with shoes double-knotted,

ready to run with You.

Please grant to us

   the wisdom and grace

to follow Your nudges.

Let Your glory be over all

    we do today.

Over all and all over.

Don't Miss The View

 

From there they set out

             and camped...

From there they set out

            and camped...

And from there

      they continued...

And from the wilderness

    they went on...

Numbers 21. 12,13,16,18

(This passage pretty much

   describes our many moves

             as a family,

every few years

     to a new place.

Are we there yet?

But for all of us,

in each place on our journeys,

    in every new experience

    or continuance of the familiar,

God uses it to change and equip us

           a little more.

There is nothing random in this

     nor wandering,

but instead, learning how to follow,

how to be faithful,

and how to trust Him,

even when we don't quite know

   why we are doing this

   or why we are even here.

For His purposes.

For His glory.

And all in His name.)

O LORD,

You take us on paths

       we both know

       and have never seen,

that we would know You more.

Please help us to set out

      and camp and set out again,

even through the wilderness,

the miry bogs,

the highways and byways,

knowing You don't just

        give us a map.

You walk with us

     every step of the way.

Help us to not miss the view.

Praying In Numbers

 

And the whole multitude of people

were praying

at the hour of incense.

             Luke 1. 10

(In praying

       and by praying,

what are we saying yes to?

              To God.

Praying in multitudes

   shares His Presence

   with everyone.

God doesn't need a multitude

   in order to hear us,

but sometimes we

   need a multitude to know

   that we are not alone in this.

Praying is one sacred way

      of loving people.

As Corrie Ten Boom once said,

"With such this prevailing prayer,

  something is bound to happen."

Prayer is seeking God,

allowing ourselves to be led by Him,

and giving Him 

    the elbow room to work

in His way

and in His perfect timing)

O LORD,

We thank You

for those who gather around

    to pray for us,

in their quiet corners

  or in a mighty gathering.

Thank You too

for the opportunity

      to pray for others

and share in the wonders

  that only You can do.

Write Your name

    over this situation at hand.

And let Your Presence

       change everything.

Even our hearts.

.

The One Thing We Can Do

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in You.

In God whose Word I praise,

       in God I trust.

I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

          Psalm 56. 3-4, 10-11

(A phrase repeated in Scripture

   is like underlining it in

   permanent marker

      with a series of !!!!!!!

Pay attention to this.

It does not say if I am afraid,

     but when fear grabs me.

At some point,

    the scary stuff paralyses us all.

God does not say,

   hide and let it pass over,

nor pretend there is

      nothing to be afraid of,

           but trust Me in this.

Don't just sit there,

   but push back .

In God I Trust is neither a mantra,

    wishful thinking,

    a magical incantation,

or a nightlight

      when the house creaks.

But a way of

   singing louder than the despair,

not to make the boogie man go away,

but to grasp the reality

          of His unforgettable Presence.

Trusting God means singing

         a new song over it,

new lyrics,

and a psalm of ascent.

Fear is a reality

           in this broken world.

But God is stronger still.

Learning to trust Him

  in the everydays,

prepares us for the hard stuff.

When I am afraid?

         First response:

    I put my trust in You.)

O LORD,

Even in what we don't understand,

even when we are overwhelmed,

even when we are over our heads,

even when it is way too scary,

  the one thing we can do

           is trust You.

You hear our cries.

You are already here.

           Present tense.

May we trust You in this too.

 

Taking The High Road

Please let us pass

      through your land.

We will not pass through

   field or vineyard,

or drink from a well.

We will go along

   the King's Highway.

         Numbers 20.17

(Through any difficulty,

    known or yet unknown,

God provides the opportunity

   to take the high road,

     His way through this.

He guides us,

   even step by step.

When we pray,

   seeking His face,

  --and not just directions--

the next stepping stone

   rises up out of the mist

      --and not until.

His highway passes through

  the familiar

      and the most unlikely routes

with rest stops along the way

   we cannot foresee.)

O LORD,

Please help us to choose

   Your way in this wilderness

   or right through the crowds.

Help us to be faithful

  in all that we do today

and follow You into it

   with a new heart.

And to know You more

     along the way,

whether sharp turns

     or confusing detours,

not looking for signs,

   but looking to You.

Walk with us, Almighty One.