But Then We Can

 

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 testify 

      also in Rome."

         Acts 23. 11

One response of faithfulness

to the Lord

strengthens us for the next.

"I could never do that!"

But then we can.

Faithfulness

    is a daily practice,

in big things and small

(that never turn out

    to be insignificant at all).

God grants us His courage

    to testify

in the most unusual

   and unexpected places,

sometimes when we are

     totally unaware

that anyone is listening,

sometimes when we realize

it is only by His strength in us.

We all have been

divinely appointed for 

   this time and place.

May we take up

      His courage in this.

O LORD,

Even when we face difficult

  situations, decisions,

  and impossible people,

You grant us Your courage

   when we have none.

Please give to us

    not just the right words,

          but a right heart.

Help us to realize 

that every day

  and every experience

is working Your strength

       into us as a testimony

     for Your glory.

Others are watching

   to see not that we 

   have all the answers

but You have

 transformed our lives.

 

Living Among the Chaldeans

 

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 Chronicles 25. 24

No matter where we are,

  we can worship God

    --the true King--

with all we do,

    with all our work,

   and in how we do it.

All of us find ourselves

     at one time or another,

  even one day at a time,

in strange and

  uncomfortable places.

May God find us faithful

       to You.

We may cry,

  "I don't want to be here!"

But God whispers to us,

"I have something

        very important for you

        to do here.

Be a witness

         in this situation.

Weave My name 

  into the circumstances."

We can live in the ordinary

   or a strange land

and serve Him fully.

O LORD,

Give us Your courage

  to work faithfully

wherever You guide us.

We are divinely appointed

and strategically placed

to bring You glory.

Enlarge what we do

      in greater detail

than we can ever imagine.

And to draw others to You.

 

What God Has Up His Sleeve

 

And I said,

"What shall I do, Lord?"

And the Lord said to me,

"Rise and go into Damascus,

and there

   you will be told

all that is appointed

      for you to do."

                Acts 22. 10

God does not give out 

        marching orders.

He calls us to Himself.

Pray, respond,

        rise and go

   (or sometimes stay

    right where we are planted).

When we follow Him,

God reveals not just 

  a path through circumstances,

  but He reveals Himself.

And God has many such things

          up His sleeve

far beyond our radar.

Eternity is bigger than

        our imagination.

We have no conception

   of what God is up to.

We don't have to.

We have only

            to be faithful to Him.

O LORD,

We come to You

    with open hands

and a willing heart.

Please show us Your way

     in this situation,

not just what to do,

but to be Yours in it.

We have no idea

     what You have 

     up Your sleeve.

May we fulfill Your purposes

   every which way

   we can today.

And bring You glory in it.

 

Swords, Shields and Hand-Me-Downs

And the priest gave to the captains

the spears and shields

that had been King David's,

which were in the house

                of the LORD.

               2 Kings 11. 10

What are we working on, 

investing in,

preparing and preserving

to be passed down

        as a legacy

and engrained strength

  for the generations to come?

What do others see in us?

May we scatter

           hand-me-downs

     of strength, grace and faith.

Our children witness

    our actions,

    attitudes and words

to the furthest generation.

Faithfulness to the LORD

   is not just observable,

but multiplies

      far beyond our lifetimes.

It can't help but

      change a life,

including our own.

O LORD,

Thank You for providing

the witness of the saints

that have come before us.

Strengthen us 

that we may pass on

the knowledge of You

and leave behind tangible shields 

for the well-being of others

      that they may know You.

.

 

We Don't Know What To Do

 

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...

             2 Kings 19. 4-5

First response:

  not defeated by despair,

  but reaching out in prayer.

Whatever the situation,

   spread it thick before God

 and pray about it,

every dimension,

prayer and layer,

spread it out,

     no holding back.

Each piece and plea is

   connected to another.

Praying opens 

         another door

and then that room

   leads to another portal.

Praying is the 

     deep stuff of abiding,

right where we dwell,

and we are nurtured by it.

O LORD,

We ask You today

to give us the courage

not just to follow You,

but how to do that 

       step by step,

     prayer by prayer,

approaching and navigating

   whatever is before us.

Provide us the strength

   and wisdom that go along

with being faithful to You. 

We don't know what to do,

but our eyes are upon You.

         2 Chronicles 20. 12

 

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Holding Us Fast

 

For he held fast to the LORD.

He did not depart

        from following Him...

And the LORD was with him.

Wherever he went out,

             he prospered.

         2 Kings 18. 6-7

Not pursuing success,

   but following the LORD

through whatever drought,

siege,

or trouble he encountered.

God does not show up,

but shows us,

unfolds to us,

and reveals Himself to us.

Follow Me. I am with you.

And that changes everything.

We see differently.

We worship the LORD

         and not the outcome.

We trust Him in the journey

         and hold tight to Him.

The word prosper here means

      to act wisely,

be attentive to God,

and complete 

   what God has given us to do,

showing care and 

         thought for the future. 

O LORD,

May we hold tight to You

   in the calm and in the storm.

Bind us to You.

Tie us to Your mast

that no matter what 

         we encounter

    or struggle with,

we know You embrace us

    with love and mercy.

We know that

           You are God.

The Future of Impossible Situations

 

But his servant said,

"How can I set this

    before a hundred men?"

So he repeated,

"Give them to the men

that they may eat

for thus says the LORD,

"They shall eat 

      and have some left."

So he set it before them.

And they ate

   and had some left,

according to the word of the LORD.

              2 Kings 4. 43

When we are faithful

    in following the LORD,

even into what

   we cannot yet understand,

God's fundamental law of 

       leftovers kicks in.

Lay before Him our day,

our work,

our efforts,

     and He multiplies.

What seems to us a lack,

   God redeems for His glory

in ways we may never

               comprehend.

The point here is

      not what God can do,

but are we willing

     to submit to Him?

O LORD,

We bring before You

what seems to be

    an impossible situation.

We lay it on the altar

   that You may touch it

and turn the natural

            into the supernatural

and the ordinary

      into the extraordinary.

Help us to be sensitive

     to the needs of others.

And to be aware of 

     Your hand upon us. 

You do not just show up.

      You sustain us.