Ask What I Shall Give You

 

In that night, 

God appeared to Solomon, 

and said to him,

"Ask what I shall give you."

And Solomon said to God,

"...Give me now 

wisdom and knowledge

to go out and come in

before the people..."

       2 Chronicles 1. 7-8, 10

God asks us the

         same question:

Ask what I shall give you.

How do we respond?

Not telling God

   what to do and how to do it,

but asking for wisdom

and knowledge and courage

        to follow Him.

When we worship the Almighty,

He reorders our loves.

He softens our hearts.

He changes our minds.

   And welcomes us Home.

O LORD,

Turn our eyes,

set our hearts,

and direct our thoughts to You.

Help us to walk differently

  in whatever is before us

with hope, grace

     and Your Presence.

Help us to listen to Your voice,

not just to reveal Your path

                   for us,

but to reveal Yourself. 

Align our hearts with Yours.

Whatever. Wherever. Among Whomever.

 

Then the people rejoiced,

because they had given

            willingly,

for with a whole heart

they had offered freely

     to the LORD.

     1 Chronicles 29. 9

Giving and serving the LORD

far exceed our situation.

It is not a matter of stuff, resources,

    time or treasure,

        but a matter of the heart.

The root word in willingly

           is will.

    Not ours but Yours.

Giving willingly,

offering freely,

walking fully,

worshiping God in all we do,

infiltrates joy from the LORD.

Serving God

        in any capacity

    is never insignificant.

There is nothing 

       God cannot use 

   to redeem this broken world.

Serving Him with a whole heart

   impacts us

   and everyone around us,

everytime,

   even when we don't see it yet.

His incredible joy in impossible places

                   changes everything. 

O LORD,

May we be sensitive 

        to Your leading,

aware of our circumstances,

attentive to the obvious

  or not so obvious need,

and bring Your name here

    in tangible ways.

Help us to realize

    You cover us in joy.

It is not in us

      but all through You.

May Your impossible joy

   energize us

        into this day today

and radically change whatever

    lies before us.

Whatever. Wherever. 

            Among whomever.

Not Limited By What Is Seen or Unseen

...who gives life to the dead

and calls into existence

the things that do not exist.

           Romans 4. 17

God spells out

  how to face the impossible.

This situation is not dead yet.

This is not the end of the story.

Because God restores.

God redeems.

God multiplies.

God resurrects what 

     appears to be lifeless.

But our part is to

   give God the space to work

   and follow Him into it.

God is not limited

  by what is seen or not seen.

Even when it is against the odds,

       when we call on Him,

God cannot help but respond

   and bring something about.

Are we willing to change

           and trust Him in it?

God does the heavy lifting,

 but our part is to follow Him

into the space He has opened.

When we hold tight to Him,

   of what do we let go?

Selfishness, pride and despair.

O LORD,

Guide us into this unreasonable

   situation, relationship,

  and heavy circumstances,

all rolled into one big mess.

Help us to realize that the impossible

is what is not able to occur,

   exist or be done 

             without You.

Breathe Your life into this.

We cannot see our way,

  but You bring us through.

Order our day.

Order our way.

Reorder our loves.

And align our hearts

          with Yours.

Help us to run with You.

    

And Brings The Snacks

 

Arise and work!

The LORD be with you!

      1 Chronicles 22. 16

God grants us His strength,

wisdom, and courage

  to go forth into this day

and the opportunities

      right before us

to fulfill His purposes

    in all we do and say,

to be a witness in how 

  we love Him and others,

to be faithful in all

     He has placed on our path.

May we be responsive

    to get out there,

and willing to follow Him in it.

We are masters 

          of procrastination.

And we miss out 

   on the wonders of God

   running with us,

      setting the direction,

      setting the pace,

  and bringing the snacks.

In being faithful in one step

          and then the next,

we see Him.

O LORD,

Empower us to 

       rise and work,

even if we don't know

   the how, where

        and what of it,

we can be assured

  of Your Presence.

And that changes

       everything.

 

Doing What We CAN Do

They were given

   the cities of refuge...

          1 Chronicles 6. 67

May we be ready

with sensitive hearts,

boatloads of compassion,

pantries full of forgiveness,

beds made,

doors unlocked and open,

watchful on the porch,

aware in our comings

           and goings

   in the familiar

   and the unexpected.

We can't do everything

    to solve big problems,

but we can do something.

And having done all,

      stand in the gap.

God changes the landscape

    through us.

God gave cities of refuge.

    God's people built them.

We can always do something

  as a first responder

or as a steadfast friend.

And change the world.

O LORD,

You don't just give us

      something to do.

You invite us into Your work.

May You find us faithful.

And may we not 

     despise a day of small things,

but do what we can do.

Because blessing others

     is never insignificant.

And shifts the tectonic plates

           of this world.

You always bring about

 what otherwise

 would not be possible.

And sometimes You use us

        to do those things

    and cover Your glory over it.

      

 

God Is Not About To Abandon Us Now

 

....and I have been with you

wherever you have gone.

       1 Chronicles 17. 8

Past, present, future tense.

God is not about to

     abandon us now.

We can see, approach,

navigate, and accept

  our surroundings, 

  experiences,

  and circumstances

           differently,

not just because 

   we are believers,

but because

            God is here.

He guides and provides,

even though sometimes

we cannot realize that

  until the rearview mirror.

But we can trust Him

and go forth with courage.

I am with you. Do not be afraid.

O LORD,

As we go forth with You

   into this day,

full of Your wonders,

even in the hard stuff,

fill us with Your strength

  and fulfill Your plans 

  in whatever we face.

Help us to remember

  the chronicle of

       Your faithfulness

in our past,

in the now,

    and in the next.

Empower us to

   trust You in this.

Even in this,

    wherever,

    whatever,

    among whomever,

help us run with You. 

All Eyes on Him

 

Seek the LORD

   and His strength.

Seek His Presence

        continually.

      1 Chronicles 16. 11

How do we endure

  this hard situation?

Not in our own strength,

        but His.

Seeking not an outcome

  or ease or success,

        but Him.

Continually

   requires intention,

not short spurts

     but the long haul.

Turning our faces

  towards the Lord

      directs our course.

O LORD,

We turn our eyes

           upon You

that we would follow You,

know Your strength,

and see You

   and circumstances differently.

Help us to approach

   and navigate this situation

with a fresh heart.

Grant us the courage

     to take Your path.

Form something new

            in us,

       step by step.

We don't know what to do

or even where this is going,

  but our eyes are on You.