Thus says the great king,

   the king of Assyria:

On what do you rest

        this trust of yours?

..."We trust

     in the LORD our God."

            2 Kings 18. 19, 22

(In whom or what do we trust

when we cannot see in the dark,

when we cannot touch bottom,

when we don't know what to do?

    He on whom we trust

    on the most ordinary of days.

Because trusting God

            is never ordinary.

And God always works

    in supernatural ways.)

O LORD,

May we start our day

     by trusting You in it.

Help us to see

      Your day for us

                  differently,

even in the hard stuff,

        even in the favorable,

because we trust You.

May we be a witness to others

       by being faithful to You

in all things both great and small,

     pointing others to You.

 

 

Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD

      from the heavens;

praise Him in the heights!

              Psalm 148. 1

(Even in the heights,

the scary places where

   we have to trust Him

          for our footing.

Even in the heights

   where the view is

            incredible.

Even in the depths

   when we can't see at all.

Has it occurred to me

    to praise God in this?

Worship changes us.

Not ignoring circumstances,

nor pretending we are ok,

nor impervious to the situation

        but responsive to it

        and faithful anyway.

Worship empowers us

   to hold fast to Him.)

O LORD,

May the sound of praise

   come before You.

May we realize

   the power of praising You.

May we witness to others

   by how we respond

   to circumstances.

We do not know

      what will happen to us,

but we hold You before us

  and know assuredly

  that You hold even tighter to us.

Wherever,

whenever,

among whomever,

in whatever,

may Your praise be

     not just our background music

     but on our lips

    and in a continuous loop

                   in our hearts.

Praising You

  changes what we hear and see.

 

So the word of the Lord

  continued to increase

  and prevail mightily.

                Acts 19. 20

(Whenever we open God's Word.

study it, meditate on it,

            marinate in it,

God cannot help but

            to change us through it.

Scripture influences

how we see Him,

     others and ourselves,

what we do and say,

how we approach

           His day for us,

how we respond

  to circumstances differently,

how we love

         and what we love.

God does not just add.

         God multiplies.

His Word enlarges our hearts

  and helps us see in the dark.)

O LORD,

Does it matter if we

     read Your Word today?

Far more

   than we can comprehend.

Almighty One,

   let Your Word prevail

   in our hearts.

May we not just recall

        what we read,

but that we never forget

    that You are God.

Thank You for Your Word

  that we can know You

  and know You more.

And in the course of our day,

   may Your Word emerge

   and strengthen us in it.

 

Then Elisha said, "Shoot,"

        and he shot.

And he said,

  "The LORD's arrow of victory..."

                2 Kings 13. 17

(God brings His victory

     in many different ways

     and from unexpected directions,

         when we are faithful to Him.

       and take the next closest step.

He is our help

   of which there is no end.

He is our hope

   on which to stake our lives.

God does not just

     work in singular victories.

He redirects our hearts

      to see Him

      and know He is God.)

O LORD,

Direct us and redirect us

           to You.

Help us to not be distracted

          by circumstances,

     or disabled by fear,

  by what we can and cannot see.

May we be faithful

and know that You sing over us.

Your favor and victory

     comes in all sizes and shapes,

even in what we cannot yet

                        understand.

And we can never ever see

            the end of Your glory.

Wherever we are,

   point us to You.

 

www.nightlytea.blogspot.com

 

The LORD upholds

   all who are falling

and raises up

   all who are bowed down.

               Psalm 145. 14

(And sometimes

       He uses us to do that.

"O God, do something!"

And God replies,

    "That's why I put you there."

It may not be in our skillset

                    or our place

          to fix the situation,

   (although sometimes it is,

       in surprising ways.)

    But we can

             always be present.

Never underestimate

   the power of coming alongside.

Step into the need,

       reach out a hand,

be there,

and God completes it.)

O LORD,

How often we are inches away ourselves

     to be the ones

       falling and bowed down.

Engrave into us

       the strength and compassion

to see the hidden needs around us,

          and have the courage to respond.

Even just in being there for them.

And may we appreciate those

          who are present with us,

   in words and deeds

               and ongoing prayer,

not just helping us up

    but lifting us up to You.

 

Blessed are the people

   whose God is the LORD!

                 Psalm 144. 15

(Because God's people live

   on a different operating system,

   see with updated radar,

   respond not react,

   know and not just believe,

   strengthened in the ordinary,

       and faithful in the crisis.

Blessed does not mean

   picking our way

          through the broken places

  but bringing His grace there,

not defeated by circumstances

   but responsive to them.

The blessed live as an enigma,

    mysterious, puzzling,

    hard to understand,

            if not for God.)

O LORD,

Whether in the favorable

    or the overwhelming,

what are we learning in this?

What are we learning every day?

       That You are God.

And that changes

                  everything.

Help us to trust You

   in whatever is before us.

 

 

About midnight

Paul and Silas were praying

   and singing hymns to God,

and the prisoners

         were listening to them...

                     Acts 16. 25

(Others are continually watching us,

not to see if our lives are perfect,

but how we respond

        when things are not,

what we do,

how we treat others,

and if we really believe in God

          of Whom we speak

                and worship.

Do they see any difference in us?

Do they see Jesus there

     or just our bad attitude?)

O LORD,

We are surrounded

by a cloud of witnesses,

those who believe in You

and those who

     desperately want to.

Radiate from within us

that others may see You.

Help us to

   not react to circumstances,

but to respond to You.

Help us to love others

    in unexpected ways,

unexplainable if not for You.