Wherever. Whenever. Whatever. Among Whomever.

 

As the LORD lives,

and as my lord the king lives,

wherever my lord the king

              shall be,

whether for death or for life,

there also

          will your servant be.

              2 Samuel 15. 21

(Faithfulness to God

      does not just happen.

But it is an intentional commitment

   made beforehand

   and pursued

even in the midst of the hard stuff.

Wherever.  Whenever.  Whatever.

            Among whomever.

What is the one thing today?

    To be faithful to Jesus.)

O LORD,

We strive to serve You

wherever You take us today.

Help us to follow You

     and respond to You.

We serve You

    not out of obligation

    or to earn Your favor,

but because we love You.

May all that we do today

    reveal our faithfulness to You.

Bring Your unexpected fruit

     for the well-being of many.

May Your glory

    get all over everything.

Extraordinary Grace in Volatile Situations

 

Then Abner called to Joab,

"Shall the sword devour forever?

                 2 Samuel 2. 26

(It doesn't have to be this way.

We all have troubled

   relationships and situations.

But as Christ-followers,

   we can respond differently

   and in unexpected ways.

Revenge, violence, bitterness,

a lack of forgiveness, and

ammunition from past transgressions

           never end well.

But a change in our hearts

    can change the stakes.

God reveals a different way to live.

What are we bringing to the table?

May we be the first to extend

     an unexpected olive branch

         --an undeserved one.

Bring healing and peace instead

   to someone who

   doesn't deserve it.

It may be rejected or ignored,

  but it is an act of forgiveness

     on our part of the equation.

That changes everything.

Sometimes the fruit takes

   a long time to come forth.

But an orchard has been planted.

Make them homesick

      for what can be.)

O LORD,

Please help us to

   live differently in volatile places

   or even among those

       who choose animosity.

May we be the ones

    who live in Your grace.

Empower us with Your love

   to respond differently.

And to love

    as we have been loved by You.

No one wins an argument.

But everyone is impacted by grace.

What is the one thing?

That You are glorified, even in this.

Even in how we love others

         right to You.

Dirty Feet

 

He laid aside His outer garments,

and taking a towel,

tied it around His waist.

Then He poured water into a basin,

and began to wash

    the disciples' feet

and to wipe them with the towel

that was wrapped around Him.

                     John 13. 4-5

(What are we bringing to the party,

what are we bringing into

            our volatile situations?

What does feet-washing look like

         in our day today?

Are we willing to get on our knees

      for someone else

      who doesn't deserve it

        or maybe won't even notice?

Jesus shows us how to love others

      and treat them with grace.,

how to walk into a situation

   and navigate relationships.

How can we love others

   with even the smallest kindnesses

   that point souls to God.

Bring a towel and basin to it.

Wash feet.

God is glorified by acts of

             unexpected grace.)

O LORD,

Please help us to pay attention

   to opportunities to serve You

   by loving others

            in unlikely ways.

Remind us to walk prepared.

Nudge us in the moment

       to be both a blessing

       and a witness.

Stir us to act in ways

   what we have not considered before.

May Your glory spill all over it.

Every Adversity

 

As the LORD lives,

Who has redeemed my life

   out of every adversity....

              2 Samuel 4. 9

(The key word here is every.

Not just once, 

     or once in a while.

But every time, He redeems,

  most often in unexpected ways.

God turns things rightside up.

His redeeming

      has no expiration date,

   not subject to circumstances,

      nor our idea of timing.

Because He lives is the reality

  of our hope, strength,

and the grace out of which

         we treat others

    and navigate this situation.

God has redeemed our lives.

Nothing can be the same.

               Nor can we.

God is not about to abandon us now.

And He can redeem even this.)

O LORD,

As You live,

       because You live,

we are not alone.

       You are with us.

Please help us to walk with You

   and know full assuredly

   that You are redeeming

not just this situation,

     but redeeming our souls.

Grant to us

      the mind and grace of Christ

   as we go into this day.

First, It is Impossible

It may be that the LORD

will work for us,

for nothing can hinder the LORD

from saving by many

                      or by few.

               1 Samuel 14. 6

(Never underestimate what God

    may have up His sleeve.

God shows new ways

    through the impossible,

    improbable, unimaginable,

and that which is not able

          to occur on its own.

God directs us to a passage

   that may not have existed before,

or that which is invisible

       without following Him.

God's glory covers it all.

"First it's impossible,

then difficult, then done."

      --Hudson Taylor

        1832-1905)

O LORD,

Help us to trust in You,

    not just in specific outcomes.

Reveal Yourself to us

    when we cannot see

    the path ahead of us.

Surround us by Your Presence,

    even in the darkness.

Assure us that

   You don't just work for us,

but that You love us

        far more than we can know.

Please help us

    to trust You

because the unknown

         is not unknown to You.

 

Unexpected Effects

 

Then David said to Ahimelech,

"Then have you not here

a spear or a sword at hand?"

...And the priest said,

"The sword of Goliath the Philistine..."

                 1 Samuel 21. 8-9

(Acts of obedience and faithfulness

to God always provide and bear fruit

in unexpected ways,

rising up sometimes years

       or even a lifetime in the future.

We cannot see it coming out

        of the depths of eternity,

but faithfulness to God resounds

             for generations.

Do our actions today

      responding to God even matter?

Absolutely in every detail,

          in all ways great and small.

Everything we do directly impacts

the spiritual wellbeing

   of those who surround us

and even those yet unborn.

When he slayed Goliath,

   David had no idea

how God would provide).

O LORD,

We cannot often see how

   You will provide for us

in unlikely places.

But we know that You are faithful.

Please help us

      to be faithful to You.

Please nurture Your fruit

    in our actions and words

    and even attitudes.

Grant to us the courage

    and compassion to go forth.

And to know You more.

May we be mindful

     of the legacy we leave.

And to point others

          continually to You.

Seen Too Much to Question God in This

 

Therefore that place was called

      the Rock of Escape.

                 1 Samuel 23. 28

(Sometimes we find ourselves

     not just in difficult circumstances,

     but as David discovered,

literally between

             a rock and a hard place.

But David once again

     trusted God.

David had seen too much

       to question God in this.

We can too.

We know God specializes in

        impossible situations

   that we may know Him more.

And God reveals Himself in ways

   not able to occur or even exist

   without divine intervention.

His glory is evident

   and beyond explanation,

             if not for His hand.

We can look to Him

   not just for deliverance,

but to experience yet another

          story of His faithfulness.

Sometimes His deliverance

    takes the form of escape.

Sometimes God keeps us

             right where we are.

Trust Me in this.)

O LORD,

You did not promise us

       an easy life,

but that You are with us

      in this broken world.

You grant us Your strength.

You help us to see

      differently in tight places.

You bring Your glory to this.

Please help us

      to be faithful to You

even today,

even between this rock

   and hard place.

We find You already here.