Look

Revelation 21:3 — And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Let the

second coming

of the Lord

bring a wonderful

fear

to my faith,

a resounding

joy

to my scars,

an expectant

obedience

to my heart,

and an all-consuming

peace

to my soul.

Amen.

Where I Belong

Colossians 1:16 — For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

I ask You

to show me

my calling

and You show me

the cross.

I ask You

to show me

my purpose

and You show me

Your people.

I ask You

to show me

my destination

and You show me

self-denial.

I was created

through

and for You,

and I am

on my way back

to Your feet

where I belong.

Amen.

Spoke

Deuteronomy 31:8 — The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

My life

has been used

as evidence

that You alone, Lord,

are in control,

and You alone, Lord,

know what is best

for me.

When I saw despair

You spoke

hope.

When I saw darkness

You spoke

light.

When I saw rejection

You spoke

reconciliation.

When I saw death

You spoke

resurrection.

I will remember, Lord,

how You have always

prevailed

against all evidence

of the opposite.

Amen.

Life

1 Peter 2:9 — But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The fruits of Your love

satisfy the depths

of my soul.

The treasures on Your tongue

quench the longing

in my heart.

I cannot help but worship

Your unknown ways,

Your unknown power.

What is peace

if it does not come

from the Lord?

It is chaos.

What is life

if it does not come

from the Lord?

It is death.

What am I

if I do not bear

Your name?

I am nothing.

Therefore,

instead I rejoice

that in Christ

I am

everything.

Amen.

Prevail

Proverbs 30:1 — I am weary, God, but I can prevail.

It is

quiet

and painful

here.

It has been

so

for awhile.

I need You, O God,

to breathe,

I want You

to be.

I need You

more than I

want You,

I want You

more than I need

anything else.

O Lord,

my God and Savior,

these dark waters

cry out for Your light.

Push back

my enemies,

cut down

my oppressors,

and bring me out

of this affliction

that I may be free.

Amen.

Desperate

Psalm 63:1 — You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

When You found me, Lord,

I was desperate

and my need was great.

It was good,

for it drove me to rely on You,

to trust you.

Now I call out to You, O God,

to renew my fervor,

to reinvigorate my worship.

I do not want comfort in this life;

for I know comfort

leads to death.

I do not desire ease in this life,

for I know ease

leads to complacency.

Take Your infinite power

and give me just a drop;

take Your immeasurable beauty

and bless me with a breath.

Never let me grow stagnant, Father,

for I refuse to die

a slow death.

Never let me grow complacent, Lord,

for I do not wish

to lose eternity.

Amen.

Hidden

Psalm 55:1-2 — Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.

Tear after

tear,

petition after

petition,

grief after

grief,

cry after

cry

I have brought to You

in this hidden place

away from view.

Alone,

on my knees,

blinds drawn

and lights dimmed,

desperate for an

answer.

Not a single soul

has known

nor wandering eye

seen

this hidden war

for redemption.

I have lost count

of the days,

the seasons,

the time -

have You forgotten me,

O Lord?

Amen.

Beyond Glory

Isaiah 40:28 — Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Here I am,

placed between

the wondrous unknown

of Your sovereignty

and the sobering reality

of my human inability.

To my left

I see the limits of my flesh,

the trajectory of my bones.

To the right

I see the limitlessness of eternity,

the trajectory of my soul.

Here I am

in the middle

knowing that You are my only hope,

glad that You are my only hope.

Here I am

in the middle

knowing that I am not able,

glad that I am not able.

If I was anywhere else,

I would be

in the wrong place.

Now

I see You,

I know You,

I know just how

unfathomable

You are,

and my soul rejoices.

Amen.

Never Enough

Ecclesiastes 2:1 — I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

I am nothing

if not weak,

I am empty

on my own -

I cannot bear the weight

of my suffering.

The evil of this world

wears me down,

I have nothing to gain from it.

It has left me broken and destitute,

it smiles

at the pain surrounding me.

Why, O soul,

do you seek peace in this world?

Why, O spirit,

do you seek truth in this place?

For all this world has -

all it can give -

is never enough.

Amen.

Persistence

Romans 8:29 — For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Praise You, Lord,

that I look less

like me

and more like You

today than yesterday.

Your persistence with me,

Your pursuit of me

even when I ran

is the mercy

that saves me.

I can do nothing

but praise

and yield

to Your will for me,

Your power to change me.

Thank You, Lord,

that I am not

the same -

that I will never be

again.

Amen.

Let Go

Genesis 45:8 — “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God…”

God,

I trust

You.

Let

Your will

be done.

I let go

of control,

of bitterness,

of unforgiveness.

Nobody

and nothing

else

brought me

here -

You did.

Amen.

Always

Matthew 6:10 — … your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

My imperfect circumstances

do not

call Your perfect will

into question.

My broken body

does not

bring Your complete goodness

into doubt.

Your sovereignty

is the condition

of my contentment;

Your grace

is the pillar

of my peace.

You are the only

authority,

You are the embodiment of

good,

You are the always

eternal.

Therefore

I am perfectly held,

completely loved,

and eternally secure.

Amen.

Preparation

1 Peter 5:4 — And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

There is a day soon coming

that every single one of my sorrows

will be redeemed

and I will be restored.

Though it may never come

in this life,

it will undoubtedly come

and joy will be mine.

If Your promises are true, O Lord,

I am content to live the rest of my days

in suffering;

for I know the prize that awaits me

in perseverance.

In every one of my afflictions

draw near to me, Lord.

Strengthen my faith -

make me resilient

in my suffering,

not after it is through.

Fill my cup with the joy

of everlasting hope in You, O mighty God,

that I may persist in the battle

and have the victory.

The day is fast approaching

where light will swallow darkness whole

and I will sit in my heavenly place.

Therefore,

with every passing moment

I will fight -

standing firm in my faith,

steadfast in my obedience,

preparing to receive my

eternal crown.

Amen.

Saving Rebuke

Hebrews 12:7 — Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their Father?

I loved Your discipline

until You disciplined

the parts of me

that I hoped wouldn’t have to change.

I cherished Your rebuke

until You rebuked

the parts of me

that I wanted to stay hidden.

I praised Your correction

until You corrected

the parts of me

that I desired to stay the same.

I asked for Your light

until it exposed

my darkness,

I asked for Your Spirit

until it revealed

the cost.

Your love is

discipline,

rebuke,

and correction.

Your Light

exposes,

Your Spirit

reveals,

and it is good.

It is not enough

to receive parts of You

but not all of You, Lord,

when all of You

is what I need.

Amen.

Stripped

Isaiah 48:10 — “See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

I was stripped of

what was most precious

to me

that I would see

there is nothing more precious

than Your love.

I was stripped of

what I thought

I controlled

that I would know

how little control

I really have.

I was stripped of

what gave me

security

that I would realize

how insecure I am

without You.

I was stripped of

what I thought

I knew

that I would understand

how meaningless I am

without You.

I praise You, Father,

for the refining grace

of being stripped

of anything

that seeks to replace You.

Amen.

Evidence

Psalm 71:1 - In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

I am

the evidence

that You are capable

of taking impossible things

and redeeming them

for good.

I can rejoice

that I have joy

beyond my circumstances,

my environment,

my afflictions.

You have led me through

enough

in this life

to give me confidence

in the plans

You have for me -

why would I doubt You

for a single moment?

Amen.

Union

Ephesians 5:25 — … just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Your eyes saw me

in my mother’s womb,

our union began

in the empty tomb.

O perfect love,

divine and true,

Your grace to me,

my need for You.

Past my mistakes,

brokenness too,

my deepest longing,

Your endless pursuit.

You are my Rock,

my eternal Bloom,

You are my Safety,

my precious Groom.

Forever Yours,

what can undo

this covenant love

with me You choose.

Amen.

Shine

Psalm 5:3 — In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

In the morning

I look to You -

You made the morning sun

shine

and gave me breath.

Today

is a new day.

Fill me

with the fullness

of Your Spirit,

the fullness

of Your love

and wonder.

I am

Yours -

have Your way

with me.

Renew me -

refresh my spirit

and breathe life

into my bones.

Awaken me -

arise my soul

and speak truth

over my mind.

Keep me from

distraction

and deception,

from blindness

and foolishness.

Open my eyes,

Father -

let me see.

Amen.

Identity

Ephesians 2:10 — For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

My identity is in You,

Lord,

and You alone.

Though I am quick to forget,

my purpose is in You

my value is in You

my hope is in You

my joy is in You

my strength is in You.

You give to me

what nothing else can,

what no one else will

and it sustains my life.

Draw near to me, Father,

and remind me of who I am

by showing me who You are.

You are my comfort,

my resting place.

You are my foundation,

my only hope.

Let Your will be done.

Amen.

From The Beginning

Psalm 139:16 — …all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

I was set apart by You

from the beginning of time.

You had plans for me

before I knew You.

You had a life for me

before I followed You.

You had a name for me

before I said a word.

All that I face

all that I have endured

all that I was

and all that I am

has been reconciled

and set free.

Every pain

and loss,

every rejection

and hurt

You redeemed

on the cross.

Because of Your grace -

absolutely

undoubtedly

unashamedly

nothing else but Your grace -

I am made new.

Amen.