“Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust.” Proverbs 4:25-27 MSG

The past 48 hours have been more than a bit of a whirlwind for my emotions. No parent likes to see their kids hurting, no matter the reason. My heart is also hurting for friends who have lost loved ones, have very sick family members, and those feeling the strain of not quite enough finances.

I may not have had much time to jot my thoughts down in my journal, but God has been quietly but powerfully impacting and realigning my focus in these chaotic days.

A friend I grew up with in church years ago taught me a lesson which I have never forgotten about the Word, and prayer. One day, he opened his bible,and began praying back the words of the passage back to God as a prayer, and inserting himself in where appropriate to make it heartfelt yet honest. His focus while in the Word was the Living Word. Connecting relationally, worshiping earnestly, in the moment yet inviting God beyond time into the right now. (Thanks David!)

There are two classics I will share with you today, in the hopes that if you too are feeling in over your head and weary in the storm about you? Sit at His feet, worship Him, and pray His Word back to Him.

Worship:

“Come Thou Fount” by Bob Fitts, circa 1996. https://youtu.be/qo4JjCprFnE

Word:

Psalm 91, in any version. Read it out loud with this twist: either put your name in where it refers to “you,” or say “I” or “me”, whichever feels more natural. Make it your genuine prayer by continuing to pray to Him after the last verse, in gratitude, or by asking Him to make the truths of these verses come alive in your life.

We steer where we stare, friend. Keep your eyes fixed on His. He will not only get you through, He will be beside you as you go.

#hopefortheharddays