May the Lord woo you into a spacious place and deliver you from all your fears,
May he give you such nonsensical faith
That your joy carries you into the outworking of the promise.
When there is nothing to do but wait, may you just celebrate in advance,
Disregarding all earthly sense of timing.
May you find freedom in the mystery, and cherish the Unknown
Longing to welcome it like a visit from a long anticipated friend.
May the Lord honor you for the tremendous cost
And reward you more than you could have asked for.
When you receive gifts you didn’t ask for,
May you simply stand there, blissfully bemused.
When the Lord tells you a beautiful dream,
May you be able to receive it unquestioningly like a child does,
And focus on just that day’s provision,
And focus on just that day’s obedience.
When the long obedience feels scary and overwhelming,
Would the Holy Spirit divide the time into small pieces,
And feed you one right-sized spoonful at a time.
May the Holy Spirit be the Head Chef in your kitchen,
Nourishing each person according to their needs,
Braising the meat so that they can receive it,
Giving you wisdom to rest and speak well.
When you expectantly throw yourself off a cliff,
May you feel his hands catching you.
May the Lord work out such glorious redemption from your inevitable missteps,
That your fear of failure disintegrates.
And may you dance upon the edge of the knife.
May all of the hard-to-express challenges be gracefully translatable,
And your listeners have clarified ears to perceive your right intentions.
May you not have to work hard to be accepted in unlikely contexts,
May the Lord take you on a cruise.
May you be unafraid to cry in public,
Or laugh in public,
Or dance in public.
May the Lord make your sincerity even more charming to the people on the street.
May they want to know your God in wanting to know you.
May you be so focused on the mission that you fluently get over yourself,
And live a life that is committed to the people you are serving
Instead of the size of your fears.
May he give you grace press in until you love your adversaries like your best friend,
Talking about them like they are already perfect.
Believing earnestly that you are lucky that God put them on the earth.
May your unorthodox approval convince them that they are worthy of his love.
May the people who you have lost come back to you,
May everything be better than it was before.
May you have the security of knowing that you always have a home to come back to,
Even as the Lord expands you across the world.
May the security God builds in your Kingdom family rival the security of Heaven.
May the bones that the witches dared bury under your shed be the seeds of Youth and Young prophets reformation in Scotland and in the nations,
May you drink deeply and dine out on God’s redemption.
May you be unafraid to say goodbye to your loved ones,
And know that they are so proud of you, looking back from the other side.
May God bridge the unbridgeable distance,
While you continue your best work in memory of them,
And they continue their heavenly rulership,
Elbowing all of their new friends
Eyes gleaming, boasting,
Declaring, “That one is mine.”
May you not be offended by the right timings of Death,
When God decides that they would be more useful in Heaven.
Would you ultimately have the most satisfying hug when you see them,
But be able to rest peacefully now,
Knowing that your best days are still to come.
May you never undervalue what God can do with your life, and the extravagant plans he has for you.
May it never even occur to you to sell yourself short.
Age of the Unexpected 