Psalm 46  God is.... our refuge,  our strength , our help,  our stronghold.  "He is with us! He is with us! Always! Always!"  Sing this song of Truth.
 "The Lord of hosts is with us;" ( v7)  He is with us when the mountains quake.  He is with us when the water roars.  He is with us when the nations are in an uproar.  He is with us when kingdoms totter.
"He makes wars to cease..."
"He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two."
"He burns the chariots with fire"

So... stop striving, relax, let go!  Know that He is God. He will be exalted.  He is with us.. always.
Father, our Father,  You are always with us. When we seek You, we will find You.  You promised and You are always faithful.  We must want to make contact with You.  To ask and seek and knock.  To abide in Your Word, to abide in Your Son.  Fill our hearts with that true longing to just be with You.
amen.

Matthew 10  Jesus chooses the 12 disciples that will represent Him, and sends them out to preach the good news of the Kingdom, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons.  Before they go, Jesus gives them some instructions.
Verses 8-10  Give freely. Don't take extra supplies.  Don't worry about money.
Verses 11-15 Bless those who are worthy, those who heed the message.  Remove any blessings from those who refuse.
Verses 16-23  Beware.  Wolves abound.  Persecution will happen.  Even your own family will turn against you. You will be hated.  This is not an easy life you are called to.
Verses 24-31  Don't be afraid.   When you are called names; when your life is threatened; when you are in great turmoil ; don't forget Who your Father is!
Verses 32-39  Stay faithful,  stay connected to Jesus.  Confess that He is Lord.. He will confess that you are His before the Father.  Deny Him and He will deny that you are His.  Love Him more than family. Love Him more than your own life.  Follow Him no matter what.  When you lose your life for Him,that is when you really find it.
Verses 40-42 Be so identified with Jesus that when someone sees you, they see Him.  When they give to you, they give to Him.  The one who accepts you and takes you in, takes Him and accepts Him too.
Jesus is so identified with the Father that He says, "and he who receives Me receives Him who sent me."

Father, lead us in Your paths of righteousness, for Your Name's sake.  We dare not walk alone.  Again we long to be with You.  May we give freely what You have given to us.  May we share Your blessing and Your kingdom with those who have ears to hear.  May we persevere when trouble arises.  May we stay faithful to Jesus, our Lord.  May we willingly lay down our lives for You.  May Jesus be seen in us so that others may know You.  May Your will be done.
Amen