Psalm 77:14 You are the God of miracles and wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. You might think, because this verse is out of context that this Psalm is a song of praise. Part of it is, but just prior to this verse Asaph, the writer, is crying out to God because his prayers are unanswered and he is in distress. Interesting, isn’t it? He cries out to God and asks Him if His promises will fail forever, but within a few verses he switches focus from his frustration and questioning to remembering God’s might and power and all the things He’s done in the past. I say it all the time – Worship is the way out. It’s from one of my favorite books (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day). But here’s another example of worship in the middle of trouble. I don’t know what Asaph’s issue was or how it was resolved. I do know that even in His frustration and trouble He looked to God’s might and remembered the amazing things God had done in the past. So, maybe, in application, I need to focus on God’s might and faithfulness, remembering all the awesome things He’s done in the past. Even if my situation doesn’t resolve itself immediately (and we don’t know what happened in Asaph’s case – at least I don’t know – do you?), my eyes are on God and I can have hope for the future, whatever that may be.
Psalm 22:2-3 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy. The praises of Israel surround your throne. The part of this verse that captured me is the part where it says “Yet you are holy.” Even though David didn’t see God answering his calls, even though his prayers didn’t seem to be answered, and even though he was overwhelmed by his problem, he still called God holy. He recognized that God is bigger than the problem and no matter what he felt, it didn’t change who God was and is. So, I often cry and ask God for things, for relief, and I don’t seem to get an answer (or the answer’s something I don’t want to hear). Even then God is holy, and I need to recognize that. Because He is holy, His way is best and is always good. There’s always a reason, even if I can’t see it. That’s not easy though. Even if it is true. The other thing that David acknowledges it that Israel still praises God, and so does he. Another book I have, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day recognizes this fact and says that “worship is the way out.” Praising God changes our perspective and our hearts. Worshiping through the storm brings solace and strength. It’s one of the things I love about music – it’s ability to transform our hearts and minds and bring us into God’s presence in a way that touches our emotions. Praising God when the winds are raging shows that we trust His plan. Now, if I could just remember this when I’m holding on for dear life, the winds are howling, and the waves are crashing, and I feel like my boat is breaking up around me.
Malachi 1:11 But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,” says the LORD Almighty. I find this interesting. God is angry at Israel because they offer defiled sacrifices and don’t honor and respect Him… But while Israel, God’s chosen people ignore Him, people of other nations are honoring Him! I didn’t know, first of all, that there were nations other than Israel that honored God’s name. Second of all, how ironic is that, that God’s people whom He has rescued over and over, for whom He has performed incredible miracles (parting of the Red Sea anyone?), and for whom He has fought and won huge battles would forget who He is and be outdone in worship by nations that, for the most part just worship made-up idols! That bites! Really. Think about our culture today. We get so caught up in our lives that we offer God the leftovers and what little time (if any) that we have at the end of it all. Yet, there are nations out there where believers are willing to die for their God and where they honor His name loudly and boldly. And they probably haven’t seen or heard half as much about the Lord as we have! It makes me take a look at my life and wonder if I’m being “outdone” (no, it’s not a competition) by people who hardly know anything about God but are much more in awe of Him than I am… I want to honor His name and offer pure sacrifices. I want His name to be great in my life. How? Remember. Remember the song He’s given me to sing, the God sightings in my life, and the touch of His hand on my life. And worship. Worship Him for the amazing things He’s done. The author of the book In A Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day says that “worship is the way out” and I think that’s true in more ways than one. Worship God and I can find my way out of complacency and fear and pity-parties and more… Yeah God!
This Sunday our pastor spoke about worship as a lifestyle, not a moment of music. It was awesome! I knew what he said, but for some reason it hit me especially hard in a couple of places. Here are my thoughts: 1. Romans 6:1 – With God helping you: take your everyday, ordinary life…. and place it before God as an offering… The part I had missed so many times was that it requires God’s help to be able to surrender and offer my life before God. I try to do a lot of things on my own… which, as I was thinking about something a little unrelated hit me hard. I tend to crave control. Not someone controlling me, but being in control of situations involving my life – my job, my family, even areas of worship to some degree. Man! It’s those revelations that make me wonder if this is why this valley in my life has been so long and, to some degree, dark. I keep squirming and fighting with God for control. And then I end up worshiping an issue or problem instead of the problem solver… 2. Worship is not a PART of my life; it IS my life. I forget that everything I do every day is an act of worship. Ouch! My every day life, especially when I get frustrated with my students or children, does NOT always worship God. I’d almost be embarrassed at how little it does some days. The best thing I can do for God is to worship Him. Embrace what He does for me and return it to Him as worship. 3. I was created so that God could love me! And so I could love Him back. Yes, He loves me, even when I don’t feel like it. Just like my kids don’t always understand my actions or feel loved when I tell them no or make them go to bed, I don’t always understand God’s actions. But that doesn’t mean He loves me any less. 4. Ps. 34: 1 says to thank God at all times. Just because things aren’t going the way I think they should, God is still in control (see, that control thing again). Thank Him. Life a life of worship no matter what. There’s a book called In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and one of its chapters is “Worship is the Way Out.” It talks about how by worshiping God no matter what our circumstances look like (think about Daniel in the lion’s den, although that’s not what this book is about) will often get us through and out of that particular circumstance. I remember to do this sporadically. Perhaps by remembering it more often, I’d learn quicker? I tend to be a complainer (yeah, that’s tough to say). I just realized it, too. That’s sad. I have somehow gotten in the habit of looking at the negative side of things instead of the sunshiny part of things. In Isaiah 29:24 ir says, “those who constantly complain will accept instruction.” That makes me wonder if complaining and not being thankful is the cause of some of my problems. God is trying to instruct me and is waiting for me to (finally) pay attention and listen and thank Him. I would really like to learn what He’s trying to teach me!