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.
I wanted to post the sermon at my church (Discovery Church) that Jon Tyson “preached” yesterday. It was AWESOME! It was all about grace and how we’ve misinterpreted it, how the church has become known for its hate and intolerance instead of love, and how it’s not by faith that we’re saved but by grace. If I were to try and explain it, I would ruin it. So, I’ll post the link to Discovery’s media page for now, and I’ll post the link to the sermon when they get it up there. Plus, Jon Tyson’s from Australia so he’s got an awesome accent! :) Second, there’s a guy who leads worship at Discovery that sang a song he wrote and it’s AWESOME! Take a peek: The song’s called Saturate. I hope it spreads because it’s beautiful. Yesterday at church (yesterday was an awesome service!) our pastor (David Loveless) reminded us of the importance of speaking with God and relating to Him and praying to Him from different positions. He has us all kneel down and pray that way for a moment. It was a great reminder that simply kneeling before God has a way of focusing me and humbling me and allowing me to press into His presence more than if I’m sitting on my couch or bed or standing in the kitchen (and certainly more than if I’m chasing my little ones). He spoke briefly about how the Bible talks about praising God with our hands raised, or on our knees or faces, or with instruments, or with our voices, silently and out loud. And each of these methods brings something different to that moment. It was very cool. My amazing husband, John, went to an awesome men’s event at Discovery Church this past Saturday called the Better Man Event. He has a great time and met some wonderful guys (one of whom just appeared and disappeared but made a pretty deep impact on John). So, last night John actually came into our room as I was getting ready to go to bed and invited me to pray with him!!! It was SO cool! :) I was so proud of him and thankful for his courage in taking the initiative. Yeah God! And then he went to up his character points to 60 since the Mass Effect 2 game comes out Monday at midnight (and he found out that the main character, not only has the same first name as he does – John Sheppard, but they also share the same birthday, so that upped the awesomeness of the game for him a little more)… Children’s laughter. There aren’t too many things more awesome than children’s laughter. John was throwing Gavin and Kai last night and rough-housing with them right before we put them to bed (yeah, way to calm them down before bed, right?), and they were screaming and laughing and it was beautiful! No wonder Jesus said, let the little children come to me… I can totally see Him scooping one of them up and tossing them into the air as they screamed with delight. Cool pictures.
Matthew 8:2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Jesus. He knelt before him, worshiping. “Lord,” the man said, “if you want to, you can make me well again.” The thing that stuck out to me about this verse is that the man with leprosy was worshiping Jesus before he was healed. He didn’t come with his request, have it granted, and then go away worshiping. He worshiped while still a leper, without knowing if Jesus would grant his request (Jesus does heal him, just so you know). I need to remember to be more like that. I need to remember to worship, even before I see answers to my requests, before the miracles happen. I’m not saying that this is a formula for healing or for getting what you want though. It’s just really cool that this guy who was an total outcast from society and who would die an early and usually a rather gruesome death was worshiping God despite it all, and having the courage to ask for healing, was healed. Worship puts out perspective in the right place. I shifts the view from us to God. I think this guy probably would have worshiped no matter what Jesus said, but I’ll bet Jesus smiled when He saw that this guy loved God despite his difficulties.
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!
Zechariah 8:6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: All this may seem impossible to you now, a small and discouraged remnant of God’s people. But do you think this is impossible for me, the LORD Almighty? I feel a little bit like the remnant sometimes. I feel small and discouraged by the circumstances of my life. Last Sunday was one of those days. I was frustrated by some of the events that had happened and discouraged by life. The hope of God’s promises seemed really impossible and it seemed like we’d never get out of the situation we’re in. There always seems to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon, but it never seems to get any closer. I was overwhelmed and felt incredibly small compared to the craziness and circumstances of what is going on around me. But God reminded me of His faithfulness, first through a song by Israel Houghton called “Everywhere That I Go.” Here are the lyrics from the chorus: You promised me, you’ll never leave You promised me, I’m never forsaken and I believe Goodness and mercy, will follow me Surrounding me, where I go Every where that I go These words are incredibly comforting because they remind me that God NEVER leaves, He NEVER gives up, He NEVER fails to keep His promises. He never makes pie-crust promises (those promises that are easily made, easily broken… as Mary Poppins would say). Everywhere that I go, He is there, surrounding me with His great LOVE! So, what seems like it would be impossible and has over time seemed like it will never end, is not impossible for God. He never leaves me stuck here, He never gives up on me, and He never fails to keep His promises. Is it impossible? For me, yes. For God, no. I still get discouraged and feel tiny compared to my overwhelming circumstances, but this (and God’s continual reminders through music) helps me to stay focused on the fact that God is SO much bigger than my storm and SO much more able to do the impossible than I can imagine. I certainly don’t know the future, but I do know that He’s already been there and already knows the best path to take to get there. And in the end, if I get there holding His hand, then no matter what life throws at me, He will lead me in His presence and eventually all those promises will be true.
Isaiah 63:7I will tell of the Lord’s unfailing love. I will praise the Lord for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. I can’t help but see life through the lenses of my current circumstances. And sometimes, if I let it, that can be a really depressing thing. But, one thing that I’ve been trying really hard to do in this place and time is to focus on and remember what God has done and is doing in my life that is good. There’s a song by Hillsong United called “Desert Song” that has a bridge that is amazing and says exactly what I am trying to remember: All of my life,In every season,You are still God.I have a reason to sing.I have a reason to worship. No matter the circumstances or season, He is still God. He is still in control, and He still blesses me. Therefore I have a reason to thank Him, praise Him, worship Him. I can’t get lost in the trouble and frustration of the situation. That leads to hopelessness. But by remembering the good things that God is doing and remembering that He is bigger than any current situation I can praise Him no matter where I am. And yes, I know. Sometimes this is a lot harder than it sounds. I am blessed in so many ways, and I thank God for that!
Isaiah 48:18Oh that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling like waves. I can’t even begin to tell you how I wish I had followed God’s commands at certain points in my life. One of the things that frustrated me the most was not always knowing if I was doing what God wanted. I still wonder about that. But, the only way to really know God’s voice is to get to know Him. And the only way to do that is to take time…. which is a challenge when you have 2 small children! But there it is. I need to make time for the important things. At the church where my children attend daycare there is a sign with messages. The last few weeks the sign has said “If God has asked you to perform a great deed, expect opposition.” That sounds like the story of our life! I truly believe that my husband, John, has been called to things that are not so common. I also believe that that is a part of what we’ve been facing for the last few years – opposition to discourage us and to drive us away from God. Sadly, this opposition has served its purpose well at times. But, knowing you’re in a battle is half the battle won – at least we can plan for the fight once we know we’re in one. So, now it becomes an issue of minimizing the opposition, or finding ways to overcome it. Another book I read that I’ve recommended in the past (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day) said that worship is the way out. In the middle of the opposition, whether its from a failure to listen to God’s voice or from an attack to discourage, worshiping God shifts focus from what’s wrong and what the problem is and refocuses me on the Problem Solver, and what is good. Although worship is important part of my life, there are a lot of times when I have to remind myself to find the good in the circumstances so I don’t get discouraged. Despite my struggles, I am really blessed in so many ways.