This past Sunday, I was leading music at Brown Blvd, and we sang the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness. One of the gentlemen visiting the church that day was from Kenya. His home had been burned recently with all of the turmoil there. Two of the people I serve with week by week have parents serving in South Africa as missionaries. I began to think of Kim and Cindy and their team, and how people were being won to Christ in some of the darkest regions of the world. Great is Thy Faithfulness was such an appropriate song to sing as I began to think about how vast His church is, and the varied circumstances it faces!
I told the congregation this story about my time in Cuba. We were in Cuba, visiting a church on a Thursday night. It was my first trip there, so I didn't know what to expect, and quite honestly, I was afraid. The church was packed out--people standing outside, leaning into the windows so they could hear. ON a THURSDAY NIGHT! We had done some praise team sessions earlier. I was the only one with the group who had worked with praise teams, so even though I wasn't planning on it when I went, I was quickly recruited to teach those classes.
That night, we followed up with a time of worship and an orchestra concert. I was asked to give my testimony at church that night for two reasons: 1. Because I was appropriately dressed (I was wearing a skirt--this is a big deal in Cuban churches) and 2. because I was playing a solo on my violin later in the service, and they wanted them to hear my testimony. Well, I don't remember ever giving my testimony in public like that before. And, I legally wasn't supposed to. I wasn't there on a religious visa at the time. But, God convicted me, reminding me that He was faithful, and I gave my testimony. And I had a wonderful translator who was a passionate, growing Christian and translated so passionately.
We had been singing the song "Come, Now is the Time to Worship" earlier in the worship time, and had taught it in Spanish to the praise teams I had worked with earlier in the day. I followed that song with my testimony. I just re-told those words, "One day, EVERY tongue WILL confess You are God. One day, EVERY knee WILL bow. But the greatest TREASURE remains for those of you who choose Him now! You can know true joy by choosing Christ Jesus right now!" As I said that, all of the lights in that packed church went out. Every last light in the village went out. It was pitch black. I was scared.
But then, I heard the strong, but quiet voice of Camp Kirkland standing behind me say, "Keep going, they're listening". I continued with my testimony, and though there were no mics due to there being no electrical power, the Power of the Spirit was there, and people were quiet, and they heard the Gospel.
When I finished my testimony, there were still no lights and no power. We couldn't continue the concert. But one of the praise teams I had worked with earlier in the day got up and began singing in Spanish "Great is Thy Faithfulness". They sang all 3 verses. Then, they sang "Shout to the Lord". The entire congregation joined in. I will never forget that time of worship in the dark. There was a peace and a sweetness as you heard that dark room filled with the light of hope in the voices that rang out songs of praise.
After awhile, lights came back on, and we continued with the concert. At the end of the concert, we had our first profession of faith on the trip. It was a young girl (probably 18) who had been in the praise team workshop that day. She had come because she just wanted to learn music. She had no idea she'd receive the gift of salvation and the joy of a life knowing Christ. We gave her a Bible, and told her to start with the Gospel of John. The next morning at 8 a.m., she came back and found us and said, "I've finished John, now where do I go?" Throughout the course of the week, she brought back her mother and her grandmother and her aunt. All accepted Christ that week. All in all, this little group of instrumentalists and church musicians embraced 60 people as they came into the Kingdom family that week. We had little to offer in and of ourselves, but God was FAITHFUL. He took what we had, and He used it in a mighty way to change lives FOREVER!
Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
Lord, no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck us from Your hand. Thank you for your faithfulness. Even when we are weak or afraid, You are fearless, strong and FAITHFUL!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
I want to be like Tychicus
I must confess that today was not one of my most "Christian" days. I had a bone to pick with someone, and I picked it. More like I bulldozed it! It wasn't one of those moments to be proud of. It was actually painful. It was a moment when I felt that I had to confront something, and was right to feel the way I felt, but didn't necessarily deal with it in the right way. As I went through the day, I began to focus (ironically) on the word, "Encouragement". I must admit...this is not an easy word for me.
I am a classical musician. I hear the imperfections first, even in my own playing. I'm incredibly self critical. I just am. So, I have to work to be encouraging. However, we are called to encourage one another...to build one another up (Rom 14:9). Now, I'm not talking about flattery or pandering. I'm talking about true encouragement. The word, encourage, literally means to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence. We're talking about spurring people on to real meaning, to core values, to spiritual truths. We're talking about inspiring them to attain eternal perspective and lives filled with purpose.
I don't think I realized how important this was until recently. I've had the opportunity to work with the worship team at Brown Blvd--people who are incredibly gifted, but needed some encourgement. They needed someone to pray with them and for them. They needed someone to encourage them in their giftedness and instill confidence in them. I've had the wonderful privilege of being one of those people (I hope). The other day, a lady wrote me about something I had said to her about her spiritual walk and how it had meant so much that I took the time to encourage her. I meant what I said to her (another thing to know is that I say what I mean...I don't believe in flattery). It was affirming to me to know that actually speaking it out loud to her encouraged her the way it did.
Well, as I focused today on this word "encouragement", I did a Bible search on the word. This guy, Tychicus, kept coming up. Paul sent Tychicus to encourage...to share good news. When Tychicus was coming, he was accompanied by a positive word. Paul closes two different letters with the word that Tychicus was coming to encourage. What a great thing to be associated with! Tychicus' name went down in Holy Scripture as an encourager.
We live in a world where everywhere we turn, we are confronted by the fact that we are not good enough, not smart enough, not wealthy enough, not thin enough. TV is loaded with images of (seeming) perfection, and yet it's accompanied by people who "have it all" and are complete basket cases--people like Heath Ledger or Brittney Spears. Well, I don't want to be a Heath or Brittney. I want to be a Tychicus! The world needs more people to encourage in truthful things. It needs people called to be true encouragers--to inspire people to courage in their faith and in their walk with God.
So, I'm praying that I won't have many more failures like I had this morning (though I just received an email from the person in question saying they were relieved that we had such an honest conversation--that's an absolute gift from God!!!!). I'm praying that I will see things more with God's eyes (and ears) and less with my own. I want to close with this simple prayer of Paul's found in Holy Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 2:16-17:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
I am a classical musician. I hear the imperfections first, even in my own playing. I'm incredibly self critical. I just am. So, I have to work to be encouraging. However, we are called to encourage one another...to build one another up (Rom 14:9). Now, I'm not talking about flattery or pandering. I'm talking about true encouragement. The word, encourage, literally means to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence. We're talking about spurring people on to real meaning, to core values, to spiritual truths. We're talking about inspiring them to attain eternal perspective and lives filled with purpose.
I don't think I realized how important this was until recently. I've had the opportunity to work with the worship team at Brown Blvd--people who are incredibly gifted, but needed some encourgement. They needed someone to pray with them and for them. They needed someone to encourage them in their giftedness and instill confidence in them. I've had the wonderful privilege of being one of those people (I hope). The other day, a lady wrote me about something I had said to her about her spiritual walk and how it had meant so much that I took the time to encourage her. I meant what I said to her (another thing to know is that I say what I mean...I don't believe in flattery). It was affirming to me to know that actually speaking it out loud to her encouraged her the way it did.
Well, as I focused today on this word "encouragement", I did a Bible search on the word. This guy, Tychicus, kept coming up. Paul sent Tychicus to encourage...to share good news. When Tychicus was coming, he was accompanied by a positive word. Paul closes two different letters with the word that Tychicus was coming to encourage. What a great thing to be associated with! Tychicus' name went down in Holy Scripture as an encourager.
We live in a world where everywhere we turn, we are confronted by the fact that we are not good enough, not smart enough, not wealthy enough, not thin enough. TV is loaded with images of (seeming) perfection, and yet it's accompanied by people who "have it all" and are complete basket cases--people like Heath Ledger or Brittney Spears. Well, I don't want to be a Heath or Brittney. I want to be a Tychicus! The world needs more people to encourage in truthful things. It needs people called to be true encouragers--to inspire people to courage in their faith and in their walk with God.
So, I'm praying that I won't have many more failures like I had this morning (though I just received an email from the person in question saying they were relieved that we had such an honest conversation--that's an absolute gift from God!!!!). I'm praying that I will see things more with God's eyes (and ears) and less with my own. I want to close with this simple prayer of Paul's found in Holy Scripture:
1 Thessalonians 2:16-17:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Tender-hearted Prayers
First, an update... My kids love the scripture cards. They look forward to that time each morning. As a matter of fact, it actually works as a motivation to get them up and going. The sooner they get ready, the more time we can spend with the scripture cards. Now, perhaps that's backward. We should give God our firstfruits. But when you're trying to get two kids up and ready for school, and you can use scripture as a motivation, I think God understands and accepts that offering.
One of the things that has meant the most to me is hearing my kids pray. The scripture cards I'm using have a scripture on the front and an explanation/prayer on the back. We've used the back of the cards to get my kids started praying in the morning. But the amazing thing is, giving them the few words to start prompts them to the most amazing prayers. For instance, last night, Ben and I were up in the middle of the night because he had a terrific sinus headache. He spent half the night crying. This morning, we read the scripture from Matthew, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." As Ben followed up the scripture with prayer, he didn't pray for God to relieve his headache, even though he still wasn't feeling well. I must confess, that was my prayer--I knew how he had agonized throughout the night. But Ben asked God for wisdom, peace and joy that comes from knowing God. My 10 year old son caught the value of that eternal perspective. He modeled it in his prayer, and he modeled it for his sister, who was listening intently. I know that God was pleased by that tender-hearted prayer this morning.
I am thankful for tender-hearted prayers. I'm thankful for the people who take time to teach my children and nurture that simple, yet powerful faith. It's not a meek (mouse-like) faith. It's strong. It's unwaivering. It's powerful. It's what God calls us all to have.
Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.
O Lord, I ask this morning that you place eternal things on our hearts. Help us to see with Your eyes. Help us to run from the materialistic or superficial things of this life, but instead to treasure Your knowledge, Your wisdom and Your power. Help us to gain those things so that we are better suited for Your Kingdom work. Thank you for the modeling of children and their simple faith. We love you, Lord!
One of the things that has meant the most to me is hearing my kids pray. The scripture cards I'm using have a scripture on the front and an explanation/prayer on the back. We've used the back of the cards to get my kids started praying in the morning. But the amazing thing is, giving them the few words to start prompts them to the most amazing prayers. For instance, last night, Ben and I were up in the middle of the night because he had a terrific sinus headache. He spent half the night crying. This morning, we read the scripture from Matthew, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." As Ben followed up the scripture with prayer, he didn't pray for God to relieve his headache, even though he still wasn't feeling well. I must confess, that was my prayer--I knew how he had agonized throughout the night. But Ben asked God for wisdom, peace and joy that comes from knowing God. My 10 year old son caught the value of that eternal perspective. He modeled it in his prayer, and he modeled it for his sister, who was listening intently. I know that God was pleased by that tender-hearted prayer this morning.
I am thankful for tender-hearted prayers. I'm thankful for the people who take time to teach my children and nurture that simple, yet powerful faith. It's not a meek (mouse-like) faith. It's strong. It's unwaivering. It's powerful. It's what God calls us all to have.
Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.
O Lord, I ask this morning that you place eternal things on our hearts. Help us to see with Your eyes. Help us to run from the materialistic or superficial things of this life, but instead to treasure Your knowledge, Your wisdom and Your power. Help us to gain those things so that we are better suited for Your Kingdom work. Thank you for the modeling of children and their simple faith. We love you, Lord!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Scripture Cards
When I was a little girl, I loved G.A.'s (Girls in Action). I remember one of the earliest verses I learned was James 1:22 "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only." I identify with that verse. I am a doer. If you've read other blogs of mine, you'll know that I make no apologies for staying busy. I like to be busy.
One of the things I struggle with is the fear of failure (again, noted in previous blogs). I'm afraid that if I don't get it done, it won't get done. That's incredibly egocentric (self-important) and can at times be a real sin battle in my life. But it's honest. That verse, be ye doers, has stuck with me. I love to work, but with it comes its anxieties.
Several months ago, I confided in a friend some of my anxieties and struggles. Yesterday, he handed me scripture cards--1" X 2" cards that had a subject and a verse. For instance, "Worry" and a verse "Matthew 6:34 For do not worry about today..." As I looked at these verses, I thought of two things:
First of all, I had a great childhood. I couldn't have asked for better parents. My parents are godly people who raised me to know what was right from wrong. Even though there were times I tested it, I knew from them what was right, and I also knew that they loved me. Sometimes that love was tough love. But some of my fondest memories growing up were of us kids eating breakfast and Mom pulling down a scripture card--much like my friend gave me yesterday. She would read it to us and ground us in scripture every day. We didn't memorize it...we simply heard it and started off our days with it. She gave me that same box of scripture cards for my children to begin with them. I have to admit, I haven't been as diligent as she was, but I now see the importance and plan to do better.
Secondly, "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only." It says, "not hearers only", which supposes that you ARE a hearer BEFORE you are a doer. So often, we are so busy "doing" for the Kingdom, that we forget to listen. What better way to listen than to ground ourselves in Scripture?
I treasure these scripture cards from my friend. I put them in my desk drawer, and will pull them out daily...especially as I struggle with some of the issues laid out in those cards. My husband wants a copy as well. We both thought it was an amazing gift from a godly friend.
So, as you face issues that you struggle with, there are several steps you can take:
Go to your copy of scripture or http://www.bible.com/ . Type in the search engine the thing that you struggle with, and it will list out countless verses to help you with that specific issue. Make your own scripture cards.
Another suggestion is a wonderful little book by Selwyn Hughes. Hughes passed away several years ago, but Dennis and I had the opportunity to hear him speak and we were so touched by his simple testimony, powerful faith, and his tangible application of scripture for our lives. The book is entitled, "Hope Eternal".
I'm so thankful to God for the people He places in our lives. I'm thankful for my godly parents. I'm thankful for my godly husband. I'm thankful for my precious children. I'm thankful for godly friends like the one who took the time to write out the cards for himself, and then wasn't afraid to share them.
Lord, help me to listen today to what Your Word has to teach me. Help me to cast my anxieties and burdens on You. Help me to first "hear" Your directives for my life, and then "do" with my entire being. Thank You, for being our Hope, our Rock and our Deliverer.
One of the things I struggle with is the fear of failure (again, noted in previous blogs). I'm afraid that if I don't get it done, it won't get done. That's incredibly egocentric (self-important) and can at times be a real sin battle in my life. But it's honest. That verse, be ye doers, has stuck with me. I love to work, but with it comes its anxieties.
Several months ago, I confided in a friend some of my anxieties and struggles. Yesterday, he handed me scripture cards--1" X 2" cards that had a subject and a verse. For instance, "Worry" and a verse "Matthew 6:34 For do not worry about today..." As I looked at these verses, I thought of two things:
First of all, I had a great childhood. I couldn't have asked for better parents. My parents are godly people who raised me to know what was right from wrong. Even though there were times I tested it, I knew from them what was right, and I also knew that they loved me. Sometimes that love was tough love. But some of my fondest memories growing up were of us kids eating breakfast and Mom pulling down a scripture card--much like my friend gave me yesterday. She would read it to us and ground us in scripture every day. We didn't memorize it...we simply heard it and started off our days with it. She gave me that same box of scripture cards for my children to begin with them. I have to admit, I haven't been as diligent as she was, but I now see the importance and plan to do better.
Secondly, "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only." It says, "not hearers only", which supposes that you ARE a hearer BEFORE you are a doer. So often, we are so busy "doing" for the Kingdom, that we forget to listen. What better way to listen than to ground ourselves in Scripture?
I treasure these scripture cards from my friend. I put them in my desk drawer, and will pull them out daily...especially as I struggle with some of the issues laid out in those cards. My husband wants a copy as well. We both thought it was an amazing gift from a godly friend.
So, as you face issues that you struggle with, there are several steps you can take:
Go to your copy of scripture or http://www.bible.com/ . Type in the search engine the thing that you struggle with, and it will list out countless verses to help you with that specific issue. Make your own scripture cards.
Another suggestion is a wonderful little book by Selwyn Hughes. Hughes passed away several years ago, but Dennis and I had the opportunity to hear him speak and we were so touched by his simple testimony, powerful faith, and his tangible application of scripture for our lives. The book is entitled, "Hope Eternal".
I'm so thankful to God for the people He places in our lives. I'm thankful for my godly parents. I'm thankful for my godly husband. I'm thankful for my precious children. I'm thankful for godly friends like the one who took the time to write out the cards for himself, and then wasn't afraid to share them.
Lord, help me to listen today to what Your Word has to teach me. Help me to cast my anxieties and burdens on You. Help me to first "hear" Your directives for my life, and then "do" with my entire being. Thank You, for being our Hope, our Rock and our Deliverer.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Simple Prayers
Matthew 18:3 And Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
This weekend, our church had a Spiritual Formation retreat. I had the privilege of working with the children, 1st-6th grades. The worship of children is always an amazing sound. They are uninhibited, shameless worshipers. We sang Undignified and had a great time being silly and shouting out. But, then, we sang God of Wonders, and the sound coming from the hearts and voices of those children was sweet, but strong. They meant what they sang--the lyrics of Praise to our God of Wonders, the Lord of all creation. I memorized it--burning it forever in my mind. It was such a picture of pure, perfect, impassioned worship. I could feel God's presence in that room as he sat smiling down upon them.
I hadn't planned to do anything more than music that morning. I planned to finish up my duties and then go down and hear the speakers for the retreat. But God had other plans for me. We had more children than expected, and our Children's Minister asked me to go with him and take the 1st and 2nd graders on a prayer walk around the church. Their prayers were amazingly simple, but pure, honest, true prayers. It was such an incredible blessing to hold hands with these children, and hear them take turns at each stop, praying for the people that would inhabit that particular room throughout the week. They looked over the city of Arlington and prayed for our leaders. They looked over at the Youth building, and prayed that the older kids would be good examples to them. They prayed over the Preschool rooms, and prayed that they themselves would be good examples to the Preschoolers. They prayed for their parents, they prayed for our staff, they prayed for Mission Arlington.... Thank you, God for the privilege of hearing those prayers and sharing in that time with them, and with You!
As we entered one of the 3rd grade Sunday school rooms, I saw a list of prayer requests on the wall, in the handwriting of the children that attend that class every Sunday. One read, "Dear God, please help my Mommy while she is in the hospital." Another read, "Dear God, please help my sister be okay." But the one that struck me the most was from a little boy. It simply said, "Dear God, help me be smarter." What wisdom that little boy had in his prayer!
It reminded me of Solomon in 1 Kings 3. God tells him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give to you" and Solomon asks for wisdom--or more specifically--"a discerning heart". 1 Kings 4:29 says, God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
Lord, like Solomon and this precious 3rd grade boy, help me not to live within my own abilities, but to grow in Your wisdom.
This weekend, our church had a Spiritual Formation retreat. I had the privilege of working with the children, 1st-6th grades. The worship of children is always an amazing sound. They are uninhibited, shameless worshipers. We sang Undignified and had a great time being silly and shouting out. But, then, we sang God of Wonders, and the sound coming from the hearts and voices of those children was sweet, but strong. They meant what they sang--the lyrics of Praise to our God of Wonders, the Lord of all creation. I memorized it--burning it forever in my mind. It was such a picture of pure, perfect, impassioned worship. I could feel God's presence in that room as he sat smiling down upon them.
I hadn't planned to do anything more than music that morning. I planned to finish up my duties and then go down and hear the speakers for the retreat. But God had other plans for me. We had more children than expected, and our Children's Minister asked me to go with him and take the 1st and 2nd graders on a prayer walk around the church. Their prayers were amazingly simple, but pure, honest, true prayers. It was such an incredible blessing to hold hands with these children, and hear them take turns at each stop, praying for the people that would inhabit that particular room throughout the week. They looked over the city of Arlington and prayed for our leaders. They looked over at the Youth building, and prayed that the older kids would be good examples to them. They prayed over the Preschool rooms, and prayed that they themselves would be good examples to the Preschoolers. They prayed for their parents, they prayed for our staff, they prayed for Mission Arlington.... Thank you, God for the privilege of hearing those prayers and sharing in that time with them, and with You!
As we entered one of the 3rd grade Sunday school rooms, I saw a list of prayer requests on the wall, in the handwriting of the children that attend that class every Sunday. One read, "Dear God, please help my Mommy while she is in the hospital." Another read, "Dear God, please help my sister be okay." But the one that struck me the most was from a little boy. It simply said, "Dear God, help me be smarter." What wisdom that little boy had in his prayer!
It reminded me of Solomon in 1 Kings 3. God tells him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give to you" and Solomon asks for wisdom--or more specifically--"a discerning heart". 1 Kings 4:29 says, God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
Lord, like Solomon and this precious 3rd grade boy, help me not to live within my own abilities, but to grow in Your wisdom.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Delight
I love this word. There's something about it that immediately brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face.
Today, my friend Carol called me and left a message on my voice mail. It was a message of her praying, and her 3 year old, precious son, Will, belly-laughing while she prayed. Will delighted in that prayer...that special prayer that he prays with his Daddy every night. I delighted in hearing Will belly laugh. It brought an immediate smile to my face. I was teaching violin at the time and shared it with one of my students, and we laughed and smiled at Will's delight.
I immediately thought about how God feels when we spend that pure, wonderful time just praising Him and enjoying His presence. What's even more amazing is that He delights in us.
Psalm 18:18b-19 says, "but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
This entire Psalm is filled with David's adoration of the Lord. David truly was an unceasing, uninhibited, unquenchable worshiper who delighted in God, and in whom God delighted.
This blog is short today, because I'm turning on my iPod to "O Praise Him! All this for a King!" and spending some time delighting in the Lord....Thank you, Carol and Will, for reminding me how important it is to sit back and delight in Him.
Today, my friend Carol called me and left a message on my voice mail. It was a message of her praying, and her 3 year old, precious son, Will, belly-laughing while she prayed. Will delighted in that prayer...that special prayer that he prays with his Daddy every night. I delighted in hearing Will belly laugh. It brought an immediate smile to my face. I was teaching violin at the time and shared it with one of my students, and we laughed and smiled at Will's delight.
I immediately thought about how God feels when we spend that pure, wonderful time just praising Him and enjoying His presence. What's even more amazing is that He delights in us.
Psalm 18:18b-19 says, "but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
This entire Psalm is filled with David's adoration of the Lord. David truly was an unceasing, uninhibited, unquenchable worshiper who delighted in God, and in whom God delighted.
This blog is short today, because I'm turning on my iPod to "O Praise Him! All this for a King!" and spending some time delighting in the Lord....Thank you, Carol and Will, for reminding me how important it is to sit back and delight in Him.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Waiting....not my Forte!
I have been convicted lately about the fact that I tend, in my sinful nature, to operate out of my own strength, and not out of the Lord's strength. This happens especially when I'm tired or weary. So, today I was doing a search on verses in Scripture to help me with this issue in my life. My search criteria was "Be strong in the Lord". Many verses came up, but the one that stopped me in my tracks was this one:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Right now, in my life, this is a time of uncertainty. The most frustrating part is that I can't pinpoint all that is uncertain. I can't limit it to one area of my life. It seems that everything is going by so fast, that everyone is so busy, that there's hardly time to catch my breath. I'm not afraid of doing it all. I'm just not sure what all I'm doing--what I'm really contributing that is meaningful. So, for me, it's been a season of evaluation.
After reading that verse, I pulled up the entire Psalm 27, and here's how it begins:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Do you just feel the burdens of life being lifted away just in the reading of those words? I certainly do. Immediately, the Lord takes control away from us, and places it squarely upon his GIANT shoulders. Immediately I think, "What am I worrying about?" then, I continue reading:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Just think about the beauty of the Lord. Take a moment to seek a glimpse of Him. Rest at His feet...all the days of my life...not just today.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
He always points us first to Him, and then to our fellowship with each other. I sat last night at our satellite church and worshiped with believers over there. It was a sweet time of fellowship and we made music to the Lord, and when I left, my heart was truly filled with joy at what had been accomplished in that place.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Just be still. Seek His face.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Continue to ground yourself daily in His teachings. This is such an incredible reminder for control freaks like me that DAILY I must surrender my ways to His. I must daily release control and yield to His ways. The straight path is not always the easiest--you may have to cut through a mountain--but His straight path is always the best.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
If we take time to look, we'll see it. If we are too wrapped up in our lists, our busy-ness, we'll miss the goodness. Take time throughout this week to notice the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
This verse is so affirming for me. I want to "do" all the time. I feel that if I'm not doing something, I'm accomplishing nothing. What an incredible reminder that it's really okay--even in this day and age of rushing around and getting ahead--it's really okay to WAIT.
Lord, help us to walk in Your ways. Help us to wait on Your direction. Fill us with peace and joy as we wait on Your Guiding Hand. We love You. We are Your servants. Use us.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Right now, in my life, this is a time of uncertainty. The most frustrating part is that I can't pinpoint all that is uncertain. I can't limit it to one area of my life. It seems that everything is going by so fast, that everyone is so busy, that there's hardly time to catch my breath. I'm not afraid of doing it all. I'm just not sure what all I'm doing--what I'm really contributing that is meaningful. So, for me, it's been a season of evaluation.
After reading that verse, I pulled up the entire Psalm 27, and here's how it begins:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Do you just feel the burdens of life being lifted away just in the reading of those words? I certainly do. Immediately, the Lord takes control away from us, and places it squarely upon his GIANT shoulders. Immediately I think, "What am I worrying about?" then, I continue reading:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Just think about the beauty of the Lord. Take a moment to seek a glimpse of Him. Rest at His feet...all the days of my life...not just today.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
He always points us first to Him, and then to our fellowship with each other. I sat last night at our satellite church and worshiped with believers over there. It was a sweet time of fellowship and we made music to the Lord, and when I left, my heart was truly filled with joy at what had been accomplished in that place.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Just be still. Seek His face.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Continue to ground yourself daily in His teachings. This is such an incredible reminder for control freaks like me that DAILY I must surrender my ways to His. I must daily release control and yield to His ways. The straight path is not always the easiest--you may have to cut through a mountain--but His straight path is always the best.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
If we take time to look, we'll see it. If we are too wrapped up in our lists, our busy-ness, we'll miss the goodness. Take time throughout this week to notice the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
This verse is so affirming for me. I want to "do" all the time. I feel that if I'm not doing something, I'm accomplishing nothing. What an incredible reminder that it's really okay--even in this day and age of rushing around and getting ahead--it's really okay to WAIT.
Lord, help us to walk in Your ways. Help us to wait on Your direction. Fill us with peace and joy as we wait on Your Guiding Hand. We love You. We are Your servants. Use us.
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On Top of Pecos Baldy
...what a memory!
