The Storm

The earth rumbles as the sky turns dark.

I listen quietly as the storm gathers.

Lightning splits the sky. Thunder follows.

Rain falls—washing the ground,

cleansing, renewing, giving life.

I lift my hands in the storm.

What breaks the sky also shapes me.

I stand in the roar and choose worship.

Not because the storm is gentle,

but because I am held within it.

Safe.

The One who allows the storm is faithful.

Psalm 107:28-31 “Yet when they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, the Lord brought them out of their distress. He calmed the storm and its waves quieted down. So they rejoiced that the waves became quiet, and he led them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his gracious love and for his awesome deeds on behalf of mankind.”

Psalm 89:8 “Lord God All-Powerful, there is no one like you. You are strong, Lord, and always faithful.”

He Speaks in our Sorrow

"As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth, “Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!" Job 19: 25-27

Recently, I found myself reflecting on a verse that made me wonder: How did Job know? Although I don't fully understand how the concept of the Redeemer was revealed to him, I am certain that Job had hope in what he believed about Jesus. Even amid immense sorrow and suffering, Job found hope in the knowledge that his Redeemer lives and that one day he would see God. His hope was anchored in Jesus, who had yet to come. Job had a relationship with God, and the Spirit of God had revealed the truth about a Redeemer to his spirit. 

In the face of great loss, pain, and sorrow, Job found comfort in the belief that although his skin would decay, his flesh would one day see God. We, too, share that same hope. No matter what challenges we encounter today or how deep our pain may feel, we can find solace in the knowledge that our Redeemer lives. Jesus came to Earth, died for us, and now He lives; one day, He will return for His bride.

Just as God gave Job hope in his sorrow, He also provides us with hope. We have hope that our Redeemer lives, hope that He will return, and hope that even though pain and sorrow may accompany us, one day we will see God. On that day, there will be no more pain or sorrow.

How did Job maintain hope in the face of overwhelming sorrow? He looked to the promises of God. He chose to believe and to praise the promise of his Redeemer. I pray that as we face our own losses and pain, we too will focus on what has been promised. I pray we will choose to give praise because we KNOW our Redeemer lives!

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we focus not on what is seen, but on what is not seen; for the things that are seen are temporary, while the things that are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)

 

Linking up with Me, Coffee and Jesus plus….

Psalm 99 - Holy is He

The Lord reigns

He is enthroned

The Lord is great

He is exalted 

His name is great and awesome

Holy is He

He loves justice

He is fair and impartial

Exalt the Lord and worship Him

Holy is He

The Lord answers prayers

He speaks to His people

He is forgiving

He punishes the sinner

Exalt the Lord and worship Him

Holy is the Lord our God!

Written from Psalms 99

This is Grace

This is part of the 2014 31 day writing  challenge over at the Nesting Place. It’s my first year in joining along so give me GRACE as I go!

 

As I read this quote the only words that come to mind is, “Thanks be to God!” But it is not enough. How can it be? To simply say thank you seems so small. So insignificant compared to the cost of such a gift.

No, these words written by Spurgeon, rather should cause my heart to worship, to surrender all that I am to a God that has poured out grace upon grace to me through His Son.

Jesus took on all my sin, my weaknesses, my humanness and paid the price of death. He died in my place so that God might see His (JESUS) righteousness instead of my sinfulness. Jesus paid the debt that I should have paid. This is GRACE.

 

Join me for 31 Days of Seeking Grace

Glory in His name, Seek His face

Down at the cross where my savior, he died
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried
There to my heart was the blood applied
Glory to his name

(Glory to his name! Glory to his name, yeah.)

I am so wondrously saved from sin,
Jesus so sweetly abides within,
there at the cross where he took me in;
Glory to his name!

Selah - Glory To His Name Lyrics

 

Jesus may this be the cry of my heart – to live a life to the glory of Your name and to seek Your face continually. Help me to live it out so that it is in Your strength that I live. Amen

Understanding Worship

Studying worship, what it is and what it means, has been very interesting and at times overwhelming. So while I thought I would write a weekly post on “True Worship” I am finding it impossible. One reason that it’s so difficult is that much of my earlier thoughts on worship have been wrong or not quite thought out fully. So instead of a weekly post I have decided to just post as God leads with the hope that maybe it’s bi-weekly, but don’t hold me to it.

One of the thoughts that have really challenged me is this, “We think that as long as we are worshipping the one true God rather than some false god we are worshipping properly.  We think that as long as we are worshipping the one true God it no longer matters how we worship.  We are free to express our religious devotion to God by whatever means we wish, just as long as the object of our worship is the right God.” ¹ I do not know for sure if this is what most believe, but to me it seems as if it’s the majority mindset. I mean if you attend one church after another, you will find all kinds of worship expressions.  I personally have seen  anything   from stage performances, drama, hymns, well crafted sermons, dancing to rocked-out music with smoke and flashing lights.

It all makes me wonder  “What does God desire from me?” when it comes to worship. I know worship is not about me. It is about God. I cannot stress that enough. But if I am worshipping according to “my preference” then how is this about God? Doesn’t it then become about me?

I am beginning to see, to understand, that no worship is proper worship unless it is in accordance with God’s instructions for worshipping Him.  But how do we know what true worship is? Are we  free to make up any approach we wish to worship? Does God specify a way to worship?

I don’t know about you but I desire to worship God in a way that brings Him glory, in a way that pleases Him. I don’t want to do it a certain way just because I think it’s right, or even what the pastor or worship leader thinks.  To me it’s important to understand what God thinks in this area called worship.

Understanding worship is not simply knowing the object of who were are to worship, it is also the method of worship. 

The object of our worship is without a doubt to be God. The One True God, Jehovah, Creator of the earth. The One who created you and me in His image. We are to worship NO other image besides Him.

I can’t image that we would disagree on the object of our worship, it’s pretty black and white. The method of worship gets a bit more challenging. What I’ve already read is quite interesting and totally thought provoking and I can’t wait to to dig into what God has to say about the method of worship.

 

¹Dave Moen

Worship Means to Serve

When I began studying what the word worship means I quickly realized that there isn’t just one word in the Greek and Hebrew. So the first part of our journey in understanding true worship is to look at each of the words individually.

The first word we will look at is Abad (aw-bad) which is a verb. It means to work or serve. To make oneself a servant, serve another by labor, or as subjects. This is found in the Old Testament.

Latreuō is the Greek word in the New Testament for worship which also means to serve. It also means to minister to, to offer gifts, perform sacred services and to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for His Worship.

Worship is to serve God. To serve means to be a servant; to be of use. To be favorable, opportune, or convenient. To be worthy of reliance or trust.

Here are some examples of verses where the word Abad are used.

“do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God ; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 6:12b –15

"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.” Deut 13:4

“Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling.” Psalm 2:11

“All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name. Psalm 66:4

Here are examples of latreuō:

“To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.” Luke 1:74-75

“And there was a prophetess,Anna …She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. Luke 2:36-37

“for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,” Phil 3:3

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;for our God is a consuming fire. Heb 12:28-29

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 2 Tim 1:3

If I am truly worshipping God then I will serve Him. I will serve Him with reverence and without fear. I will serve Him in holiness and in fasting and prayer. I will serve Him by offering my service to His purposes and His will.

Notice that it’s not just on Sunday, our service (worship) to Him is a way of life. It is apart of our daily living before Him. Serving on Sunday as helpers, teachers, ushers etc is good and apart of our worship to God. However if it is the only way we serve God then we might want to ask ourselves if we are truly living a life of worshipping God?

We will serve that which we worship. If we are living a life of daily worship we will also live a life of daily serving God in various ways as we live and move among the world.

How are you doing in this area? What thoughts do you have about worship in this context? Would love to hear from you!

For more on the series True Worship click here.

Destroying Idols

Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 Jn 5:21 (NIV)

More than anything my heart desires greater intimacy with my Father in heaven. My heart cries out for it, longs for it.

My theme, my verse for last year was Hebrews 12:1-2 and can I just say honestly that I struggled mightily with what I needed to strip off or what sin was hindering my intimacy with God. I prayed, cried out to God to show me. I wanted to know. I longed to know. There was nothing. Silence.

I would do what Hebrews said and fix my eyes on Jesus, but it wasn’t working. It wasn’t enough. Can I be honest? Can I say what many often feel but are afraid to speak? He wasn’t enough. There it’s said, it’s in black and white and as I write it I know the truth behind it. It’s a lie. A sinful lie, an idol lie.

He is enough. That is truth. I know it. I do. At least in my head and most times in my heart. And this is the crux of the issue. This is the sin that hinders. It took all year to see it, but these last couple  of weeks have been huge in opening my eyes thanks to a friend who sent me the book Idol Lies: Facing the Truth about our Deepest Desires by Dee Brestin. I am only half way through but as I’ve been reading it God has been speaking to my heart. LOUDLY. The blinders are coming off and I am seeing the truth of my idols.

God spoke loudly when I read “Every believer needs to be set free, and it begins with getting past our denial, with seeing what we really idolize, and admitting this to God and to others. We may think, for example, that our deepest desire is for God, but in reality we are running to food, friendship, or Facebook to fill up our souls. We may think that our identity is in Christ, but in reality it may be in the success of our ministry, mothering, or marriage.”(1)

My idol will not be a surprise to those who know me well. In fact as I shared with my husband he smiled with a knowing smile and confirmed what I have been feeling. Too often I look to others and other things to fill that which only God can. Instead of running to God I run to others.

I long to be loved, accepted, wanted and no person can fill those needs. Only God can. But instead of running to God I turn to anything but Him.

“God knows that the stones in our hearts are painful. They destroy relationships and ministries and keep us from experiencing Him. When He sees the stones in our hearts, He is grieved. He wants to remove them so that life can flow.” (2)

This is where I am headed. I need to allow God to destroy the idols. To expose and remove them. Therefore I will be taking a break from all social media including my blog for the month of January. It could be longer I do not know. I do know I will wait upon the Lord to show me when to return. I am giving up all these things not so much because I believe ALL of social media is an idol in my life, but I don’t want anything to tempt me or keep me from hearing from God.

I do not want my heart to be divided. I want my heart to be pure before God. This leads me to my verses for 2013.

"The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths. Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord ’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Psalms 24:1-6 NLT

Even as I write this my heart wonders what you will think. Will lose “followers”? Friends? Those that I have come to know and love? But God reminds me I only need to trust Him. Trust. Why does it always come back to that. To trust Him with all my life, my relationships.

I would appreciate and welcome your prayers. And those who are friends with me around the web feel free to keep me accountable if you “see” me before February. I will still answer email, so if you need to you can contact me there.

I am so thankful for each of you and wish you a Happy New Year. See you in February.

 

(1)Brestin, Dee (2012-09-11). Idol Lies: Facing the Truth About Our Deepest Desires (p. 6). Ingram Distribution. Kindle Edition

(2)Ibid., (p. 13)

30 Days of Blessings: Godly Pastors

     I have been very blessed when it comes to the pastors I have sat under. They have been godly men who have preached the Word of God.  I am grateful for these men who have loved the Lord, His word and the people they are called to shepherd.

     They have not been perfect but they have been men that desired to lead Christ’s church in a way that brings glory to God and help them become more like Christ.

     I am deeply grateful for the pastors who have taught me so much in the past, those who pursue a wayward teenager, brought healing and taught the importance of doctrine, love and grace with backbone.

     Today I sit under a pastor whose desire is to see whole, healed and free people in Christ. He desires to see people in God’s word for themselves, to know truth and be obedient to the truth of God’s word. Constantly he pushes, challenges and extorts those sitting in the pew to LIVE a LIFE obedient to Christ. It is nearly impossible to not be encouraged, convicted and challenged by him as he brings the Word of God. 

     He is not perfect. He openly admits his imperfections.His struggles. He is real. He will share the glorious moments in his life and those moments he has failed. He is vulnerable before his congregation. I’ve only known one other pastor as open and honest as him and that is the one before him. Our church has been blessed with Godly pastors. Godly men leading the flock of Christ.

     It is such a blessing to be apart of a body that has a leader who follows hard after Christ. My prayer for you, reader, is that you can say the same about your pastor.

Thank you Father for your faithfulness in my life and leading me to sit under such men of God. Thank you for my current pastor who shepherd’s Your people well. May You continue to do a work in him and through him as You ready Your Bride for the Groom to arrive. Father I pray for this man of God and others who are charged with feeding Your sheep. May they be strengthened in order to stand firm on the truth of Your Word. May they not turn to the left or right but follow hard after You keeping their eyes on that which You have called them to do. Father help me to be an encourager to my pastor. To pray for him and give him love, grace and mercy.

 

He IS Father

Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Matt 6:9

 

 

I picked up the study several weeks ago and thumbed through it. I had chosen it because I felt as if my prayer life was lacking something. Lacking depth maybe. Or maybe understanding of what prayer was so suppose to be. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly but knew I need more. I longed for more.

More of Him. More of His word. More intimacy. I knew it wasn’t Him. It was me. Somewhere along the line I began to loose my desire to pray. It had become something I had to do. Something I felt I should do. It was done out of obedience, but it was lacking something I couldn’t quite see.

So I choose this study (more like God chose it) but as I thumbed through it I quickly realized it was another prayer study on Matt 6:9-13. “Great” I thought, “how many times have I studied this before?” I was discouraged. I wanted something new, something fresh. I wanted to see something I hadn’t seen before. I am just being honest about what I was thinking, and yet I should know better by now. God’s word always has something new, something fresh to those who seek it.

Inside I knew this was the study God had planned. I didn’t understand, but was confident I had heard correctly. So I opened up the book and began in obedient faith that there must be a reason for this study at this time.

One verse, Two truths.

Truth one: This prayer in which is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” is a pattern for us to follow. In this patter Jesus tells us that we are approaching our Father who is in heaven.

Our Father, who is a holy God.  A righteous God. We come before Him in holy worship. He is creator of heaven and earth! Yet because of Jesus I can enter into His presence.

Amazing! The created entering into the presence of the Creator! It’s unfathomable to me to think I could then come before my Father is a common way. In a disrespectful way. I am to come to Him in reverence. A holy respect.

As I thought about this I realized why my heart and soul always felt uncomfortable when I hear someone begin their prayers “Dear Daddy” or “Daddy God”. To me is seems common, almost disrespectful of a Holy God who is my Father.

So I decided to look it up. Most people refer to the use of “Abba” in the Bible saying it refers to a “daddy” kind of relationship. I am not so convinced. The Greek word Abba means Father (not daddy). And “whenever it occurs in the New Testament it has the Greek interpretation joined to it, that is apparently to be explained by the fact that the Chaldee "ABBA" through frequent use in prayer, gradually acquired the nature of a most sacred proper name.”*
Abba, a sacred proper name. I am not so sure daddy fits that meaning.

Truth two: How do we “hallow” God or His name if we do not know God? The author of the study says “Prayer begins with worship – focusing on God, rehearsing truth, calling on God who we know and trust.” **

How can we worship God if we do not know Him? How can we know Him if we are not in the Word? Many of us have some knowledge of God. An understanding in part of who He is. But unless we have been in the Word and studied the truth of His character so often our knowledge is based on what we think or have heard, not on what we know.

This truth has reinforced in me the importance of KNOWING the character of God. We need to study His character and understand WHO He IS. My lack of true biblical knowledge of who He is will affect not only my prayer life but also my attitudes and actions in daily life.

So how do we come to know the truth of God’s character? We must go back to the Old Testament and begin a careful study of His names. What are the names of God? What do they reveal about Him?
Here are just a few…

Elohim – Gen 1:1 – Creator
El Elyon – Gen 14:18-20 – The Most High (Sovereign)
Jehovah-Rapha – Ex 15:26 – The God who Heals
Jehovah-Tsidkenu – Jeremiah 23:6 – The Lord our Righteousness

Over and over the Old Testament reveals the true character of God through the various names that are give to Him. So if prayer begins in worship and we are to hallow His name doesn’t it just make sense to make sure I know Him? Shouldn’t we desire to the the true God of the Bible and not some God we think or imagine Him to be?

Our Father, You are God Almighty. You are creator of heaven and earth and you watch over me, guide me and you promise to never leave me or forsake me. Thank you. Thank you for all that You are and all that You have accomplished in and through me so far in my life. Father I pray that my heart would continue to hunger and thirst after you and that as I continue in this study on prayer that it would affect my relationship with you in ways I can not even imagine. Thank you Father for the life, love and joy you are continuously creating in me. Amen

 
*Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Abba". "The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon". . 1999
**Arthur, Kay. “Lord, Teach Me to Pray”. Page 37, paragraph 1 
For a study of God’s names I suggest Lord, I Want to Know You.

Who May Enter Into Worship?

Exalt the LORD our God And worship at His holy hill, For holy is the LORD our God. Psalms 99:9

This morning I was challenged in the word about worship. Who can enter into worship? How am I to enter?  Do I prepare my heart to enter into His presence. I am not just talking about being prepared on a Sunday morning, but a daily preparedness to live a life of worship to my God.

Psalms 15 begins in verse one with two questions “Who may worship in your sanctuary, LORD? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?”

The rest of the chapter gives me the answers and give me a clear picture of how I should be prepared for worship. I think it gives me a good measuring stick as to where my heart is before I enter into a true worship of my Holy God.

Verses 2-5 tells me that when my heart seeks to 1) be blameless  2)do what is right 3)speak truth 4) not slander 5)be kind to my neighbor 6) not speak evil of my friends 7)despise persistent sinners 8)honor the family of God 9)keep my promises even if it hurts 10)be honest in financial dealings.

THEN I will stand firm. Then I will be able to enter into worship with a heart that is ready.

Romans 12 reminds me that I am “to present my body as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God…”

This is daily worship. To live a life that seeks to be holy, to do what is right. To live a life that seeks to be good, acceptable and perfect, not following after the things of the world.

So I ask myself, “Am I preparing my heart for worship? Do I live a LIFE of holy sacrifice?”

This isn’t just about a Sunday worship service, this is about a life that lives to worship God. But at the same time I must also ask myself is my heart prepared for “corporate” worship? Or maybe the better question to ask is, “Have I lived a life all week of personal worship? A worship that just overflows into corporate worship?”

 

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24