Tag Archives: worship

A Symphony of Praise

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Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
Psalm 148:13, NLT*

The final pages of the Book of Psalms resound with calls to praise – for what God does and for who He is.

From the most powerful people to the least, praise the Lord!

But the praise doesn’t stop there. Psalm 148 calls praise from the armies of heaven and small, scurrying animals; from created things, wind and weather.

It’s a symphony of praise, with each aspect of creation adding its own part. Those who can sing, speak or make noise contribute audibly. The trees and mountains may do their parts simply by existing.

Imagine what this would sound and look like in the heavenly realms: everything reflecting praise and glory to God our Creator and Sustainer.

Psalm 147 says it’s good, delightful, fitting to sing praises to God. It brings perspective (as we remind ourselves of His power and His care) and contentment (we are safe in His hands). It’s what we were made for.

J.I. Packer challenges us “to realize how unlimited are [God’s] wisdom, and His presence, and His power.” (Knowing God, trade paperback edition p. 86) The better we know God, the more we’ll overflow with praise to Him.

Our God, teach us to live so that every action and word reflects our confidence in You—our reliance on You and our praise of who You are. Thank You for giving us a part in the symphony of Your praise.

∞

Here’s a contemporary song of praise: ‘Forever Reign‘ from the Newsboys.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Hurtful Names, Hope-filled Names

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Sticks and stones can break our bones, but name-calling and negative labels hurt us too. Australian novelist Paula Vince has an excellent post about this: To get rid of the reproach of Egypt.

In crawling out from under hurtful labels, I want to step into my identity as one who is shepherded by the Lord Jesus Christ, secure in His love, provision and care.

I don’t need any label other than the new name He will give me at the end. Or so I thought.

“You are a worshipper.”

When I heard those words, they fit. Well, they described what I want to grow into.

People have called me plenty of good things since my schooldays, but those words never stuck.

Some of that was my insecurity, not being able to receive compliments. Some was self-knowledge. Like every other person on the planet, I know the darkness that lives in me with the light.

“You are kind.” No, but God is growing kindness in me.

“You are honest.” No, but God is growing honesty in me.

“You are a worshipper.”

Well, I’m not yet, not completely. Not like I want to be. But I can receive that as an affirmation, an encouragement and perhaps a signpost. God is growing worship in me.

How about you? The next time someone identifies good in you, instead of thinking how far short you fall from perfection in that area, can you recognize a spark of the good? Instead of denial and defeat, can you speak hope for what God is growing?

Cloudy thoughts block the Light

Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

[Linked to Wednesday’s Word. This first appeared as a guest post on Grace Fox’s blog, Daring. Deep. Devoted.]

Joy and Security

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Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
your strong right hand holds me securely.
Psalm 63:7-8, NLT*

I’ve been reading this psalm daily for a few weeks now, and although it’s short, it’s powerful. David is longing for God, and he’s aware of his enemies pressing in, yet the verses overflow with words like praise and joy and sing. He has his faith perspective in place.

I know about pressing through in prayer, bringing God our fears and troubles. Leaving those troubles with Him. Praying until it becomes about Him rather than about us. Until we’re worshipping. Praising.

I don’t do it nearly as often as I should.

That’s what David’s doing here. He hasn’t forgotten the desert or his enemies’ plots. He’s not denying or ignoring them.

But he sees God. He knows God is enough.

He’s not perching timidly in the shadow of God’s wings, trembling in that strong hand because the danger might snatch him away. He has no thought that God might drop him or fail to protect him.

Our God, You are strong and mighty to save. You are our strong tower, our refuge, our shelter and our Defender. You are our Good Shepherd. We know the words, but so often we don’t act like we believe them. We run to You and keep watching our troubles as if they might break through Your defenses. Faith tells us that can’t happen. Help us listen and be confident in You.

∞

The classic Newsboys worship song, “Strong Tower,” is a good confidence-builder.

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Friday Findings: Time With God

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I love those quiet times with God, still-soul-times rich with nearness and uncluttered by my words and lists. I often find them on retreat, but they can be part of each day… if I will remember and be disciplined about seeking them.

They’re when I feel most alive, and yet I so rarely stop to enjoy them. The Lord has been reminding me of this through some of my friends’ posts lately:

At Under the Cover of Prayer, Jan Cox wrote:

I think about our ‘busy’ lives and know that our quiet time with God gets left out. But I believe it is the MOST important part of our day. To be wired to God. How else can we live the life He wants? Without His godly spirit flowing through us, how can we deal with our daily lives? (Connected)

At Whatever He Says, Belinda Burston wrote:

Paul and I pray together before work, and I draw strength and comfort from that cherished time. But it’s a different thing to just coming before God with no agenda but to quieten my heart and listen for his. (Confession)

Again at Under the Cover of Prayer, Janice Keats wrote:

We can learn so much by entering into His presence. Maybe just sitting in His presence is enough. He is all we need. Time well spent with God produces a thirst for more—more peace and more of Him. (Be Still and Wait Patiently for the Lord)

Belinda’s post above ended with a familiar Bible passage as phrased in The Message, and I want to close with a portion of it as well. The wording is fresh and puts a new light on it. Drink deeply:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12:1-2, MSG*)

*The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

To Praise the Lord

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It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night.
Psalm 92:1-2, NIV*

Thinking about some of the reasons it’s good to praise the Lord:

  • it’s right and fitting, and He deserves it
  • those who don’t know Him may hear and learn
  • it makes us stop and notice what He’s done and who He is
  • it restores our perspective on our “light and momentary troubles”
  • it encourages our faith
  • it encourage others’ faith
  • it restores our hope
  • it causes us to flourish, to stay fresh and green, to bear fruit

The header for this psalm says it’s “For the Sabbath day.” As Christians we’re invited to live in the Lord’s rest day by day, moment by moment, but there’s still something special about taking a Sabbath break.

It’s a chance to stop, breathe, and renew. To spend some time with God and remember who—and how big—He is. To regain perspective.

Holy and magnificent God, it does us good to get our eyes off ourselves and onto Your glory, and the more we look at You the more we see to praise. How great is our God, and how blessed we are to be Your redeemed people! Please open our eyes to see You more clearly, and soften our hearts to adore You.

∞

To help us praise, here’s Robin Mark with “How Great Are You, Lord.”

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Celebration

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Exodus 23:14-19 lists the three times a year that God tells the Israelites “you are to celebrate a festival to Me.”

They are:

  • Feast of Unleavened Bread: the anniversary of their deliverance from Egypt.
  • Feast of Harvest: the first-fruits of their crops.
  • Feast of Ingathering: when all their crops are brought in.

The Feast of Harvest is when they begin to see results from their crops—not when they actually receive the full harvest. It’s another example of praising God ahead of time.

While each celebration focuses on an event, past (Exodus), present (first-fruits) or future (harvest), they are celebrations to God.

I love how the Bible encourages us to celebrate, and the feasts sound like they’re whole-hearted events.

We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, milestones… but as I look at my own celebrations, I think they stop at recognizing the event rather than celebrating to the Lord who gave it.

Celebrating to the Lord…. Doesn’t that imply exuberant, abandoned praise? Like David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant?

It’s not just looking at the material and temporal, fine as they are, but looking to the Giver of the gift. Responding to Him in gratitude, love and worship.

Are we missing the fullest dimension of our celebrations?

I think gratitude is step one. How else can we celebrate to God without over-spiritualizing or turning everything into teaching moments?

God is Present

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When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
Genesis 28:16, NIV*

This is the Jacob who stole his brother’s birthright and was now fleeing for his life under the guise of visiting extended family to seek a wife. Not exactly abiding in God’s presence at this point in his life, was he?

On the road, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:12, NIV*) And he saw God, who spoke to him.

God had been with Jacob all along, and Jacob hadn’t known it. Or lived like it. But when he recognized God, he worshipped.

It’s so easy to worship God in church and daily devotions, but then to go into daily life as if He’s not present. Violet Nesdoly touched on this recently at Other Food: Daily Devos when she quoted Nancy Pearcey’s book, Total Truth: “Sadly, many Christians … give cognitive assent to the great truths of Scripture but they make their practical, day-to-day decisions based only on what they can see, hear, measure, and calculate.”

Violet was talking about choosing to live daily life based on God’s Word, but the principle applies to living with awareness of God. You can read the whole post here: “Word-Directed  Living.”

I’ve seen a few references lately to a book called The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel. One of the questions Craig asks on his website is “Do you live your life as if God is in the room, or do you assume He’s not paying attention?”

It’s so easy to forget, or to get distracted. If we’re not vigilant, intentional, and reminding ourselves to rely on God, we can act as if we’re on our own.

Promise-Keeping God, You said You’d never leave nor forsake us and yet we sometimes live like you’ve set us loose. Forgive us for being so easily distracted by life, and remind us of Your nearness. Help us learn to live daily in Your presence, confident in You and following Your leading.

∞

Our song is Michael Card’s “Emmanuel.”

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

For the Sake of the House of the Lord

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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Psalm 122:6-9, NIV*

This psalm always reminds me to pray for Jerusalem—for Israel—for God’s chosen people to recognize their Messiah, and for peace in their land.

Today I noticed it’s one of the songs of ascents the people would sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem for the prescribed feasts. They were coming to worship, and this lets me see their prayer of blessing from a different perspective: it’s not patriotism, they’re blessing the Holy City because of the Temple at its heart.

What about my own church? I pray for individuals when I know of a need, and sometimes I pray for the congregation as a whole, for vision or attitude. I pray for our church leaders and events.

But I’m challenged to pray after the pattern of Psalm 122 for my congregation today, for those who love my segment of the Body of Christ. For unity, for peace, “for the sake of the house of the LORD our God.”

Lord of Heaven and Earth, thank You for making a way for all people to come to You in worship. You’re building us into a living temple, and we need to have that same care for the Body of Christ that the Israelites had for the physical Temple. Help us intercede for one another. Grant us peace, security, prosperity…as You define them, and for Your glory.

∞

Here’s a good prayer for each of our congregations and for the whole church: “Bind Us Together.”

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Miracles and Kindnesses

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When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.
Psalm 106:7, NIV*

The Israelites often looked at their troubles and forgot to look at God. We do the same, and we have the Bible and the Holy Spirit, so I’m not pointing fingers.

But we need to remember and be mindful of the majesty of God, of His vastness and His glory. His miracles. If nothing else, it puts life in perspective.

Yes, He gives us tender, personal gifts. His kindnesses. Things like a blooming flower or a bit of music that seem tailored to bless just one spirit. They root us in awareness of His love for us, and that’s a good thing.

The danger of intimacy is when our thoughts try to bring God down to our level. He’s so close, so real. But we need to look at His larger-scale acts and works too.

It’s about balance.

We need intimacy with God and holy awe of His majesty.

It’s all to keep us praising. Worshipping. Living in obedience and trust.

God who formed the universe, who numbers the stars in the sky and the hairs on our heads, You are majestic in holiness, far beyond our comprehension. Yet You love us and woo us into a personal relationship. Help us to know and rely on Your love for us, and help us develop a confidence in You and a holy awe of You. Help us know You as both King and Abba—Daddy—Papa.

∞

Our song is Steve Fee’s “Glorious One”.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Intentional Worship

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Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:19a-20, NIV*

I’m learning that when our congregation is singing a song I dislike (there are a few) I need to remember the song isn’t for me. It’s for God, and He presumably likes it—if it’s sung from worshipping hearts. If I choose to focus on what I don’t like about it, that’s not worship. If I give it my best for His sake, it is.

Sunday morning we were singing songs I appreciate, but I wasn’t feeling as well as usual and just wasn’t connecting. God, being good, helped me see that pushing through to intentionally sing and praise was perhaps a better offering than on a regular Sunday when the praise comes easier.

It’s a declaration that God’s worship-worthiness is constant and doesn’t depend on my fluctuating feelings. I think prayer is the same way. Whatever state we’re in when we come aside to pray, let us take good courage, be firm in our faith, and commit the needs and praises to our God Who is able and who cares for us. It’s about Him, after all.

Father, thank You for Your patient teaching and nurture that draw us closer to Your heart. Teach us to worship in spirit and in truth, with thanksgiving, for Your glory.

∞

“Blessed Be Your Name,” by Matt Redman, is a contemporary classic declaration of worship and prayer in the good and in the bad. It’s sung here by Tree63.

*New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.