There are moments when I need to sit silent and let God’s Spirit just work on me. This song has become one of my favorites for those times. What’s yours?
Psalm 48: A Silent Peace
Peace …….. is so elusive at times. I have found my sense of it besieged as of late.
“Freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, obsession, etc …. a state of tranquility or serenity.”
A simple, personal definition yet it rarely truly applies to me even though The Scriptures give us countless promises that God will grant us peace or that we are to be at peace in our whole being. My personal times with the Lord are always a little unpredictable. Sometimes they focus on solely prayer, sometimes repentance, but most recently God has focused them on PEACE.
That may seem like a strange thing for God to put in front of me, but its so vital. When there is no peace in my being I am a horrible worshipper; a tempermental husband and father; and a raging egotistic leader. So, in short order, when my soul finds no peace the world around me is denied it and the relationships in my life from family to friends to the Divine are impacted.
Psalm 48:9-10 says:
“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of Your temple. As Your name, O God, so praise reaches to the ends of the earth.”
That word “thought” originally meant “to wait for or to have a silent peace”. So that verse could read like this: “We have waited in silent peace BECAUSE of Your steadfast love, O God…..”
That verse spoke volumes to me this week. In the midst of the temple, I am to place the STEADFAST LOVE of GOD in my thoughts and heart in such a way that it gives me a patient and silent peace. THEN my praise will rise in such a way that it will reach as far as the very name of God Himself!
There’s another huge thing in that passage: “in the midst of Your temple.”
That little, tiny clause has BIG meaning for me as a believer because it means that not only should I meditate on God’s steadfast love in the midst of the physical temple (church) but also in the midst of the spiritual temple (my body or being). In my heart should be rooted the nature of God’s love that in every part of my day I am constantly thinking about it so deeply that I find that silent peace in the very CENTER of His temple in me. God has chosen to rest His glory not just in buildings made by man, but in the very being of man himself (which is why Paul was so passionate about the body being treated like the Holy Temple of God). If I’m going to get my peace back, I’m going to have to stop striving for it and instead spend more my time and more of MYSELF thinking on the STEADFAST LOVE OF GOD!
For all the excuses I make for why I didn’t spend the time with God in prayer, or reading His Word, or praising Him; its good to be reminded that THERE IS ALWAYS plenty of time to worship Him! So take time today and spend it in relationship with your Creator, your Redeemer, and Sustainer!
Sometimes its nice to get a picture of who it is you’re reading posts from. This is a Night of Worship and Prayer we hosted at our church in GA. I’m not the guy soloing, I’m the worship leader on the far left but that’s what I do, and I’m blessed to do it!
He Rescues that We May Praise
I prayed through Psalm 30 today and as I thanked God for rescuing my soul from the pit of Hell itself and for healing the brokenness of my heart and spirit and body I came to verses 11 and 12:
“You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory(my whole being) may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!”
God has rescued us that we may praise Him. Period. That’s it. He doesn’t do it so that we can feel good or attain wealth and success. He does so that we can do what we were created to do: worship Him and adore Him through a personal relationship with Him. Maybe that makes you angry or bitter to think that what our Creator made us for is His own delight, but honestly that doesn’t matter. Our choice is so simple yet so difficult: Do we choose to recognize that HE is God and worthy of our praise simply because He is our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sustainer? or do we try to cling to this illusionary life where we grasp for control of everything around us. Rest today in a Savior and a God who made you: not to work, not to retire, not to play games, but to WORSHIP!
Total time in prayer this week: 1.25hrs
Praying for Sunday
How often do you pray for the Worship Service you’re going to attend this weekend? Do you expect God to move, expect lives to be changed and then pray for that? I was thinking about this as I was praying and driving to the hospitals this morning. It occurred to me that maybe GOD COULD DO MORE if WE EXPECTED MORE. By that expectation, I mean pray to that end, that His Spirit might move and melt hearts, break down addictions, heal wounded lives and relationships. Something to think, and pray about in the next 36hrs before most of us will sit in church again.
Total time in prayer this week: 2 hours
Free spirit and prayer…
I am NOT what one might call a free spirit. I like to have things on a schedule and a plan, but I’m discovering a new side to myself through this process. I found myself having trouble sleeping the other night, and actually feeling led to spend the time praying instead of trying to get sleepy (which I’m REALLY good at!). It was a sweet, sweet time. I listened to the sounds of the house, Sara sleeping and Ella’s music from her room, our dog snoring and spent about an hour and half praying as God brought things into my mind. Not sure I could handle that every night or even every week but it reminded that sometimes there’s a reason we can’t sleep and its not to watch infomercials! Have a great week!
Total time spent in prayer: 2.5 hours
Rise and Sing!
My voice is gone. Period. My allergies have decided to go on strike against South Georgia, at least that’s how it feels! Yet, I find myself in my office this morning singing (quite silently) along as I listen. This journey was begun that I might rediscover the depths of my song to God and its a good reminder today that my song begins on the inside. Its born out of my heart response to God’s work both in me and around me. I hope that when my voice returns and gives sound to my song that my worship will still come from the depths of my intimacy with a Risen, Living, Redeeming God.
Busyness is the Enemy!!!
The past few weeks have been AMAZINGLY busy. Now, that’s nobody’s fault but mine own, yet my ambition and pride driven planning has convicted me in a very deep way. I actually had the thought this morning, “I need to get in a quick 30 minutes of prayer before the day gets rolling”. Like my prayer time was something to be slipped into my schedule as an afterthought. That, my friends, is a problem of the heart and its one that my artificially created busy life has created. You see, there is NOTHING greater than the time I spend in my relationship with God. He is using this month’s events and schedule to show me why busyness is so destructive.
Psalm 15…
Spent some time this morning just asking God to quiet me with His word. I’m finding that if I don’t ask God to settle my mind and spirit down, it is MUCH more difficult to focus in my conversation with Him. As I read through Psalm 13, 14, and 15 I was struck by the qualities asked for and commanded in Psalm 15. So I began my prayer today asking God to help me do the following:
1. Walk blameless and not in sin
2. Do what is right (and what is BEST)
3. Speak truth that builds up and encourages
4. Keep my tongue from hurting those around me
5. Not harm my neighbor
6. Not judge others but keep my eye on myself
7. Despise evil and seek justice
8. Honor other believers
9. Keep my promises whether small or big, easy or hard
10. Not take advantage of others
11. Be generous and fair
I guess I should have those qualities already, and I hope I do to some extent, but I posted them up in my office to remind myself that I need to SEEK them EVERYDAY. Then got spend some time interceding for those who have been on our choir’s and worship team’s prayer list. Not done for the day but a great start!
Total time praying: 30 minutes
