Magnetic Attraction

“I am counting on the LORD; Yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word. I long for the LORD more than sentries long for the dawn…”—Psalm 130:5-6 NLT

When the dark is especially dark in the wee hours of a morning at your local all-night convenience store, the conservations with customers can be more interesting than usual....

Looking at a bible near the cash register, presumably the property of the cashier, a slightly-staggering patron asks a jolting question: “So, why should I go to church in the morning?” There are a million long-winded things the guy behind the counter could have said in reply, but even to his own surprise, only one word came out:

“Hope.”

As the first, faint glimmer of a new day started to appear outside, greeted by the distant sound of early-rising songbirds, the customer didn’t argue, didn’t swear, didn’t do anything but pause, smile, and head out into the emerging sunrise....

What is this magnetic attraction to see the sun rise over the horizon—a sandy beach, a mountain top, a back yard, or from an all-night convenience store? It might just be exactly what the guy behind the counter said. Because God has implanted the magnetic attraction of His creation into everyone’s heart, to enjoy for sure, but even more in hopes that what we see around us every day might draw us to the loving heart of God Himself.

The singing birds are not chirping something totally random, either. It's a heaven-sent symphony, with a rhythm of joy, to the tune of: "A new day is dawning! Hope is rising anew! Dude, guess what? A clean slate awaits you! Your hopeless, lonely darkness has been exposed by glorious light! And not only that, the faithfulness of God’s presence is about to manifest in new and surprising ways, so get ready! Look Up!"

Even the Mourning Dove, in her own way, sings of hope: "The deepest pains may linger through the night, but joy greets the soul with the smile of morning. Look Up!" 

In spite of all that, on any given day, I may not be feeling the songbird/sunrise love, or I may have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed with an unexplainable gloomy mood and grumpy back. Then what? There is only one good choice: get in agreement with David's faith-filled "Lord, it's a new day and I'm counting on You one more time!," and with what the songbirds know about God and His heart for us, and with God's magnetic attractions that are all around us, and especially with the heart of what the store clerk declared in one simply powerful word to someone in the dark night of their soul...

 "Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love." — Romans 5:2-5

"As we gaze upon the wonders of creation, we look Up towards the heights of a God who is merciful in His ways and magnificent in His deeds. The life of worship always points us Upwards."— Matt Redman

As we gaze upon the wonders of creations, we look up towards the heights of a God who is merciful in His ways and magnificent in His deeds. The life of worship always points us upwards.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/724711

As we gaze upon the wonders of creations, we look up towards the heights of a God who is merciful in His ways and magnificent in His deeds. The life of worship always points us upwards.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/724711