Here for You

"Who am I, my master God, that You have brought me to this place in life?...What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, master God, just as I am. You've done all this not because of who I am but because of who You are - out of Your very heart..." (2 Samuel 7:18-21, Message)

Of all all the great attempts by men and women down the through the ages to put pen to paper and describe what worship to God looks like, no definition has emerged as the "it." Perhaps the reason it seems impossible to land on an "it" is because of the incomparable amazingness of God that cannot be contained and put in neat, tidy prose. Our limited comprehension vs. God's unlimited awesomeness. In the words of Matt Chandler, "Trying to figure out God is like trying to catch a fish in the Pacific Ocean with an inch of dental floss."

It's not an "it," but a few days ago, another definition of worship grabbed my attention for its drop-the-mic simplicity. Powerful and true enough that it prompted me to tuck it away for future reference the next time someone asks, "So, is worship the singing and music part? Is it going to church? Is it the sermon? Is it what happens on Sunday morning?":

"I Am looking for a people that will simply pay attention to Me."

This is what David is doing: talking with God, being with God, listening for God, giving God all the glory for the goodness of his life as well as the faithfulness and love to--like no other friend--stick with hm through thick and thin. It is not a casual glance or a brief hello. It is a life on "pay attention" mode 24/7. It is breathing in and out attitude. It is worship not confined to a church or any type of formal or informal liturgy (as highly beneficial as those can be in helping us "pay attention"). It is not self-absorbed, and any hint of what's-in-it-for-me motive is nowhere to be found. In fact, near the end of his prayer, David says his "pay attention," overflowing-to-others lifestyle of worship is about one thing: "...so that Your Name will be great forever." (2 Samuel 7:26)

Today could be another routine Sunday morning of doing the church thing. Or, taking our cue from King David, it might be better to hit reset and speak these words to our soul as a reminder:

Soak your highly imperfect, person-after-God's-own-heart life in humility, awe, gratitude, honor, and praise of the One who alone gave it all for you, knows all about you and loves you just the same anyway, and who can fulfill far bigger dreams or answer far bigger prayers than you can ever imagine or ask, and who moves and lives not even in wonderful buildings where other imperfect persons-after-God's-own-heart gather, but in and through the "tents" of people who know and love His Name, and who even in their driest times (yes, even you) have a mysterious, deep-seated desire to make His Name great in all that we do and in and through the people we love.

Lord, let today be a defining moment, all over again.

"Let our praise be Your welcome

Let our songs be a sign

We are here for You, we are here for You

Let Your breath come from heaven

Fill our hearts with Your life

We are here for You, we are here for You

To You our hearts are open

Nothing here is hidden

You are our one desire

You alone are holy

Only You are worthy

God, let Your fire fall down..." (Matt Redman)

When Heaven Breaks Through

“The Lord graciously remembered and visited Sarah as He said, and the Lord did for her as He had promised.”—Genesis 21:1, Amplified

You don’t have to be an old person to be able to relate to the outrageously wild promise from God's messengers that Sarah, in her 90s, was going to get pregnant and give birth to a son who would help fulfill a prophecy for all of mankind (Genesis 18:10-12). It’s not just a mother thing, either; being a guy doesn’t disqualify you from being able to relate to Sarah, too, on this one level:

We are all prone to look first at everything through a natural, common sense lens rather than the lens of Heaven where all things are possible. It’s often manifested in the Sarah mindset of, “C'mon, I’m too old (or, young, or inexperienced, or uneducated, or whatever limitation you choose) for ______, or for God to work through me.”

Maybe you can even relate to what Sarah did when she looked at what she thought was the reality of the thing: Laugh in incredulity, either on the inside or in an unconfined guffaw. It is so good to know that God, in His great graciousness, didn’t condemn Sarah for her laughter that was based on the evidence in front of her, but instead invited her (and us) to think beyond the natural with a challenge:

“Why do you doubt My promises for what you can’t see? I am not like you or anyone else. I am with you but I am above all this that seems impossible. Is there anything too hard for Me?”

And, as the story goes, it wasn’t. We never read that Sarah suddenly “got it” and all was well. Only that she and wrinkly Abraham obeyed, and conceived Isaac—the son of laughter, through whom God said in affirming His promise “…through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.”

A promise so great, it leads to this “A record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob…..”

So, this is an amazing story of God’s faithfulness through the ages and about being true to His promises. And it’s a great story of encouragement to persevere in prayer and believe in the face of everything that screams to the contrary. Kind of like, if you’re from around here, last Sunday and 34-28 OT.

But even better than that. Sarah's story speaks to a believing that contends to see things that really matter eternally from God’s unlimited, no-fine-print gotcha viewpoint rather than from our own limited view of things, where “I’m too ____” is never a deal-breaker in the kingdom of Heaven on earth, and how all of that can make all the difference in our daily attitude as well as how we approach just about everything in this world, this Walk, and this life with others.

It all comes down to one word...

"Everyone has a perspective. It is not a matter of having it or not. The question is, who is dictating our perspective, what determines our perspective, and what values are shaping our perspective...This morning, you woke up and you began to view your day and your life with a specific perspective. That perspective will determine the tint with which you view of all of life. It will either release life or death, joy or depression, risk or fear. I believe it is one of the greatest battles for Christians in our day....Revival and reformation will not be possible without a perspective of a victorious Kingdom and an earth that is now filled and will continue to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God! [Habakkuk 2:14] Only with this mindset can we live with hope, and only with hope can we lead the Bride into her greatest hour, her hour of fullness."

(Sean Feucht and Andy Byrne,”Fire and Fragrance")

#heavenisallaroundus

The Joy of Rowing

“Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.”—Mark 6:30-32 (New Living Translation)

But instead of a get-away-from-it-all moment, people and life’s demands just wouldn’t quit, and wound up following them relentlessly. It may have felt a little like these two guys. And just about all of us have been in that boat (maybe even this week).

Like the disciples, however, perhaps some of our most re-energizing and practical places of rest happen not by arriving at a particular destination but while we’re rowing hard on to the next thing...all the while talking with Jesus, asking Him questions about things big and small, and praying, all intermingled with long segments of comfortable silence. God with us, indeed.

It's here where we can discover that “The joy of the Lord is my strength” is more than just a song or bumper sticker, or a compartmentalized Sunday morning thing, but supernatural fuel for every day...no matter what may be waiting around the next cove.

"The Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy; my soul shall dive therein, and shall be swallowed up in the delights of His society."(Charles Spurgeon)

[ADAPTED FROM 2-9-14]