I Will Ever Be Praising You

As I continue my subject of hope in the age to come, one thing excites me beyond all the other joys and promises that will be realized in that day: I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  The well known Psalm 23 gives this assurance:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me… and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:4,6

When we walk though valleys of death, of sickness, of trial or persecution, the LORD our Shepherd is with us.  He will see us through.  I have confidence that He will bring me to His house to remain there forever.  On the other side of death is resurrection and eternal life for those in Christ.  Jesus told His disciples that He went to His Father’s house to prepare a place for us.  If He goes to make a place for us, then He will return and bring us to Himself.  We will be with Him in His house (John 14:2-3).  Since we have been adopted as children of God, surely we have a place in His home.

Romans 8 develops the theme of our adoption into the family of God.  If we are His children, then we are heirs with Christ, but this promise is contingent on something.  If we are to be glorified with Christ and receive His inheritance with Him, we must also suffer with Him (Romans 8:15-17).  The one who perseveres through persecution and trials will receive the reward of dwelling in His house; the one who overcomes will be a pillar in His temple and will never depart. This reward is within reach and it belongs to those who deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Christ.

How great is the reward to dwell in the house of the Lord forever!  His house is filled with worship night and day.  Men and angels behold His beauty and cry out, “Holy!”  Better is one day here than a thousand anywhere else.  Blessed and happy are those who dwell in His house, because it is the place of closest proximity to the Most Holy One.  His presence is full of delight, to worship Him day and night is the greatest reward.  Jesus Himself is the reward that motivates me to deny myself and press on that I might obtain this inheritance.

Eagerly Waiting with Perseverance

 find myself in need of perseverance. My desire is to be found ten, twenty, thirty years from now with a fervent prayer life and a heart surrendered to the Lord. To attain that goal, I know that I need diligence in the spiritual disciplines today and every day. I want to love the Lord with all my heart, day in and day out, for the rest of my life. But no matter how sincere my intentions, my dedication is weak and I’m easily distracted. So I pray for God to keep me steady in His strength. As I pray for myself, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians is one of my favorites to make my own:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, to the glory and praise of God.
-Philippians 1:9-11

How can I remain sincere and without offense until the day of Christ? While praying that God would keep me is a huge part, God has also given us promises which should motivate our hearts. We have hope in God that, at the resurrection, all creation will be delivered from the decay of sin. Even our bodies will be redeemed, and the groaning inside our hearts will be answered. This hope is so great that Paul says “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18-25)

How is this glory revealed?

Looking for the Blessed Hope

It seems that hope in our day has been reduced to a wish or desire. “I hope that…”  Fill in the blank with whatever you wish for; this elusive hope continually slips through our grasping hands. But Scripture talks about another kind of hope, that which anchors the soul during the storms of life and will never disappoint.  Rather than being crushed in trying times, it is solidified through them.  It’s a living hope in our faithful God who comforts those who mourn and gives strength to the weary heart.

I’ve been through those times of searching for hope and asking for someone to show me the light at the end of the tunnel.  What is the source of true hope?  Paul gives a clear definition of hope in Titus 2:11-14.  After telling us to live righteously in this present age, he charges us to set our eyes on

 ”looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

This hope has a very narrow focus.  It is entirely set the Day of Jesus’ return.  Biblically, we should put all of our eggs in one basket and fully invest our hope in Jesus coming in the sky with glory brighter than the sun.

What happens when Jesus returns? 

The Name

Blessed are You, Lord of Eternity!  God of Mercy and Unknowable Love!  You have reached down and chosen me out of humanity.  Thank You!  I can never thank You enough for Your mercy!  I am unworthy, but You are worthy for me to give my life to forever!  There is no one like You, so I give my all to You.  I am unworthy.  But You, Great God, Omnipotent Trinity, You counted me worthy of Your very life.  Oh!  Such depths of love that I have never known!  If You count me worthy of being purchased into this love, at the cost of Your blood, then let me know who You are.

Love, Truth, Wisdom, I want to know You.  Holy, cleanse my heart and all my ways, set me apart, pure unto You.  Love, let me see through Your eyes and be moved with Your heart to act as You act.  Truth, teach me to love You above all else, above offence, above comfort, above men’s opinions; teach me Your ways that I may walk as You walk.  Wisdom, be my closest friend, advise me in all my ways, and make my heart attentive to Your voice.

Justice, Humility, Power, Righteous, Grace, Mercy, Peace.  Because of the delightful fragrance of Your name, the virgins love You.  Your name is poured forth like a fragrant oil spilling from a bottle.  Nothing hinders the manifestation of who You are.  It is a sweet, intoxicating fragrance.  The pure in heart love You because of Your name.  They see who You are and praise You with uprightness of heart.  Oh how I love Your name!  Blessed is the Lord, God of heaven and earth!  He reveals His heart, and it is good!  He will never change, in Love He comes to the humble!  Holy, holy, holy is He!  There is truly none like Him!  Who can search out all His ways to make them known?  Yet all that He does is good and done in love.  The way He sees me, His faithfulness in times passed, His purpose for my future, all His ways are too great for me to know!  So I love You, it is right to do so.

The Beauty of Fridays

I love my Fridays!  They begin way too early, but it’s so worth it!  My church has a women’s early morning prayer each week, and it’s the highlight of my week.  I had the most delightful time driving to school this morning.  This beautiful song started just as I drove over a hill and the beauty of the music and landscape took my breath away.  All I could see were the mountains standing so beautifully on the horizon cloaked in wisps of mist.  The colors of mountain, mist, and sky contrasted so beautifully as the music proclaimed, “Lord I’ve heard of Your fame, I stand in awe of Your deeds.”  Oh!  Awe filled my heart, overflowing awe! 

Whirlwinds and Merry-go- Rounds: Peace in the Waiting

There has been a lack of posting recently, and I was trying to decide why.  It’s not that I’m too busy to do a few things I enjoy, like writing; and I have had plenty to write.  It’s that my life seems to be a whirlwind right now.  I can’t exactly tell you what I’ve been doing or how I’ve been the past weeks because it seems it changes hourly.  Just when I think I’ve settled in something good, I change.  And just when it seems I’m moving on to something completely different, I find myself back at the start.  It’s the same starting point daily.  Thus, I’m riding a whirlwind going in circles!  Somehow, I’m not bothered by that like I typically would be.  It’s more as if I am on a merry-go-round, ridding up and down on beautiful animals in time to the music.  Everything’s cheery.  At the same time, it remains a whirr of grayness with no distinctions, a whirlwind.

Here’s a typical day. 

Joy

Like the singing birds or bubbling brooks, it is spontaneous and unhindered by shame.  The weightless flight of a butterfly and a baby’s carefree laugh display its freedom from pressure.  Loose yourself in it like a little girl dancing in fields of summer wildflowers.  The shadows in doubt’s forest will not overcome the sunshine of your smile.  Let yourself be taken away by it, as a dandelion flying in the wind.  That wind is God’s Spirit, and the joy He gives is a gift.  When He gives it to the weary soul, it is like the sweet juice of apples.  When you’re weary, dive into it like a mountain stream on a hot day.  Let it fall on your face like a summer’s rain.  God gives it to be your strength in life.  When you are sad, trust in joy.  God is faithful that in your gloom, He will smile.  And with a “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and a deep belly laugh, Jesus will put joy in your heart.  So laugh on occasion like no one is watching.  Sing with a heart set free.

Spontanious worship in English Class

In Your presence my heart finds rest.  I am at peace.  Contentment permeates my being.  This feeling never fades, it will remain long after the earth has crumbled.  For this feeling is You.  And You never fade.  You are my everything and I am satisfied in You!

Pray without ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:17 gives a command that seems impossible and has troubled many people.  How do we pray without ceasing when many things require our attention through the day?  And how do we pray while we sleep?  This command seems impossible.  This has always troubled me.  The more I tasted the sweetness of God’s presence in worship, the more I hated to go back to life as usual.  I guess this has been a journey over several years and God was marking me then with the desire to be with Him at all times.  This summer just added one clue as to how that verse is lived out practically.

“The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God.  That means finding constant pleasure in His divine company, seeking Him humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.”

John the Baptist, Messenger of Grace

Tonight, John 1:6 jumped out at me.  “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.”  I’ve always overlooked that verse, thinking it simply served to transition the story and introduced a new character.  However, the more I though about it, the more depth I found in that simple verse.

Gary Wiens, from IHOP-Kansas City, was speaking here this weekend.  He taught on God’s commitment to manifest His name on the earth through humans.  I loved an illustration that he used.  He said that for hundreds of years before time, the Father was gazing at one aspect of Jesus’ nature.  He was going, “Oh how I love this about My Son!  It is perfect!”  Then He took that one little facet of Jesus, and He created a human life around it.  He created me!  Each person was created to manifest a different facet of God’s character.  That is why He places so much value on each human life, it is precious to Him.