"There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever."
Psalm 86:8-12 (NRSV)
Following a weekend filled with a mix of revelation, nostalgia and even a little angst, I sought the Holy Spirit for some comfort and closure and came to this text during my morning meditations today. It seems the psalmist may have struggled with the call to worship while navigating some experiences, perhaps even human relationships, that sought to divide, distract or even deter that innate desire to glorify God. The psalmist cries out "give me an undivided heart to revere your name," and almost immediately, with the next breath, declares "I will give thanks to you, O Lord my God with my whole heart." I would like to suggest that the ability to immediately affirm who God is to the psalmist, despite the presence of other things attempting to divide the psalmist's heart, is rooted in a lifestyle of worship and is only possible after the Lord has answered the first prayer in this passage to "teach."
In this journey of living we will find ourselves in different seasons and sometimes we may become distracted, but we must, like the psalmist, first, ask God to "teach us." The writer of Timothy takes it even a step further by suggesting that we take authority to "study to show ourselves approved." (2 Timothy 2:15) Being instructed by God and our conviction to study is not for any personal sense of accomplishment, but rather as the psalmist puts it to enable us "walk in [God's] truth;" when the Lord teaches us it equips us with tools for living. Second we must grow to the place that we are not embarrassed, ashamed or otherwise unwilling to acknowledge times when we feel our heart being divided. We can easily allow friends, family, finances, frustrations, feelings, any number of things to divide our heart's intentions. The writer of Ecclesiastes in chapter 7, verse 29, puts it this way "See, this alone I found, that God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes." Our human nature is easily compelled to be divided. Walking in God's truth however will focus us and ultimately propel us to our destined place.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Stay the Course
"But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace."
Acts 20:24 (NRSV)
A few weeks ago I set out on what seemed to me on the map to be a short drive to support a colleague in ministry at an out of town preaching engagement. Let me preface this story by saying that I LOVE to drive so what some may consider a long drive, to me seems like a nice time to spend in solitude, riding, thinking, even communing with God. As I set out on the drive however, I didn't take into account the driving conditions that I would encounter while driving from one metropolitan area to another, a state away, during rush hour traffic. While on the map it appeared that the drive, which was less than 120 miles, should take me no more than than three hours driving the posted speed limit; when coupled with outgoing and incoming rush hour traffic and my unfamiliarity with the twists and turns of the trip, the journey took me closer to four hours to reach my destination. Yet I chose to persist to stay the course, even when I realized that the drive would take longer than anticipated, that I would likely arrive later than planned and would probably even become weary for the drive because I'd purposed in my heart that the staying the course was more fulfilling than abandoning the journey.
Where we are and where God has destined for us to be are quite likely not even remotely near one another. The journey may oftentimes be flooded with uncertainties, necessary modifications to the "planned" route, and even occasional, unanticipated disappointments and painful failures. Be not dismayed though, if you have faith in the One who sees the complete plan for your life, you should be encouraged to stay the course.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Acts 20:24 (NRSV)
A few weeks ago I set out on what seemed to me on the map to be a short drive to support a colleague in ministry at an out of town preaching engagement. Let me preface this story by saying that I LOVE to drive so what some may consider a long drive, to me seems like a nice time to spend in solitude, riding, thinking, even communing with God. As I set out on the drive however, I didn't take into account the driving conditions that I would encounter while driving from one metropolitan area to another, a state away, during rush hour traffic. While on the map it appeared that the drive, which was less than 120 miles, should take me no more than than three hours driving the posted speed limit; when coupled with outgoing and incoming rush hour traffic and my unfamiliarity with the twists and turns of the trip, the journey took me closer to four hours to reach my destination. Yet I chose to persist to stay the course, even when I realized that the drive would take longer than anticipated, that I would likely arrive later than planned and would probably even become weary for the drive because I'd purposed in my heart that the staying the course was more fulfilling than abandoning the journey.
Where we are and where God has destined for us to be are quite likely not even remotely near one another. The journey may oftentimes be flooded with uncertainties, necessary modifications to the "planned" route, and even occasional, unanticipated disappointments and painful failures. Be not dismayed though, if you have faith in the One who sees the complete plan for your life, you should be encouraged to stay the course.
Believe it, love it, live it!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Why Cry?
I don't know why, it probably shouldn't be the case, but everytime I hear this song I cry.
I mean, not simply a little tear or two streaming down the side of my face in response to being touched by something profound or out of the norm way, but I mean CRY like I'm losing one of my favorite people in the world kind of crying.
For many who know me, I'm not big on crying, especially not public crying. With the exception of that monthly Eve season that makes me susceptible to any number of unanticipated emotional expressions, I'm generally a fairly balanced individual.
Yet, whenever this song comes on, I stop what I'm doing, listen to it and as soon as the and final verse begins the tear ducts begin pouring forth a terrible flow of seemingly unstoppable tears. The song is "Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz. Click here for the lyrics for those who've never heard the song.
What do you think it could be that illicits such a response? Have you also found yourself in tears after listening to it? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Talk back to me!
I mean, not simply a little tear or two streaming down the side of my face in response to being touched by something profound or out of the norm way, but I mean CRY like I'm losing one of my favorite people in the world kind of crying.
For many who know me, I'm not big on crying, especially not public crying. With the exception of that monthly Eve season that makes me susceptible to any number of unanticipated emotional expressions, I'm generally a fairly balanced individual.
Yet, whenever this song comes on, I stop what I'm doing, listen to it and as soon as the and final verse begins the tear ducts begin pouring forth a terrible flow of seemingly unstoppable tears. The song is "Walking Her Home" by Mark Schultz. Click here for the lyrics for those who've never heard the song.
What do you think it could be that illicits such a response? Have you also found yourself in tears after listening to it? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Talk back to me!
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