Singers' Prayers

 The book of Psalms sings to us in our troubles.

As we read through the Psalms we hear the "singers" crying out to God.  These songs speak words of anguish, of pain, of worry, of loneliness, of uncertainty.  But they also speak words that reflect assurance and understanding.

Let’s look at one of the singer’s cries for help.

Ps 42:3 (NIV) My tears have been my food day and night while they (people) say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

Are you crying out to God with words like those?  Is sorrow filling your thoughts – are tears your food in the night?  Do you chew on worries?  It’s so easy to do, isn’t it - to let the “problems” in your life become “you”?  

It’s easy to see those problems as who you are, not something external to the “self” of you. 

If I lose a job, or something important in my life, do I see myself this way “I AM A LOSER."  Or if people don’t value my friendship, I may say to the mirror – "I AM UNLOVABLE."  Are you looking at these or other situations and seeing them as who you are?  Wow!  I’ve been there and sometimes, even though I know my position as God’s child in His family, those old thoughts still sometimes haunt my dreams.

The prayers of David and the other “singers” tell us that God is capable of handling all those tears, the anguish, and the problems in our lives.  These particular prayers speak of our assurance from God.

Assurance that God is alive and active.

Assurance that God is good.

Assurance that God cares for His people.

Assurance that God is capable.

And assurance that you are not “your situations” 

because you are a dearly loved child of the King.

The singer prays saying:

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7 (NIV)

By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. Psalm 42:8 (NIV)

He tells us God is capable. 

I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 56:4 (NLT)

My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! Psalm 57:7 (NLT)

The Psalms tell of the goodness of God.

For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. Psalm 84:11 (NLT)

How kind the LORD is! How good He is! So merciful, this God of ours! Psalm 116:5 (NLT)

Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with you, O God? Psalm 71:19 (NLT)

 And finally, the singers remind us that we are on God’s mind.  

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:17 (NLT)

I’m on His mind.  I’m in His care.

He’s thinking thoughts of me

God sees each stumbling step I take,

and times that I despair.

He sees the worries that I face, 

the hurt, the pain that’s there.

He walks with me and talks to me

He holds me up and comforts me

No matter when or where.

My God is strong enough to hold 

the trials I cannot bear

He is the sun that shines so bright

He is the one who brings the light.

When my darkest thoughts are there.

He is here. He is kind.  He is able.

He is the almighty God.

A Midnight Prayer

 Dear Friends, do you ever lay your head on your pillow at night and wonder if there was any little thing you did or said that would please our God?  I know that sometimes I can’t think of anything terrible that I did – but I wonder if, that day, I even made God smile a little bit.

Yesterday I wrote this prayer – hadn’t planned to post it, but maybe it will touch someone’s heart.  

A prayer of repentance

Evening is closing the chapter “today.”

Many steps I have taken, some people I’ve met.

But many of them I’ve ignored on the way.

Though cocooned from the world in my own little nest

guilt keeps me from rest, holding slumber at bay.

I ponder my actions and thoughts from today

Close by my side, you were there Father, God

as I took every step, not watching the way.

I wonder tonight, is your heart even pleased

with the actions I take and the words that I say.

Gentle shepherd please come, place my sins from today.

In your sea of forgiveness as you promised you would.

With your almighty power take my heart’s guilt away.

Please speak to my soul Gentle Spirit.  

Draw near,

so your voice I will hear in the night wind,

 I pray.

Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

 
Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

The storm

 

Matthew 8:23-27
tells us about a  day on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus and His disciples were hit by a storm.  Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat and the men were terrified.

Jesus had shown His power over evil spirits, disease, death and nature.  He had healed the sick, cast out demons, raised the dead, provided food and turned water into wine. Jesus was able to control anything -  any situation that they faced, and His disciples were afraid of a storm?

Hey, wait a minute!

That storm was absolutely huge!  It wasn’t just an ordinary squall.  The wind and the waves roared!  They covered the boat!  The boat was far from any harbor.  These guys were in the middle of something they had never faced before, and they were afraid.

Friend, are you in the middle of something you’ve never faced before?  Are the waves of pain, of loss, or betrayal covering the boat of your life?  Are you afraid?  Are you discouraged?  Do you feel abandoned?  Are you out of options?

Jesus understands the storm.  He sees the shoreline.  He sees beyond the clouds and the rain.

There’s a song I used to sing when my voice was young.  It was one by my favorite female singers, Dottie Rambo.  It speaks of a storm and a prayer -

Soul be calm, rest in His keeping.
Never fear, He has control.
He rides the wind and
He’ll chart the vessel
and calm the billows that toss me so.

Those words came from a heart that had endured much pain and trouble.  Dottie could sing it with conviction, and I would love to be able to say that I always believe them and trust with all my heart.  But still I've found that even in my fear, God always calms the storm. 

And Jesus said to the storm “Peace be still” Mark 4:39  and the wind died down and it was  completely calm. 

Bent and Broken

 Bent,

but not severed.

Cracked,

but holding on.

Shattered,

but not scattered.

Broken,

but not discarded.

Ruined,

not at all.

Her life was bent, not straight and pure

the cracks still held, though still unsure

‘til shattered pieces hit the ground

her heart lay broken – then she found

no condemnation in His face

no final ruin – only grace.

The Bible speaks of how sin has infected our world.  It bends, cracks, shatters, breaks and ruins  lives.  Sin destroys the pure heart and life that God had planned for man.  When sin entered into the world it destroyed so much, but it did not destroy the love that God has for His people.

John 4:4-30 tells of the event in which Jesus meets a woman at a well, we see in that encounter the way God meets with us in our brokenness.

The scripture says, “Jesus was tired from His journey, and He sat down at the well.”  This was a normal picture - a tired man and a water well.  Jesus turned up just where, in the normal course of things, a particular woman could be touched by Him.

He does that for us as well.  He meets us in our ordinary places.  He comes to help and heal us just as He did with this broken woman.  He comes if we let Him in - if we listen to Him.

So my friend, I know that even if the trauma filling your life is not of your own doing, as it likely was for the woman at the well, God wants to help you heal.  If you are broken – no matter the cause, there is only one who can put your life back together.  That “one” is the one who made you – the Master Potter.

So when you see the cracks appear, or when you feel bent or broken, watch for Jesus at the well.  He’s willing and able to give you life-giving water to heal your broken soul.  He will listen.  He’ll ask you questions. He’ll show you the way forward. 

He will help you see His face

No final ruin – only grace!

God bless you my friends,
Diane

Broken

There is so much pain and hurt in this world.  Some people are so broken that it affects the way they see themselves.  They have scars that hinder them from reaching out to others – even for help. 

I can’t put those broken pieces back together, but I do know someone who can.  And in the process, He can and will show His people how beautiful even scars can make their lives.

The Bible offers so much encouragement and help, if we only take God's words into our broken hearts.  Let's hear the words.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds,

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

So my friend, if you feel like a broken pot, you are not alone.  The writer of this Psalm felt the same way. 

Psalm 31:12  I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

When I think of all the broken vessels in my world, I hurt for all of us.  But hurt is definitely not God's plan for the broken pots that inhabit His world - not hurt, but healing.

I recently found this article about Kintsugi and wondered if that is how God heals our wounds - not with Gold but with the blood - the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God.

Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, emphasizes the beauty of imperfection and the value of an object's history.  Instead of, concealing the damage, kintsugi highlights the cracks and breaks with seams of gold lacquer, creating a unique and often more beautiful piece than the original. This technique celebrates the object's history and transforms it into a one-of-a-kind work of art. 

The process 

Joining the pieces: Broken pieces of the pottery are carefully joined back together using a special urushi lacquer (made from tree sap).

The broken pieces of our lives can be joined together by Jesus, the potter.  He has sent His Spirit into this world to make of those pieces something beautiful.  It's impossible to repair that  brokenness without God's Spirit helping us to find out just where those pieces fit.  He knows the original plan for the vessel, because He/God is the potter. 

 

Next - Highlighting the cracks: The lacquer is dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, creating a striking contrast with the ceramic material.

The blood of Jesus is the lacquer, mending those broken pieces.  His love is purer and more beautiful than gold or silver.  This lacquer doesn't erase the memory of the pain or betrayal.  Instead, if we put our broken pieces into the hands of the Master Potter, He uses them to create a life that, within the cracks, is more beautiful and exciting than it could possibly be without them.

Take a look at this picture and see the beauty created by the one who mended the broken bowl.  And then know that you can be just as beautiful, and useful in your new life, when you trust the true Potter.

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Looking in the Mirror

I've been looking in the mirror - Do you often  think about your “everyday shortcomings,” and see them as just that, “only shortcomings” – "not such a big deal?"  I know that sometimes I think that, but then - sometimes . . . 

I remember that they just might be a big deal - yes.  If I wish to be counted as a disciple of The Master; if I want to be His disciple - one who walks in the dust of the Master, I need to look at whose dust is covering my feet.  Walking in the dust - walking so close to someone that his dust covers my feet.

It’s so easy to accept and minimize my “shortcomings” if I walk through the day without a thought about how I'm living, or without wondering if my actions are a big deal to God.  So, before I greet one more day, I feel that I must personally look at the everyday things I call shortcomings and determine whether they are worth worrying about.  

In that vein, I want to look at the one I call Master – The only true God, Creator, Savior, King of the Universe.  And then I need to decide what I believe would be HIS view of the actions and thoughts that I see as only my “shortcomings.”

You may have your own list, but here are a few that I sometimes find myself struggling with.  Pride, envy, and anger – guess that’s a good start!

So if I take each one and dissect it in the light of God’s word, His purity, and His holiness, it may help me to see whether it is  serious enough to be too concerned about.

Pride – oh wow!  The Bible talks about that a bunch.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.  Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from The Father but from the world.

It sounds a bit like Pride is not something that I should tolerate in my life.

Then there is Envy

Envy comes in the back door, and some of the time I don’t see it until God points it out to me.  That envy isn’t usually a desire for wealth or talent, or even the beauty that another has. Most of the time it just says, “I wish I was as important to (this group, this person, this situation) as another person.  It’s still definitely envy and it’s grounded in comparison.  I have come to the realization that, when this “shortcoming” haunts me, it’s because I don’t see myself in the light of my importance to God – which is the only importance that really matters.

1 Corinthians 12:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.

Galatians 5:21 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

As I look at these scriptures, it seems to attach envy to coveting  the importance of others in the world’s eyes.  That was a bit eye-opening to me.

And Finally Anger

Jesus makes it very plain that my use of the word "shortcoming" would not be the way He describes anger - it's a slippery slope from anger to sin. Words and actions around us make it so easy to be angry. We have opinions about everything, in the Church, and in the rest of our lives.  Anger seems to be always in the air, in the wind and in the dust.  I must remember that this is not the way of The Master.

Colossians 3:8 but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language.

Matt 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. . .

So to net it out

Galatians 5:19-20 The acts of the flesh are obvious: debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, , ,

God is Holy, Good, and Pure. I want to walk in His dust, and He is more than willing to walk with me and give me strength to follow.

Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

• In pride I put myself in center stage – But the King humbled Himself by entering into our world.
• When I envy another’s situation, wealth, or status – I forget the family status given to me by the grantor of every good thing.  
• When my anger causes me to sin, I forget that when Jesus spoke of anger in His sermons, He even covered it in His discussion about murder.

As always, my friends, I'm looking in the mirror - not at you, but at myself.  We all must determine how well we will follow God's plan in our own lives.

The Open Secret

 

1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV)  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Dear Friends, lately it has occurred to me that our Christian world's focus seems to be on what God will or can do for me.  But when I think about it, I seem to be drawn to discussions on the Majesty of God, so I've spent many hours pouring through this book with my Bible and notepad.  The book - The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.  

In this chapter I focused on one thing particularly that the author reminds us of.  He states that, if we are to live as God's  people in this world, we must “Acquaint ourselves with God.”   We must get to know Him as He is, not as we’d like Him to be.  

Mr. Tozer says, “God is not a utilitarian God . . ..  whose chief claim to men’s attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor.”

He goes on to say that “The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the Only Wise God, our Savior.”  Tozer almost shouts about the power, the works and the wisdom of God.

He mentions a few things that we can work on in order to “Acquaint ourselves with God.”  Here is one that I want more in my life.  That suggestion is to invest a great deal of time meditating on God as He is - on the majesty of God as our KING. 
 

There is a King of this world, and it is NOT me, NOT my family, Not my country, NOT this earth, NOT science, intelligence or knowledge, NOT strength and NOT my local congregation, a hero or a group.

God the creator is KING, and to truly know Him, I must worship, I must bow, and I must make sure I’m submitting to Him, His will and His truth.

There are no words that can sufficiently describe the Majesty of God, simply because He is not simple.  He is so complex and unknowable that we can only just TRY to know Him better. 
 

Many of us know the truth that God loves us, and that Jesus came and paid an unbelievable price for our eternal salvation.  We’ve been assured that God listens to us as our Father.  All those things we can understand in some way, but His Holiness, His Omnipresence (always, everywhere), His Transcendence (superior, beyond anything we can see or imagine) are somewhat beyond anything we can wrap our minds around, aren’t they?

So my wish is that I can begin to understand a little more, and worship a lot more – that I can rest in His promise that He loves and forgives me, and yet be forever acutely aware of His Majesty.

Love, Diane