Praise Leads to Peace

 What consumes your thought-life today?  What do you spend your time pondering?  For me, it is the chaos of the daily grind.  I have two kids in middle school.  Needless to say, life is busy. 

I have found that the busier I become, the less margin (and time) I have for the important things.  The things that truly matter.  Prayer time.  Quiet time in the Word.  Kingdom Work. 

Why is it such a rat race?  Why must I go in vicious cycles of having healthy habits one day and extremely poor habits the next day?  Can you relate?

I think the answer is:  We are human.

Recently, I was reading Philippians 4 again, and the verses that I’ve read a hundred times before just popped out in a new way.  I’d love to share it with you.  (Phil. 4: 4-9 will be summarized from the ESV and MSG versions below.)

 

1.         PRAISE

“Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice!  [Celebrate God all day, every day.  Revel in Him!  Make it as clear as you can to everyone you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them.  The Lord is coming soon.]”

2.         PRAY

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. [Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.]”

3.         PEACE

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

4.         PONDER

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable… whatever is excellent… whatever is worthy of praise…. Think about these things!  [Summing it up, friends, I’d say you’ll do your best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious… the best (not the worst)….. the beautiful (not the ugly)… and things to praise (not things to curse.)  Put this into practice.]”

 

Paul sums it up by reiterating that all these things will lead back to PEACE.

“Practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.  [Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

Wow.  I love the Message Version of the Bible.  It’s such a great resource to use when we want a more vibrant picture of what the original authors were trying to say.  It says God will work you into His MOST EXCELLENT HARMONIES.  Who doesn’t want that? 

I pray that you will find yourself praising Him, seeking Him and pondering the good things that He has given us.  May the Peace of Christ dwell in you richly.

Amen.

Strength, Shield, and Security

 Protection.  Something we all need.  Something we all long for. 

We need protection from disease, disasters, and despair.  We long for our families and friends to be protected as they come and go.  We worry and obsess over the protection of our loved ones. 

The Lord has been reminding me that He is our source of Protection.

Psalm 18:31-39; 43 says

“For who is God, but the Lord?  And who is the rock, except God? –

The God who equipped me with STRENGTH and made my way blameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me SECURE on the heights.

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the SHIELD of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. 

You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

You equipped me with STRENGTH FOR THE BATTLE; you made those who rise against me sink under me.

….The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation!”

 

What daily battles are you facing today?  I am parenting two teens (enough said).  I am a busy mom (a chaos coordinator).  I am also facing a personal battle with my mental health.  BUT GOD is my strength, my shield, and my security.  Just as my favorite worship song says…

“As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee.

You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship Thee.

You along are my Strength, my Shield.

To You alone may my spirit yield.

You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship You.”

 

Start your day with Worship, friends.  Ask Him for strength.  He will provide.  He will protect.

Psalm 32: Blessed are the Forgiven

 

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.”

Have you ever found yourself in a dry spell – where you weren’t spending time with the Lord like you should? Life got busy, and whatever habits you had in place slowly disappeared.  Your kids need you the minute you wake up, your day gets going, and before you know it you find yourself groaning.  You seek solace.  You crave that quiet time.  It’s been so long that you feel like your bones are wasting away.  This is surely how David felt in today’s Psalm.

“Day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength dried up as by the heat of the summer.”

Oh friends, without daily prayer and reminders of God’s goodness from His Word, our strength dries up.  As Texas residents, we know the heat of summer all too well.  Just as we know the sweet relief of air conditioning, we should remember the sweet relief of leaning into our Lord and spending time in His presence. 

“Then, I acknowledged my sin to you….I did not cover it…I confessed.  And you forgave me.  Suddenly the pressure was gone- my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.”

I don’t know about you, but for me, confession is the hardest part of prayer.  Reflecting on the ways we’ve messed up is not fun.  But repentance is how we draw near to God.  What a blessing it is that Jesus’ blood covers it all.

“God is my island hideaway, he keeps danger far from the shore, he throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.”

Picture that sweet vacation spot where you find the most peace.  Is it the beach, the mountains, a river, or an open field of wildflowers?  Close your eyes and picture yourself there today.  Picture God with you there.  Allow His presence, His goodness, His love, and His forgiveness to become your garland.

 

(Scripture summarized from ESV and MSG.)

Psalm 30: Joy Comes in the Morning

 

Oh, how I remember calling for God’s help so many times in my life!  I have found myself in pain, turmoil, confusion, and tears too many times to count.  But God is never far away.  Psalm 30 reminds me of His faithfulness.  He has healed my broken heart every single time I sought Him.  And what’s amazing is that He takes it ten steps further than simple healing.  He turns my mourning into dancing!  I still don’t quite understand how it’s possible to sing praises after such pain and sorrow.  But that’s just how powerful God’s love is.  He swoops in and rescues us when we call to Him.  (The rescue doesn’t always look like what we have in mind.  We might have to learn a hard lesson first.  But there is always rescue.)  Then, out of an abundance of thankfulness, we praise Him.  The singing and dancing are not just for our benefit.  It gives glory to God when we recognize that we are nothing without Him.  And there’s more - it points others to Him.  When friends see our despair turn into praise, it must make them wonder.  My prayer is that we can use God’s rescuing moments to testify of His unfailing love.  Sing!  Dance!  Tell what the Lord has done!

 

“I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me.

O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you have restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping my tarry for the night, but JOY COMES WITH THE MORNING!  …..

You have turned for me my mourning into DANCING;

You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

That my glory may SING your praise and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will GIVE THANKS to you forever!”

-Psalm 30:1-5; 11-12 (ESV)