Walking with Jesus

My brother is a scientific sort of guy, so one of the first thoughts I had after I recovered from hearing this (right after lots of God-praise) was: "I need to post this for Kevin." Of course, even if you aren't Kevin, I want you to listen to this as well. I heard it on the car radio while I was running errands, and it shook me to the core. I actually sat in the parking lot at the recycling center weeping over the goodness of God that we should live in an age when we can hear the praises of creation. The video clip is long, but you'll be glad it is. Ps. 148:1 Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light ! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord , For He commanded and they were created. 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decre...

Father God gave me a special insight today through part of a Sunday school lesson on Hearing God  and in something sad my wife encountered this morning.   As Olivia and I were talking about it tonight, she encouraged me to write this blog in order to share this revelation gift  with you as well. The key verse is Psalm 18:11:   "He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him."   It's an admittedly strange verse when you first encounter it. It seems to indicate, at the very least, that God is somehow present in the dark and sad things of life, at the very moment when He seems most distant. It does. But, it says even more than that. This verse is God's heart crying out to us in those moments: (as presented in the class) " I am here !" God is telling His children He has a secret place in the midst of the darkness, and He is inviting us not to miss finding Him there. Our Father, God, som...

  Psalm 8 (HCSB)   1  Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!   You have covered the heavens with Your majesty. 2  Because of Your adversaries, You have established a stronghold from the mouths of children and nursing infants to silence the enemy and the avenger.   3  When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place, 4  what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him? 5  You made him little less than God and crowned him with glory and honor. 6  You made him lord over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet: 7  all the sheep and oxen, as well as the animals in the wild, 8  the birds of the sky, and the fish of the sea that pass through the currents of the seas.   9  Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!

"Be still, and know that I am God."     Sometimes it's difficult to just stop, isn't it? I know, for myself, I like to keep going, keep moving, keep working, keep pressing my life for all it's worth. Why do I do this? How has silence become so ominous to me? Why is stillness so hard? I don't mean inactivity. I can do that! I mean the sort of stillness that waits upon the LORD.    It hasn't always been that way. There were season when I could just relax and let go, not worry about bills or schedules or making other people happy. I could just be. I could just listen and wait.   I remember walking along a wall atop an ocean cliff as a child. I had no schedule, no concerns. All I had was time, the wall, and the ocean. It was a beautiful day, the sort of day that makes you believe in God. I could see the ocean bottom below the surface. It looked shallow, but it wasn't. I remember seeing two giant Sting Rays gliding above the coral reefs with their fins gent...

Psalm 121, v.1: I will lift up my eyes to the hills – from whence comes my help? Question: When do you lift your eyes to the hills? That is, when does our focus turn upward? Is it when things are going well? When your marriage is great, your kids are all healthy, your job is satisfying…? Maybe. Sort of.   But, I don’t think generic, metaphorical praise is what the Psalmist has in mind. He is writing in a particular context: he is in need. He isn’t on the mountain top looking to the heavens and shouting out the LORD’s worth. Rather he is in the valley. He recognizes his need for “help” and his eyes search the distant hills for its coming. Psalm 23: “Even though I walk [where?] through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, [there is evil, but he doesn’t fear it. why?] because You [who? GOD] are with me; Your rod and Your staff [your correction and your protection] , they comfort me. You prepare a table before me [in good times? in peace? no, but…] in the presence ...

“Let me tell you what God has done for me.” Psalm 66 is a powerful summons to give the LORD the praise he deserves. It calls for all the people of the earth to give God glory for His mighty acts in history. It refers to God’s victory over His enemies, to His deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt, and to His eternal rule over the nations. It praises God for times of testing, and for the place of abundance. It reminds us to fulfill our vows to the Lord because He is worthy and willing to receive our feeble offerings. It paints a compelling portrait of one to whom praise is due. Yet, this God of the universe, who moves nations and reigns forever over all of creation, also cares for us. Listen as I read the Psalmist’s words in verses 16-20: Psalm 66:16-20 : Come and hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; But certainly God ha...

  Psalm 139:1-10 : "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.   If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me."      To be known by God ... to realize that God understands who we are and still loves us. He knows our sins, our secrets, our shames, our shambles... and He still gave His only Son to die for us on the cross...

. How shall we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land? ~ Psalm 137:4 Psalm 137 is a lament of Israel while in exile in Babylon. They are being taunted because Jerusalem, the central symbol of their Kingdom lies in ruins. "Hey, Jew, tell us about your great kingdom! Ha! Ha!" To which they reply, "God, show your mercy to us and bring down judgment on those who stand between you and the glory you deserve."   Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel like the hardships and persecutions in your life are keeping God from receiving His glory? Often we feel frustrated in life for selfish reasons, but there are times when our hearts are right, when we want God to bless and restore for His glory. In those times, we struggle with the question, "How can I sing praises to God when my life is in exile from his presence (blessings)?"   Israel's response was to pray for God's glory to be manifest in the destruction and punishment of God's enemies. I think t...