The wonder of God – psalm 139

Recently I’ve been looking at a few psalms and stuff to look for good lyric content. Where better to get worship lyrics than the word of God?

The other day I was playing my guitar, and working out some chords to perhaps attempt to write a song, or at least figure out a melody to put some words to. Then something unexpected happened; one of the strings snapped. I was displeased at this as it lashed my finger. I took the broken string and threaded it through the hoop bit that goes through the back of the guitar. I don’t know why. Then i scrunched it up in my hand, and it came out in a heart shape as above! (minus a small stem on the bottom which I cropped off the photo). What are the chances? I wondered if the heart shape was a sort of sign or something.

Earlier on today, I opened the bible app that I use from time to time. It opened on this psalm – psalm 139. What a lovely psalm. I will share it with you.

You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you. If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:1-24 NIV)

This psalm outlines just how awesome God is. He knows everything about us-how we think, what we do, everything! Before we speak, He knows the words on our tongue! Isn’t that amazing? It made me think – when we bring God praise, if He knows the words on our tongues and our thoughts and the desires of our hearts, is it in effect a sort of combo-worship session? I don’t know… It probably doesn’t work like that. Anyway, I digress.

Where can I go from God’s presence? Nowhere! He’s with us for the long haul! God is omnipotent and omnipresent, and he loves us! He created us! Before we were born, He set us apart – He made each and every one of us and His love for us knows no bounds. His love reaches everywhere from the highest of heights to the deepest depths, from the east to the west to the north to the south to the planets and across the universe. Absolutely everywhere. Theres nowhere that exists where His love cannot reach. He’s even conquered death! That’s how boundless His love is! Furthermore, He’s so awesome that darkness will not be dark to Him! I don’t know about you, but I think that’s flipping amazing!

I praise Him because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. We are intricately designed by the God of all – everything is! As a consequence, all creation reflects His beauty. And if you take a moment to pause and look out at creation, there is so much beauty there.

God is in creation; the works of His hands are spectacular and breathtaking, from the tulip fields to the snow leopard to the mountains to the coral reefs. Every part of it reflects the beauty and glory of God. Even us! We are blessed with being made in His image.

He has made me and He knows the days of my life – before I was born God was thinking about me! The same goes for you too! Isn’t that great? And He guides me in His holy ways. I feel so loved!

I do not deserve this in the slightest, but I’m so grateful to have such a loving God! His love for us is unending, unfailing and unfathomable. How wonderful is God? When I think of all He’s done… Wow. just Wow. Need I say more? WOW!

Who am I that God is mindful of me?

The other day as I was driving, I noticed some spring flowers beginning to grow. I drive past this place most days but that was the first time that I’d seen the wave of purples and yellows amongst the blades of grass. They were so beautiful. If there hadn’t been a car behind me, I would have stopped and taken a photo or two. God has made so many beautiful things.

I looked up at the sky, and for once there was a blue sky (albeit with two clouds creeping in far away). The world is so colourful and beautiful and sometimes I just like to take in the beauty of what God has made.

The springtime is beginning, and a new season of colour and beauty will soon appear. As I think of the wonder of God and His glory reflected in creation, I am reminded of this psalm:

Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9 NIV)

The psalmist writes of the majesty of the Lord; how His glory shines through the earth and causes people to praise Him! And then the psalmist goes on to say ‘When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?’

Think about that for a moment – God created the vastness of the universe! He intricately designed all things from the planets to pea pods. The moon and the stars shine because He gave them cause to shine. By God’s mighty hand, all things were made. So who is man that God is mindful of him? Who am I that God is mindful of me?

Sometimes I feel lonely. Sometimes I feel that I’m just one guy trying to live out my faith as best I can. But I’m one man made by God. I’m one man who is never really alone because Jesus is with me and the Holy Spirit fills me. I’m one man sustained by God, trying to live for His glory.

God is mindful of His creation. He created man in His image! God created us to be in relationship with Him; it’s true that we don’t always make the best choices in life and that we don’t always find it easy to go on, but God is always there for us. Fact.

The psalmist goes on to say ‘You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.’

And then, the final line of the psalm is echoed in my own heart; ‘Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!’. AMEN TO THAT!

Think about it. God has done so much! He created everything, including us and He has the power to do all things. Yet, He is mindful of His creation. He’s not just like ‘been there, done that’. He cares for us all! Jesus says in Matthew chapter 10

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

Jesus tells us that God knows the number of hairs on your head. He also tells us that God cares for His creation; every time a sparrow falls to the ground, God knows about it. Sparrows, at the time were two-a-penny and God still cares about them. But he cares for us too! We all turned away from our creator at some point and fell into a life of sin. But God never stopped caring for us for one minute.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NIV)

For turning from God, we deserved death. But Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay our ransom. Whilst we deserved death, Jesus took our burdens upon himself To save us from the penalty we deserve. He gave it all for us. That’s how much He cares.

About 2000 years ago, God sent His one and only son Jesus to save us from sin and death. We do not deserve this salvation, but God offers it to us through His son, who conquered death and rose from the grave and will reign forever! I, for one, am thankful to God for this.

I see the majesty of God reflected in the earth. I see the stars, I see the fields and the animals. I see cats waiting at zebra crossings for a safe time to cross the road. I see wonders of the world like niagara falls. I see the seas and the mountains and the weather and the rolling hills and the skies and the birds and so much more. And through the heartbeat of creation, I see the awesomeness of my creator. And I’m thankful that in the midst of everything, He is still mindful of me.

Taking a stand [[TWENTYSEVENMILLION]]

An estimated Twenty Seven Million people are being trafficked in the world right now. Thats twenty seven million people trapped in slavery. Twenty seven million who have no voice. Twenty seven million being trafficked in the 21st century.

Ill give you a moment to take that in. Thats more people being trafficked and enslaved in the world than there are people in australia. It is a truly shocking and horrific figure. But it gets worse. Only 1 -2 % of these people are being rescued at the moment.

If youre anything like me, you felt physically sick at this fact. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll want to do something about this; to be a voice for the voiceless; to take a stand against injustice. One way of doing this is by supporting the twenty seven million campaign, which is part of the a21 campaign.

(The a21 campaign is a campaign against human trafficking and is about helping the victims of human trafficking. Visit their website here.)

On Friday night, I attended a twenty seven million event. Lz7 started off the event before Beth Redman preached. Then Matt Redman lead worship for a while. At the end of the night, Lz7 and Beth and Matt Redman performed their campaign single, which is also named twenty seven million. It is available on iTunes and other digital download providers today.

It is a collaboration of artists who on first glance, would not appear to go together. But they do go well together, and theyre fighting for a good cause.

That 27 million event put social justice back on my radar. Because to be honest, i’ve been a bit caught up in just going on with my day to day  life. At this event on friday, God reminded me that I can make a change in this world and that I can’t stand idly by and watch darkness swallow this world – i’ve got to do something. Something.

But that got me thinking, what can I do? I’m just one guy. Just ONE guy.

Can one guy make a difference? Yes.

God can still use me, because God uses those who seek Him and want to live for Him. And when I do things with God, I can make a bigger difference in this world than I could ever imagine.

I mentioned earlier that Beth Redman preached at this event. She was talking about what people can do to take a stand against injustice, and she used the analogy of David and Goliath.

1 Samuel 17

New International Version (NIV)

1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath

¹ Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.^[a]5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels^[b]; ⁶ on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.^[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah^[d] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance^[e] from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. ²² David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³ As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴ Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

²⁹ “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

³³ Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵² Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath^[f] and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

⁵⁴ David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

⁵⁵ As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

⁵⁸ “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Footnotes:

1. 1 Samuel 17:4 That is, about 9 feet 9 inches or about 3 meters
2. 1 Samuel 17:5 That is, about 125 pounds or about 58 kilograms
3. 1 Samuel 17:7 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms
4. 1 Samuel 17:17 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
5. 1 Samuel 17:18 Or some token; or some pledge of spoils
6. 1 Samuel 17:52 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew of a valley

New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

We jump into the book of 1 Samuel here at the point where the israelites are at a stand off against the philistines. The philistines send out this whopping big guy (over 9ft tall) who starts shouting abuse at the israelites. This guy, called goliath, is a scary hunk of muscle and is shouting stuff like ‘if I beat one of your guys, we own you. If you beat me, you own us.’ He was a massive vision in bronze, and the israelites were scared silly at the thought of him. No one wanted to stand up to him. I bet he was wet yourself scary.

David (who would later become king) is just a boy at this point, tending sheep with his father, Jesse. His brothers are older and are fighting on the side of Saul (the current king). For 40 days, Goliath is coming forward and looking for a fight, no doubt saying nasty things about the israelites. For 40 days, the israelites don’t appear to be doing anything about it. Then Jesse sends David to take some cheese and bread to his brothers. David arrives as the israelites and the philistines are squaring up, and decides to go check up on his brothers. He hears Goliath shouting and decides to do something about it. But Eliab, David’s big brother is like ‘go away and tend your sheep, you aint old enough to do squat’. David is upset and goes to talk to someone else about it. King Saul gets wind of David’s ideas and sends for him. Saul tells David that he’s too young and unskilled to fight Goliath. David tells saul that he’s done alright against bears and lions because God is with him. So Saul is all like ‘huh, worth a shot’ and starts dressing David up in his armour. But David isnt used to the armour and decides to take it off and use his own methods. He takes some stones and approaches Goliath.

Here’s how it went down (but with semi-pokemon style battle script) :

WILD PHILISTINES APPEARED

WILD PHILISTINES SENT OUT GOLIATH

GOLIATH: Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks? *random cursing* C’mere and i’ll feed your flesh to the animals.

DAVID: You come at me armed with weapons, but I come at you in the name of the Lord almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. God will deliver you to me and i’ll chop off your head and i’ll give YOUR WHOLE ARMY’S flesh to the animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in israel. God doesnt save by weapons; Tha battle is God’s and He will give all of you into our hands.

GOLIATH ADVANCES

DAVID RUNS TO MEET HIM

DAVID GOES INTO BAG AND GETS OUT STONE

DAVID SLINGS STONE

STONE HITS GOLIATH IN THE FOREHEAD

It’s Super Effective!

GOLIATH FALLS FACEDOWN

DAVID CHOPS OFF GOLIATH’S HEAD.

WILD PHILISTINES FLED

What does this story show us? When God is on our side, we can overcome anything. Lets not forget Romans 8:31 – If our God is for us, who can be against us? But what else does this tell us? God can use ANYONE! Even a youngster can beat a 9ft giant guy if God is with him.

So how do we apply this in our day and age?  Sometimes, we see situations like human trafficking and we think that theyre always going to be there and theres no use fighting it because we could never make a change. Nuh-uh, not true. WE CAN do something about it.

If God is with us, we can make a change in this world. Even if it looks like we have no chance of making any sort of difference (like David in the passage), when God is on our side, nothing is impossible. So with this twenty seven million campaign, even if we feel small and insignificant, we can make a difference in God’s name. To start a movement, we have to BE the movement. If, like me, you want to see an end to human trafficking, you need to do something about it. There are many big things you could do to support this anti-slavery movement, but if you want to start small, why not buy the twenty seven million track by Matt Redman and LZ7, and spread awareness of the problem through the music industry. Together, we can make a change. And when God is with us, through Him all things are possible.

Check out the song 27 million.

Here are the lyrics:

27 Million LYRICS

See what the worlds done, came to London, she’s a nothing a no one, she’s undone broken dreams, stolen freedom, trapped in the night, trafficked and beaten.
All a part of an evil economy, nothing more than someones commodity, a precious being like you and me, a daughter, a sister, a somebody!

She was drawn by the bright lights, she was tied up in their lights, she worked right through the daylight, no voice, shes a slave to the night.

27 million, like me.
(That’s 27 million on this cruel journey)

We’ve got to rise up, open our eyes up. Be her voice, be her freedom, come on stand up! x4

After the man left, she’s nothing left, no one, no love, no one to call her friend. She’s stuck in the pit of hell, she’s almost sick from the smell. She’s numb, she’s dead from the inside out, her heart is screaming but you don’t hear the shout. Who’s the voice? Who’s going to break the door down? Who wakes her up from the nightmare now?

She was drawn by the bright lights, she was tied up in their lights, she worked right through the daylight, no voice, shes a slave to the night.

27 million, like me.
(27 million that need Heavens mercy!)

We’ve got to rise up, open our eyes up. Be her voice, be her freedom, come on stand up! x4

27 million, are you joking? how did we let evil get so tight a grip? watching while the world falls apart, how did we let this stuff begin? We’re not bothered if this offends, cause you’ve  got people that can defend, but they aint got that; they got nothing, sometimes we’ve got to stand for something; let this be the stand that gets your blood running

Little girl don’t cry, let me dry your eyes in the darkest night, hold on through the storm, you’re not on your own, hold on love will come.

We;ve got to rise up, open our eyes up, be her voice, be her freedom, come on, stand up! x8

Lately i’ve been praying that i’d be fired up about something again. This is the stand that gets my blood running.

I’ve been praying to see the church unite and be passionate about something. I’m trying to spread the heart of God to this broken world. I’m trying to be the heartbeat of the church. I’m taking a stand against injustice  and I invite you to do the same.

An estimated Twenty Seven Million people are being trafficked in the world right now. Thats twenty seven million people trapped in slavery. Twenty seven million who have no voice. Twenty seven million being trafficked in the 21st century. Twenty seven million who can be saved. We can make a change.

We’ve got to rise up// open our eyes up// be her voice// be her freedom// come on stand up

Stillness

Often, I lie in my bed, motionless. I can’t go to sleep but I can’t sustain being awake. I just lie there.

Sometimes, I think maybe the fact that I can’t sleep is a prompt to prayer. So I pray for whatever I feel is put on my heart and usually get to sleep. Other times, I just lie there and take everything in.

I listen to the noises of midnight. I hear the thunder and the howling winds. I hear the rain lashing down on the world below. I hear cars and vans and lorries driving off into the distance, hurrying along with their schedules. Sometimes I hear people talking, or music in a Doppler effect passing by. I hear the clicks of the cat’s paws as she walks in and out of my room. I hear the sounds of the night time. Sometimes I hear nothing. Sometimes I lie in the silence. I turn my head to gaze out of the window. I see dark colours. Occasionally I see the stars. I see the moon in all it’s beauty.

And in the quiet, I reflect on things. I think of my family and my friends and I thank God for them. For He is in them. I pray for those who do not yet know salvation through Jesus. I pray that i’d be able to make a difference in this world. God is in the difference. I think of the beauty of nature and I thank God for He is in the magnificence. I think of the misty horizons of the future and I pray for guidance, for God creates my future. I think to my life. I thank God for another day that He’s given me. I thank Him that once again I can rest my head in this place. I thank Him for my safety and my freedom and for all He has provided for me. I thank Him for loving me. God is love.

Sometimes, I just tell Him about my day. God knows it all already, but sometimes I just like to tell Him and talk with Him. And in the quiet stillness, He meets with me. God is always there for me with open arms, whatever the circumstances that have happened or no matter how bad the day might have felt.

It reminds me of that passage of scripture in 1 Kings 19:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV)

God is meeting with Elijah. So Elijah is waiting on the mountain and there’s a wind so harsh that its splitting rocks. But God wasnt in the wind. And then, there was an earthquake, but God wasn’t in that either. After that came a fire but, again, God wasn’t in it. And then came a gentle whisper. And God was in that gentle whisper.

Sometimes, we look for God in extraordinary things, but we overlook where we can actually meet with Him. God doesn’t need to show off with extravagant events – Like with Elijah, He’ll often meet us in the quiet when we still our hearts. God is in the stillness.

Starting one’s year right

this seagull wants to have a crepe as part of a balanced diet. What a guy! Seriously though, balanced diets are a good idea. CAW CAW.

Hello there people of the world! So, you might be thinking ‘this guy? what happened to this guy?’. I’ll tell you what happened. Christmas. New Year. General lazing about. Thats what happened. But i’m back. Back again. Yes I’m back. Tell a friend.

So, I was planning to do a post every day for a year. Since i’ve failed that, i’ll just do as many as I can.

…….

Hey, whats wobbly and flies around? A jellycopter!

…….

Anyways, seeing as it is now 2012 (Happy new year everyone!), I thought i’d post a little guide to starting the year right. Would you like that? Oh, you would? Fabulous.

Sometimes, I attempt to do a few new years resolutions, but since they are doomed to the pit of failure, I will simply state that I heartily aim to do the following:

1. pray more
2. spend more time in God’s presence
3. study more

I think it is good to set yourself some goals for the year. Even if you don’t quite manage them, you’ve still tried to better yourself, which is always a plus. To make a good goal, there must be motivation!

So whats with the pray more thing? Its simple. Prayer is talking to God. I want a better relationship with God. Ergo, I should pray more.

I’ve been thinking lately about the strands of churches that have service cards and things like that. They all have structured prayer, which I think is a great thing because it makes sure you pray regularly and for certain things. Here are some things I will try to pray for more in 2012:

• the queen
• the prime minister and people in parliament (because they are making decisions every day that impact us)
• law enforcement and the judiciary
• my family
• my friends
• the people I know who don’t yet know Christ
• the people I don’t yet know who I am to meet in the future
• the people I don’t know who don’t yet know Christ
• a strengthening of the church

Being as it is a busy year for the UK, what with all the olympics and stuff, I think that it is nice to start the year by praying more. It just is. Theres going to be so much going on, and its good to commit it all to God.

It is also good to pray to say thank you to God for all that He’s done for you. Or just to talk to Him and tell Him whats going on in your life. Its nice to be in relationship.

Another thing I’ve been thinking is that a lot of the time I pray the same prayers. WELL NO MORE! 2012 is the year that I try to add some variance to my prayer life.

On this point, the subject of prayer overlaps into my 2nd aim: spending more time in God’s presence. I want to spend as much time in His presence as I can. He makes me a better man and I crave His presence. God is indescribably magnificent and I want to be in the best relationship with Him that I can. He makes happiness stir up within me. Like a squirrel running around.

And finally, studying more. This is a twofold point. For the first part, I refer to the bible. Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. God’s word is my sustenance; I must study it harder! It is the one thing that you can never study enough and that you will never tire of studying. At the end of last year, I saw this play in stratford called ‘written on the heart’. It is the story of the King James Version translation of the bible. It was a powerful and emotional story and I highly recommend it to everyone. If you can ever see this play, then do! I was made aware of just how many people died to give me the bible that I can freely read today. I’m thankful that I  have the freedom to read it, and since it cost so much to so many, I have no right to neglect it. I WILL STUDY MORE.

The second point is with regards to subject materials – I want to read more to do with my career; I want to further my knowledge and broaden my horizons. So, I’ll study more. I may be busier than a one legged cat in a litter tray but I’ll study more.  I will also try to read some more classics. I do love a good shakespeare play.

So this is how i’m trying to start my year right, but what about you? Do you have a plan? Do you trust in God’s plan?

Whatever your circumstance may be, here are some points on starting your 2012 right:

1. if you have new years resolutions, try to stick to them like fresh pizza dough to an un-greased baking tray. This means the washing up brush of life will have to scrub the tray pretty hard to stop you. Its good to  try to better yourself.
2. If you have a short fuse, lengthen it. If you have a long fuse, make it longer. Do not let anger burn inside you. Its nastay.
3. If you’re not a christian, inquire about Jesus. Following Him is the best decision you will ever make. Fact. If you are a christian, then live out your faith the best you can. Spread the love of Jesus to this world of ours.
4. If life seems tricky, do not worry. Who, by worrying, can add a single hour to their life? No one. Put your trust in God.
5. Watch your tongue. It is a thing that can spout poisonous words if you let it. So don’t let it. Control what you say before it controls who you become.
6. Build some time into your schedule to talk to God. If you are not a christian, I would advise this too, but if you don’t feel like that, then build a pause in your schedule to sit back and reflect. Also, make time for your loved ones.

Ok so there you have it. I’m getting hungry now, so i’m going to sign off!

 

POST No. 100!!!

its my 100th post! have a squirrel!

woop de woop de woop! de woop! Its post number 100! Being as it is a momentous occasion, I will post something else that shares the number 100!

Psalm 100

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
² Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 100:3 Or and not we ourselves

New International Version (NIV)Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

I’m thankful to God that i’ve swam this far in the sea of blogging! Here’s to many more blogs!

 

Note: I’d just like to say that I wrote this on 21st Dec 2011 but published it on 22nd Dec 2011 after the quirky turkey post. Therefore, although it may appear on the home page as my 99th post, it is in fact my 100th post.

A slithery day

It wasn’t hot today, but I did have to be careful walking along.
The day before yesterday we were blessed with snow – an utter rarity in the place where I live! Today, we are left with the cruel after effects of winter’s touch. Black ice paves the streets. As we walked around from place to place today, we skidded and slipped and slid around on the pavement. It felt dangerous, and we walked on the ice-crystallised grass for more grip.

This evening I sang in my church’s carol service. We did some traditional carols. It got me thinking about other carols; ones we didn’t do but that I’ve sang at other places – o come o come Immanuel, joy to the world, God rest ye merry gentlemen. And then I think to ‘in the bleak mid winter’. As nice as it is, does it truly reflect the story of the first Christmas? I mean, I know that through God anything is possible, but was the earth really standing hard as iron? Were there frosty winds blowing and frozen up waters? I doubt that at the birth of Jesus that there was snow falling; snow on snow. Snow ow ow on snow. In that bleak mid winter Lo-o-ong ago. Bethlehem doesn’t strike me as being a cold place from reading my bible and research. Perhaps I’m wrong. If it was cold, I’m not so sure that a donkey would be willing to comply with travel. But, as I say, anything is possible for God.

A week from now, we will celebrate the birth of our saviour. Jesus came to earth as a little baby. For you and for me. For everyone, past, present and future. Upon reflection, what does the weather have to do with it? Nothing, thats what!

Why I sing

A recent turn of events got me questioning why I sing.

Today, I attended a choir concert that a friend of mine was performing in. They performed a setlist of carols and other songs. One of the songs included this phrase: I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free.

In our church worship band, we used to have a segment where we shared with each other the reasons why we sang. This is an act that sadly no longer happens. I miss it. It was a wonderful and interesting segment. I remember talking at one of these segments, but I have since forgotten the words I said. 3 and a bit years has passed. The church has changed. Things we used to do have been forgotten in favour of new things.

Recent circumstances have got me questioning whether or not I should stay in the worship band. I love to lead worship; I love to sing praise to God. I love to dance in His presence. I love to rest in God’s presence. But I don’t love being told that I should quiet down when I’m worshipping because I’m going for it too much. I don’t love being hindered, or used. Therein lies the dialemma. My love of God is greater than my dislike for limitations. Thus, I presently remain in the worship band.

Earlier on today, I was listening to Freedom Song by Jason Mraz. It’s pre-chorus goes: I feel good; and when I feel good I sing; and the joy it brings makes me feel good. This is true for me when I worship God. Worshipping God makes me feel good and it makes me want to worship God more.

When I was 7 years old, I was in church. I’d grown up in church all my life. At 7, I found myself listening to a sermon, delivered by my Grandfather. That sermon really spoke to me. Correction, God really spoke to me through that sermon. I simply had to do something about it. So that night, as a young boy, I gave my life to Christ on my Grandfather’s knee. And so my spiritual journey began. This is the greatest journey I have ever been on. At school, I tried to live for God the best I could. Where others hid, I stood up for my faith. Where tough spots arose, Jesus guided me through. At the age of 14, I was baptised at a church that I would later attend regularly. In front of strangers and my family and everyone else, I publicly showed that I was prepared to follow Christ.  The next year, I would be baptised in the Holy Spirit. And from there onwards, I’ve been trying to live for Jesus. He shapes my life; He shapes my career and where I go, who I meet and who I have the pleasure of spending time with. He gives me opportunities to tell others about Him. He is always there for me when I need Him, or when I just want to chat. He welcomes me with open arms, despite the guy i’ve been.

Y’see, about 2011 years ago, Jesus sacrificed Himself. He could’ve stayed in heaven, but He chose to come to earth and be born as a baby. He was born in a stable – the King of Kings and Lord of Lords lying in a manger. Jesus grew up and performed many miracles. He taught about many things. He got rid of the old sacrificial system of coming to God by sacrificing Himself. (Y’see, we disobeyed God, who made us and wants to be in relationship with us. We’ve been downright nasty and rude to Him, but He still loves us anyway.) Jesus died for all of us so that we could become closer to God. Then He conquered death. He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and He promises to take us home at the end of the world, to live with Him for all eternity. We just have to repent and put our faith in Him.

I guess thats why I sing. I sing because my redeemer lives. I sing because Jesus loves me and because I love Him. I sing because thinking about the goodness of God stirs up song within me and I can’t help myself. I sing because I am loved. I sing because I’m happy; I sing because I’m free from sin. 

Suiting up

Today, I went to see the film ‘Puss in Boots’. In my opinion, it is waaaaaay better than the shrek movies. But, that might be just because i’m a cat lover. (but I don’t sing songs about cats like this lady…  )

I do love cats. I’m thankful to God for cats. They are a wonderful creation. (see here.) Puss in boots follows the story of the animated cat outlaw/hero. The cat has a sword and a hat, and of course, boots. And those things work for that cat!

(I once tried to put a mini santa hat on my cat, but she ran away.)

If you like cats and/or shrek, then go see puss in boots. BUT THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT THE MOVIE ‘PUSS IN BOOTS’. No no no. I just used it as  a tenuous link to talk about preparedness. Y’see, in the film, that cat is prepared. He has the moves and the style, and he’s good at sword fighting. He has the wits and skills to get out of tough situations.

Sometimes as a christian, our day to day life seems hard. And, to be honest, that is to be expected:

2 Corinthians 4

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

No one said that living for Jesus would be the easiest thing ever. But, lemme tell ya, it is the best decision you’ll ever make. And it is worth it. Trust me on that one.

So, as we live for Jesus, spreading the gospel and leading people to Him, we may feel that we need a hand; we may feel that the world is closing in on us. We may even sometimes feel that our darkest hour is upon us.  But, good news! We have the Holy Spirit living within us! And also we have the armour of God!!! And through God, we can be prepared for these times; God can get us through anything:

Ephesians 6

New International Version (NIV)

The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel

New International Version (NIV)

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

We may be hard pressed on each side, but we can stand our ground and stand firm in the faith! We have the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness!  Our feet are fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace! In our hands, we have the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. Upon our heads, we don the helmet of salvation. We are prepared for whatever life throws at us through the power of God.

Whenever I read this passage, it stirs me up inside! This shows that no matter how bad our day might seem, or how bad we feel, God is always there by our side! Even when we are hard pressed on every side, God gives us armour to help us keep going on. When we feel defenceless, we can always come to God for help! No matter how awful things seem, God is always with us and there for us. AINT THAT SUMMIN? Wonderful!

But you may be thinking ‘breastplate of righteousness? what is this, medieval times?’ No, its not. Its actually 2011. In the AD.  But, if you’d prefer, i’ll show you the passage again in the message version (more up-to-date language).

Ephesians 6

The Message (MSG)

A Fight to the Finish

^10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

^13-18Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

¹⁹And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

 

As we live for God, He wants the best for us. So He gives us things to keep us strong and to help us keep going on. God knows that there are things in life that we won’t be able to handle in our own strength, so He lends us His. And He calls us to read His word and pray. We must pray for each other and love one another; we must help each other to keep going! And as we keep going, we must continue with the mission; we must spread the good news of Jesus to the world! We must spread His love and lead people to salvation in Him. But, not in our own strength;  We do all this  in His! WOOHOO!

 

Making music

2 weeks to Christmas. Captain America gave me a chocolate present. The calendar, that is…

Earlier on this week I was at worship band practice. This is not out of the norm for me. There I was, and donning a top hat (because, quite frankly, why not?) giving THE LORD some praise! We ran through the sunday setlist.
We also practiced some carols with a choir of volunteers. It seemed a smaller choir than last year, but they were still willing to sing it out. It was a fairly good practice.

After the choir had practised with us, we took a short break. A young gentleman approached me and told me that my dancing in worship really blessed him. I found this heartily encouraging. I do it for God, but sometimes I am very aware of the eyes of the congregation looking at me and it puts me off a little. That encouragement got me back to body popping; I roboted in worship this morning to hillsong’s you deserve.

I love to worship. I see singing and writing and playing music as a release for me. Whether its singing with the gospel choir or playing the baritone, music helps me relax.

This evening, I was jamming on my guitar. I had written a piece of music earlier this week in a bit of spare time. The lyrics I had didn’t really fit the tune and the overall composition sounded like it needed an extra something. Tonight, I picked up my guitar and played a chord sequence from that piece of music. Then I just played with the notes. What started off rocky became a sort of country/ rock tune and I got this really nice solo lined up. It had fast movements, tap strumming, the bending of notes – it was pretty good. Well, I thought it was pretty good; I’m not particularly skilled at making guitar solos. I should’ve recorded it. It was my first solo to span all the strings – it was a milestone of sorts.

I’m looking forward to the holidays, when I can relax a bit more with my music and my guitar. I thank God for music.

The chord of the week is a classic Em.
The chord progression of the month is also a classic – G D Em C.