I Am

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Fifth Sunday of Easter

We’ve come to the end of a week where we’ve been meditating on different names by which we know God, names like:

El Shaddai
Abba Father
Emmanuel
Yahweh
Jesus
El Roi

Whenever I contemplate names of God, my mind will inevitably wander to a Christian poster that was very popular some years back. It featured a whole list of different names for God printed in different colors, and sitting right in the center of the poster, in a stark white that made them stand out, were two words:

I Am.

Singer and songwriter Mark Schultz tells how that poster, which used to hang in his office as a church youth director, inspired him to write the song we’re featuring today. It’s an upbeat celebration of all the ways we come to know God, and sits well as a song of worship for today.

But the reality is this: no human language can fully capture who God is. The multitude of expressions and names we find in Scripture each speak to a different aspect of who God is, but they only scratch the surface of that unfathomable reality. Scripture testifies to a God who transcends every possible human description, and our words will always be incomplete and will ultimate fall short.

And that’s okay.

We’re not called to figure God out, we’re simply called to be in relationship with him and worship him. One way we can worship him is by celebrating the ways he has chosen to reveal himself to us, and at the center of that revelation is Jesus. Mark Schultz captures this well in his lyrics:

I am the fount of living water
The risen Son of Man
The healer of the broken
And when you cry
I am your Savior and Redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The author and perfecter
Beginning and the end
I am

On this Fifth Sunday of Easter, let’s worship God and celebrate the one who declared, “I Am.”

Throughout the Earth…I am
The universe…I am
In every heart…I am
Oh, where you are…I am
The Lord of lords…I am
The King of Kings…I am
The Holy lamb…I am

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Scripture for Reflection and Worship

Hebrews 1:1-3 (NIV)

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

John 1:1-18 (NRSV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

The God Who Sees

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Day Twenty-Eight

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

The name of God we’re sitting with today is one that only appears a single time in all of Scripture. It occurs in the book of Genesis, chapter 16, in the story of Hagar, the slave of Abram and Sarai.

The story of Hagar is tragic on many levels. Genesis 16 begins with Abram and Sarai doubting God’s promise to them of a child, and so Sarai suggests an alternate plan:

“The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”—Genesis 16:2 (NIV)

Two verses in and the story is already heartbreaking. So many sermons have been preached on the lack of faith shown by Abram and Sarai, but for me that is not the most egregious of their actions. I know that the world and culture of the ancient near east is something that we can never fully understand, but the thought that a slave could be offered up like this is lamentable in ways that are too deep for words.

As agonizing as it is, Sarai’s plan has the desired outcome. Hagar becomes pregnant, and unsurprisingly this puts enmity between her and her mistress. Sarai, failing to see her own responsibility for the situation, complains to Abram, and he wants nothing to do with it:

“‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’

‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”—Genesis 16:5-6 (NIV)

Many Biblical commentators have remarked that there is something notable in the way Abram and Sarai talk about Hagar: they never refer to her by name. She is “my slave” and “your slave” in their eyes. She has no identity beyond that. They do not see her as a person.

It’s in Hagar’s flight from Abram and Sarai that we hear today’s name for God, and even though it is only used once in Scripture, it is powerful and unforgettable:

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’

‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

‘You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.’

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”—Genesis 16:7-13 (NIV)

There are so many things to think about in this encounter, things that have profound meaning for the history of Israel and the ways of God…questions about the angel’s command, God’s promise, the coming relationship between Ishmael and his brothers…significant, dense issues that deserve greater time and attention than we can give here.

For now we focus on Hagar’s response to her divine encounter: she gives a name to God, a name that is born out of the experience denied her by Abram and Sarai—she is seen. In fact, the first word out of the angel’s mouth is very telling: it’s her name.

She is seen. And she is known.

It is that experience that leads her to give a name to God: in Hebrew, El Roi, “the one who sees me.” The spring where she encountered God in this way is clearly familiar to the first readers of Genesis, known by then as a well that echoes this story: Beer Lahai Roi, which means “well of the living one who sees me.” Any Hebrew who drew water from that well would undoubtedly be reminded of Hagar and her encounter with the God who sees us.

Even though this name appears only once in Scripture, the idea that God sees us is found throughout the Bible. And like Hagar, it is especially powerful to note how God sees the ones who feel abandoned and forgotten, from widows in Moab to prophets in caves to Samaritan women by a different well…and more. This name for God is a much-needed reminder to us that we are never unseen, that our struggles, our fears, our despairs, and our loneliness do not disqualify us from God’s presence. Instead, they stir his heart of compassion. In our darkest moments we are not abandoned and we are not forgotten.

For he is the God who sees.

Today’s song is somewhat unique. It is longer than most, because it mixes storytelling with song. May it be an encouragement to you as you are reminded that God sees you, God knows you, and God has promised to never leave or forsake you.

I will be the Rock of your salvation
I'll hold you up by the strength of My right hand
And the power of My Spirit
Will free you from all fear
In the hour of your deepest need
You'll find that I am near
I am here

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Learn more about this song and the short film made from it here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to ponder the name El Roi? How has God shown himself to you in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) What “desert places” have you encountered in your life? How do you pray through seasons like that? What practices can help you remember God sees you and has compassion for what you’re going through?

3) Today’s song describes encounters that different Biblical characters had with God in the midst of despair. What other Biblical encounters with God have shaped your understanding of who he is and how he cares for you? Spend some time meditating on those stories and what they’ve revealed to you.

4) Spend some time reading and reflecting on these lyrics from today’s song:

I'm the God who sees
I see you
I'm the God who sees you in the wilderness
Sees you in your brokenness
When your feeling lonely
I'm the God who sees
In the desert places, in your empty spaces
I'm the God who sees
I'm nearer than you dare believe
Here in the very air you breathe
I'm the God who sees you

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you.
May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually,
’May the Lord be praised!’
I am oppressed and needy.
May the Lord pay attention to me.
You are my helper and my deliverer.
O my God, do not delay.”—Psalm 40:16-17 (NET)

How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds

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Day Twenty-Seven

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

It’s interesting to me that a lot of Bible studies on names of God often skip the most obvious one. Many times they are filled with (wonderful) names from the Old Testament, and then they also mention Emmanuel to bring Jesus into the study, but then they skip…well, Jesus. As in, they don’t also examine Jesus’ actual name.

And yet the name of Jesus is central to the life and practice of those who first called themselves Christians. All throughout the New Testament we find the name of Jesus invoked by his followers, often to powerful effect. It is clear that the name of Jesus is meant to be central to our faith, in both personal devotion and public expression.

But how often do we really stop to think about the name Jesus and what it means for us? We offer it as a closing to our prayers, and we sing about it from time to time, but do we really understand the power in that name?

Jesus, or Yeshu’a in Hebrew, literally means “salvation.” His name is his mission. And in both the teachings of Jesus and the early church, his name is linked to so much of our experience as Christians:

Prayer: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”—John 14:13-14 (NIV)

Healing: “Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’”—Acts 3:6 (NIV)

Redemption: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”—Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Spiritual Warfare: “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’”—Luke 10:17 (NIV)

Worship: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”—Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

Perhaps we sometimes fall prey to what I call the “Jesus is my pal” syndrome—we become accustomed to thinking of Jesus as our friend, and we lose sight of who he really is, forgetting the power inherent in his name. In fact, his name becomes just like the name of any other friend we might claim.

But his name is so much more. And it is worthy of contemplation. So that’s what we’re going to do today. We have a few songs linked below, each prompting us to think of a particular aspect of the name Jesus. There are no reflection questions today, for you’re invited to listen to these songs and then sit in silence and meditate on the name of Jesus and what it means to you.

Here is some Scripture to sit with before you begin a time of prayer.

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”—Philippians 2:5-11 (NRSV)

Read the lyrics here.

Read the lyrics here.

Read the lyrics here.

Read the lyrics here.

Exalted (Yahweh)

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Day Twenty-Six

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

We would be remiss to spend a week meditating on some of the names we’re give for God without devoting some time to think about the primary revelation given to Moses at the burning bush. It is a singularly significant moment in the history of God’s people, indicated by the reverence with which they treated the divine name in generations to come. It comes after God has commissioned Moses to go to the Hebrew people and lead them out of slavery in Egypt:

“But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”

God replied to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.’ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations.’”—Exodus 3:13-15 (NLT)

We can’t overstate the important of this moment in the history of the Hebrew people. The God of the universe, the God of their ancestors, the one and true Lord of all creation reveals his name to his people. They are given the task of remembering that name “for all generations.” According to Jewish tradition, it is a name so holy that it should never be pronounced, seen as a way of keeping the commandment, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7, ESV)

The meaning of the name Yahweh, I AM WHO I AM, is related to the Hebrew word hayah, meaning “To be.” It speaks to God’s self-existence, the truth that God simply “is,” and has been for all eternity. He does not rely on any other being for his existence. As one scholar put it:

“All other creatures are links; this is the staple from which they all hang. All other being is derived, and therefore limited and changeful; this being is underived, absolute, self-dependent, and therefore unalterable forevermore.”—Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture

When we encounter the name Yahweh, we are reminded of God’s unchanging, eternal greatness. His name calls attention to the truth that he is infinite and glorious, that he alone stands above all creation as Lord. No wonder Scripture calls us to hold his name in esteem, exalted and worthy of praise. As the psalmist writes:

“Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.”—Psalm 34:3 (NIV)

“I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.”—Psalm 69:30 (NIV)

“Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”—Psalm 103:1 (NIV)

So far this week we have meditated on the meanings of names by which we know God, but for today let’s focus less on the meaning and more on the call which David understood so well: we are called to praise God’s holy name. To praise his name is to simply worship him for who he is: the one who declares “I AM.”

And as we do this in the context of Eastertide, we remember, too, that Jesus associated these words with himself. One of the most striking examples of this occurs in the 8th chapter of John’s gospel:

“Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.’ Then the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.”—John 8:54-59 (NRSV)

This is, perhaps, the most striking claim to divinity that we see Jesus make in all the gospels, seen clearly in the response of the people who want to stone him for blasphemy. Jesus is applying the same name to himself that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush. He is claiming preexistence and personal knowledge of Abraham, the spiritual father of Israel. In fact, he says that Abraham rejoiced in the knowledge of his coming, that the salvation work God initiated in his covenant with Abraham would find its joyful completion in the person and work of Jesus.

What choice do we have in response to that, but to fall on our face in worship?

Not only did I AM appear to Moses, he has now appeared in the person of his one and only son. Yahweh, the self-existent and eternal one, has once again led his people out of slavery.

May his name be exalted forever.

Blessing and honor
Glory and power unto the Lord be praised
Sing with a chorus resounding before us
Holy is his name, his name, his name

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Time of Reflection

For today’s time of reflection, you are invited to sit prayerfully with these passages of Scripture inviting us to praise and exalt God’s name. How do they speak to you? What movement do you notice in your soul as you contemplate them?

Psalm 148 (NRSV)

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 66:1-4 (NRSV)

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth worships you;
they sing praises to you,
sing praises to your name.” Selah

Isaiah 25:1-10a (NRSV)

O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

God With Us

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Day Twenty-Five

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

The name Emmanuel (or Immanuel) is one we typically reflect on during the seasons of Advent and Christmas. It is such a powerful word to consider as we think about the incarnation, recognizing that “God with us” is the perfect description of what took place when Jesus was born. It is the very fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, recalled by the gospel writer Matthew:

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.” (which means ‘God with us’).”—Matthew 1:22-23 (NIV)

But Emmanuel is not a word reserved for only a few weeks of the year. It is a reality that takes on deeper meaning the more we move through the church calendar, because each of the major seasons of the Christian year speak to a different aspect of “God with us”:

At Advent and Christmas, we celebrate the God who comes to dwell among as a tiny baby, participating in everything it means to be one of us.

At Lent and Easter, we remember the God who demonstrates self-sacrificial love, making a way to be with us without the barrier of sin.

At Pentecost, we offer ourselves anew to the God who pours out his Spirit on the church so that he can be with us in indwelling presence and power.

When we consider the whole breadth of what it means for God to be with us, what it cost for God to be with us, and the remarkable truth that he actually lives within us…the name Emmanuel becomes a year-round gift for us to ponder and celebrate. It is not only a word that speaks to a past event, it also speaks to a present reality.

But that’s not all. Emmanuel is also a name that speaks to our future hope. While we give thanks for the incarnation, for the cross and the empty tomb, and for the gift of the Holy Spirit, we acknowledge that our current experience of “God with us” is never complete. We are people who are looking forward to a day when the reality of God being among us will be experienced in fullness. In the book of Revelation, a voice proclaims the hope of this promise:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’”—Revelation 21:1-4 (NRSV)

In our present experience, we know that God, by his Spirit, is with us at all times. We are never left abandoned or alone, even when it seems the sorrows and turmoils of this world are too much to bear. At those times we know “God with us” in a powerful way, receiving the comfort that he alone can give.

But friends, a day is coming when “God with us” will mean an end to those sorrows and turmoils forever. And the experience of Emmanuel that we know in the here and now will become an experience of Emmanuel beyond our greatest imaginings.

What a glorious day that will be. Until then, we rest in the knowledge that the one who came to Earth, who suffered and died for our sins, who was raised from the grave, and who poured out his Spirit at Pentecost…we know that he is with us.

He is Emmanuel.

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified
Emmanuel
God with us
My heart sings a brand new song
The debt is paid these chains are gone
Emmanuel
God with us

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to ponder the name Emmanuel? How has God shown himself to you in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) What images come to your mind when you hear the name Emmanuel? Are they all entirely rooted in the Christmas season? What images or practices could you ponder and build into your devotional life as a way to expand your idea of “God with us?”

3) One of the ways God promises to be with us is in community. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt. 18:20, NIV). How have you experienced “God with us” in your relationships and community?

4) The lyrics of this week’s song speak to a giving of ourselves in response to the ways God has given himself to us. Sit with these lyrics and pray through how they reflect your own spiritual journey:

All that is within me cries
For You alone be glorified
Emmanuel
God with us
My heart sings a brand new song
The debt is paid these chains are gone
Emmanuel
God with us
Such a tiny offering compared to Calvary
Nevertheless we lay it at Your feet

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.’”—John 14:23 (NRSV)

Sons and Daughters

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Day Twenty-Four

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

Last fall I had the opportunity to write the curriculum for a college class on World Religions. Having never taught the class before, it was a huge learning opportunity for me. For 8 weeks I studied each of the world’s major religions in depth and discovered much about the way God is viewed by cultures around the globe.

One thing that struck me as I studied and wrote was the fact that in so many of the world’s major religions, God (or whatever represents the divine in that particular faith) is essentially unknowable in this life. The sense of distance between humanity and the divine is palpable, and at times it broke my heart.

As I pondered this experience that is reality for millions upon millions of people, it made me appreciate more the intimate way we come to know God through Jesus Christ. And that intimacy is represented in a beautiful way in the name of God we’re sitting with today:

Abba.

Abba, to those who speak Aramaic, is what “Dada” might be to those who speak English—a simple name derived from the first sounds a baby learns to make. For a baby just learning to relate to the parents who lovingly care for it, “Dada” and “Mama” become terms of endearment. So it is notable that in the New Testament this is a name that we hear being used in prayer to God by Jesus (Mark 14:36), speaking powerfully to his own sense of intimacy with the Father. What is remarkable is that it’s also a name that we are given for prayer, birthed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit when we come into the family of God:

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”—Romans 8:14-17 (NRSV)

Paul uses the powerful imagery of adoption in Romans 8 to describe the relationship we have with God when we put our faith in Jesus. The language is even more striking when you consider what adoption meant in the Roman Empire during the time when Paul wrote this letter. As one Roman Catholic writer puts it:

“In ancient Rome, adoption had a powerful meaning. When a child was born biologically, the parents had the option of disowning the child for a variety of reasons. The relationship, therefore, was not necessarily desired by the parent, nor permanent.

Not so, however, if a child was adopted. In Rome, adopting a child meant:

1) That child was freely chosen by the parents, desired by the parents.
2) That child would be a permanent part of the family; parents couldn’t disown a child they adopted.

An adopted child received a new identity. Any prior commitments, responsibilities and debts were erased. New rights and responsibilities were taken on. Also, in ancient Rome, the concept of inheritance was part of life, not something that began at death. Being adopted made someone an heir to their father, joint-sharers in all his possessions and fully united to him.”—Ellen Mady

An adopted child in the Roman Empire received a new identity, and we who are adopted by God as sons and daughters also receive a new identity: beloved children of God. We are freely chosen, desired and loved by the one whose very essence is love. It’s the promise John speaks of in the very beginning of his gospel:

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”—John 1:12-13 (NRSV)

As those “born of God,” we are invited into intimate fellowship with him. And, as Paul points out in Romans 8, that intimate fellowship is given a language: Abba. We are able to commune with God as beloved children, praying to our Father with trust that his love for us knows no bounds, and his desire to be with us is also without measure. That’s what we learn at the cross and the empty tomb—they demonstrate to us how far God is willing to go in order that we might be restored to the intimacy we were created for.

What can often be the case, though, is that we settle for less than that.

When that happens, when we simply “go through the motions” in our relationship with God, far from that level of intimacy he desires…what has happened? So often what’s happened is that we have lost sight of our own identity as beloved sons and daughters. We reduce our relationship with God to a transactional, distant, faint connection that seems more employer/employee than Father/child. When we find ourselves in that place…we need a fresh touch of the Spirit in our lives, testifying once again to our spirit that we are his children, and enabling us to cry out, “Abba! Father!”

It’s striking enough that the God of the whole universe calls us into relationship with himself. That he calls us into intimate relationship as his sons and daughters, and invites us to know him as Abba…

…that is lavish, unbelievable love. Know that, beloved, and take it to heart.

We are the sons we are the daughters of God
No matter where we go we’re close to the Father’s heart
Though we stumble He will not let us fall
We are the Lord’s and He will never forsake His own
We are the sons,
We are the daughters of God

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to refer to God as “Abba Father” How has he shown himself in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) When you think of the kind of intimacy the name Abba reflects, does it speak to your current relationship with God? If there is distance or resistance to that level of intimacy, what might be behind that? Spend some time talking with God about barriers to spiritual intimacy in your life.

3) For many people, the language of “Father” does not evoke images of intimacy and love, but stands for something else entirely. Do you know someone for whom that is true? Is it something you have experienced in your own life? Spend some time in prayer that God might reveal himself and the depth of his love to those who fatherly images have not been positive.

4) Reflect on these lyrics from today’s song:

When the lies speak louder than the truth
Remind me that I belong to You
When I can’t see past the dark of night
Remind me You’re always by my side

What lies in your life sometimes speak louder than the truth of your identity as a child of God? Offer them to God in conversation and prayer, asking him to remind you not only who you are, but whose you are.

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children.”—1 John 3:1 (VOICE)

El Shaddai

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Day Twenty-Three

Over the past few weeks, in both our Lenten and Easter devotionals, we’ve had opportunities to think about the absolutely mind-boggling truth that the God of the universe has chosen to be in relationship with us—and not just “relationship,” but “intimate relationship.” We were created to know God and be known by him, and to live in fellowship with our loving Creator.

Over the course of Biblical history, the people of God came to understand who he was in different ways, and often times those different ways were linked to different names. Each name revealed something a little different about his divine character and the way humans relate to him. For the next few days we’ll be thinking about some of these names and what they teach us about who God is…and who we are as we exist in fellowship with him.

The first instance of the name El Shaddai appears in Genesis 17, when God calls to Abraham to further establish the covenant he initiated in Genesis 15:

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’”—Genesis 17-12 (NIV)

You can see from how it’s translated that El Shaddai means “God Almighty.” It emphasizes God’s strength and greatness that are both mysterious and matchless. In the context of Abraham’s story it is a vitally important revelation, for Abraham is chosen to give witness to the one true God in a world that believed in a multitude of gods. To declare that the one Abraham followed was El Shaddai was to proclaim that he is the God above all other gods, the one whose might and power know no end. He is the Almighty, and there is no other. No wonder the psalmist used it in the opening verses of a song comparing God’s strength to a mighty fortress:

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”—Psalm 91:1-2 (NIV)

Interestingly enough, the book of the Bible where El Shaddai appears most often is the book of Job. It makes sense, because Job’s journey is one of wrestling with the idea of God’s sovereignty and might. As one of Job’s “friends” remarks:

“Can you discover the mysteries of God?
Can you find the limits of Shaddai?”—Job 11:7 (TLV)

The Easter story is the ultimate reminder that Shaddai has no limits, for not even death can hold him back. His love and his desire to see us restored to relationship with him is so strong, so mighty, that the grave itself yields. We have no choice but to fall on our face before him in worship, for the one who is God Almighty has made a way back to himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus. How will we respond to such love?

With love. Erkahmka

El Shaddai (God Almighty)
El Elyon (the Most High God)
na Adonai (O Lord)
Erkahmka (We will love you)

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to refer to God as “Almighty?” How has he shown himself in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) What other forces in the world compete for the title of “Almighty?” Are there any that sometimes have a particular sway over your life at times? Spend some time in prayer before God, lifting him up as the only one who truly is Almighty.

3) How does knowing that El Shaddai means “God Almighty” impact your understanding of the lyrics of this song?

4) This is an especially pertinent verse for us, having just gone through the season of Lent and currently journeying through the season of Easter. Spend some time thinking about these words and what they speak to your soul and heart:

Through the years you've made it clear,
That the time of Christ was near,
Though the people couldn't see
What Messiah ought to be.
Though your Word contained the plan,
They just could not understand
Your most awesome work was done
Through the frailty of your son.

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Oh, Lord God! You yourself made the heavens and earth by your great power and with your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you!”—Jeremiah 32:17 (CSB)

Jesus I Am Resting

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Fourth Sunday of Easter

As we pause on the Sundays of Easter to simple celebrate the wonders and the joy of this season, we also remember that Sundays are considered by many to be a day of Sabbath rest.

Days of rest are wonderful…can I get an ‘Amen’ for that? How good and pleasant it is to set a day apart to live out the rhythm of restoration that God modeled for us at the very beginning of Creation. But as good as a day of rest can be, there are dangers inherent in it. There’s a danger that we fall into a diminished view of the Sabbath that sees it as little more than a “day off work,” and there’s a danger within that “day off” view that says the Sabbath is for doing all those things we weren’t able to get done while we were at work all week. In other words, we substitute one or more jobs for our “main” job we just don’t happen to be engaging that day—nothing really changes. It’s still work, just a different kind.

Sabbath is different. It is about ceasing from work and resting, not just in a physical sense but in every sense. Eugene Peterson said this about the Sabbath:

“Sabbath is the time set aside to do nothing so that we can receive everything, to set aside our anxious attempts to make ourselves useful, to set aside our tense restlessness, to set aside our media-satiated boredom. Sabbath is the time to receive silence and let it deepen into gratitude, to receive quiet into which forgotten faces and voices unobtrusively make themselves present, to receive the days of the just completed week and absorb the wonder and miracle still reverberating from each one, to receive our Lord's amazing grace.”—Eugene Peterson

There are stark challenges to our “day off” approach in that statement, phrases that fly in the face of how we usually approach Sabbath: “do nothing,” “receive silence,” “receive quiet”…these are not easy things for 21st century folk. But then look at what Peterson describes being stirred up in us as we embrace them: “gratitude,” “wonder,” and “grace” to name just a few.

The song for today is one that helps me think about Sabbath in a different way than a “day off” mentality. It uses the language of rest, but encourages us to not just “rest from” but also “rest in,” acknowledging that a true Sabbath not only removes us from the pursuits that drain us and too often define us, but it also calls us into the presence of Jesus, where we are made whole.

This song, too, is a celebration. It’s a celebration of all that is given to us in the presence of our risen Savior. It’s a call to rest in those promises and find true Sabbath in them.

Jesus I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee
And Thy beauty fills my soul
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole

How great Thy loving kindness
Vaster, broader than the sea
How marvelous Thy goodness
Lavished all on me

Yes I rest in Thee Beloved
Know what wealth of grace is Thine
Know Thy certainty of promise
And hath made it mine

Scripture for Reflection and Worship

Psalm 131 (NIV)

A song of ascents. Of David.

My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Deep Waters

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Day Twenty-One

As we wrap up a week sitting with the image of water in both Scripture and song, it would be a huge omission if we didn’t spend some time thinking about the most prevalent use of water in the New Testament: baptism.

Baptism can be a difficult thing to talk about, because it has been an issue that has frequently divided Christians through the centuries. The question of infant baptism/adult baptism is one that raises a lot of passionate voices and spurs a lot of passionate debate.

For our purposes, though, I’d like to encourage us to look beyond that for a moment. If it’s an issue that is important to you, I’m not asking you to compromise your beliefs or position, only to take some time to sit with a truth with which I think we all can agree:

Baptism is important.

In fact, baptism is so important that Jesus himself included it in what we call “The Great Commission,” which is part of a post-resurrection appearance:

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”—Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)

Baptism is a command from Jesus. And as you read the stories in the New Testament that involve baptism, you can’t help but feel a bit of excitement when you see that command being lived out as people put their faith in Jesus.

In fact, baptism should always be a cause for excitement and celebration. No matter how your church might practice it, baptism is a picture of so many things that should encourage joy in our hearts, like commitment, cleansing, new life, and discipleship.

In many churches, when someone is baptized a call goes out from the pastor:

Remember your baptism and be thankful.

Of course, not everyone can do that. But there may be a better way of phrasing it we can all embrace, encouraged by a Methodist pastor:

Remember that you are baptized and be thankful.

For those who have been baptized, whenever it took place, it’s a worthwhile practice to build into our life with God: occasional moments to reflect on its meaning and to hear again the call to discipleship . It’s an act of recommitment, claiming once again for ourselves the promises spoken over us when we are baptized:

You are known.
You are loved.
You are called.
You are chosen.
You are cleansed.

So for today’s song and time of reflection, you are going to be invited to spend some time thinking about baptism. The song for today is instrumental, and Scriptures are provided below for reading and meditation.

If you haven’t yet been baptized, consider this an opportunity to think about God’s invitation and spend some time in conversation with him about what it might mean to take that step.

For those who have been baptized, this is an opportunity to “Remember that you are baptized and be thankful.” Perhaps spend some time considering ways you can make remembering your baptism a regular part of your walk with God. To read some suggested ways of doing that from the United Methodist Church, click here.

May God bless you as you think about the waters of baptism and the promises, call, and love that they represent.

Provided to YouTube by CDBabyLiving water · Fernando Ortega℗ 2011 Vi Ray PublishingReleased on: 2011-01-01Auto-generated by YouTube.

Time of Reflection

Here are some passages of Scripture about baptism to reflect on as you sit with God today.

All readings are from the ESV translation.

John 3:3-7

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”

Acts 2:38-39

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Acts 8:35-38

Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Galatians 3:24-27

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Titus 3:4-7

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

1 Peter 3:18-22

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Psalm 46

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Day Twenty

One of the most interesting pictures of water drawn in the pages of Scripture happens in Psalm 46. It begins with a declaration of God’s sheltering strength in the midst of chaos, using the image of water as a frightening and destructive force:

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah”—Psalm 46:1-3 (ESV)

In verse 3 the waters “roar” and “foam.” They have the power to swallow entire mountains, and their power can seem foreboding. But God is declared to be a fortress in the midst of those stormy waters, a “present help” who enables his people to live without fear even as the seas churn and threaten them with destruction.

What a good image for us in these turbulent times. But it doesn’t stop there. The psalmist continues to use water as a symbolic tool in the verses that follow:

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah”—Psalm 46:4-7 (ESV)

The storms may be chaotic, the seas may rage, but there is another image of water for God’s people: a joyful river in the midst of God’s holy city. As the Voice translation puts it:

“A pure stream flows—never to be cut off—
bringing joy to the city where God makes His home,
the sacred site where the Most High chooses to live.”—Psalm 46:4 (VOICE)

This river echoes passages we studied earlier this week from Ezekiel and Zechariah, depicting a river that flows from Jerusalem and brings life to God’s people and the world far beyond. What the psalmist brings to that image is the idea of security and stability: in the midst of the chaos we encounter in this world, we can come to the river of God and drink deeply of his peace and joy. God is there, and he provides protection for his people as they come to dwell in his presence.

For me it is an image similar to an oasis in the desert: a source of life that springs forth in the midst of desolation and death. The psalmist reminds us that the forces of destruction are going to plunder this world—the nations will rage and their power will rise and fall—but they ultimately do not have sway over God’s people. The are safe in the oasis of God’s presence. As one commentator puts it:

“When we dwell in Jerusalem, the chaos of history with the din of battle cannot carry us away.”—Donald Williams

Indeed. The battles of this world cannot carry God’s people away. The waves of chaos cannot sweep us out to sea. We have a safe and secure place in the presence of God, sitting by the river of life, finding in him peace and stability that only he can provide.

The Lord of hosts is with us
The God of Jacob is our fortress
The Lord of hosts is with us
The God of Jacob is our fortress

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

"Psalm 46" from "Psalm Songs, Volume 2." Download on iTunes or buy CDs at cornerroommusic.com. ©2018 Corner Room MusicOfficial website: cornerroommusic.comiT...

Questions for Reflection

1) What chaotic waters are present in your life right now? How do you experience God as your refuge and strength in the midst of them? If they seem to be overwhelming you right now, spend some time asking God to reveal himself anew to you as your fortress, who takes away your fear.

2) Where do you find yourself able to drink deeply of God’s peaceful river? For you, what places or experiences become the “holy place of the Most High God?” How does God meet you there?

3) Part of the invitation in Psalm 46 is to “be still.” Is that something you find easy to do, or difficult? What about being still helps us to know that he is God? How can you practice being still in your life right now?

4) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.”—Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

Come You Who Are Thirsty

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Day Nineteen

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could say that every time we found ourselves depleted and weary we looked to the Lord for the renewal and refreshing that we needed?

If only that were so.

But we are human, and in this life we are still prone to run after things that we think will satisfy us, but don’t. Instead of coming to the living waters that God offers, we dip our toes in fountains of false promises, only to discover that they leave us just as empty as we started…sometimes even more so.

The prophet Isaiah speaks to this human tendency, pairing it with an invitation similar to the one we heard yesterday:

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.”—Isaiah 55:1-3a (NIV)

It’s a pointed and penetrating question: Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Sometimes that question comes to us through a prophetic voice, a pastor or a friend, but sometimes the voice asking is our own. When we find ourselves looking back on experiences and seasons when we have sought to meet our hunger and thirst outside of God, the regret and shame can be overwhelming.

Why did we do that?
Why did we give ourselves to something so empty and unfulfilling?
How could we believe, even for a moment, that it would give us what we need?

But when we find ourselves broken and spent, the invitation is still there. We may have ignored it for a time, but it never left. That still, small voice still beckons:

Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen, that you may live.

We may have poured ourselves out onto a false and powerless altar, but God doesn’t just look at us and say, “Tsk! Tsk! Now you’ve done it, haven’t you? You don’t have anything left to offer, so I guess I don’t have anything to offer you.”

No, instead he welcomes us and tells us that our spiritual bankruptcy is not a hindrance:

“If you are thirsty, come here;
come, there’s water for all.
Whoever is poor and penniless can still
come and buy the food I sell.
There’s no cost—here, have some food, hearty and delicious,
and beverages, pure and good.”—Isaiah 55:1 (VOICE)

Our false pursuits have a cost, but they don’t disqualify us from God’s grace. The waters are still available to you, no matter how far you’ve wandered from the river. Will you hear the invitation to come, repent, and find once again all that you need for your renewal and restoration?

Come, you who are thirsty
Come to the waters
And you, who have no money
Come, and buy and eat

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Provided to YouTube by CDBabyCome You Who Are Thirsty · Lee YoungerCome To the Waters℗ 2010 Lee YoungerReleased on: 2010-10-01Auto-generated by YouTube.

Questions for Reflection

1) What things that are “not bread” and efforts that “do not satisfy” are prone to pull you away from the river of life God provides? What lies do they tell that somehow speak to you, and what makes you susceptible to them? Spend some time in prayer and honest conversation with God, asking for clarity of vision to see them for what they are.

2) Are you prone to shame and regret, thinking that God will turn you away for your empty pursuits? If you are, speak honestly with God about it while you contemplate the promise of Scripture:

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”—Psalm 86:5 (ESV)

3) Spend some time contemplating this quote from biblical scholar Derek Kidner:

“In themselves, and rightly used, the basic things of life are sweet and good….What spoils them is our hunger to get out of them more than they can give.”

4) Once again, we sit with a song that uses pure Scripture for its lyrics. How does the Word of God keep us close to the true, living water?

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.”—Psalm 34:8-10 (NLT)

All Who Are Thirsty

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Day Eighteen

When planning services for a Sunday morning, one of my favorite songs to use as an opening was “All Who Are Thirsty.” The words were perfect as a call to worship, inviting the people of God to come and find a time of refreshing in God’s presence:

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy

As we considered yesterday, this image of restoration is so important to us as Christians, and water is a wonderful symbol of that. We come to God in our need, and he meets our need with the “waves of his mercy.” What a good word for us as we gather as God’s people, heading into our time of praise, prayer, and encouragement from our world of chaos, confusion, and discouragement.

This song is a perfect call to worship.

But after a few years of using the song at the top of our services, I found myself thinking about it in a totally different way. It happened on a Sunday where we were considering the subject of missions and evangelism, and in my planning I had already slotted in “All Who Are Thirsty” as our opening song. Then as I got to the end of the service, I wanted a song to send us out into the world with our message of good news in Jesus. I stared at the worship planning sheet and the words popped into my head:

“Use ‘All Who Are Thirsty’ as the closing song.”

Wait…what? That didn’t fit. It was a call to worship. a song for the start of the service. I already had it there. What place did it have at the end of the service? But my inner voice was pretty insistent:

“Use ‘All Who Are Thirsty.’”

I penciled it in and stared at the sheet for a moment. Then the truth hit me:

“This is the invitation you go out into the world to share.”

Suddenly the theme of the song made a full circle in my head. We come to God as those in need of hope and restoration, and then we are sent out into the world as those with the message of hope and restoration. As we gather, we hear God’s invitation to us. As we leave and return to the world, we are charged to give the same invitation to those we meet along the journey.

In Ezekiel 47 the prophet has a vision of God’s temple. In this vision, a river flows out from the temple, causing the barren lands to spring forth with abundance and beauty. Ezekiel is told:

“This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.”—Ezekiel 47:8-9 (NIV)

What a powerful image—a river that gives life to salty waters that before could not sustain life. The waters of this river also give birth to trees that provide fruit that both sustains and heals. It is the very picture of how water restores and refreshes. A similar image occurs in Zechariah 14, where it is proclaimed:

“On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.”—Zechariah 14:8 (NIV)

These images of water flowing out from Jerusalem to the whole earth are often seen as pictures of the New Heavens and New Earth, the final manifestation of God’s kingdom reign. But some scholars also see these river images as depicting the word of God spreading to the four corners of the earth in the age of the church, echoing the Great Commission of Jesus. I think both are valid interpretations.

What I find fascinating in both of these images is that the water of God’s river gives life both to God’s people (represented by Jerusalem and the surrounding area), and to places far away from Jerusalem. To me this is a picture of how the Spirit of God both restores the people of God and send them out into the world with the good news of the gospel.

That’s what happens to us in worship: we meet with God, and in meeting him we are renewed and empowered to represent him to the world.

All who are thirsty, come to the fountain…that’s us.
All who are thirsty, come to the fountain…that’s the message we’re given.

It’s a call to worship…and a call to share.

As deep cries out to deep
We sing, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come.”

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Interstreet RecordingsOn behalf of: Devotion Music

Questions for Reflection

1) In your own life, how have you experienced this cycle of being refreshed and renewed, then taking that refreshing and renewal into the world? Spend some time in prayer that God would lead you to the waters that satisfy your soul, and lead you to the people who need to know that same peace.

2) Many people feel inadequate to the task of sharing their faith. In reality, it’s really about sharing your story. A good spiritual practice is to sit and reflect on the ways God stirred your soul to draw you into relationship with him, rehearsing anew your own story of grace as you ask the Holy Spirit to open doors to share it with others.

3) Spend some time contemplating this quote form Ceylonese pastor D.T. Niles:

“Evangelism is just one beggar telling another where to find bread.”

4) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters…Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.”—Isaiah 43:16,18-21 (NRSV)

Twenty-Three

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Day Seventeen

As we sit with the image of water for this week, let’s think for a moment of the different ways water appears in the word of God. To name just a few, in the pages of the scripture we can find water:

—present from the first day of creation in the very first book of the Bible
—used by God to cleanse the earth in the days of Noah
—parted at the Red Sea, providing escape for the Hebrews
—a source of healing, like in the story of Naaman
—a sign of cleansing, as in the baptisms of John and then the early church
—turned miraculously into wine by Jesus in his first public miracle
—a picture Jesus uses to describe the life he gives to those who believe in him
—pouring from the side of Jesus at his crucifixion
—offered as a spiritual gift to all whose souls are thirsty in the very last book of the Bible

Water is such a powerful symbol. It gives us much to meditate on in our spiritual walk.

For today, there is another association with water from scripture that we would do well to remember. It’s one pictured in what may be the most well-known Bible passage in the world:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.”—Psalm 23:1-3a (NIV)

Water can mean many things for us in our spiritual walk, but the most simple one may be the one we need today most of all: water is refreshing.

It’s true for our bodies, and it’s also true for our souls. As the psalmist describes, there is something profoundly restorative about being near water, whether it’s a trickling stream or the pounding waves of the ocean on a beach.

Businesses understand this well—there’s a whole industry out there built up around this facet of water. From recordings and phone apps that replicate sound of beaches and rivers…to artwork featuring coastlines and lighthouses…to desktop fountains that keep a steady trickle in the background of your day—if you need something peaceful, you’ll often find someone selling you something that’s linked to water. And of course, the cruise industry banks on our desire to associate water with relaxation and rest.

Water restores. Water refreshes. And isn’t it true that we could use that right now?

What we’re reminded in Psalm 23 is that the Lord our shepherd invites us daily into his presence, where we find that being with him is like sitting next to quiet waters and finding our souls renewed. And what’s amazing is that this gift is available to us no matter where we might find ourselves. It’s not dependent on our environment or our circumstances—wherever we are, there is opportunity to stop, quiet ourselves, and be reminded that the Lord is our shepherd. He takes care of our every need.

He refreshes our soul.

Below you will find a few different versions of Psalm 23 set to music. In our Reflections for today, you will be invited to read the psalm prayerfully and respond to a few questions.

The Psalms Project - Psalm 23 (Yahweh Is My Shepherd) ft. Bethany JohnPsalms set to music in their entirety, not just brief excerpts.Telling the full story o...

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupTwenty-Three · Scott KrippayneIt Goes Like This℗ 2003 Spring Hill Music GroupReleased on: 2003-01-01Composer: Sco...

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard EnterprisesThe Lord is My Shepherd · Nigel Short · Tenebrae · English Chamber OrchestraWill Todd: The Call of Wisdom℗ 2012...

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupThe Lord Is My Shepherd (23rd Psalm) · Keith GreenThe Greatest Hits℗ 1982 Sparrow RecordsReleased on: 2008-01-01P...

Time of Reflection

Begin this time of reflection by reading through the psalm a few times, slowly and prayerfully, and listening for what God is stirring in your soul as you read.

Psalm 23 (NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

1) How have you experienced God as the shepherd who brings rest and a refreshing of your soul?

2) What practices help you enter into that time of refreshing? How might you build them into your day more regularly, embracing the invitation to those quiet waters no matter where you might be?

3) Sometimes “he makes me lie down” seems to happen almost literally in our lives, when God forces us to stop what we’re doing and recalibrate. How open are you to God doing a dramatic work like that in your life? Spend some time in prayer asking God to do whatever is needed to help keep you centered on his presence and power.

4) Note that in the language of the psalm, God’s guidance comes after the time of rest and refreshing. What might that have to say to us as we consider our own journey of discipleship and discernment?

Come to the Water

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Day Sixteen

In the fifth chapter of John we meet an interesting individual. His interaction with Jesus is brief, but very memorable:

“Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’

Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.”—John 5:1-9 (NIV)

If you look up this text in your Bible, unless you’re reading the King James Version you might have noticed that the text skips from verse 3 to verse 5. Most scholars today believe that what was originally considered verse four was actually a later addition to the text that wasn’t written by John, so they remove it from modern translations. If that’s the case, the anonymous writer was adding a bit of commentary to explain the tradition behind the paralyzed man’s cryptic reply to Jesus:

“For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.”

So there’s a tradition about this pool near temple Sheep Gate that gives hope for healing, but this paralyzed man has never been able to receive it. He’s an interesting fellow, because his situation can evoke sympathy, but his words can evoke frustration. Michael Card, in his commentary on John, calls him “The Man of Excuses,” because when Jesus asks him if he wants to be well, instead of answering the question he starts pointing fingers. “See them? It’s really their fault I’m not healed. Nobody helps me into the water when it’s stirred, and because of that, someone always beats me to the pool.”

You can’t blame him for being discouraged, but what is particularly sad is the way his discouragement seems to have become his identity. Not only is his body in need of healing; his soul is as well.

It seems like such a simple question: “Do you want to get well?” You would think after 38 years, this man would be shouting at the top of his voice, “Yes I do! With every fiber of my being I want to be well!” But this man is operating from a theology of scarcity. Rather than understanding what’s being offered to him, he only seems to be able to focus on what he doesn’t have. He stares at the still and distant pool when the one standing right next to him can offer living water for his every need.

As people of the Resurrection, we, too, sometimes forget what Jesus offers to us. We look around in our lives and all we see is what we lack, and that often becomes the basis of our identity. During this season of Eastertide we have an invitation to turn our eyes to the risen Jesus and realize that he is sufficient for our every need, and he offers us more than we can even imagine. He offers us himself. He offers his own living water, able to heal the hurts that have overcome our hearts and spirit and keep us grounded when we were created to soar.

During this week of Song Reflections we are going to focus on stories and songs that feature images of water. Water is a wonderful image to sit with as we seek to draw near to Jesus. Water cleanses, restores, satisfies, refreshes, and comforts. No doubt each of us, especially during this past year, have some built-up frustrations that threaten to define us and keep us from shouting our “Yes!” to the question Jesus asks, the question we must wrestle with if we’re going to embrace the deeper walk he has for us:

“Do you want to get well?”

Unfailing love
Is waiting for us
Come to the water
There's always enough
Unfailing love
Is waiting for us
Here at the water

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/album/wildfire-live-worship-from/id1015395675?at=1l3voFY&ct=WAW&app=itunesSubscribe to We Are Worship YouTube Channel -http...

Questions for Reflection

1) Can you identify at all with the way discouragement can become our identity? What discouragement can you bring to Jesus today for healing?

2) In what way do you see a “theology of scarcity” active in your life, where you are willing to settle for less than what God has for you? In what parts of your life do you need to be reminded of God’s provision and sufficiency?

3) What images, themes, or truths come to mind when you think of water in relation to your spiritual walk? Spend some time before God contemplating the spiritual symbolism of water that speaks to your soul today.

4) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’”—John 737-38 (NIV)

Hallelujah Chorus

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Third Sunday of Easter

As mentioned previously, on Sundays during these Eastertide Song Reflections, we will be doing something a little different: we’ll be featuring songs of pure celebration, entering into the truth that Easter is more than a day. It is a 50-day season of jubilation and worship. After the song, we will feature a passage of Scripture that focuses on praise and worship. There won’t be questions for reflection, just an invitation to read the text prayerfully and pay attention to the movement of our souls as we ask ourselves, “How does this text stir me to worship God?”

Last Sunday we featured a song that was pretty much brand new. Today we feature a song that has been around for more than 250 years. The famous composer George Frideric Handel composed the music for his oratorio Messiah in only 24 days, often skipping sleep and meals while working. When his servants would attend to him, they would often find him weeping as he wrote, overcome by a sense that he was writing something beyond himself. In fact, when he finished writing the Hallelujah Chorus, he said to one of his servants, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with His company of Angels.”

There is no doubt that Handel’s Messiah has inspired countless people through the centuries to reflect on the person of Jesus, his prophesied birth, his life, and his Passion. Interestingly enough, since the oratorio is often performed at Christmastime, the Hallelujah Chorus is most often associated with that holiday. But its place in the story of the oratorio is after the Christ’s resurrection and ascension, anticipating his reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In that regard, it is a wonderful piece to sit with during the Easter season.

Following yesterday’s reflection on the word Hallelujah this seemed an appropriate selection for this Sunday. May it lead us all into joyful acclaim that “He shall reign forever and ever!”

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
(For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth)
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth
(Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah)
Hallelujah

The kingdom of this world;
is become the kingdom of our Lord,
and of His Christ
and of His Christ
And He shall reign forever and ever
And he shall reign forever and ever
And he shall reign forever and ever
And he shall reign forever and ever

King of kings forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah
and Lord of lords forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah
King of kings forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah
and Lord of lords forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah
King of kings forever and ever hallelujah hallelujah
and Lord of lords
King of kings and Lord of lords

And he shall reign
And he shall reign
And he shall reign
He shall reign
And he shall reign forever and ever

King of kings forever and ever
And Lord of lords hallelujah hallelujah
And he shall reign forever and ever
King of kings and Lord of lords
King of kings and Lord of lords
And he shall reign forever and ever
Forever and ever and ever and ever
(King of kings and Lord of lords)
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupHandel: Messiah, HWV 56 / Pt. 2 - Hallelujah · Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford · Simon Preston · The Aca...

Scripture for Reflection and Worship

Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with a jubilant cry.
For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring,
a great King over the whole earth.
He subdues peoples under us
and nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance—
the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah

God ascends among shouts of joy,
the Lord, with the sound of a ram’s horn.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our King, sing praise!
Sing a song of wisdom,
for God is King of the whole earth.

God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the peoples have assembled
with the people of the God of Abraham.
For the leaders of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.—Psalm 47 (CSB)

Endless Alleluia

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Day Thirteen

In some church traditions there is a tradition practiced during Lent called “Burying the Alleluia.” It’s a liturgical practice that dates back to the 5th century, and involves removing the word “alleluia” from spoken responses and songs in the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter. Even on the “mini Easters” that happen each Sunday, the practice continues. In some congregations they even have a symbolic burial, placing a banner or some other sort of representative art in the ground (or designated place inside the church building) for the six weeks of Lent.

The idea is to create a sense of anticipation, removing a beloved word of worship from our midst for a time so that it hits us with fresh meaning when it returns. As one Episcopal diocese describes it:

“We let it rest, as it were, during Lent, so that when it reappears on Easter, we may hear it anew. In fact, once it returns on Easter, we give it no rest at all, repeating it again and again, in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus.”

Whether or not we practice “Burying the Alleluia” during Lent, there is no doubt that the word has special and profound meaning for us as we contemplate the empty tomb. It’s a beautiful word. It’s a powerful word. And in recent years it’s a word that has resurfaced thanks to the popularity of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” (which became extremely well known thanks to the movie “Shrek”). In the many interpretations of that song the meaning of the word is sometimes lost, so even though there are millions who know the word, there are many who don’t fully understand what it means.

“Alleluia” or “Hallelujah” is a biblical word, derived from the Hebrew “hallalu-yah,” meaning “praise Yahweh” or simply “praise the LORD.” It’s a direct statement of worship, containing a bit of a command (as in “The LORD be praised”)*. It’s an acknowledgement that Yahweh, the LORD God, is alone to be praised and lifted up—in fact, the very nature of the word robs it of any use in praising anyone or anything else because God’s name is literally built into it!

The LORD be praised!

Of course, the primary place we encounter Hallelu-yah in the Scriptures is in the book of Psalms. There are 24 instances in the Psalms, and the only other book of the Bible it occurs in is Revelation 19:

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;
to her it has been granted to be clothed
with fine linen, bright and pure”—Revelation 19:6-8 (NRSV)

In this instance the call to praise the Lord comes as a shout of victory, as Babylon has been judged and the table has been set for the great wedding supper of the Lamb: a feast with Jesus, who has come to reclaim his bride. How we long for that day when the hallelujahs echo for all eternity to the glory of God.

But while we await that great celebration to come, we rejoice in the celebration that is: the resurrection of Jesus. The shouts of victory echo in the here and now, even as we exist in the now and not yet. What was buried has now been raised: let your alleluias ring out, for one day they will be endless.

Let our voices rise
All creation cries
Singing out an endless alleluia
From this moment on
Join with Heaven’s song
Singing out an endless alleluia

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

*As a side note—next time you hear someone use the word “hallelujah” in a secular context, giving thanks for something that turned out well, you can smile in knowing that God’s name was just praised whether the person saying it knows or not)

"Endless Alleluia" from Cory Asbury's new album Reckless Love : https://BethelMusic.lnk.to/RecklessLoveAlbumIDGet the new "Reckless Love" Tee -- Limited Supp...

Time of Reflection

For today’s reflection we’re going to share 3 psalms that begin with the word “Hallelujah.” After each psalm, reflect and pray through these questions:

Why does the psalmist call us to praise God in this psalm?

Who is being called to praise God? What does it look like?

What can I learn from this psalm about what it means to praise the Lord?

You may read all three during the same time of prayer, or you may wish to use these three psalms at different times of the day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.

Psalm 111 (CSB)

Hallelujah!
I will praise the Lord with all my heart
in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
The Lord’s works are great,
studied by all who delight in them.
All that he does is splendid and majestic;
his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He has provided food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works
by giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are truth and justice;
all his instructions are trustworthy.
They are established forever and ever,
enacted in truth and in uprightness.
He has sent redemption to his people.
He has ordained his covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his instructions have good insight.
His praise endures forever.

Psalm 150 (CSB)

Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness.

Praise him with the blast of a ram’s horn;
praise him with harp and lyre.
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and flute.
Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!

Psalm 148 (CSB)

Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly armies.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded, and they were created.
He set them in position forever and ever;
he gave an order that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and cloud,
stormy wind that executes his command,
mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,
young men as well as young women,
old and young together.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.
He has raised up a horn for his people,
resulting in praise to all his faithful ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to him.
Hallelujah!

The Father's Song

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Day Twelve

If I have learned anything over the past couple of months, it’s that there are a LOT of Christian songs out there. A lot of them are really good, and a lot of them…well, music is a personal taste, isn’t it?

I love music. I need music. Music, apart from Scripture, is probably the main place where I meet with God. It is my prayer language. So many times in my Christian walk, when I have had trouble expressing to God what is in my heart, a song has “randomly” popped up on shuffle and immediately become a point of connection to my heavenly Father. I know the Apostle Paul wasn’t thinking of music when he wrote in Romans 8 about how the Holy Spirit helps us to pray, but there have been countless times when the Spirit has used music to help me in my weakness (Rom. 8:26). For that I am eternally grateful.

But when we consider how music is part of our spiritual walk, there is a verse of Scripture we often overlook:

“The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”—Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

Music is such a wonderful gift to the church, offering us a chance to lift our voices, singing to God. In this verse from Zephaniah, though, we see a different picture—one of God singing over us. And here’s an interesting thing to note—both kinds of singing are centered in joy. Out of joy, we sing to God and lift him up as the only one worthy of worship, and out of joy, God sings over us and holds us close as those who discover our worth in his love and saving grace. This image from the prophet calls to mind a parent holding their child, finding joy simply in who they are. Richard Foster tells a story about this from his own life:

One day a friend of mine was walking through a shopping mall with his two-year-old son. The child was in a particularly cantankerous mood, fussing and fuming. The frustrated father tried everything to quiet his son, but nothing seemed to help. The child simply would not obey. Then, under some special inspiration, the father scooped up the son and, holding him close to his chest, began singing an impromptu love song. None of the words rhymed. He sang off key. And yet, as best he could, this father began sharing his heart. “I love you,” he sang. “I’m so glad you’re my boy. You make me happy. I like the way you laugh.” On they went from one store to the next. Quietly the father continued singing off key and making up words that did not rhyme. The child relaxed and became still, listening to this strange and wonderful song. Finally, they finished shopping and went to the car. As the father opened the door and prepared to buckle his son into the car seat, the child lifted his head and said simply, “Sing it to me again, Daddy! Sing it to me again!”

That’s the very image Zephaniah paints: God’s children, saved by his grace and quieted by his love, delighting in the joyful love song he sings over them. Judgment has given way to welcome and separation has been bridged by sacrifice, and our loving Father rejoices in his children who have come home. What a wonderful image for us in these days following Easter.

Heaven’s perfect melody
The Creator’s symphony
You are singing over me
The Father’s song
Heaven’s perfect mystery
The King of love has sent for me
And now you’re singing over me
The Father’s song

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupThe Father's Song · Matt RedmanThe Father's Song℗ 2000 Survivor RecordsReleased on: 2000-01-01Producer: Matt Redm...

Questions for Reflection

1) How has music impacted your walk with Christ? In what ways do you incorporate music into your spiritual practices and devotions? What about music helps you as you seek to grow in faith and devotion?

2) Have you ever stopped to contemplate the idea of God rejoicing and singing over you? How do you respond to that image? Is it one you can accept, or does it seem difficult to grasp? Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal his heart of delight and the song he has for you.

3) If we struggle to imagine God singing, it might be helpful to imagine Jesus worshiping and singing in his life as a practicing Jew. Perhaps he and the disciples sang songs of ascent together as they made their way into Jerusalem for one of the festivals. Read the words from this psalm of ascent, and imagine you are singing them with Jesus. How do these words and that image impact your heart and soul?

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
’The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.”—Psalm 126 (NIV)

4) Today’s song references “Heaven’s perfect mystery.” What do those words mean to you? Sit for some time in silence, contemplating the mystery of God’s tender heart of love towards you.

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“…the Lord was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.”—Psalm 18:18b-19

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

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Day Eleven

A dear friend of ours tells the story of how her nephew was trick-or-treating one year dressed up as Tigger from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons. He and his mom were making their way to houses in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, and when they stopped at one home the kind, older woman who greeted them at the door complimented the young man on his costume. Then she asked a question:

“Would you like to meet Tigger?”

What our friend’s nephew and his mom wouldn’t have known is that this was the house of Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger in the Walt Disney films. His wife called for him to come to the door, and before long our young would-be Tigger was standing in the presence of the real deal.

Here’s the thing, though—at first, he wouldn’t have known that he was. As far as he was concerned, there was just a nice older man standing in the doorway. Until that nice older man opened his mouth and spoke, and then there was no mistaking—this was Tigger.

Some voices are simply unmistakable, even if they’re not famous. No doubt we all have people who, when they phone, need only say, “Hello” and we know exactly who it is (even without caller id). Usually our familiarity with a voice has less to do with celebrity than it does with familiarity and intimacy. Some voices…we just know.

In the tenth chapter of John, while speaking about himself as the Good Shepherd, Jesus talks about knowing his voice:

“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”—John 10:2-4 (NIV)

Some voices you just know. I think about what it means to know Jesus’ voice when I read about Mary’s encounter with the risen Christ in the garden, shortly after the resurrection. She engages him in conversation and at first doesn’t realize who it is. But then everything changes:

“He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means “Teacher”).”—John 20:15-16 (NIV)

When Jesus speaks Mary’s name, it had to sound so familiar, so comforting, and so miraculous. The voice she thought had been forever silenced was now speaking her name tenderly, and the truth of what has taken place dawns on her.

She knows that voice. It is alive and present. It’s her teacher, her friend…and now her risen Savior.

There are lots of voices in this world that clamor for our attention. There are voices that entice us, confuse us, frustrate us, and overwhelm us. More than ever, in today’s world of 24/7 communication, we need to stop and cultivate the kind of intimacy with Jesus that Mary knew. He has given us the promise that, as his sheep, we will know his voice. But that assumes we’re listening for it.

We may be traveling from Easter to Pentecost on this particular journey, but let’s not always be so quick to leave the garden. Maybe today is a day the risen Christ is speaking your name, and inviting you to simply be with him and listen.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
The living water: thirsty one,
Stoop down, and drink, and live.”

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Provided to YouTube by TuneCoreI Heard the Voice of Jesus Say · Indelible Grace MusicIndelible Grace Side B℗ 2008 Indelible Grace MusicReleased on: 2008-10-0...

Time of Reflection

For today’s time of reflection we are going to sit with some texts from Scripture that speak to the theme of listening to God’s voice.

—Before you read, ask God to meet you in this time of reflection, and to open your heart what he would reveal by the Holy Spirit.
—As you read, pay attention to the movement of your soul and offer to God your response to his word.
—After you read, sit in silence and simply listen.

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (CSB)

The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence. In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.

One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing, was lying in his usual place. Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.

Then the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

Once again the Lord called, “Samuel!”

Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy.bHe told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

John 16:12-15 (NLT)

“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’”

Isaiah 55:1-3a (CEB)

All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!
Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk!
Why spend money for what isn’t food,
and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eat what is good;
enjoy the richest of feasts.
Listen and come to me;
listen, and you will live.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (We Turn)

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Day Ten

One of the most interesting reactions I’ve ever had to a worship song happened one Sunday when we sang the great hymn of the church, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” After the service, one of our youth group members came up to me and expressed their frustration with these words:

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

The question our curious young worshiper asked was this: “Do we really want the things of earth to grow dim?” They were concerned that the hymn was advocating an abdication of earthly responsibility, that it was encouraging followers of Jesus to have a “pie in the sky” attitude that ignored all the pain and injustice in the world.

I could not have been happier that a member of our youth group was thinking so deeply about the words that we sang on a Sunday. That level of engagement is very rare these days, sometimes even for adults.

And I completely understood the question. Too often we use our relationship with God as an excuse to escape from the very things that God would have us engage. Thankfully, that’s not what the hymn was encouraging, as I explained to my young friend. It’s a song about how we sometimes feel overwhelmed by that pain and suffering of this life, how sometimes our souls become “weary and troubled” and need a bit of perspective. It’s an echo of Paul’s words in Romans 8:

“I am convinced that any suffering we endure is less than nothing compared to the magnitude of glory that is about to be unveiled within us. The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin. But now, with eager expectation, all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children. To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth. And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the firstfruits of the Spirit also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed. For this is the hope of our salvation.”—Romans 8:18-24 (TPT)

Paul’s picture of a creation that is groaning for redemption is a powerful one, and one that seems to resonate with reality more and more as we move through history. And his reminder that the sufferings we experience in this world will fade to nothing when we stand in God’s presence is one we definitely need from time to time—something Helen Howarth Lemmel, the writer of the original hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” clearly understood.

But even as we embrace the message of this hymn, I don’t want to leave my young friend’s question behind. I believe that in those times when we are overwhelmed, when we turn our eyes to Jesus and find comfort in the midst of chaos and grief, receiving solace and peace that he alone can give…that is not the end of our journey. We turn to Jesus, and then as those who have been comforted and encouraged, we turn back out to a world that continues to hurt. It’s there that another passage of Paul comes to the forefront:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”—2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

As we continue to ponder what it means to live as “Easter people,” may we find comfort as we “look full” in the wonderful face of our risen Savior. And may we give comfort as we continue to walk through a world that so desperately needs his glory and grace.

O God, our God, You are with us in darkness
Your Word, Your light, is leading us on
Our hearts can hear You Heavenly Father
Calling us all to Your Son

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

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Questions for Reflection

1) How do you find yourself turning your eyes to Jesus? What does that look like in your life? What practices and tools help you turn your gaze to him?

2) When you spend time gazing upon Jesus, how do you imagine he looks at you? What do you see in his eyes and face?

3) What “things of earth” are sitting prominently in your life, sometimes keeping you from seeing Jesus clearly? Spend some time in prayer offering them to God and asking him for his divine perspective.

4) This song reminds us that God is with us in darkness, then by his word he leads us on into the world. In what ways has God encouraged you in dark times, and what encouragement might he offer through you out of that experience?

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.”—Psalm 27:4 (NIV)

Death Is Not the End

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Day Nine

Of the many gifts which God pours out on his people as a result of the Resurrection, the reality that those who place their trust in Jesus need not fear death is at the same time one of the most mysterious and one of the most palpable.

We don’t know what will happen when we die. That is a mystery. We can’t begin to imagine what it will be like. All we can do is place our trust in the promise of Jesus, who said:

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”—John 11:25 (NIV)

Yet even though our existence after we have broken free of these earthly bonds is a mystery, the reality of that existence is something that still impacts in the here and now. It provides hope whenever we find ourselves brushing up against the veil between this world and the next, whenever we are touched by physical death and are confronted with the truth that “…we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow.” (Job 8:9, ESV)

This past year has been a painful reminder of our mortality, and not only because of a pandemic. Even as I type these words there is breaking news of more lives cut short by violence. Death is all around us, and we are all touched by it in some way. Sometimes it seems to much to bear. Because it is.

But then just when I think the weight of it all will crush me, I find myself before the one who experienced death, and yet lives. The man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, who willingly went to the grave for us, then returned for us. The one who, even as he himself was dying on the cross, turned to a thief who expressed faith and declared, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43, ESV).

Do you hear the certainty in his voice? Can you sense the assurance in his eyes as he tells a repentant sinner that death will not banish his soul to darkness?

We need to hear that certainty today, to sense that assurance once again. In part, because as followers of Christ, imbued with hope, we can provide a message this hurting world so desperately needs to hear.

But we also need to hear it for ourselves. There are times we need to simply cling to the promise that this is not the end. That those who trust in Jesus, though they lie down in death, will rise with him in new and everlasting life. There is sadness in the moment of goodbye, but there is an enduring promise of reunion in eternity with Christ.

Jesus conquered the grave so that we no longer need fear it. Today may the truth of that victory sink deep into our souls. We need it more than ever.

Comfort for the weary drying every tear
Redeeming every moment and all that's broken here
Clinging to the promise that we will rise with Him
This is not the end
This is not the end

Here is a word from songwriter Aaron Shust about today’s song:

“I began writing this song when my Uncle was slipping from this life into the next. The Bible says that when we lose someone in the Family of God, we don't grieve like the ones who have no hope. We do grieve, but our grief is temporary. I'm so grateful for our Hope: our Confidence. This song is intended to allow the listener to grieve: to experience the pain and loss. But also to cling to the promise that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him has hope for eternal life.”—Aaron Shust

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

The house can get loud and busy during the day. But it's very quiet at midnight! I enjoyed playing through this. :) ...I began writing this song when my Uncl...

Questions for Reflection

1) Spend some time sitting in God’s presence reflecting on his promise of eternal life. What prayers do you find welling up in your soul as you think about it? Offer to him your ongoing need for hope in a broken and mortal world.

2) Even though we do not weep like those who have no hope, we still weep as we experience the hurt and grief of this mortal life. How do you invite God into your moments of grief and loss?

3) There are many wonderful songs that speak to us about the hope of eternal life with Jesus. Here are a few. What songs and hymns have ministered to you in seasons of loss? If one in particular stands out, feel free to post it in the comments for today’s devotional.

I Can Only Imagine

One Day

Beyond the Sky

It Is Not Death to Die

4) Billy Graham once said, “Heaven doesn’t make this life less important; it makes it more important.” What does that quote say to you? How is the Holy Spirit inviting you to respond to it?

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”—Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)