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Is this your heart cry? I want it to be.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Asleep in the Light
Keith Green was a prophetic voice to my generation. His voice is still speaking, still convicting.
Asleep in the Light
And the LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid, and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down, and fallen sound asleep. So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish." Jonah 1:4-6
There is such pathos in the captain’s hope that perhaps “your God will be concerned about us so that we won’t perish.” We truly have the good news that our God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish.
God help me, I can see myself in the lyrics of this Keith Green song. Please pray for me and let me know how I can pray for you.
Asleep in the Light
By Keith Green
Do you see, Do you see
All the people sinking down
Don't you care, don't you care
Are you gonna let them drown
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
"Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord"
You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds
And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back
And keep soaking it in,
Oh, can't you see it's such a sin?
Cause He brings people to your door,
And you turn them away
As you smile and say,
"God bless you, be at peace"
And all heaven just weeps
Cause Jesus came to your door
You've left him out on the streets
Open up open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay
God's calling and you're the one
But like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak
But you keep holding it in,
Oh can't you see it's such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can't fight
Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead
When you've been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can't even get out of bed
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead
Come on, get out of your bed
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
Don't close your eyes
Don't pretend the jobs done
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love,
Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, my love.
MY PRAYER: Lord, I repent before You. I have been so well fed and yet I can be so numb. Help me not to close my eyes and pretend the jobs done. By your Spirit rouse me out of my apathy. In Jesus’ saving name, amen.
Asleep in the Light
By Keith Green
Do you see, Do you see
All the people sinking down
Don't you care, don't you care
Are you gonna let them drown
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
"Oh bless me Lord, bless me Lord"
You know it's all I ever hear
No one aches, no one hurts
No one even sheds one tear
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds
And He cares for your needs
And you just lay back
And keep soaking it in,
Oh, can't you see it's such a sin?
Cause He brings people to your door,
And you turn them away
As you smile and say,
"God bless you, be at peace"
And all heaven just weeps
Cause Jesus came to your door
You've left him out on the streets
Open up open up
And give yourself away
You see the need, you hear the cries
So how can you delay
God's calling and you're the one
But like Jonah you run
He's told you to speak
But you keep holding it in,
Oh can't you see it's such a sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark
That the church just can't fight
Cause it's asleep in the light
How can you be so dead
When you've been so well fed
Jesus rose from the grave
And you, you can't even get out of bed
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead
Come on, get out of your bed
How can you be so numb
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
You close your eyes
And pretend the job's done
Don't close your eyes
Don't pretend the jobs done
Come away, come away, come away with Me my love,
Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, my love.
MY PRAYER: Lord, I repent before You. I have been so well fed and yet I can be so numb. Help me not to close my eyes and pretend the jobs done. By your Spirit rouse me out of my apathy. In Jesus’ saving name, amen.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Asking For Wisdom
James 1:5-8 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 3:17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
One of the real gifts to evangelicals was Henry Blackaby’s Bible study Experiencing God. He taught that God speaks through His word, prayer, and our circumstances. He urged the body of Christ to realize that God is still issuing invitations to His people to recognize His activity in this world and how to know when He is inviting us to join Him. God clearly invites us through James to ask Him for the wisdom we lack. We do need to be in God’s word, but knowledge alone is not enough. Knowledge is raw information, but wisdom knows how to use it. Wisdom sees how to apply it to the complexities of life. So ask in faith and don’t doubt His ability to give or your own ability to receive. Sometimes we fall into wrong thinking: “I don’t want to bother God, He is so busy.” Actually we know from Isaiah that He runs the universe seated on His throne. He knows when a sparrow falls and the number of hairs on your head. You are not exasperating Him with your neediness. Have you ever considered that He allows the needs and pressures in your life to draw you into that place where you press in to a deeper relationship with Him? We may think, “I’m not worthy so I don’t think He will speak to me.” We focus on our worthiness when we should be focusing on His great generosity and love. Do you need wisdom? Ask in faith and don’t doubt His goodness. Stand on His Word!
MY PRAYER: Lord, I have asked for wisdom. I thank You in advance that the answer is coming. I need Your great presence in my life to guide me. You are so gracious. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to obey and believe when Your answer comes.
MY CONFESSION: I have asked for wisdom. You promise to give it. My mind and my heart are alert to hear and stand fast on the wisdom that comes from above. I will depend on Your Holy Spirit to illuminate Your answer to my heart and mind. I wait with faith and anticipation. I stand on Your word!
One of the real gifts to evangelicals was Henry Blackaby’s Bible study Experiencing God. He taught that God speaks through His word, prayer, and our circumstances. He urged the body of Christ to realize that God is still issuing invitations to His people to recognize His activity in this world and how to know when He is inviting us to join Him. God clearly invites us through James to ask Him for the wisdom we lack. We do need to be in God’s word, but knowledge alone is not enough. Knowledge is raw information, but wisdom knows how to use it. Wisdom sees how to apply it to the complexities of life. So ask in faith and don’t doubt His ability to give or your own ability to receive. Sometimes we fall into wrong thinking: “I don’t want to bother God, He is so busy.” Actually we know from Isaiah that He runs the universe seated on His throne. He knows when a sparrow falls and the number of hairs on your head. You are not exasperating Him with your neediness. Have you ever considered that He allows the needs and pressures in your life to draw you into that place where you press in to a deeper relationship with Him? We may think, “I’m not worthy so I don’t think He will speak to me.” We focus on our worthiness when we should be focusing on His great generosity and love. Do you need wisdom? Ask in faith and don’t doubt His goodness. Stand on His Word!
MY PRAYER: Lord, I have asked for wisdom. I thank You in advance that the answer is coming. I need Your great presence in my life to guide me. You are so gracious. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart to obey and believe when Your answer comes.
MY CONFESSION: I have asked for wisdom. You promise to give it. My mind and my heart are alert to hear and stand fast on the wisdom that comes from above. I will depend on Your Holy Spirit to illuminate Your answer to my heart and mind. I wait with faith and anticipation. I stand on Your word!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The God Who Sees
Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. Psalm 37:4-5 NASB
My husband and I had made a huge move in our lives. We had given up well paying jobs in Dallas, Texas to live in the mountains of North Carolina. We had a real sense that God was in it and so we made such a life altering change. My husband had been an industrial engineer with the Federal Reserve. He really wasn’t happy in his work. He had a growing desire to work with his hands. Rell wanted to become a builder. He was hired onto the crew of someone who was a well established contractor with a reputation for excellence. As an apprentice, my husband’s income was very modest. We had a two year old daughter and an infant son so while we were getting by, our finances were tight.
It was nearing Easter and I went into the only dress shop in our little town. There hanging in beautiful display were gorgeous Easter ensembles for little girls. There was a dress, a coat, and a hat. They were adorned with smocking, lace and embroidery. I stood there admiring them and realizing that there was no way we could afford anything like that for our little girl. I said in my heart, “Lord, they’re beautiful, but it’s okay, I know that we can’t afford it.” I didn’t mention it to anyone.
A week before Easter I went to the mailbox to find a package hanging on the outside of the mailbox. It was from my mother who lived in another state. She had gone to an outlet store and picked the exact outfit that I had admired the most even though she and I had very different tastes. I was so overwhelmed. It was as though the God of the universe wanted me to know like Hagar in Genesis 16:13b "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." I was grateful to my mom, but in my spirit, I knew that God had shown me His heart and hand. I was learning as a young Christian how intimately acquainted He was with all my ways. I could sense His delight in showing me what an amazing God He truly is. In Daniel 2:21-22 we learn "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.” He also would take the time to fulfill a little heart wish in a young mother. Isn’t He beautiful?
MY PRAYER: Lord we are told to delight ourselves in You, and we do. You are beautiful beyond description; You are too marvelous for words.
My husband and I had made a huge move in our lives. We had given up well paying jobs in Dallas, Texas to live in the mountains of North Carolina. We had a real sense that God was in it and so we made such a life altering change. My husband had been an industrial engineer with the Federal Reserve. He really wasn’t happy in his work. He had a growing desire to work with his hands. Rell wanted to become a builder. He was hired onto the crew of someone who was a well established contractor with a reputation for excellence. As an apprentice, my husband’s income was very modest. We had a two year old daughter and an infant son so while we were getting by, our finances were tight.
It was nearing Easter and I went into the only dress shop in our little town. There hanging in beautiful display were gorgeous Easter ensembles for little girls. There was a dress, a coat, and a hat. They were adorned with smocking, lace and embroidery. I stood there admiring them and realizing that there was no way we could afford anything like that for our little girl. I said in my heart, “Lord, they’re beautiful, but it’s okay, I know that we can’t afford it.” I didn’t mention it to anyone.
A week before Easter I went to the mailbox to find a package hanging on the outside of the mailbox. It was from my mother who lived in another state. She had gone to an outlet store and picked the exact outfit that I had admired the most even though she and I had very different tastes. I was so overwhelmed. It was as though the God of the universe wanted me to know like Hagar in Genesis 16:13b "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." I was grateful to my mom, but in my spirit, I knew that God had shown me His heart and hand. I was learning as a young Christian how intimately acquainted He was with all my ways. I could sense His delight in showing me what an amazing God He truly is. In Daniel 2:21-22 we learn "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding. It is He who reveals the profound and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him.” He also would take the time to fulfill a little heart wish in a young mother. Isn’t He beautiful?
MY PRAYER: Lord we are told to delight ourselves in You, and we do. You are beautiful beyond description; You are too marvelous for words.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Safely Home
"I will go before you and make the rough places smooth.” Isaiah 45:2a
Yesterday I received a phone call from my husband. I was in an adjacent community about a half an hour from our home in the mountains of western North Carolina. It was the day I work as a volunteer at a local ministry. He said, “I don’t want to alarm you but you need to know that it is snowing quite heavily here and it is sticking. Even my truck was slipping until I put it in 4-wheel drive.” I drive a Honda that has front wheel drive so he got my full attention. It was raining where I was so I was completely unaware of the dangerous road conditions that were getting worse by the minute. He then began to tell me what I would encounter at every step of the way. He knew because he had just made the trip. He told me what speed and gear to be in as I approached the danger zones. He said, “Carol, if someone comes up behind you don’t allow them to pressure you into speeding up.” He knows me well. I hung on every word and followed his advice like my life depended on it.
The road from our home to town needs to be driven with careful respect on a good day, but in the snow it becomes treacherous. I can tell you I prayed without ceasing as I saw cars abandoned on the shoulders of the road and the parade of 3 emergency vehicles, two of them ambulances from clearing a wreck at the bottom of a long hill. I knew I had an even steeper hill to descend which was the last danger spot between me and home. I kept rehearsing my husband’s instructions on how to get safely down it. When I got there a man was blocking the way. He told me that several cars were sideways on the road and I would have to take another long and curvy side road. Fortunately a big suburban had just been diverted too and I was able to get in its tracks which made it easier.
My home and driveway never looked better. I felt jubilant, but I prayed for those I knew were still trying to make their way home.
Yesterday I received a phone call from my husband. I was in an adjacent community about a half an hour from our home in the mountains of western North Carolina. It was the day I work as a volunteer at a local ministry. He said, “I don’t want to alarm you but you need to know that it is snowing quite heavily here and it is sticking. Even my truck was slipping until I put it in 4-wheel drive.” I drive a Honda that has front wheel drive so he got my full attention. It was raining where I was so I was completely unaware of the dangerous road conditions that were getting worse by the minute. He then began to tell me what I would encounter at every step of the way. He knew because he had just made the trip. He told me what speed and gear to be in as I approached the danger zones. He said, “Carol, if someone comes up behind you don’t allow them to pressure you into speeding up.” He knows me well. I hung on every word and followed his advice like my life depended on it.
The road from our home to town needs to be driven with careful respect on a good day, but in the snow it becomes treacherous. I can tell you I prayed without ceasing as I saw cars abandoned on the shoulders of the road and the parade of 3 emergency vehicles, two of them ambulances from clearing a wreck at the bottom of a long hill. I knew I had an even steeper hill to descend which was the last danger spot between me and home. I kept rehearsing my husband’s instructions on how to get safely down it. When I got there a man was blocking the way. He told me that several cars were sideways on the road and I would have to take another long and curvy side road. Fortunately a big suburban had just been diverted too and I was able to get in its tracks which made it easier.
My home and driveway never looked better. I felt jubilant, but I prayed for those I knew were still trying to make their way home.
Reflecting on that experience made me realize that what my husband did for me mirrors what Christ did for us. He has gone before us and has given us His word and His Spirit to guide us. In 2 Timothy 4:18 Paul expresses confidence that the Lord will protect him from every evil and bring him safely to His heavenly kingdom. I would have been incredibly foolish to resent or ignore my husband’s instructions. He wanted to get me safely home. How much more does our heavenly Bridegroom desire to do the same?
MY PRAYER: Lord thank you for going before us. Thank you for your word, your warnings, and your Spirit to guide us through and around every danger. Thank you that because we are following and trusting Christ we will arrive safely home. In His name, amen.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Surrounded with Favor
For it is Thou who dost bless the righteous man, O LORD, Thou dost surround him with favor as with a shield. Psalm l5:12 And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Exodus 11:3 NASB
Thirty-six years ago we moved from Dallas, Texas to a small rural town in North Carolina We left behind two well paying jobs with a sense that God was leading us to a new place. We had fairly large payments on the 70 acres we had purchased. We had no problem paying them and at times even doubled our payments. However, when we moved it became evident after many months of living off our savings and finding nothing but low paying work that we needed to refinance.
We had to engage a lawyer to complete the paper work. I don’t really remember how we came to choose the lawyer that we did, but evidently we didn’t do enough research. A couple of days before our scheduled appointment a neighbor told us that we had picked the most expensive lawyer in the area. We were so discouraged and so we bowed our heads and asked the Lord for His help in the whole process.
We entered our lawyer’s office with great trepidation. He smiled at our little girl and asked us some personal questions about why we had moved to the area. He left the room and came back with some legal documents for us to sign. You can only imagine our surprise when he told us that he was foregoing his fee. He told us that we reminded him of the days when he and his wife were first starting out and he wanted to give us a break. Ten minutes later we were standing absolutely stunned on the sidewalk outside of his office with money in our hand. Neither one of us can remember the exact amount, probably under a hundred, and yet it seemed like a small fortune to us. We were astonished, humbled, and grateful. We kept looking at each other wondering if we were going to wake up and find that we were dreaming.
Neither one of us can explain that whole incident apart from the favor of God. Not many people had good things to say about this lawyer and yet he had treated us with kindness and favor. He admonished us not to tell people what he had done for us. As long as he was alive we didn’t, but you can know that we told people he was very good to us.
According to the dictionary favor is something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration. The Hebrew word for favor is ratson and means to show delight or acceptance. I have since found myself in situations where I have asked God to give me or those I love favor in the situations that we find ourselves. I have faith to do so because I see the biblical precedent in Noah, Daniel, and Esther’s lives just to name a few. I have more than one story to share and I’m sure you do too. Remember to thank Him.
MY PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the favor that you show to your children. Thank you for those unexpected kindnesses and markers along the way that encourage us that you are intimately involved in our daily nitty-gritty’s. We delight in you and you watch over us with tender mercy. It humbles us Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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