Loving through Life's Storms

I believe God is looking for a people who will really love Him. For a people who, in good and bad times, will look to Him first, still trust Him, still praise Him and keep their hearts open to Him. 

Bad things happening does not mean those things were forced by God's hands. Hey, if He had it His way, the earth would be like it is in Heaven. He made life perfect. We (starting with Adam & Eve), through choosing to trust, love and obey other people, things, and ourselves - idols - more than Him caused all the ruckus that there is in the world --from the smallest white lie to greatest tragedy. 

The root of every problem began with our hearts turning away from God, from rebellion towards God, from the lie that we can be better gods and rulers of our own lives than He can. We were never meant to rule our own lives without His direct input, guidance, direction and PRESENCE! But we so often do, and look where that's gotten us (as a world). 

Yet even still, God wants to get as much Heaven and blessing into our lives as possible! What did the model prayer Jesus gave the disciples say? For us to declare and pull upon God - "Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (1)." It is God's will for things to "go well with us (2)" and for us to be blessed. For us to have joy. "Love one another as I have loved you so that your joy may be full (3)." 

"Keep your mind on me and I will keep you in perfect peace (4)." 

"Delight yourself in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (5)." 

We have to realize that everything that happens is not His will. Children being killed is not his will. People getting raped is not His will. Robbery, drug addictions, loneliness, etc., etc., etc., is not His will. But those things do happen...because of the nature of Sin (Satan) not because of the nature of God (Love, Peace, Joy, Truth). 

God wants us to know that He really, really loves us. He wants us to want Him deeply, whole heartedly, intimately like He wants us. Let's open our hearts and say "Lord I want to love you like you love & want me. I want your will for my life and all that is good. Teach me, guide me, correct me, mold me. Help me to withstand the tests and trials in my life knowing that you love me and are with me even when I feel alone. Help me to love you enough to continue to praise and lift up your name even when I do not feel good or even feel like praying. In the midst of all things, help me to know that you are good always - that your love and goodness never change." 

The choice is yours. Will you divorce God when things are not going well, or press into Him even deeper and seek to know Him more intimately knowing that your heart is safe with Him? Will you press through? Fight through? Not give up? After all, real love...is patient...bears/endures all things....hopes all things....believes all things...never fails/never ends. God is looking for a people who will really love Him!

*Scripture references (in quotes) are paraphrases.

1. Matthew 6:9-10

2. Deuteronomy 4:40; 12:28

3. John 15:11-12

4. Isaiah 26:3-4

5. Psalm 37:4

The Heart of Worship is the Heart!

The reason God created us was for intimate fellowship and relationship with Him. When we worship, we have our hearts and minds on Him and our perspectives change to what they ought to be. The by product of worship should be His presence! And His presence produces transformation and blessing for our lives.

I've been in many worship services where I just sang along and there was no heart connection. I thought about other things going on and was not focused on God's presence. I wanted to hear the word and go on about my day.

Then there have been times when I have worshiped and experienced something unexplainable. For instance, one time when I was spending some time with God by myself I started singing to Him (a song I knew from worship-time at our church). Towards the end of the song, I changed the words to tell God what I felt for Him; I believe I changed the lyrics to make them personal from me to Him and to expressing my individual desire and longing for Him in my life.

When I did that, something broke within me and within the atmosphere around me, and His presence flooded in, consuming me. It was like a wind and a wave of peace, comfort, love and euphoria was engulfing me! At that moment I couldn't do anything but surrender, lift my hands. What I could muster to say with the English language could not begin to explain or describe my love, heart or worship towards God or contain what I was feeling or sensing. So all I could do was open my mouth with tongues of praise. This is what I long for and pursue now when I worship - to experience Him over and over.

Although I happened to be singing, the point was not the singing, but the changing of my heart. Worship is not just singing - its a lifestyle and singing is often a by product of that heart and lifestyle of worship. We can and should worship God with our gifts and in everything that we do because it all begins in the heart. Everything that we do can be as unto God - raising our children, spending time with grand children, family or friends, working our jobs, interacting with others, etc., etc.

We worship God because of who He is - wherever we are in our relationship with Him, and should pull on Him to be who we need Him to be (but maybe haven't yet experienced). I may say, "Lord, you're my father, my friend, my healer, my counselor, my teacher..." the list could go on. Worship is from the heart...an intimate connection between us and God.

I think King David from the Bible can give us even more insight into the heart of worship.

1.He was a WORSHIPER (see this in his many psalms from the book of Psalms, 1 Kings, and 2 Samuel).

2. He was also said to be a man AFTER GOD's own HEART.

3. And he allowed God INTO HIS HEART FULLY!

These things are connected.

Let's take a deeper look:

•Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. (Psalm 51:6 NKJV)

•Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. (Psalm 26:2 NKJV)

•Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23, 24 NKJV)

•Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven. (Lamentations 3:40, 41 NKJV)

•Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)

Worship is intimacy. Its letting Him into the hidden places of the heart, willingly letting Him know you openly & roam there and to clean out things that aren't supposed to be there so that you can enjoy each other's presence uninhibited. It's like allowing yourself to be naked before Him, allowing Him to see the scars and imperfections, and giving Him permission to love you anyway and make you feel like a new person after being with Him, engulfed in His presence.

Why do I keep bringing up the heart? Why is the heart so important?

It's because out of the heart flows the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). Everything we do and say stems or starts from the heart. If we guard/keep our hearts from the wrong things and let God in, His good will shall flow from our hearts and pour into what we say and do. We will be blessed, be a blessing and know Him intimately, not just know about Him on the surface.

In Matthew 15:8 God says "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me."

This was not a judgment, fire & brimstone statement, but a love location announcement, helping the people to locate the reality of the condition of their hearts (and me of mine, us of ours). God wanted intimate fellowship with them (and with me, with us), but knew it would not happen if they (we) did not see where they (we) were so that their (our) hearts could change and they (we) could experience God's presence and all that comes along with it.

When we worship, we don't just want to be checking something off of our lists or just be repeating the words to a song. It all begins with the heart. To worship Him, it must be from the heart. Not just words, but worship in spirit and in TRUTH...the truth in our hearts.

We get out of the worship service experience what we allow into our hearts!