Devotional
Archives--Worship
December
10, 2006 —
Dear Soul Scents Family,
Thank you for the emails sending your
love after my grandma’s death. I was unable to respond personally to
them, but they are a blessing in this time. Thank you, too, for your
patience as I took last week off from writing Soul Scents. I needed the
time to grieve, reflect, and rest. As we enter this holiday season I’ve
decided to deviate from our Ephesians series for a few weeks. I plan to
return to it in January.
Blessings,
Paula
* * * * * * *
Quiet
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
The hush that accompanies a heavy snow speaks quiet
into my soul. I love how the white blanket muffles the sounds—how even
with the cold, I feel somehow insulated.
The snow changes everyday noises, too. The ground
underneath my feet now gives off a crunch instead of a clack or a thud.
Even my car tires make a wonderful, squeaky sound as I pull into our
cul-de-sac on a cold, snowy night.
There’s stillness in a freshly snowed-in world that
I don’t experience at other times and it makes me want to do calm
things—like bake cinnamon rolls, read a good book, or take a leisurely
walk to watch snowflakes fall.
When it snows at night, one of my favorite things to
do is to brew myself a hot cup of herb tea, turn off all the lights, and
watch the snowflakes out my window as they drift earthward in the glow of
the lamplight.
God feels very close in these times. Perhaps the
changes in routine, the slowing down for a snowy day, and the hushed, snow
muffled sounds help my heart quiet. I’m not sure. But I’ve noticed
that our Lord is often in the stillness.
There are many types of noise in our life. A blaring
radio and angry, honking rush hour traffic is noise. But noise can also be
found inside of us. Worry and fear can rattle around in our souls until
they feel harried and loud instead of hushed and peaceful. Anger—whether
at others or our self—can make our heart clang with rapid heartbeats and
heated scenarios.
Whether the noise of our life is exterior or
interior, there is only one place to find true quiet. Our Lord says, “Be
still and know that I am God.”
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, take
time to quiet your heart. Come before the Lord with all your worries,
fears, schedules, and demands. Tell Him all about it and then acknowledge
His greatness.
Get lost in the bigness of God.
Meditate
on His forgiveness, provision, and sovereignty. Let the quiet envelop you
like a feathery white blanket. Feel the hush as being covered by the
presence of the Lord stills your heart.
*****************************************************************************
December
17, 2006 —
Ella
Little Ella’s big brown eyes shine as she raises
her hands to God. She looks like a live porcelain doll, her little curls
swaying as she moves to the music, a content smile gracing her tiny little
face. At three years old, Ella has no inhibition. She doesn’t notice us
watching her.
We are not her audience. Ella simply moves in praise
to Jesus. The church people around her aren’t dancing. Here and there a
solitary worshiper stands with hands raised, but most are simply quiet
before the Lord, seated and meditative.
Ella is not mimicking the worship or others, nor is
she held back by the more conservative worship of her elders. She is
simply following the prompting in her heart.
An unexpected rush of tears form in my eyes as I
watch. Ella’s worship, so genuine and innocent, paints a picture of
adoration. There is no doubt in my mind that Ella loves her Creator and is
showing Him through her little dance. And the look of absolute joy in her
face indicates that she feels His pleasure in her gift of praise.
Today, as I write about that moment, I wonder why I
cried. Perhaps I was simply overcome by the sheer beauty of it. Such an
innocent act of praise is a rare jewel in a rushed and busy world.
As I further ponder the incident, I’m struck with
the thought that Ella has some things I long for. First, she has the
ability to worship God as if no one were watching. She dances without
wondering if the person next to her thinks she’s inappropriate or
awkward. She is not stifled by self-awareness. Instead, Ella just follows
her desire to worship her God with free expression of her heart.
Ella also comes to God in absolute joy and
confidence. She doesn’t question if He likes her or her worship. Not
once did she wonder if He would accept her offering, nor did she doubt her
worthiness to do such a thing. Ella simply dances before God as the
beloved daughter she is. When I watch her, I get the feeling that as she
dances, she senses God’s pleasure in her little three-year-old soul.
I want to worship like that. I want to be so caught
up in the love I have for God that my joy bubbles forth in adoration of
Him. I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He welcomes my
attention and delights in my worship. I want to give to Him as my heart
asks me to without wondering what anyone else will think.
I’m reminded of the shepherds and the wise men who
came to worship Jesus. When they were given the good news of Christ’s
birth, they didn’t question what the neighbors would think of their tale
or wonder if they were worthy to worship the Almighty. They simply rushed
to the Bethlehem, eager to give their adoration to the One who deserves
it.
As we welcome Jesus into our lives anew this season,
may we worship as little Ella does, without concern for those who don’t
understand our worship, without fear of being rejected by the One we
praise. May we simply give our adoration in innocence, embracing our God
and believing that our offering brings Him great pleasure.
“Dearest God,
You are worthy of every ounce of worship within
us. Call us to worship you. Show us how to express the love we feel
inside. Make it well within us, overwhelming us with the wonder of you.
Show us how to express our adoration. Capture us, heart and soul, and give
our praise wings.”
*****************************************************************************************
December
27, 2006 —
Adoration
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of angels
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Jesus, Creator of the universe, King of all time, the
very Word of God coming to earth as a helpless baby, dependent upon a
young girl for nourishment, hunted by cruel King Herod, under the
protection of a poor carpenter. It’s preposterous.
Scripture says the angels watched in baffled
amazement as God’s plan for the redemption of man unfolded. They
couldn’t believe God would choose to become flesh and hang out with
lowly man. To think the Holy One would allow those infinitely inferior to
Him to birth Him, raise Him, and eventually kill Him seems outrageous.
And yet that’s what our Lord did. He left the
splendor and perfection of heaven to walk among us, teach us Who God is,
and save us from ourselves.
“Come,” the song says. “Come and adore the
Lord! Behold the King of angels wrapped in cloth and born as man.”
And while something divine within me swells and longs
to shout in exultant worship, I feel ill qualified to offer my adoration.
All I can give and think and say and do seems miniscule in comparison to
what He deserves and who He is.
Sometimes it is hard to come—to know how to adore.
What does adoration look like? How do I offer it to
Something as big as God?
As I grapple with these questions, the face of my
two-year-old nephew flashes onto the screen of my mind. He is grinning.
His whole face is alight—brown eyes sparkling and smile free and full.
His expression says, “I know you adore me, Auntie Paula and I’m
thrilled by it.”
What amazes me about this memory is how little I’d
done to illicit such a delighted response from the little guy. I’d
simply looked his way, gazed into his big eyes, and smiled at him.
Adoration.
Perhaps that is all the Lord asks this day as well.
No contrived worship. No cooked up accolades. No forced exultation. No
struggle to give Him all He deserves. No fussing and worrying and feeling
inadequate.
Instead, just a humble honest acknowledgement of our
love.
Perhaps Jesus is simply waiting for us to glance His
way, look Him full in the eyes, and smile.
Maybe adoration is not so much something bigger than
us, but an honest offering of our love.
Come.
Acknowledge how precious He is.
Let
us adore Him.
*****************************************************************************
January
1, 2007 —
Hope
and Future
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares
the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future. Jeremiah 19:11 (NIV)
Sometimes December finds me pensive. I look back at
the year I’ve just finished and weigh it, examining the good and bad,
the things I’m thankful for and the things that disappointed me.
But as the clock clicks toward midnight on December
31st, I’m always ready to ring in the New Year. And each
time, a place in my heart finds hope—hope that the New Year will answer
the unfulfilled dreams of the year before and that the good of the
previous 365 days will remain steady.
I’ve lived long enough to know that any life owns
disappointments and hardships. I’ve also experience enough to realize
that things don’t often go as I’ve planned or dreamed. But ever so
slowly I’m learning that I can always trust God’s heart for me. Even
in moments of grief, pain, and disappointment, God has our best in His
plans.
When the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11 that He
doesn’t want to harm us, He means just that. Everything He’s worked
toward since the beginning of time was done to provide for us—from the
creation that sustains our physical needs, to the cross that covers our
spiritual ones, to the place He’s preparing for us for eternity.
As we enter into a New Year, I pray that God will
place His hope in your heart. I read once that hope is a mark of spiritual
maturity and Romans 5:5 promises us that hope will not disappoint us. Why?
“because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.” (NIV)
One thing we can always hope in is the love of Christ
and the gift of eternity. And while we live out our days we can be assured
that the Lord is working everything out for our good and His purposes in
our life. (Romans 8:28)
On this first day of 2007, I encourage you to stop a
moment and offer God worship through your faith and hope. Pause to let Him
know that you have hope, not because of your talents or because the world
is trustworthy, but because you are His and His heart toward you is loving
and His plans for you are good.
Our most powerful God,
Thank
you for putting hope into our hearts. Burn it into our souls and water it
with your love until it bursts forth with new blossoms. We worship you
because your love is so reliable and because your heart toward us promises
a good future.*****************************************************************************
January
8, 2007 —
Glory
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of
those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11
NKJV)
Once in a while my teenagers ask my advice. These
times are very precious to me because right now they are trying to prove
they can handle life on their own. It’s much more usual for them to
think they have it all figured out than it is for them to admit a need for
my instruction. But when they do, I feel honored.
As I think about bringing God glory and the verse in
Philippians 2:9-11, I wonder if a major part of worship is simply
admitting to the Lord that we need Him—that we don’t have it all
figured out on our own and that we want to live life His way. Perhaps
worship is bowing not only our knees, but also our heart, will, and ego
before Jesus.
Worship and surrender go hand in hand. When we admit
that Jesus is Lord, we are also declaring that we are not. We’re
surrendering our rights to the King of Universe and giving Him permission
to work in our lives in such a way that brings glory to Himself.
There are people all around who worship God through
extremely difficult circumstances. By surrendering to His will in their
lives, by trusting Him when it is hard to see good in their situations,
they bring Him glory.
Instead of cursing God, they continue to declare that
Jesus is Lord and that they need Him. They submit themselves to God’s
leading even when the path He places them upon is difficult to navigate.
I see God glorified in a friend of mine who chooses
to keep forgiving her ex-husband even when her electricity is turned off
due to his negligence and the cold snow is falling outside. She admits her
need for God’s provision both for the difficulties she faces and for the
emotional ability to forgive. As God provides for her, she gives Him the
glory.
God is glorified in another friend who is stepping
out in faith in a new ministry, even as she and her husband wonder where
their salary will come from.
I see God glorified in a woman at church who lost her
son in Iraq and continues to declare Jesus is Lord. Even in her grief she
loves the rest of us and speaks words of kindness.
Another young friend struggles with cancer and yet
leads worship weekly, singing of her love for Jesus, declaring Him Lord.
She admits her need for His strength and asks for prayer regularly.
These people give Jesus the right to be the King of
their lives and their circumstances. Sure there are times when they
struggle, but instead of turning from Christ, they keep talking to Him
about what they are going through.
They have times of questioning and even anger, but in
the end they admit how much they need Him, submit to His authority, and
worship Him as Lord.
I want to be like that. Don’t you?
Father,
Please
help us to glorify You by declaring Jesus the Lord of our lives. Give us
the courage to surrender to You and to trust in the heart of Jesus no
matter what happens. Make us instruments of worship. Bring glory to
Yourself through our submission to Your Lordship. We admit our need for
You. We bow our knees, our hearts, our wills, and our egos, surrendering
them into Your capable hands. You are the King.
*****************************************************************************
For Previous Devotional
Series,
Click on the Following Titles:
Desires
Dance
A
Stumble
God's
Parent Heart
Jesus, Our Lover
God's
Provision
A
Beautiful World
Mind
Makeover
Deeper
Empowered
Celebrating
Grace
Victory
Expectant
Living
The
Real You
Safety
Little
Things
A
Heart At Rest
I
AM, Part 1
I
AM, Part 2
Princess
Unwrapping
Grace
Bride
Queen
Community
Little
Boxes, Part I
Little
Boxes, Part II
Little
Boxes, Part III
Ephesians
Extravagance, Part I
Ephesians
Extravagance, Part II
Ephesians
Extravagance, Part III
