Wired for Worship Day #3 - Psalm 130

Checkout Psalm 130 by clicking here

This morning as I read through Psalm 130 I could here the song “I Cry Out For Mercy” rolling through my head. Here are lyrics to that song…

I cry out for mercy
I fall on my knees
I lay my cares before you, my King
I give up my own life
To offer you everything
I’m falling before you
My King

O God, Your mercy covers me
O God, Your peace consumes my heart
And I am overwhelmed by your love
I am overcome with my need
I’m so thirsty
I’m so hungry, Lord, for You

I am so thirsty
I am so hungry
You are everything I need

There have been of many times in my life when I have cried out to God. They have been moments of hopelessness and despair. This Psalm gives me hope and reminds me again that God loves me no matter what, when is says …

If you, O Lord, kept record of sins,
Oh Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness;
Therefore you are feared.

The nerd notes in my bible have some great insight into this entire passage…

Nerd Notes: In the depths of despair, the writer cries out to God. Despair makes us feel isolated and distant from God, but this is precisely when we need God most. Despair over sin should not lead to self-pity, causing us to think more about ourselves that God. Instead, it should lead to confession and then to God’s mercy, forgiveness and redemption. When we feel overwhelmed by a problem, feeling sorry for ourselves will only increase feelings of hopelessness; but crying out to God will turn our attention to the only one who can really help.

My favorite line in this Psalm would have to be verse 6…

My Soul waits for the Lord
More than watchmen wait for the morning
More than watchmen wait for the morning

How do I long for God? How do I approach my relationship with Him? Am I on the edge of my seat waiting for him with anticipation? God’s love is perfect. He pursues us every minute of every day. Every step we take He is with us. How can we turn our attention toward him?

What did you take out of this Psalm? Feel free to react to my ideas and share what you think God is trying to tell you. Have a great day! - Evo

Wired For Worship: Day 2 – Psalm 34

Check out Psalm 34 by clicking here.

This morning as I sat and read through this Psalm I had this feeling of protection. I would compare it to the embrace of a father. It was safe and secure. There were no worries. I knew that nothing could harm me in that embrace.

Have you ever had that kind of embrace? Maybe you had an embrace like this with a parent or family member? I can remember those times in my life when something happened and I was scared to death to go and tell my Dad what happened. But when I did I found this overflow of grace. He would tell me it was going to be ok. He was glad that I came and told him what had happened. To this day the hugs and moments that I have with my mother and father are like unlike anyone else’s. There is a different meaning behind them. I know and can feel that they have a love for me that is without end.

I parallel those moments with my parents to the relationship I share with my heavenly father. I know that He watches over and protects me (verses 8, 15, 19). I know that when I cry out to Him He hears me and responds in His own special way (verse 17). He saves me from my fears (verse 4) and I know that I am safe in his loving arms (verse 22).

Below is one of my very favorite poems. Read it and think about how it can apply to your relationship with our heavenly Father. Feel free to comment below and tell me what you took away from Psalm 34. Have a great day! - Evo

Footprints in the Sand

by Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

Wired for Worship: Day 1 – Psalm 33

Check out Psalm 33 by clicking here

This morning as I sit here and reflect on this Psalm a lot of words and images come to mind. For some reason I have melodies from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy rolling through my mind. If I stop and close my eyes I can see the opening sequence to the Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring I can hear the violins playing that familiar tune that we hear when they are introducing the hobbits. We are all about to embark on a great journey together.

The opening sequence (verses 1-3) of this Psalm talks about music and having been somewhat of a musician once or twice in my life I can completely relate to this section. There is nothing better than a great musician doing the one thing that they love to do… play… It is a sweet sound. The experience is beyond hearing. God wants us to bring everything we have to worship him 24/7.

The psalm goes on (verses 6-11) to talk about how God spoke the world into existence. The one thing I pull out of this is the word power. All God did was speak and it was done. Here are some phrases that jump off the page at me.

“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” (Verse 6)

“For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (Verse 9)

There is some major power in all that. God didn’t have to get out his tools and put anything together, he simply spoke and it came into existence.

The next section (verses 10 & 11) speak to God’s plan and how it is outside of time and beyond our grasp or understanding. The Nerd Notes in my bible say this about verse 11…

“God is completely trustworthy – his intentions never change. The bible promises that whatever is good and perfect comes to us from the Creator who never changes (James 1:17). When you wonder if there is anyone that you can trust, remember that God is completely consistent. Let him counsel you.”

The final section (verses 12 to 22) took my mind into the third part of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy…Return of the King…Specifically I have the image of the castle Minas Tirith in my mind. Here is a picture in case you have forgotten.

As I read this passage I can see this great King looking down from the highest possible point of his great castle. I love the image of a King. Kings are respected and there is this royality and honor involved with such a title. He watches over us and he cares and loves each one of us perfectly no matter what we have done. The section goes on to say that there is nothing on this earth that can save us. There is no army great enough and there is no horse that is fast enough. There is only one thing that we can do to be saved by him. We have to put our hope in His love.

God has a plan for us and all we have to do it put our hope in His love.

What attributes or characteristics of God did you take out of Psalm 33? Let me know by commenting below.

-Evo

7 Checkpoint Devos

Hey! I hope you guys are having a great week so far. This past Sunday Scott told you about an opportunity for you to engage in some online devotions that focus on the 7 Checkpoints. You can get to those devotions by going to the right hand side of this blog to the section titled "devotions" and clicking the item titled "7 Checkpoint Devos." That will take you to the main page where you should click on the item that says "Login Page." You should have recieved an email from Scott telling you the login and password. If you didn't, you can email one of us and we will be happy to give that you that information. I hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to "make space for first place." Have a great week! - Evo

Join us for "Listen"

Hey! Join us for the next three weeks for our series entitled "Listen." Scott will be talking about how to "make space for first place." Have a great week and we will see you Sunday! - Evo