In the Silence of Worship

We often think of worship as something we do, sing or listen to. But as I was reading my Bible this morning I came across Psalm 105 where David lists nine attributes of a worshipper. At first He talks about the kind of worship we are all familiar with such as singing about how great God is and making sure everyone hears. But then David goes on to list four things we do in silence.

Psalm 105:3-4 Glory in His name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and His strength. Seek His face always.

In this Covid-19 year with just two days remaining till Thanksgiving it can be a struggle to focus on being truly grateful. When I came across this morning’s verse and was encouraged I saw that four silent acts of faith that matter far more to God than all the noise coming from our mouths or instruments. Today we will look at just the first two.

Glory in His Holy name – So is that like the Pentecostal church we visited years ago where we were startled by someone who suddenly stood up and shouted “Glory!”? Does it mean saying, “God is good!” when we’re in church? Or just maybe glorying in His name means something looking forward expectantly to seeing God’s glory in every small thing of my day. Those silent moments of worship are like what Jesus said about the kingdom of God being a small seed that grows into the largest plant in the garden.

Let the hearts of those who seek your face rejoice – Genuine rejoicing lips are rooted in honest rejoicing hearts. You might wonder if seeking God’s face isn’t like a religious game of hide and seek with the Almighty. No! NO! He wants us to find Him just as my wife delighted in hiding baskets filled with chocolates and colored eggs for our children to find on Easter morning. But our children had to be seeking. They had to read and follow the clues she left behind on tiny folded pieces of paper. As they raced from place to place their excitement grew till suddenly behind a doorway or inside a closet they each joyfully found what they had been looking for! Do you have a joyful testimony of something you discovered this year as you spent some of that extra Covid-19 time on seeking His face?

If it has been a struggle to set aside quiet time to just sit in the presence of God and seek Him I hope this music from Eric Terlizzi which I loved to listen to while I prayed some years back may be a blessing to you as well.

Giving Him Thanks

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.            Ephesians 5:20

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul tells us to be thankful for everything. Now without a doubt there are plenty of terrible things going on in the world around us all the time. But thankfulness is more than simply a play by play analysis of life as if it was some sort of cosmic football game. Instead the gratitude that God has in mind is about seeing things as God sees them as we come to worship.

We see the pot holes in the road while God sees the end of the journey. We feel the cold of the winter wind while God sees the roots of the trees resting while they gather their energy for spring. We are angry over hurtful words spoken to us while God is hoping it will give us opportunity to learn to forgive. We experience the loneliness of eight months of this Covid-19 shutdown but God is reminding us of what and who matter most in life.

We may not be able to see loved ones but we can tell them we love them by a card or a phone call. Maybe we won’t have a chance to sit at a table with our family for Thanksgiving but Jesus has promised us that He will sit down at the table with us wherever we are. God is good. We have much to be thankful for even in 2020! May God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks

Giving thanks when things go well 
Is an easy thing to do
But to give Him thanks when the chips are down
Is God's will for me and you

Giving Thanks by Peter Caligiuri Â© 2020 All rights reserved 

City Gates

 
 
Outside the City Gates 

 On cloudy days
 In shadow hours
 Or when the skies grow clear
 He speaks a word with quiet power
 For everyone who hears
  
 But some will look to earthly power 
 And temporary things
 Yet for the ones who will believe
 He is the King of Kings
  
  Who calls our name each one by one
 Then turns to us and waits
 For us to rise and come to him
 Outside the city gates 

Outside the City Gates by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved