Tricia Brock

Not a Very Good Waiter

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Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. Exodus 31:15 ESV

It is amazing how resting, which after a long hard work-week, you might think would be kind of desirable and natural. And yet to those Israelites as much as with us today it was such a struggle that God had to prescribe the death penalty, in order to get everyone’s attention about obeying this commandment. And you might also assume that since I am now in my early seventies and still struggling through Covid, that I would be smart enough to listen to my wife and rest. But no! The lawn needed mowing, the weather was perfect, and no one was around outside. What could it hurt? Stumbling back inside a while later, I learned what it could hurt and that was my body! God has not only designed us to rest, and to rest in Him, but He has also made it so there will be consequences when we fail to do so. Since rest is something, I am still trying to learn after 50 plus years as a Christian, I hope that this upcoming series on rest may be of benefit to others as well. Today was just a teaser, but we’ll begin in earnest on Monday (I have to rest tomorrow!). I am looking forward to hearing your comments, feedback or personal stories on how you are learning to rest.

Not a Very Good Waiter
I’m not a very good waiter
Doing nothing seems simply a waste
But our Father who loves to walk slowly
Does nothing in hurry or haste!

Silence of Worship Part 2

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Psalm 105:4 Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always

On Sunday the worship team did a wonderful job and when one of the leaders broke out into praise in Spanish I almost felt like I was back at our old home church where our praise alternated between English and Portuguese. But if you were following this conversation yesterday you know that we did not look at corporate praise as wonderful as that is but instead at the first two of four different kinds of silent worship in Psalm 105. While these are unseen, they are not less important than playing singing, blowing trumpets and dancing, which were all accepted forms of public praise in the Old Testament. The invisible parts of our worship life are like the roots that support trees and keep them alive and growing even through the quiet dormant seasons of the year. So this morning let’s dive into the second pairing of how we worship without words.

Look to the Lord and His strength When we come to worship the first thing we must notice is not the décor of the sanctuary, the outfits of the worship team or the appearance of the person next to us. What we need to see is invisible and that is The Lord and His strength. That is because as Corrie Ten Boom once said,

“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”

Worship must begin from a place at rest. Everything around us wants to take away the rest Jesus offers and replace it with some form of urgency. Our minds fill with ideas of this or that which must be done tomorrow, physical pain in our body reminds us of our human frailty or hurtful memories clamor for attention like spoiled children at a candy counter. But if just for a moment we first look to the Lord, immediately the strength of His arms will hold us and we will find rest in His presence.

To seek His face always! – When I was small I would run to my mother whenever I fell down for her comfort and if needed wait while she put a put bandage on my knee. But once mom had doctored my hurt, I ran back to my play. But seeking the face of God always means more than just experiencing His healing touch. He calls us to come and sit down beside Him, learn His plans for the day and then walk with Him every step of the way. He doesn’t want us to just seek His face when we fall down but at every moment and always!

Today I close with one of my favorite hymns sung by Tricia Brock: Jesus I am Resting Resting written by the Irish missionary Jean Pigott in 1876

Jesus I am resting resting in the joy of what Thou art

I am finding our the greatness of Thy Loving heart

The Promises of God

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For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20

There have been times when I have hung on to a desire, a goal or even a possession because in my mind it was “Promised by God.” But whether a specific achievement, position or goal is really ours is less important than missing the point of God’s promise.

With the goal of inheriting all that God has promised us like the children of Israel inheriting the Promised land, we need to ask ourselves what is God’s promise to us? After all until we are sure what our goal is how will we know when we have reached it? What are your goals? What do you feel God has promised? In fact just what is a promise?

A promise is keeping our word to do what we have said we would do. The Bible tells us that Jesus was God’s word in human form (John 1:12). Jesus came with one mission in mind: to seek and save the lost. If we make anything other than Jesus: any possession position or experience to be our goal then we will have missed the promises of God. Jesus is far more than the one who answers our prayers and meets our needs. Jesus Himself was while here on earth the keeper of the promises of God. In our love relationship with Him we can make the amazing discovery that we do not need to pass through a desert, cross the red sea or in fact go anywhere at all on earth to find God’s promise. God’s greatest promise for each one of us is knocking at our door waiting for us to hear His voice and open He is waiting to sit down with us, break the bread and share the cup of all the promises of God!

Jesus I am Resting Resting

In the Joy of what Thou art

And I’m finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart

Jesus I am Resting by Jean Sophia Piggott  1877?