Tag: Beauty

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This Is Why We Sing

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 25-27

Daily Thought

To prophecy is to forthtell, to speak God’s Word for today, or foretell, to speak God’s Word for the future, but there must be more, because the sons of Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun “prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals” (1Chronicles 25:1). Heman was the king’s seer (2Chronicles 25:5). He was also his director of music. King David selected the sons of Heman, along with those of Asaph and Jeduthun, to be the orchestra, exalting God and filling the house of the Lord with music. The music itself speaks God’s Word, not to the present or the future, but to the soul. It is the creature’s response to her Creator. Prophecy tells us more than what is or what will be, but it speaks to who we are and who is our Father. There is a power in beauty that declares the divine and opens our hearts to the wonders of Almighty God.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. ~Psalm 96:1-6

Alongside the heavens and the earth, the majesty and mystery of creation, art and music touches our heart, sings to the soul, declares God’s glory, prophecies with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. This is why we sing.

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, fill me with Your Spirit, with Your Words, with Your songs, that I might declare Your wonders and Your glory, the beauty and mystery of life. You touch my mind and I understand, but worship is more than what I simply think. There is language deeper than words, unlocked by the heavens, by music, by creation, by wonder, that express Your glory. Your grace and love and truth are displayed not only in what I do and what I say, but in what I sing. What a strange and wonderful thing is music. Thank You for it. Where words fail to express Your glory, music proclaims it to the world. What a wonderful God.

Amen

Daily Question

What is your favorite worship song, and why?

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It Was Good

Happy Birthday, Aunt Katie!!!

Daily Reading

1Kings 6-7

Daily Thought

I gaze at a sunrise because I am overwhelmed by its beauty and must stop and take it in. I watch hummingbirds because they are fascinating and fun. Delight rises within me as they flitter about. I peer into the intricacies of a rose and marvel at God, thanking Him for creating this world with such wonder. Creation could function, I suppose, without beauty, but that is not the character of our Creator. God is an artist and as he finished each day of creation, he admired his handiwork and “saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). It more than works, it marvels! Creation is beautiful and all beauty points to God.

When God created the heavens and the earth, he made a home for us, but more importantly, a temple for the Almighty, where heaven and earth meet. Six days of creation, then God rested, which means his work was done, but rest also means “to take residence,” and that is what God did–“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). This world is his temple and we met him there.

Until we sinned and were cast out of the Garden of Eden.

Then God chose a people, the nation of Israel, and began preparing them for a new place to meet–“Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, ‘Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, which I spoke to David your father. And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will not forsake my people Israel’” (1Kings 6:11-13). King Solomon would build a Temple on earth for a nation to meet her God.

The Temple was constructed of stone and overlaid in cedar and cypress and olivewood, then covered with gold. Grand columns were erected and there were engravings of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers and gold chains. You could almost hear the echo of Genesis 1 as Solomon would pause at the end of a day and admire the handiwork. He saw that it was good. 

We see good because we are made in the image of the God who created all that is good. God’s image is the mark of humanity. I cannot share the beauty of a sunset with my dog. It has no appeal to her–she was not made in God’s image, but I was. Solomon was a creative artist because God is a creative artist, and so are you and me in our own unique God-given ways. We are creative and our good works point to God because God is the almighty Creator and we reflect who he is.

Daily Prayer

Creator God, I am amazed at Your works, and when I realize I am Your workmanship, I hold my breath. What do You have in mind for me? God, may I make it easy for You to mold me into the person You had in mind when You created me. I submit to Your will because it is good. 

Thank You for noticing me! And delighting in me!! May people see what You have done in me and give You praise.

Amen

Daily Question

What are the things in creation that most turn your thoughts toward God?

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Beauty

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 16-17

Daily Thought

A joke: two outlaw gunfighters, Pete and Tom, brothers and bad men, were notorious in the Old West. Tom, alas, was slow on the draw and killed. Pete cautioned the preacher if he did not call Tom a saint at his burial, the preacher would be next in the grave. So, when giving the eulogy, the preacher detailed the bad life Tom had lived, but concluded, “compared to his wicked brother Pete, Tom was a saint.”

“As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed” (Ezekiel 16:48, 51). According to God, Israel was Pete, Sodom and Samaria were Tom, and Israel made them look good by comparison.

God reminded Israel, you had it good! “You were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen” (Ezekiel 16:13). You were married to the King of kings–“I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God and you became mine” (Ezekiel 16:8), but Israel loved her beauty more than the one who made her beautiful–“You trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his” (Ezekiel 16:15). 

Our trouble begins when what God thinks of us is not enough and we seek the second opinion of others. Israel sought the company of creation rather than the Creator, and beauty became a whore.

Daily Prayer

My God, may You always receive the glory. In all of creation and in everything I do. Yours is the Name above all names.

What is astounding is I am not only part of Your family, but I am a co-heir with Your Son, Jesus Christ. Not only am I clothed in His righteousness, but I share His eternal treasure. Thank You, Father, because when I make You first, I discover all my dreams and desires are fulfilled. My greatest joy comes in Your glory.

Amen

Daily Question

What is God’s opinion of you? How important is that to you?

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Beauty

Daily Reading

Ezekiel 16-17

Daily Thought

A joke: two outlaw gunfighters, Pete and Tom, brothers and bad men, were notorious in the Old West. Tom, alas, was slow on the draw and killed. Pete cautioned the preacher if he did not call Tom a saint at his burial, the preacher would be next in the grave. So, when giving the eulogy, the preacher detailed the bad life Tom had lived, but concluded, “compared to his wicked brother Pete, Tom was a saint.”

“As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed” (Ezekiel 16:48, 51). According to God, Israel was Pete, Sodom and Samaria were Tom, and Israel made them look good by comparison.

God reminded Israel, you had it good. “You were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen” (Ezekiel 16:13). You were married to the King of kings–“I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God and you became mine” (Ezekiel 16:8), but Israel loved her beauty more than the one who made her beautiful. “You trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his” (Ezekiel 16:15). Our trouble begins when what God thinks of us is not enough and we seek the second opinion of others. Israel sought the company of creation rather than the Creator, and beauty became a whore.

Daily Prayer

My God, may You always receive the glory. In all of creation and in everything I do. Yours is the Name above all names.

What is astounding is I am not only part of Your family, but I am a co-heir with Your Son, Jesus Christ. Not only am I clothed in His righteousness, but I share His eternal treasure. Thank You, Father, because when I make You first, I discover all my dreams and desires are fulfilled. My greatest joy comes in Your glory.

Amen

Posted on

This Is Why We Sing

Daily Reading

1Chronicles 25-27

Daily Thought

Heman was the king’s seer (2Chronicles 25:5).  He was also his director of music. King David selected the sons of Heman, along with those of Asaph and Jeduthun, to be the orchestra, exalting God and filling the house of the Lord with music. To prophecy is to to forthtell, to speak God’s Word for today, or foretell, to speak God’s Word for the future, but there must be more, because the sons of Heman, Asaph, and Jeduthun “prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals” (1Chronicles 25:1). The music itself spoke God’s Word, not to the present or the future, but to the soul. Prophecy tells us more than what is or what will be, but it speaks to who we are and who is our God. There is a power in beauty that declares the divine and opens our hearts to the wonders of our Creator.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
~A Psalm of David 19:1-4

It is not the heavens alone, but the majesty and mystery of creation, of art and music touches our heart, sings to the soul, declares God’s glory, prophecies with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. This is why we sing.

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, fill me with Your Spirit, with Your Words, with Your songs, that I might declare Your wonders and Your glory, the beauty and mystery of life. You touch my mind and I understand, but worship is more than what I simply think. There is language deeper than words, unlocked by the heavens, by music, by creation, by wonder, that express Your glory. Your grace and love and truth are displayed not only in what I do and what I say, but in what I sing. What a strange and wonderful thing is music. Thank You for it. Where words fail to express Your glory, music proclaims it to the world. What a wonderful God.

Amen

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In His Time

Daily Reading

1Samuel 13-14

Daily Thought

Have you noticed how often God is late? God and I have this disagreement. I think “now” would be a good time, but God thinks later. Later is usually better, but that’s not how I calendared it. God has an agenda, and all too often it’s not the same as mine, and that’s my problem.

I’m not alone in this. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was dying. Hurry, they urged him. He waited, instead, two days longer. Both sisters accused Jesus, “If you had been here…”; but Jesus had a better plan, “I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (see John 11:1-44).  Peter observes that the whole world thinks God is late, and scoffs, “Jesus said he would return. Where is he?” But God has a better plan, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (see 2Peter 3:1-9). The writer of Hebrews calls God’s people to be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

King Saul had little patience, and thus showed less faith. Saul was anxious to fight the Philistines, but Samuel was yet to offer sacrifices to God before the battle. Seven days passed and Samuel, and therefore God, was late. It was time for war, so Saul wrongly offered the sacrifices himself. Then Samuel showed `up and said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart” (1Samuel 13:13-14).

Unless we learn to trust God and wait on his timing, we will never experience his better plan. Being obedient is more important than being on time. Saul failed to learn this, but a couple kings later, a wise King Solomon observed, “God makes everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Not ours.

Daily Prayer

God, Your ways are not man’s ways. By faith, I follow You. I trust You and I will jump when You call. I will also wait until You say to go. I know if it is according to my strength and my wisdom, then I am in danger of taking credit. Therefore, God, not by my strength, nor my wisdom, but I submit to You my heart and my soul, and I will follow You in faith.

And You get the glory.

Amen