Author: desertspringblog

“Enter His gates with a song of thanksgiving.
Come into His Courtyards with a song of praise.
Give thanks to Him; praise His Name.
The Lord is good.
His mercy endures forever.
His faithfulness endures throughout every generation.”
Psalm 100:4-5

God loves to hear you sing. No matter what kind of voice you have, no matter whether you
have a pleasant voice or not, regardless of whether you can even carry a tune, God loves to
hear you sing to Him. He created music. . . especially singing. He loves to hear you sing to
Him…about Him….for Him. There is something Divine that is woven into music. Melodies have a capacity to bypass our mental logic and reason. A song can trigger the human heart and touch our souls. Music is not dependent on a language, nor a vocal tone or quality. It can cause goosebumps to rise without a listener’s choice or intent.

Music can penetrate our human capacities and go straight to a part of us that only He can
reach. And His Spirit loves to touch us deeply. . . Moments that bypass our human reason and ability to control are created by His Divine Intervention into our human core. For many,
“goosebumps” spring without any control on our part. It’s a sign of His Spirit connecting with ours.

God invites you to step through the Gates . . . not stand outside of it with uncertainty or
hesitation. He invites us to come in “with a song . . .” Not whispering. . . not silently so as not to disturb Him. His Gates are open . . . day and night. He is there, just past the Gate, waiting for you.

What will you experience first, after walking through His Gates? No security checkpoint… no ID or “frisking” required. No X-ray scan. You simply enter with a Song. “Thank You…Hallelujah.”

The Song continues as you step into His Courtyard. With each step, you are drawing nearer,
and beginning to focus your attention on seeing Him. Contact with Him. You begin to sing with anticipation. You are joining a song that everyone around you is singing as well. Every
language, every voice, spontaneously… from every heart. All you can think about is Him. His
Name on your lips, and on the lips of every person there. One Focus. One Name. Erupting
from every heart and voice…from every place on Earth.

You are fully aware that you could never be there on your own merit. You were invited by the King Himself. You have entered because of His Invitation. . . His Love for you. You begin to see dear faces that went before you into His Courts . . . into His Presence. The Song is on everyone’s lips. Erupting from every heart instantaneously. You know that you are not worthy to be there. But you are. . . because of Him.

And all that you want to do is to look upon His Face, through tears of joy and love. . . and sing
His Song for all Eternity.

“Blessed is the person who 
does not follow the advice of wicked people, 
take the path of sinners, 
or join the company of mockers. 
Rather, he delights in the teachings of the Lord 
and reflects on His Teachings day and night.”
Psalm1:1-2

I am trying to imagine what life would be without the deluge of distractions we encounter in our daily lives.   As a person with a touch of self-diagnosed Attention Deficite Disorder, I am perpetually distracted from the task at hand, hopping up to attend to some unimportant detail, then realizing an hour later that I was doing something before my distractions.  Now…what was it…?

The writer of this Psalm had his own category of distractors with which he was contending.  We can hear his heart’s desire to: 

• Shut out the voices of “wicked people” in his life who had lots of advice for him.  But it was not good advice, as it was not coming from godly people.
• Walk a different Path than the “normal” sinners in his life.
• Avoid hanging out with people who love mocking good choices in the face of “what everybody else is doing.”

The writer of this Psalm knew what it meant to follow an unpopular Path.  He could differentiate between choices that lay before him.   Whether temptations that were not part of the Path God had given him to walk, or doing “what everybody else is doing,”  or flat-out mocking those who have no love nor respect for the Path that God has laid out for His Children as we walk through life in this world. . . Can you relate? 

The writer of this Psalm knew what it was to have a completely different focus in life than all the people around him.  He had learned to focus his thoughts on the Words of his Lord.  He had focused his mind on the teachings of God….drinking in the Words,  thinking about them, and considering how those Words applied to his own daily life.  The Words had to be given time in his mind to translate them from a page, and into real-life applications  in his daily life.  

To “reflect…day and night…” requires intentionality.  “Reflecing” needs time.  When you look into a pool of water, or in a mirror, time has to pause as your eyes adjust to the image before you.  Ladies, especially, can relate to focusing to make sure we’re not going to walk out the door with some strange foreign object stuck on our face.  We may even use a magnifying lens to get into the finer details.  We’re not merely looking at what our own eyes see, but we are thinking about what others will see of us as well.   And if we are taking the time to really look . . . “reflect”  . . it’s because it matters to us.  

God wants us to be as attentive to His Words and how they apply to our own hearts, thoughts, and actions as we are to our outward appearance.  His Priority is always our heart.  That matters most to Him.  

Knowing God’s Word is merely the beginning of the Process of knowing God Himself, and His Purposes for our time on earth.  “Delight in His teachings” requires time. .  .  intentionality . . . stillness . . . and a heart that is soft and attentive to whatever Word He has for me personally.

Time. . . attention. . . stillness.  What a sweet way to begin a day.   It’s not a chore.  It is a delight.

“ . . . the Lord takes pleasure in his people.
He crowns those who are oppressed with victory.”
Psalm 149:4

God’s Heart seems to have a special place for those who are suffering. He cares for
the weak. . . the poor . . . those suffering with sickness. . . those suffering injustice . . .
the orphans, the most vulnerable in this world. Widows, orphans, down-cast, down-
trodden, and so many other realities that cause suffering in humans. But He does not
simply notice them. He does something toward them that raises them up to a higher
Reality. He creates a Divine Reversal for life. He creates a new identity in their very
spirits.

The Psalmist writes these words concerning a total reversal of what Man sees or
understands.

God gives them crowns. God elevates them to a high place of honor, respect, and
value. He speaks of giving crowns of victory to oppressed people. Oppressed people
normally have no justice, and little hope of any reversal of their situations. Without Him,
there is little Hope for the future. . . nor for the present.

God is fully aware of the state of this world. It is so utterly different from the World He
created in the Beginning. HE did not change. We changed. We chose. We lost. We
failed. And that reality has consistently continued throughout all of Time.

Yet, as a loving parent holds onto the knowledge of what a wayward child can still be,
still deep inside their identity, God continues to see His Own Image in each of us. He
knows who we were created to be, and who we really are, beneath all of the rubble we
allow to fill our lives, minds and hearts.

He sees us through His Eyes of Love. Eyes that see what was Planned in His heart
from the Beginning. Eyes that see what can be redeemed and made new. Eyes that
see a Path ahead that leads back to Him. . . for Eternity.

He sees how, in the End, the Crown He has held at the ready, can still be ours if and
when we return to Him. Our Father King awaits. . .

“Let them praise His Name with dancing.
Let them make music to Him with tambourines and lyres,
because the LORD takes pleasure in His people.
He crowns those who are oppressed with victory.”
Psalm 149:3-4

I love watching children dancing. Their free little spirits can just let loose at a
moment’s notice. They just get happy. And their whole body feels it. They simply have
to move with abandon.

God’s Word tells us that He “gets that.” He loves to see us….His Children….dance! It’s a
physical response that He wove within our spirits, to be set free by emotions that simply
need to come out. It’s a piece of how He created each of us, and we just need to let that
piece come out with abandon sometimes.

When children break out in dance, there is joy. There is freedom in their spirits, and it
just needs to come out in their little bodies. No set plan…no practiced steps…no
specific music. . . it’s from a deep place in our beings that was made to come out
through our spirits, our bodies, our faces, our eyes, and our voices. It’s part of a physical
response to sensing God’s Spirit dancing over us. About us. With us.

I grew up in an era of Christianity that catagorized dancing as ‘sinful.’ It was part of a
restrictive sense of spirituality. But as I watch the children in my life freely expressing
joy and excitement with their whole being, including their little bodies, I find myself
wishing I could feel so free. Especially being able to freely worship the God I love with
emotions, spirit, mind, and movement.

The Psalmist enjoyed dancing as part of his praise and joy expression to God. This was
no graceful waltz. No measured steps….not if tamborines and lyres were part of it. This
was active and energetic movement, expressing joy coming up from deep inside of him
. . . joy and love for his God.

And God experiences pleasure in watching us, as our chains of oppression are broken
by Him, and replaced with crowns of victory! We’re gonna dance!

I don’t want to miss THAT party!!

“Since we are surrounded by so many examples ⌞of faith⌟,
we must get rid of everything that slows us down,
especially sin that distracts us.
We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.”
Hebrews 12:1

When you look around your closest circle of relationships, who is there? Are they people you love? Are they people who love you? Are they people who add a “taste” that draws you to come closer to God personally? Do they cheer you on in your faith?

Or are they drawing you away from your relationship with God? Do they seem to hold you back from what your spirit….your heart … is nudging you to do as you pursue your faith? Are you even walking the same path?

There are people who have been in my life throughout the years who stand out as those who have been an encouragement to my faith. I’ve been inspired by their life . . . by the relationship I have witnessed between them and God. They’re people I want to be with….for all the right reasons.

Are you “in the race” with those people of faith in your own life? Or are you in different races altogether? Do you have the same Finish Line? Or have you gotten stuck in the ditch?

This Life IS a Race. . . whether we chose it, or it chose us. So the decision is ours. Whether
you are running, walking, pulled over to the side, or lying in the ditch. The Race is on, and you are in it. A Race cannot be a race unless there are at least two people in it. But there could also be thousands in the race.

Who are you running with? Are you both heading to the same Goal? Are you inspiring one
another in the race? Or are you being dragged down …. Held back….Encouraged to quit?
Maybe you are finding your way from a detour you’ve taken?

Have you allowed your own heart . . . your own mind . . . your own poor choices to hold you
back from reaching the Goal that awaits ahead?

Look to Paul’s words, written to the circle of people who shared his own heritage and faith. He makes the Purpose clear. He identifies the stumbling blocks and risks. Realities of this
earthly life. His Words cheer us on to the Goal. The Finish Line is up ahead. He’s there waiting, watching, inspiring us on because he’s already There.

And He and that Great Cloud of Witnesses know that It’s All True! So keep running!!!

“Let them make music to Him with tambourines and lyres,
because the LORD takes pleasure in His people.”
Psalm 149:4

Growing up in a pastor’s family, my sisters and I experienced LOTS of different church
music. As the Psalmist expresses, the music of worship is something that the Lord
enjoys from His people. A few memorable moments come to mind:

● I’d sit next to my mom on her piano bench while she practiced hymns in
preparation for the Sunday service. (She’d let me add MY little plunking
attempts to play along with her. Of course, what I was playing was COMPLETELY
different from what she was practicing. But I liked it anyway.)

● Our family was exposed to many churches and their unique musical styles…and
musicians.

● We visited a tiny church one Sunday when my dad had the day “off” and wasn’t
preaching at ours. One such memorable occasion, our family of 5 filled one
bench, right in front of the church’s old upright piano. There were only a few
other people in the whole place. The woman who was seated at the piano got up,
faced all of us and said, “Y’all pray for me now, ‘cuz I don’t know how to play the
piano. But we’re gonna worship God together anyways!” She then sat down on
the piano bench and proceeded to bang on all of the keys as loudly as possible.
There was no tune. She began playing “runs” (swiping all the keys from high to
low) like I’d never heard before nor since, at full volume. My mother very subtly
leaned over and “mouthed”, “Don’t laugh! Nobody laugh!….pass it on.” I
obediently passed the message down the row to my sisters. The building was
vibrating, and nobody was able to find the tune, including the piano lady. It was
our only visit to that church. But one of our most memorable church
experiences. . . ever.

● As Pastor’s Kids (P.K.’s for short), one sister and I were often asked to sing at
church. . . especially when visiting churches where our dad had been asked to
preach. We would get very nervous, but Mom encouraged and coached us,
playing the piano for us as we sang together in front of the people. I was the
shyest one… Nervousness sometimes found its outlet by vomiting . . . first one,
then the other. We were a little tag team.

● At one large church where our family had often visited, my sister and I were so
afraid that we’d be asked to sing, that we threw up in the foyer. In unison. The next time we attended that church, two ushers recognized us, quickly disappeared, and returned with a bucket and mop. Just in case . . .

Over time, we became more comfortable with singing in front of people, and
without the drama. We even began to enjoy it, and were eventually grateful for
the opportunities to sing. We weren’t singing for the praise of people . . . We
were singing to God, our Audience of One, and experienced His Presence in the
midst of musical worship. God was not looking for perfection, and we came to
welcome the experience of sensing His Spirit coming near. . . through the music
of worship.