Singing in My Sleep...

I awoke this morning about 4:30 am and had been 'singing' within my spirit an old Keith Green song, "Oh Lord, You're Beautiful". I don't really know the whole song, only that first few lines but its such a lovely tune. I think I have been singing this for weeks now so perhaps I need to learn the rest of it? I wake up most mornings and have this song welling up within me right away. Maybe it's more like being fully aware I had been singing while I was sleeping. Hmm...

The Lord had prompted me to get up early this morning and I failed in my obedience today. We sheared sheep yesterday and I was SOOOOOO tired in my body. Every joint ached and my feet were painful by days end from being in barn boots all day. Yet, it pains me more to know I did not/could not/would not or whatever 'not' get up early to spend time with Jesus. Once again, I ask for His forgiveness and so need His mercy and grace. Oh Lord, You are indeed beautiful to me!

As I was writing this morning, I hopped over to Rockin' with the Cross and found the remaining words to the Keith Green song. The 2nd verse sounds like me this morning:

Oh Lord, my body's tired

But Your keep reminding me

Of many holy, tireless men

Who spilt their blood for Thee

My prayer is that The Lord forgive me once again for my failures and give me strength and endurance to continue The Race, striving and following hard after Him alone. May I not simply admire Jesus from afar and hold Him only in adoration. Adore Him, yes, but do not stop there. Adore Him, behold Him, honor Him, obey Him, love Him in reckless abandon and be oblivious to my own needs, my discomfort or my plan for the day.

Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

Your face is all I seek

And when Your eyes are on this child,

Your grace abounds to me!

Thank you, Jesus, for your faithfulness and your undying patience with me. Your grace indeeds sustains and covers me. Your blood alone is the only thing to make me anything at all before You. I love You, Lord.

In the Silence...

Silence - why do we run from it? Why do we turn away from the 'absence of sound or noise'? Being quiet or silent implies a sense of stillness - devoid of or abstaining from motion.; uttering no sound. It is a place where 'we' must cease to exist. When we remain here, the focus can shift from ourselves to Jesus. Ecclesiastes 3:7 says there is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak". We have so concentrated on our speaking, we have forgotten the joy of silence.

This is a place in life where I am welcoming silence. Distractions have been plentiful and there indeed comes a time when we must either pull ourselves away from all the 'noise' or we will get caught up in it. Jesus set the perfect example when He walked this earth and would frequently get away to be with the Father. Sometimes, in order to hear the Father, we need to be quiet and listen; to abstain from motion and utter no sound. Honesty prevails in silence.

In the Silence

by Jason Upton

Tired of telling You, You have me, when I know You really don't

Tired of telling You I'll follow, when I know I really won't

'Cause I'd rather stand here speechless, with no great words to say,

If my silence is more truthful and my ears can hear how to walk in Your way.

In the silence, You are speaking

In the quiet, I can feel the fire

And it's burning, burning deeply

Burning all, it is that You desire to be silent, in me.

Oh, Jesus, can You hear me? My soul is screaming out,

And my broken will cries teach me what Your Kingdom's all about.

Unite my heart to fear You, to fear Your Holy Name,

And create a life of worship, in the spirit and truth of Your loving ways.

In the silence, You are speaking

In the quiet, I can feel the fire

And it's burning, burning deeply

Burning all, it is that You desire to be silent, in me.

The Error of Irreverence...

This morning, God placed in my mind 2 Samuel 5:19 "So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” After reading the rest of the chapter, I was brought back to the very first sentence, "So David inquired of the Lord...." and wondered just how often I missed doing that. How often do I do my own thing and not inquire of the Lord first? Truth be known, it's much more often than I wish it to be. If I can be faithful to the Lord in inquiring of Him in those small things, how much easier will it be during those big things? Or in difficult times?

I continued reading this morning through the next chapter of 2 Samuel - this is where David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. As I read, it seemed to me as if David's attempt to move God's presence (the Ark) was done simply according to what he thought was the right way. His 'method' (for lack of a better word) appeared to be right but, in the end, this gave way to a scenario that cost Uzzah his life.

In verse 7, God struck Uzzah "for his error" and he died immediately right there beside the Ark. From the verses, I cannot ascertain what Uzzah's actual intention was. The Word only states that Uzzah put his hand to the Ark when the oxen stumbled - it does not specify his intention. Perhaps he did not have an ulterior motive, I don't know. I certainly am not worthy to judge any one else's motivations anyway! As I read the Word, Uzzah's error was in "taking hold" of the Ark. That word 'error' is translated as 'irreverence'. Uzzah disregarded that which is Holy and treated it as if it were common. He was irreverent to the presence of the Lord (the Ark) by reaching out to steady it when the oxen stumbled. Did you happen to notice where the oxen stumbled? It was at Nacon's threshing floor, which is interesting in itself, if you think about it. To begin with, the ground for a threshing floor is normally made smooth and beaten down to make it hard. It is here where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Those oxen took a step that was not expected or anticipated by man but God knew exactly what was going on. Doesn't He always?

As I continued to read, I noticed David had acted in what he believed was a good way to transport the Ark. He thought a brand new cart was an excellent (and easy) way to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. David failed in not learning the protocols of The King. It seemed to me as if David had sought the Lord in what was to be moved (the Ark) but stopped there. He failed to 'inquire of the Lord' as to the 'how' God's presence was to be moved. And it was not until David came into alignment with God's way of doing things that the Ark was transported without someone dying.

With the New Covenant of Christ, the blood of Jesus destroyed the need for any additional sacrifice(s) to be made in order to enter into God's presence. His completeness of Grace and Mercy on the Cross by His total Sacrifice changed the protocols of the Law forever. And yet, we still insist on approaching the Lord our own way, in our own ability rather than His. God cannot look upon sin so we dare not to enter His presence without the blood of Jesus covering us, lest we die. We must continually examine ourselves before the Lord and, at the same time, trust in the fullness of His grace to make us fit to be before the Throne.

So, I began to ponder just how many "Uzzah's" have occurred in my own life because of my error, my irreverence. He has certainly shown me much mercy by not striking me down on the spot and, if were not for His grace, that may have already happened. It is important to know, however, approaching the Lord isn't in a method, system or order - it's a heart condition. Are you surrendered to Jesus? To His will and not your own? Do you approach the Lord because you can? Or might it be simply because you want to, out of sheer love for Him and your desire to be with Him?

Christ's sacrifice on the Cross restored the avenue for open fellowship between us and our Heavenly Father. He wants to walk with us, just like He did with Adam in the Garden, before the fall. Can you imagine their conversations?!? I think God is really calling His children back to Himself not only because He loves us but also in that He wants to spend time with us. He desires for us to know His heart, to show us His dreams for our life. I wonder if He grows tired of listening to our demands, our wish lists and our insistence in doing things a certain way, our way? He is so patient...

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)

You can't access God in your own way or by your own methods - it's only through Christ Jesus. Oh, please, please, do not use my Lord (do not err by irreverence) as a gateway to the Father for presenting a wish list or just to get something from Him. How that must break His heart! And oh, what a painful lesson we may have to learn as David did.

I love you, Lord. Help me to see the error of my ways in approaching You, most Holy One. Clear my heart of my own wants and desires; replace them with Yours. Thank you, Jesus, for Your perfect sacrifice! Thank you for opening the door back to the Father. Now, let me return to my First Love with reckless abandon!

Oh Lord, You're beautiful!

Your face is all I seek!

For when your eyes are on this child,

Your faith abounds to me.

No greater Refuge......

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God is flawless;He is a shield to those who take refuge in him." (NIV)

What a wonderful place to be - in the Refuge of the Almighty! It's almost too grand of a thought to contain but such relief washes over my soul just reading that verse. For me that refuge is a place of rest, gentleness and release - something I desperately need at this moment. I am overcome with the love of my Heavenly Father no matter where I am or what I am doing. I am so undone.