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From the Heart

With only a microphone in her hand, she walked to the center of the darkened stage. Before the musicians struck the first chord, before she uttered her first note, she closed her eyes for a moment hoping by the end of her song, by the time she finished singing her last note, she would have a “4 chair turn.” Or at least a “1 chair turn” – the sign that one of the four celebrity coaches had chosen her to be on their singing team on the popular television show called “The Voice.”

And so she sang. Pitch perfect. Every word of the lyrics sung without hesitation. It was just as she had imagined it would be, except when the music stopped, not one of the coaches had turned their chair.

Barely able to keep tears from flowing, her disappointment was visible, as the coaches spoke words of encouragement.

You have a beautiful voice.

Your pitch was perfection.

You have a gift.

But it isn’t just being able to sing beautifully to music.

You have to sing the song from the heart.

That was what she was missing, she didn’t sing from the heart. It wasn’t her lack tone or range. It wasn’t that her phrasing was out of sync. She had the precision, but she didn’t sing with heartfelt emotion that connects the words of the song to those who are hearing them.

Now I am the first to admit that I am not blessed with the gift of a beautiful singing voice. My range is narrow and I can easily sing off key. Certainly I would never qualify to sing on any stage, but I still can relate to the coaches’ advice when it comes to singing a song of worship to the Lord.

His concern is not how melodious our voices are or if we are able to sing every word of a worship song with precision. His desire is that we sing unto Him our words of praise “from the heart.” What we sing needs to connect to the One to whom we are singing. In fact, Paul admonishes us to:

“ . . . sing and make music from the heart unto the Lord.” (Eph. 5:19 NIV)

So whether it is during a church service and a time you are alone in prayer, our songs of worship to the Lord must not become routine. We must sing “from the heart” unto the Lord.

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So next Sunday, when the musicians strike their first chord, when the worship team sings that first note, let’s not be an “audience.” Let’s join in, not just singing the lyrics of a song as part of a church service. Instead, let’s be inspired to participate by lifting up our voices, making music from our hearts unto the Lord. Let’s connect the words of the song to the One whom we worship. Remember, it is not how well we sing, but whether what we sing expresses the awe and love we have for the Lord.

 

The Master Planner

Before the Great Creator turned the earth from a chaotic mass enveloped in dark vapors into a living planet,

before He filled it with all manner of vegetation and living creatures,

before He formed the father of humanity from the dust of the ground and the mother of humanity from man’s rib, our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God knew who each one of us would be.

Before we were ever formed in our mother’s womb, our Great Intelligent Designer knew our complex genetic code, our DNA that makes us singularly unique. Truly God’s handiwork is amazing when it comes to our physical DNA, what is even more amazing is that the Master Planner also placed in us a spiritual DNA.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.                    Eph. 2:10 (NLT)

 For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.  Eph. 2:10 (The Voice)

God has a divine plan with good things for us to accomplish. But all too often we consider our lack of talent or abilities and question whether God truly has a plan for us.  Perhaps for those special Christians, the spiritual elite – the pastors, evangelists, missionaries or Bible teachers, but me?

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Praying for You

On the last night with his disciples, gathered around the table, Jesus prepares them for the hours ahead. He reminds them how he will be arrested and put to death. His words are not what they want to hear. But they are the truth!

Jesus knows his disciples will abandon him. He knows that Peter who is so adamant he would never abandon Jesus, that even Peter will deny him and run for his life.

Jesus knows the hours and the days ahead are pivotal in the lives these disciples. They will be overwhelmed with grief, despair, guilt, and doubt.

He knows this will be the opportune time for Satan to step in and seek to destroy their faith. So Jesus tells Peter,

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.                     (Luke 22:31 NIV)

In other words, Satan wanted to separate the disciples from Jesus, like chaff is separated from the grain of wheat. Satan wanted to destroy their faith in Jesus and stop them from fulfilling their divine destiny. But Jesus intervened with prayer.

” But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”    (Luke 22:32 NIV)

Jesus prayed for his disciples that though their faith would waver, their faith would not fail.

untitled (7)And God the Father answered his prayers. God sent His Holy Spirit to strengthen the faith of these disciples. From the ashes of guilt and despair, from the burden of overwhelming guilt, the Holy Spirit comforted and empowered these disciples to become the mighty apostles who established Christ’s Church here on earth.

Yet on the same night that Jesus told his disciples he had prayed for them, he also revealed this truth for us.

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Water to Wine

It’s the baffling, head-scratching miracle.

The “why this one?” miracle.

At the request of his mother, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding reception.  His very first miracle!

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Not a lame man being healed. Nor a blind man receiving sight. Not a leper being made whole. No, this miracle, his first miracle, is turning water into wine.  No one would suffer if the flow of wine stopped except perhaps the bridegroom from momentary embarrassment.

So don’t you agree that it seems strange that this would be the first miracle Jesus performed?Every time I would read the account of this miracle, I wondered why it was even documented in the Scriptures.

But often, from what is at first baffling to us God teaches powerful lessons.  Recently as I read John 2 once again, I was stopped by a truth central to this miracle:  Jesus didn’t just turn water into wine; he turned water in fine wine. The wine was so fine that the banquet master was stunned by its quality.

Suddenly I saw in this miracle what I had never realized before. This first miracle foreshadows the transforming work Jesus does for us! He can transform our ordinary, mundane lives into extraordinary, remarkable lives.  But in order for that to happen, we have to heed the words of instruction Mary gave the servants at that wedding banquet.

“Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:11 NLT)

The servants obeyed.  They followed the instructions Jesus gave them.  And, the water they poured into the large jars was miraculously turned into fine wine.

For our lives to be transformed,  we too have to do what Jesus tells us to do.  We have to be obedient to His  words of instruction given to us in the Scriptures. We have to live the truths and values of our faith.  Because when we do, Jesus can perform his first miracle in our lives; he can take the “average” and transform it into excellence.   He can still turn water into fine wine!

For those reading “A Hand On My Shoulder,” I have posted the last three chapters of M.D. Beall’s memoir. God placed His Hand on a young girl in the UP in the early years of the 20th Century and took her on a journey of faith that continues to encourage us today. Indeed, God transformed her life:  he turned “water” into “fine wine!” Although M.D. Beall finished writing about her life of faith in the 1950’s, God continued to place His Hand on her shoulder until a September day in 1979 when she went into the presence of the Lord.

If Mom Beall, as many called her, touched your life, I would like to invite you to share your experience by leaving a reply (click on “Leave a response”).   How wonderful it would be to read how her story continues in the lives of believers today. 

Compelled by His Spirit

The Apostle Paul was on his third missionary journey. And, he was compelled by the Spirit to go to Macedonia. Later “the Spirit compelled him to go to Jerusalem.”  (Acts 19:21; 20:22 NLT)

I love that phrase: compelled by the Spirit.

Paul was being led by the Holy Spirit. God’s divine will was being revealed to him not by an angelic vison nor a dramatic voice from heaven. He didn’t receive direction at a burning bush or at the foot of a quaking mountain.

He was simply compelled by the Spirit.

The revelation of God’s will for his next steps came in a very simple and quiet way – the Holy Spirit compelled him. The Spirit of God captivated his attention and built in him a divine desire – a desire accompanied by a confident peace, a desire revealing God’s gentle, but firm hand of direction pointing the way.

Paul didn’t require the spectacular or the dramatic in order to know God’s will for his next steps. He just tuned his spirit into the wavelength of God’s Spirit and heeded the compelling of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I think we miss out on following God’s quiet direction for our lives, because we think His direction has to be revealed to us in a dramatic or spectacular way. And it may.

But more often than not, the way that God leads us is by the compelling of His Spirit. We are led by God’s Spirit as He fills our hearts and minds with a compelling directive. It’s not a spiritual shout. It’s a quiet voice that stirs our hearts. And, if we quiet the noise of our lives and with intention, listen for His direction, He will compel us. He will direct our steps and show us the way!

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For those reading “A Hand On My Shoulder,” Chapters 25-27 are three of my favorites.  They are a testament to God’s compelling power to lead and guide us, and in M.D. Beall’s case, to do so in very dramatic way.

Learning To Pray

“How do I pray for more than just a minute or two? What would I say?’

An honest question asked by a young woman inmate in the county jail where I teach a Bible study.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to pray, she wanted to know how to pray. And her questions caught me off guard. For you see, having grown up in church, prayer has been a constant in my life. Having been raised in a Christian home where my parent lived their faith, I heard the words of their prayers. I listened to how they prayed and witnessed the power of prayer.

So when this inmate asked her question about prayer, not only did I realize how blessed I have been, but also the necessity of teaching people how to pray.

After all, that is what Jesus did.

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Moved with Compassion

Jesus had just received heartbreaking news.

John the Baptist had been beheaded by King Herod in a most ignoble way.  This was a blow to Jesus. He and John shared not only family ties (their mothers were cousins), but they shared a strong spiritual bond.

Their ministries were tied together. John’s ministry had prepared the way for Jesus. John, was the one who baptized him, the event God the Father used to announce that Jesus was His beloved Son. Both men knew the will of God for their lives and were being obedient to His will.

But now John was dead – murdered.  Sorrow filled Jesus’ heart. And, all he wanted to do in that moment was to be alone.

Away from the crowds.

Away from teaching and preaching.

Away from bantering with religious leaders.

He just wanted to go to the mountaintop alone and pray. To be comforted by prayer with His heavenly Father. So,

When Jesus learned what had happened, He got on a boat and went away to spend some time in a private place. “   (Matt. 14:13 Voice)

But the crowds followed Jesus. By the time he stepped off the boat, thousands had gathered.

Though Jesus wanted solitude, when He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, and He healed the sick and the lame.                    (Matt. 14:14 Voice)

Then after hours of performing miracles of healing and deliverance, Jesus performed the mind-boggling miracle of feeding the people, over 4,000 in all, with just five loaves of bread and two fish.

All of these miracles are amazing, but what touched my heart was the amazing compassion demonstrated by Jesus.

Then, after the crowd had gone, Jesus went up to a mountaintop alone (as He had intended from the start). As evening descended, He stood alone on the mountain, praying.  (Matt. 14:23 Voice)

When everything within him clamored for solitude, because he was moved with compassion he pushed aside his own needs and attended to the needs of the thousands who followed him.  His compassion moved him to action.

Lord, help me demonstrate this kind of compassion in my life. Even when I am weary, even when I am overwhelmed by the affairs of my life, let me be so moved with compassion that I respond with action.  Give me eyes to see the needs of others and to respond not just with compassionate feelings but with acts of compassion.

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A Miracle

In just over three short years, Jesus performed a multitude of miracles.  To name just a few:

He healed the blind man at Bethsaida,

the lame man by the pool of Bethesda,

the woman who hemorrhaged for 18 years,

the boy who was oppressed by demons,

ten lepers outside of the city walls,

and raised from the dead a young man from Nain.

Hour after hour the crowds would wait their turn for a healing touch, a healing word. News of astounding miracles spread like wildfire throughout the land of Israel and the surrounding region.   Unbelievable, eye-popping, faith-stirring miracles!

In our churches today, we wonder what it must have been like. We ask, “Will God do it again?” I have no doubt that God can cause a wave of miracles, signs and wonders to be prolific once again. But as I stood in church last Sunday, I realized we have already experienced miracles far more amazing than physical healing and deliverance.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have experienced the miracle of salvation – the miracle of exchanging a destiny of eternal separation from our God to an eternal destiny of being in His presence.   We have experienced the miracle of forgiveness, the miracle of God’s grace, the miracle of His favor.  But there is more.

Sunday as we sang the song, “This King is Among Us,” a verse jumped out.

“Holy Spirit fire, burn brightly in my soul”

These words reminded me that a sinless Christ became sin for us so God the Father could send His Holy Spirit to “burn brightly” in our soul.  It is truly a miracle that we can have His Holy Spirit not just with us but at work within our hearts and soul.   Perhaps that is why the Apostle Peter called the indwelling of the Holy Spirit a gift – a miraculous gift of God’s presence leading, guiding, and transforming our lives.

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Deep Waters

She stands at the edge of the pool – at the deep end.

Her mom is waiting with open arms for her daughter to jump in, but the little girl hesitates. One moment ready to jump into the deep water, the next stepping back in fear.

In the shallow end, where her feet touch the bottom, she swims for hours. She jumps in without hesitation. She can float on her back with ease. Using her arms and legs, she propels her body from one side of the pool to the other. But now she is at the deep end where the water is over her head, where she can’t touch the bottom.

At the edge of the pool she has a choice to make – a choice of trust.

Will she trust her mother’s arms will keep her safe in the deep water?

Will she trust what she has learned to do in the shallow end, that she will be able to do in the deep water?

It may not be at the deep end of a pool, but we too can find ourselves facing the same choice of trust when God wants us to go deeper. When He wants us to take that next step in our spiritual journey, to move beyond where we have become comfortable, to step out in faith into a new area of service or ministry. To swim in waters that are over our heads where our feet can’t touch the bottom.

Can we trust God to be with us in the deep?

Can we trust what God has already taught us to be part of His plan to take us deeper?

Can we trust that God’s will is better than what we “will,” even when our present isn’t leading us to the future we expected?

In the book of Hebrews, we read about believers who were content to stay in the shallow end – to remain spiritual “babies” at a time when they should have been spiritually mature.

“By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, . . ” Heb. 5:12-14 MSG

Our relationship with God must not remain static. Our faith must continue to grow and mature, which will require us to make the choice of trust and jump into deep waters.

Instead of fearing the deep, we need to embrace the challenges of the deep.

Instead of flailing in fear and panic, we need to rest in His promise to never leave or forsake us.

He arms are ready to catch us. He will keep our heads above the water. He will help us “swim” in the deep waters. We just need to trust God and jump!

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Thorns

Jesus performed yet another miracle. A man who could not speak was healed.

The crowd was amazed.

Yet some among them began to question the source of Jesus’ power. Others demanded he perform yet another miracle. As Jesus addressed their skepticism, countering their unbelief with great insight and wisdom, a woman in the crowd interrupted the debate. While there were those in the crowd who were more concerned about how this man was healed, questioning the source of Jesus’ spiritual authority, this woman stayed focused on the miracle itself.

A man who had suffered, who was unable to speak, was miraculously healed! The man who couldn’t speak a word could now praise the Lord with his own voice.

So with her voice, she shouted out to Jesus,

“Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.”                        (Luke 11:27 NIV)

Then Jesus immediately replied with these amazing words,

But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” (Luke 11:28 NLT)

With this simple statement we see how important it is to the Lord that we put into practice His Word.  He bestows great blessing upon those who are not just “hearers” of God’s Word but are “doers” of it.  How imperative it is not just to say we are a Christian, but to be a Christian. For the truths of the Scriptures to become our way of life. To live our faith!

And that is not always easy. Why? Because of the thorns.

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