psalm 77

so my pastor's sermon today was on psalm 77. we're going through a series on suffering. i'm going to type out most of this psalm...
"my voice rises to God, and i will cry aloud; my voice rises to God, and He will hear me. in the day of my trouble i sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out with weariness; my soul refused to be comforted. when i remember God, then i am disturbed; when i sigh, then my spirit grows faint. you have held my eyelids open; i am so troubled that i cannot speak. i have considered the days of old, the years of long ago. i will remember my song in the night; i will meditate with my heart and my spirit ponders:
will the Lord reject forever? and will He enverr be favorable again? has His promise come to an end forever? has God forgotten to be gracious, or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? then i said, "it is my grief, that the right hand fo the Most High has changed". i shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely i will remember your wonders of old. i will meditate on all your works and muse on your deeds. your way o God is holy, what god is great like our God? the waters saw you o God; the waters saw you, they were in anguish; the deeps also trembled...your way was THROUGH the sea and your paths in the mighty waters, and your footprints may not be known...you led our people like a flock. "
our pastor this morning talked about suffering and how the parting of the red sea parallels with this psalmist's words. asaph, the psalmist, talks about the path of God being holy...and that it was THROUGH the sea that God took His people when He parted it. i liked how our pastor talked about how God takes us through suffering not AROUND it, and going through the suffering reshapes us like an "extrusion"---the process by which metal is reshaped by going through a certain dye, that reshapes it and makes it better i think...or more valuable? but God didn't necessarily take His people AROUND the red sea, He led them through it after parting them and on the other side of the red sea, their faith grew and their trust was stronger in the Lord than it had been before. and the whole time God never left their side. He had gone before them and with them. how comforting! in this world of darkness and loneliness and struggles, we can trust that God's path, even when it is THROUGH the suffering, is PERFECT. and we may not know his "footprints", but we can rest in His hands and not our own. the process of extrusion and shaping us into His likeness and holiness starts with going through suffering and pain. and although asaph went through the darkest depths and cried out to the Lord many times and even questioned (in faith) God....the middle of the psalms declares his trust and remembering the faithfulness of the Lord and that there is hope in knowing God's way and that He leads His people even when the way may be dark. i just love this!

Continuation of Dancing

Danielle, I love that song! Its been a while since I've heard, but I remember listening to it and always contemplating the depth of God's love for me. He truly does take our hand and lead us. It made me think of a post from this summer on my other blog, so I thought I'd share. Its excerpts from Tim Keller's A Reason For God along with another song :) We just can't stop.

By the way, I looked at the pictures, and Bethany Dillon is beautiful, the pictures were beautiful, but it still looks weird to me. She looks like his little sister, not his wife. But I'm happy for them, my opinion certainly doesn't matter, haha!

"The inner life of the triune God, however, is utterly different. The life of the Trinity is characterized not by self-centeredness but by mutually self-giving love. When we delight and serve someone else, we enter into a dynamic orbit around him or her, we center on the interests and desires of the other. That creates a dance, particularly if there are three persons, each of whom moves around the other two. So it is, the Bible tells us. Each of the divine persons centers upon the others. None demands that the others revolve around him. Each voluntarily circles the other two, pouring love, delight, and adoration into them. Each person of the Trinity loves, adores, defers to, and rejoices in the others. That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love. The early leaders of the Greek church had a word for this-perichoresis. Notice our word "choreography" within it. It means literally to "dance or flow around."

"God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were made to join in the dance. If we will center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but just for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling him. This growth in happiness will go on eternally, increasing unimaginably (1 Corinthians 2:7-10)."

"When Jesus died for you he was, as it were, inviting you into the dance. He invites you to begin centering everything in your life on him, even as he has given himself for you."

Copeland is one of my favorite bands, and from what I've heard they are all Christians. This is one of my favorite songs by them, and I've always liked to think of it as an allegory of God. They probably didn't write it with that intention, but after reading this chapter, I will definitely think of it that way.

May I Have This Dance

May I have this dance?
Saw you sitting lonely,
I hoped you would say "Yes"

May I have this dance?
Look into my eyes
as I offer you my hand, my hand

Dance forever...

Stretch out my hand
To dance with your inviting, warmth providing hand
And I'll stand out facing me, embracing me
Into my companion for a dance
Dance forever...Dance forever!

When we dance, I'll whisper nothing in your ear
Speak in words you'd never hear
This, my love, it will not stop or start
And, you know that in your heart
You know that in your heart...

You lift your hands to me!
You lift your hands to me, and hold me so close!
We will dance forever!
We will dance forever!
We will dance forever!

A side note. I went to a Sacred Harp conference today. It was incredible, such beautiful music! The story I want to share though is about an older couple. For each song a different person would get up to conduct the song. 75% of the group was elderly people. So cute and fun to watch. Anyway, this one older woman gets up to lead and a man comes with her. She's standing there, but obviously unstable. He's there prepared to grab on as soon as she needs him. And she did need him. It didn't take long for her to reach out for him, and he was completely prepared. They moved so easily together. When she wasn't able to turn to conduct a different section of the room he immediately took over. I feel like I can't describe it well enough. It wasn't like he saw her needing help and then reacted, it was like he instinctively knew and they just moved together. Another thing, she almost appeared to be blind, and had been sitting in a wheel chair before he helped her up. It was obvious that he was in much better shape than she. As they finished and went to sit down she announced that they had shared their 53rd wedding anniversary the day before. It was just beautiful! It was such an incredible picture of what marriage should be. Thinking of the other person above yourself completely, and being prepared to work together to love each other through everything and to support each other completely. I saw Christ in it. I couldn't help but see Christ's love for her through that man, through that marriage. It was such a beautiful picture of love, which comes from Christ alone.

I think I've had a distorted idea of marriage and love lately. I've desired the passion, attraction, and romance so much that I forget what marriage is for. Marriage was created to glorify God, and a marriage that isn't centered on Him will be worth nothing, will be miserable, and won't work. There's no purity or beauty in it apart from Him. It was so encouraging. I wish ya'll could have seen it! I hope I did some good describing it :)

more song lyrics...:)

sarah- i think that is a great idea--- and then we can make a cd of the songs that we have on our list!! (hint...so i won't have to download all of them, when ya'll could burn them for me!) haha. well kate, i have some song lyrics to post on here from bethany dillon....this song is so good and i love her lyrics!
"for my love"
Walk towards me
I want to hear
The heavens singing over you
When you breathe
And look at me
I want to be captured by you

Gaze into my eyes
And let me know you’d fight
Thousands, for my love
Slip your hand in mine
Ask me to dance with you tonight
Just ask me for my love

I want to hide
What’s deep in my eyes
I’m scared to be known by you
But when I turn my head
And see you there
I want to be pursued...

i really just like that she's honest...and if you take it from our perspective and our ultimate desire for Christ, it is so true that sometimes we're scared to truly be known by someone, even the Lord. we want to hide, but when we SEE Him, we long for His love and for His pursuing US. i love the chorus that just summarizes the romance and love story of God for His people and as women especially we want to know that the man will fight THOUSANDS for our love...and that GOD did fight for us to win over our hearts. ahhhh i just love it. every time i listen to this song i can't help but picture the scenario of Christ's death and that He pursues us, and the lyrics say, "slip your hand in mine, ask me to dance with you tonight, just ask me for my love"...i just picture Christ holding my hand and leading me and joyously dancing and asking for my LOVE. He wants ALL of us, He wants our hearts and every piece of them...not just little parts that we want to give Him, but EVERYTHING. it baffles me that He is gracious enough that while we run from Him and try to hide, He's right there. how blind and selfish we are to want anything more than Christ's offer.
last thing---as i was looking up the lyrics on google...i stumbled upon bethany and shane's wedding pics...AHHHHHH. haha so appropriately, why not look at their wedding pictures and wish that we were her?? jk. but really they are cute. love ya'll!
http://www.benharrisonphotography.com/news/index.php?link=34&cat=2

our humble King.

yesterday i read a really powerful article from the magazine, byFaith. the article explained how even though we often believe God is not answering our prayers, He is. and it went into detail of the Lord's prayer. i will just type some of the excerpts that really struck me...

in the opening lines alan dowd explains unanswered prayers...

"Followers of Christ know there's really no such thing. God answers all of our prayers; it's just that, like a parent who denies a two-year-old's pleading request for more of this or that, He happens to answer some of our prayers with a no. And it's these negatively answered prayers that often frustrate, confuse, and challenge us."

on "hallowed be Your name"...

"Isaiah reminds us that 'He was despised and rejected by men... we esteem him not.' The prophet contines:'He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.' He was, according to Isaiah, 'a man of sorrows... like one from whom men hide their faces.' "

"God is in the details"...

"The good news is that Jesus went through all of this for us. The prayers that seemingly went unanswered, for a time, were answered with an emphatic 'Yes!' for eternity. As Paul would later explain in his second letter to Corinth, 'No matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ.

That means those who have gone hungry or been tempted or wrestled with what seem to be unanswered prayers can find comfort in the fact that Jesus has walked the same path and yet overcome. Jesus, as the author of Hebrews writes, 'had to enter into every detail of human life.'

So He knows what it's like to feel homesick and lonely and out of place. He knows what it's like to be hated for no good reason. He knows what it's like to be tempted to the breaking point. He knows what it's like when a loved one is sick or when a child dies. He knows what it's like when people laugh at you for what you believe. He knows what it's like when it seems that God has hidden His face. He knows what it's like when a friend betrays you. He knows what it's like to be hungry and thirsty and alone. He knows what it's like to cry out for Daddy - to scream 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' - and yet feel like an orphan. He even knows what it's like to pray desperate prayers and to hear only silence.

But just as important for us, He knows what it's like to hear the 'Well done!' that comes after the silence - and to trust that the Father will answer every prayer according to His perfect plan."

- Alan Dowd for byFaith magazine

wow!!! we serve a faithful and loving God. and i think the reason i put this on this blog imparticular is that He understands our loneliness. if we are lonely for a husband, friends, or family, Jesus experienced all of that. and we are called to die to self and strive for a godly life which Jesus perfectly portrayed. may we look more and more like Him each day. and, too, when we pray for a husband or simply a date or for friends or for our families to understand, He's not ignoring us, He's answering in His time. so often, it's so easy to get impatient. but He's a sovreign God who sees further than we do. He comforts us in our pain and our longing and in our loneliness. ya'll, we don't even have to get married! yes, i want that, but if we fully grasp the greatness of who He is than even a husband falls to the way side. not in day to day life, when the temptations creep in, but when see God face to face all we would want is Him! i pray that His love and His glory, though, would be portrayed in our relationships and others would see the beauty that is in Him. and i think that marriage paints a beautiful picture of that love. but it doesn't fullfill those deep longings. our Savior who gave His entire life for us, He loves us like Romeo loves Juliet... and i know that sounds so cheesy, but ya'll that's what i crave! i crave a Romeo or a Jack from Titanic. someone who fights for me, who sees me and is in awe of me, and will do anything to have me. and, well, that's my God. yes, i know that's cheesy, but i'm sure you know what i'm saying. or Noah from the Notebook. it's portrayed in all our movies. that heroic love. and it's real! ok... now i'm just getting on a rant. but, basically take comfort in Him today! sorry, danielle, i am going to end with more song lyrics... rita springer. she's pretty great!and misty edwards. they kind of go hand in hand. but, for now i'm going to post rita....

worth it all

I don't understand Your ways

Oh but I will give You my song

Give You all of my praise

You hold on to all my pain

With it You are pulling me closer

And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner

And up every mountain

I'm not looking for crowns

Or the water from fountains

I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing

That the sight of Your face

Is all that I need

I will say to You

You're gonna be worth it

You're gonna be worth it

You're gonna be worth it all

I believe this

here's the advice...haha

i forgot to add this to my post!!
Some specific suggestions for how a Christian man can put these principles into action in a dating relationship:
1. Commit to take the lead in the godliness of your relationship. Read the Bible’s passages about how men and women and all Christians should treat one another. Especially take the lead in establishing boundaries that will keep you from sexual sin. Assume that this woman is going to be your wife or the wife of some other Christian brother (who might be currently dating your future wife). Treat her as the precious sister in Christ that she is.
2. Decide in advance whether or not you are willing to love a woman in the self-sacrificing, nurturing way the Bible describes. Until you are ready to faithfully hold a woman’s heart in your hand, do not enter into a dating relationship.
3. Realizing that God wants you to learn to put her interest ahead of your own, ask her the kinds of things she likes to do and be eager to spend time doing them.
4. Be willing to talk about the relationship. Initiate honest dialogue about how you feel. Do not resent her desire to have the relationship defined, but protect her heart by making your level of commitment clear and thereby making clear the appropriate kind of intimacy to go along with that commitment.
5. Pay attention to her heart. Ask her about her burdens and cares. Seek ways to minister to her and to make her cares your own. Instead of being critical of her, speak words of encouragement and support.
6. Do not be shy in ministering the Word of God to her. Do not preach, but exhort her and call to mind God’s promises and God’s love for her in Jesus Christ. Make it a primary goal that she will be spiritually stronger by having been in a relationship with you.
7. If something about her bothers you, think about how you can encourage her in that area. Realize that none of us is without flaws. Pray for her weakness and try to strengthen her in that area. If your concerns are enough to deter you from wanting to marry her, let her know in a forthright manner while being as considerate as possible.

Richard D. Phillips and Sharon L. Phillips
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 77-78. Used by Permission.

What, then, does submission and respect look like for a woman in a dating relationship? Here are some guidelines:
1. A woman should allow the man to initiate the relationship. This does not mean that she does nothing. She helps! If she thinks there is a good possibility for a relationship, she makes herself accessible to him and helps him to make conversation, putting him at ease and encouraging him as opportunities arise (she does the opposite when she does not have interest in a relationship with a man). A godly woman will not try to manipulate the start of a relationship, but will respond to the interest and approaches of a man in a godly, encouraging way.
2. A godly woman should speak positively and respectfully about her boyfriend, both when with him and when apart.
3. She should give honest attention to his interests and respond to his attention and care by opening up her heart.
4. She should recognize the sexual temptations with which a single man will normally struggle. Knowing this, she will dress attractively but modestly, and will avoid potentially compromising situations. She must resist the temptation to encourage sexual liberties as a way to win his heart.
5. The Christian woman should build up the man with God’s Word and give encouragement to godly leadership. She should allow and seek biblical encouragement from the man she is dating.
6. She should make “helping” and “respecting” the watchwords of her behavior toward a man. She should ask herself, “How can I encourage him, especially in his walk with God?” “How can I provide practical helps that are appropriate to the current place in our relationship?” She should share with him in a way that will enable him to care for her heart, asking, “What can I do or say that will help him to understand who I really am, and how can I participate in the things he cares about?”
7. She must remember that this is a brother in the Lord. She should not be afraid to end an unhealthy relationship, but should seek to do so with charity and grace. Should the relationship not continue forward, the godly woman will ensure that her time with a man will have left him spiritually blessed.

Richard D. Phillips and Sharon L. Phillips
Holding Hands and Holding Hearts, P&R, 2006, p. 85-86. Used by Permission.

more song lyrics/advice :)

kate!!! AND SARAH, you both need to stop posting song lyrics, simply because i have already bought on itunes the sandra m. song and just now the caedmon's call song---not good for the budget!! haha. BUT ironically, i have song lyrics from hillsong that i LOVE, and then some "advice" or tips for Christian dating that apply to men and women that mrs. cindy, my friend, sent to me to share on the blog.
the lyrics from hillsong united have actually led me to my knees literally, arms and hands open, desiring so much to have this posture of heart DAILY... especially, as kate said, just waiting for the Lord and wanting to submit our desires to God. how i long to "give all i am to seek HIS face, to place my WHOLE life in His hands". it has been so refreshing to literally be on my knees in prayer asking for the Lord's direction, but praising Him for every part of my life, even the hard things...it's a good reminder of our position as compared to God's, us submitting our lives, our hearts, desires, EVERYTHING to Him. HE is the One who receives all glory and praise.

Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord all I am is is Yours

My whole life
I place in Your hands
God of mercy
Humbled I bow down
In your presence at Your throne

I called You answered
And You came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where You are

In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high

song lyrics, continued.

yes... i love that song, sarah. it was pretty much my theme song last year. gotta love sandra mccracken. something that i have learned and know that ya'll have as well, as we continue to wait upon God for a husband or anything at all, is that we must die to all that we want or desire and allow Him to take those desires under His control. the more i must die, and the more i must wait, the more it draws me to Him and makes me love Him more. though, this isn't always my first instinct. it's more like, God please give me what i want, then i realize in Your timing alone. well, caedmon's call really nails these truths in the song, ten thousand angels. i guess you could say this is my theme song this year. haha.

"ten thousand angels" - caedmon's call

how long you have traveled in darkness weeping
no rest in language, no words to speak
but there in the wreckage beneath bricks and bindings
love has come, love has come for you

against the night sky of your waiting
your face is like starlight when he walks in
everything worth keeping comes through dying
love has come, love has come for you

so lift up your heart now, to this unfolding
all that has been broken will be restored
here runs deep waters for all who are thirsty
love has come, love has come for you

ten thousand angels will light your pathway
until the day breaks fully in the East
they will surround you and make your way straight
love has come, love has come for you
love has come, love has come for you