Crying Out

Psalm 84:2, "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God."

Crying Out

On Bended Knee 

I bow my head

My heart to full to cry

The life I've lived

I now proclaim

I give it all to God

I'm humbled now 

Before the King

The tears begin to fall

The pain I felt

I'm letting go

Before the throne of God

Oh I love to contemplate Him

And to seek the face of God

Oh I want to bow and worship

Crying out to the living God

My soul anew

In love with God

I cry out to the King

I love You Lord

You are my God

Ruler of everything

Oh I love to contemplate Him

And to seek the face of God

Oh I want to bow and worship

Crying out to the living God

        

This was the piece I mentioned when I said I was looking for words.  I have been spending more and more time in worship and this is where I personally feel like I am right now.

 © Rick Apperson, 2012

 

Looking for Words

I was sitting in my chair reading a book when the phrase bounced into my head.

"On bended knee

I bow my head"

I knew it was the start of something.  I immediately grabbed a pen and wrote the phrase down on a blank sheet of paper.  (I always do this, capturing the idea as it comes so as to not lose it.

As I started writing, more words came jumbling out.  Some lines seemed to tuck in nicely with the above phrase, some were just brainstorming words and phrases that at first did not seem connected.

I put the pen down and went to bed.

Laying there, I repeated the opening phrase to Sarah and something clicked and I jumped out of bed, ran to the living room and wrote a complete section.

I picked it up again today while contemplating Psalm 84:2, "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

I have labored over this piece longer than many things that I write.  It feels like I am missing a word, a phrase to tie it all together.

So I am looking for words, and yet through the search, the journey I am taking as I re-read these lines I have on paper, I find myself focusing even more on the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

From haphazard scribbles is coming a desire to know Him more.

What leads you into His presence?

The High Calling - A Review

I was pointed to a website I haven't seen before this past week.

The website has some thought provoking articles, like How to Quit Your Job with Grace and Integrity.

The High Calling is really an online magazine and community which is founded on the belief that God cares about our daily work. I struggled for a few years in seeing God in my job, like when I worked on cars for a living, and would have found his resource helpful then.  I actually found it helpful now as well.

The site has a wide range of articles, interviews, devotionals, and inspirational stories—all specifically created to help the reader to find God in our work and family.

You should really check this site out.

While there you can sign up for their Weekly Calling which usually has an audio message from Howard Butt, a Christian business leader and author, several articles from The High Calling website, a video from The High Calling, and several other articles from around the High Calling community and other sites.

I checked out a few of their Weekly Calling newsletters and was overall impressed.  Some of the articles were very thought provoking.  My only criticism would be that some of the articles would have benefited by having a corresponding Scripture that backed up the premise of the article.

Overall I liked what I saw and just signed up for the newsletter this week.  You should check it out.

Go to  The High Calling and look for the newsletter sign up on the right hand side of the page.

An Act of God! - Just A Thought #54

I heard the term, Act of God, quite a bit this past week.  It was used in the media to explain hurricane damage, floods and earthquakes.  I even heard it used to describe a crane being bent in half by the wind and dangling 750 feet (228 meters) in the air.   

Two things went through my mind while watching these broadcasts.  One, I did not know so many people in the media believed in God.  Two, why does God not get recognized for all the good things He does?

I know that an “act of God” is legalese for any act which is outside human control and therefore not the responsibility of any individual or corporation.

I also know it is always defined as a bad thing, like a tornado!

God gets a bad rap!

I want to see God’s children redefine an act of God.  Let’s take this phrase and turn it on its ear because when I wake up each morning, I consider that an act of God! 

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.” Psalm 3:5

I look out my window, see the sunshine and the rain, the snow and the stars at night, and I see an act of God.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

“In his hand are the deep places of the earth, and the mountain peaks are his. The sea is his. He made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Psalm 95:4-5

We take the good things for granted and blame God for the bad.  God did not create the chaos we see around us.  He provided a way out.  (John 3:16)

We blame God for death, mayhem and destruction.  How often do we thank Him for our very life? 

The next time you walk outside; why not stop for a moment and thank God for His mighty act of creation.