The Faith of a 5 Year Old

Five is a fun age.

When I was that age I remember playing tons, reading some and watching a bit of TV.  I could tell you how to get to Sesame Street, visited Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, played with friends, colored, and did all those typical five year old things.

One thing I did not do was write songs.

CJ, my 5-year old, is that kid.  He plays lots, reads way more than I did at that age, watches TV...and write's worship songs.

He has written a few in the last year.

Typical was what happened this past week.

He goes into his bedroom and comes out a couple minutes later and says, "Dad I wrote a worship song."

I asked him to sing it to me but he said I had to come to his room.  He then got down on the floor to show me the actions needed to go with the song.  Crouching low he slowly rises up to his tippy toes with his arms lifted up high.

He then asked me to get a pen and write down these words:

You may start out small like a seed
But God makes you grow bigger
You can rise up
And He crushes the enemy
and you can rise up

It may not mean much to you but when my son starts randomly singing about God, growth and overcoming the enemy I get a bit excited.  There was no prelude, no conversations leading up to this moment...just a kid wanting to sing about God.  He asked my wife to put it to music and for us to sing it on Sunday.

Kids are awesome and the Lord has taught me a lot about His character and the faith of a child through the years.  This little song spoke to me because I was just coming out of a difficult season in my own faith walk and felt like I was entering a period of new beginnings. 

The Lord allowed my 5 year old to encourage me in my faith.

May He do the same for you!

I Will Draw Near - Take 2

Earlier this month I posted the words to Sarah's new worship song, I Will Draw Near.

Today as she sat down to play it, our daughter Hanna joined her in singing what I feel is a beautiful song. I was able to record it with the words so you can follow along.

Song and Words are ©Sarah Apperson, 2014

I Wil Draw Near

My beautiful wife never ceases to amaze me.  She wrote this worship song last week for our upcoming Sunday service. Preceding the song will be Scriptures that contributed to her thought process.  I include those passages here and encourage you to spend time looking them up.

Here are the words to her song:

I Will Draw Near

 

Fountain of Life, flow over me

'till I'm filled with Your glory

Spirit renew the fire that once drew

me into the Holy of Holies

And I will draw near, as I wait here

I will return to my Father

My heart of stone, I lay at Your throne

That I may know You and be known

The sound of Your voice, fills me with joy

You turn sorrow to gladness

You don't disappoint, You never leave

and I am changed in Your presence

So I will draw near, as I wait here

I will return to my Father

My heart of stone, I lay at Your throne

That I may know You and be known

Only in You are justice and truth

and mercy binds me to You

How high are Your thoughts, How great are Your ways

Your covenant is my peace

Bridge:

You satisfy my soul with good

You bought my freedom with Your blood

Your fire consumes my sin

You captivate my heart

So, I will draw near, as I wait here

I will return to my Father

My heart of stone, I lay at Your throne

That I may know you and be known

© Sarah Apperson, 2014

Psalms 94:14; 107:9; 111:9-11 

Isaiah 31:3; 40:31; 54:10; 55:6-8

Jeremiah 2:13; 3:12; 3:19; 31:13

Ezekiel 36:25-27; 43:5

John 4:14 

Acts 2:2-4 

Ephesians 1:7-8

Titus 3:4-7

Hebrews 12:29

Hitting the Wall

I have been talking about the Israelites journey from Egypt to the Promised Land the last couple of weeks at church.

Following the journey and drawing comparisons between their journey and our own walk with the Lord, I have tried to draw out elements that can be used as a parallel.

This week I was going to talk about Jericho. Then I hit a wall. I encountered my own Jericho in the midst of preparing this message. My Jericho is fear. A wall of fear has been built up in my life that seems to stand strong and impenetrable in the midst of the Promised Land.

While enjoying the blessings God has provided, I still have this thing...this fortress to the enemy. I know when the wall was built, I know the history of this enemy camp....yet long has been the siege against it.

So this week I have been doing battle.

I look at what the Israelites did when they crossed the Jordan. They built a memorial to the Lord. I have been looking back at my own memorials. Remembering and celebrating what the Lord has done in the past in my life, particularly in these areas.

I am also looking at how the walls of Jericho came down....the people worshiped and sought the Lord but he did the work. They had to operate out of faith. I've been trying to do that. Praying more, seeking the Lord, worshiping. I am recalling Scriptures like 2 Tim. 1:7 and trying to stand on faith.

I believe the walls are starting to crumble. However I want to stand on guard, to keep at it...I know that after Jericho falls, there was still Ai. The Israelites let sin in the camp and got their hat handed to them by the enemy. I need to stand on faith but also to walk in victory!

Baby Praise

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant, and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, "'Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise'?" (Matthew 21:15-16)

I love that verse and saw it illustrated this past week in my son's life. He is now 15 months old. Two recent incidences have brought this Scripture to mind. The first happened Sunday. My wife and I always pray together as we are preparing to start church. On this Sunday, as my wife prayed for my message, my son wandered into the room and stopped in his tracks with his eyes fixed on his mom. I have not seen him this still before but he watched and watched with a small grin appearing on his face.

When my wife finished her prayer, we looked at my son who both signed and spoke the word, "More." We asked him, "Do you want us to pray again?" He shook his whole body in the affirmative, (He hasn't figured out he only has to bob his head.) Again we prayed, again he asked for more.

My wife then asked if he wanted to come pray with us and he ran into our arms and held our hands as we prayed.

This morning during family devotions, he did the same thing when we prayed. He wanted us to pray and pray. We switched to praise songs after a bit and his smile grew wider as he watched us intently.

Our prayer is now that he grows in this desire for the things of God.

Authentic Worship

Say what you will about King David, the man knew how to worship. Though not all the Psalms were written by him, you can hear his passion, his joy and his real struggles as he pours his heart out before the Holy Maker of the Universe.

He got so caught up in worship at one point he became a bit undignified in the eyes of his wife. (2 Samuel 6:14-23) Somehow I can't see this happening on a Sunday morning!

Sad.

Not that I am promoting that we become "undignified". No, what I am want is for the body of Christ to be REAL! Authentic! Genuine!

Sadly, I don't see that often. Believe me, I am speaking to myself here too! Most of us are probably guilty of wandering into our worship services late, distracted as we try to find a seat. How many of us look around a bit before getting into the "worship?"

Then there is the stop/start feature. It goes something like this: A song, shake some hands, announce a few things, take up an offering with some "special" music, then sing a few more songs before the message. There are variations on the theme but I guarantee most of our services emulate this pattern though the order may vary.

I can't picture Jesus and the apostles doing this:

As the crowd gathers on the hillside, James leads the group in a song. A few of the people come to the hillside late. Then Peter gets up to make a few announcements. "Don't forget that next Sunday night there will be a potluck fundraiser for the 70! Also, make sure you join our youth for the camel wash for Christ! Now brother John will lead us in a special song while Andrew, Judas and Matthew pass the offering basket!" Following this, James returns to lead a couple more songs before Jesus comes to deliver the message.

Again I am not being critical. I have participated in this myself. I am not at all satisfied though. I want authentic worship. The pour my heart out, singing, praying, can't get enough of Jesus type worship.

I want songs from the heart! I want poems and prayers from a life fully turned to the Saviour. I don't care if the songs we sing are written by the latest hot worship band or the postal worker down the street. I don't even care if we sing because I know Worship is more than just music! (Tell that to the person sitting in the back row wishing for more hymns while the young person up front wants more upbeat music and the worship leader just wants to PRAISE!)

I want my life to be a worship song to the King of Kings. Anyone want to join me?

Do I Really Mean It?

I remember one time a friend in Croatia stated she would not sing certain worship songs. When I asked her to explain she stated, "Why should I sing that I surrender all if I am truly not surrendering all? I do not want to lie to God."

At the time I thought that was a bit extreme but I now see what she means. Today I had these lines from a worship song bouncing in my head:

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.

It got me to thinking.....do I really mean that? Am I surrendering my ambitions, hopes and plans? As I thought about it I could not honestly say I was doing that.

See this week I have been thinking a lot about surrender. To surrender is to give up, to relinquish. Are we willing to lay it all down, even our lives, for Christ? The spiritual answer would be, Yes! In reality is that my answer?

Would I really let go of everything? Better yet would I willingly let go of everything if God asks?

I'd like to say yes. I really would.

I know this is where God wants me....surrendering daily....at times I struggle. It's easy in some areas...harder in others. For example I can easily surrender my media choices to Him. It's harder when it comes to my own health or that of my family. Do I really believe God can do all things? To protect me and those around me?

Father please help me to trust You more. To not hold on to the things you say to release and to cling tightly to You! I want to trust you, with everything, not fearing this means you will take it but knowing you have a plan that far exceeds any I could come up with. I believe Lord, Help my unbelief. (Mark 9:24) In Jesus Name, Amen!

New Song Rising

My wife and one of our close friends have started a blog on Worship. This is Sarah's (my wife) first posting:

Lifestyle Worship

I have had the opportunity, several times in the past, to lead worship in small groups and churches, either alone, or as part of a worship team. At times I really enjoyed it, and at times I wondered why God had picked me. After all, there were others around with better skills and more outgoing personalities, not to mention, voices that could actually carry further than three feet from where I stood.

When I thought about my role, I often considered choice of songs, corresponding Scripture, applicability and the desired heart response of the congregation, as the important things I could bring to the table. I would pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit and for His working in the hearts and minds of His people. I asked the Father to glorify Himself and to use me in spite of my weakness. I would look at each service as a chance to lead others into worship, through which they could meet with God on a new level.

The Lord’s grace is abundant and He is so patient with us as we learn His ways and His heart. I am thankful for the many opportunities He has given me to express praise to Him publicly, and for His gracious acceptance of the worship I have given. However, it is becoming clear to me now, that the focus and intent I have had, has not always been pure.

First, there has been the issue of pride. Every time I have compared or contrasted myself and my abilities to another, and wished to be as vocally and musically sharp as them, I have rejected my own essence–that with which God has blessed me. A humble person can be who God has made them, knowing that dependence on Him is their only hope. A proud person seeks those things which will affirm their worth in the presence of others. I have discovered, that as opposed to what I used to think, many wonderfully talented and skilled people are beautiful examples of humility. It doesn’t matter what we can or cannot do. What truly matters, is whether we have been able to accept what God has placed within us, and offer it back to Him with a spirit of thanksgiving.

Second, I think back on some of the stressful times I have had “preparing for worship.” Can we, in fact, prepare to worship? Of course, if that includes asking God to “create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit in me.” But preparing song lists, Scriptures and “themes” for our corporate times of worship would actually be considered “preparing for a worship time.” Nothing wrong with that–just that it will not leave us any more prepared for worship. Only the Holy Spirit can do that, and only when He has been invited to do so. Then, under His guidance, we can lead others to worship in spirit and in truth.

So, this week I begin preparing to lead others in worship at a brand new church gathering. I pray that as I seek the Lord, He will reveal to me what it is to live a life of worship. I am excited about different forms of worship–songs, scripture readings, meditation, art, poetry, spoken praise, banners, dance, etc… Yet, somehow, I know that there is more.

This morning I can’t shake the phrase, “It’s not how you worship, it’s who.” If I desire to lead others to worship Christ, I need to know Him intimately. I need to be able to demonstrate what He means to me. I need to know His names and their meanings. How desperately I long for Him to reveal more of His plan and power to me! How greatly I need His peace to flood over me so that others see it and want to know where it comes from! His greatness is so vast, His character so immense that I run out of words. Yet, as part of living a life of worship, I need to use the words I do know, to describe Him to others.

All of this being said, my greatest need is perhaps to rest in my Father’s love for me and stop striving to be a “good worshipper.” If I change that to “God worshipper,” I have transferred my focus to where it ought to be.

Just A Thought #20

The Heart of Worship

There is a worship song I love that says something along the lines of, "I'm getting back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus." I remember years ago in my DTS (Discipleship Training School) a man who worked on the campus as a plumber. He was always saying Jesus only Jesus. Recently I attended a conference in Florida and the one thing that really touched my hear was the worship. I was able to just close my eyes and focus on the Lord Jesus without distraction.

These random thoughts are not so random. The main point is Jesus! I once wrote a Just A Thought (#9) that spoke about worshiping with abandon. Well lately I have been thinking more about Who I worship, not how. We have an incredible Savior! An awesome Savior. I am so excited by Jesus Christ that my heart is bursting with desire to sing His praises. I am drawn to Psalm 95 which says:

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.” (Psalm 95:1-2) and "Oh come let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." (Psalm 95:6)

The whole point of this thought is Jesus. We need to worship Him. Not just sing to Him but to really focus on Him. To sing with joy to the Lord, to desire Him with our whole hearts....to enter into His presence! It is not always easy to set aside our distractions....to just sing to Him! We get distracted sometimes by the person in front of us, the thoughts rambling in our head and yes sometimes the "worship team"! We need to come to God wholeheartedly though. Setting aside these stray thoughts and really pursuing God! Pursuing! Worshiping! The heart of our worship, Jesus Christ!

Just A Thought #14

Taught to Count

Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Death is not an easy subject to talk about. This year Sarah and I have had a few relatives pass away. When I returned from my vacation I found out an 80 year old co-worker had just had a stroke. (She is recovering thanks to the Lord.) These things were on my mind when the Lord brought to my attention this verse.

Why is it we fear death? Oh we may not admit it but many believers don't want to talk about the subject at all. I read this verse and it challenged me. The challenge was that Jesus Christ could return at any time or He could call me home at any time so I should "number" my days and be about His business. This isn't to be pessimistic. The reality is though we are all drawing closer to either our death or His return.

The time for not taking our walk, our faith seriously is over. God requires us to focus on Him, worship Him, seek Him with our whole hearts. People around us are dying every day and many don't know Him. How can we sit on the sidelines?

Our faith should be so real, so evident that our youth are called to a deeper walk with Him, our neighbours want what we have and people are left with the impression that we do serve a LIVING God.

It is time to make a choice. As Joshua said "Choose you this day who you will Serve...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

Just A Thought #9

Worship With Abandon

Worship. All believers have their own ideas of what worship means and how it is best done. This is not another “how-to” lesson, but rather, a call to worship our Lord, the Creator of everything.

It does not matter if you sing hymns, choruses or the latest modern worship song, whether accapella, or accompanied by a piano, bass guitar, tambourine or drums. It does not matter if you lift your hands, sit, stand or kneel. What matters is your heart. What is the attitude of your heart? Not just during designated times of worship, but in every area of your life.

Worship is a lifestyle. King David is an example of this. He worshiped the Lord with his whole heart. In one of my favorite passages of Scripture, the Ark of the Lord is being brought back to Jerusalem. As it moves, the Scriptures report that King David danced before the Lord with all his might and arranged for sacrifices to be made and trumpets blown. He was worshiping with his whole heart. He did not care what others thought. His own wife thought he was crazy for being so undignified and not acting like a king. David’s response was perfect. “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (2 Sam. 6: 21b-22a)

Was David showing false humility? No he truly did not care what anyone but God thought at that point. You can also see David’s heart of worship throughout the Psalms.

It does not matter what others think. We are instructed to worship the King of Kings. Like David we should focus on God and not those around us. When we worship the Lord in song He should be our every thought. We have so much to praise Him for. From the earth and everything in it, to our very lives, our family. Look around at all of the beauty. The mountains, rivers, and oceans are testimony to Him. The clouds, sun and moon speak of His creative powers. He is awesome. We should be in awe of Him daily! There is nothing beyond His ability or power.

So how do we worship as a lifestyle? Obedience is one key. If we believe in Him and that His Word is true should we not honor Him by keeping His Word in our heart? Another word for worship is honor. We should honor Him with our words, thoughts, deeds and life! In everything we do we need to consider whether it will bring glory to God or not. Our highest goal should not be to attain a level of “holiness” as we worship in song, but to allow the “wow” of knowing God to saturate our everyday life. Our worship should become a flow of communion with our Father, where we can drink anytime, rather it’s during our morning commute to work, while cleaning the bathroom, or hiking in the mountains.

I encourage you to worship like King David. Worship with abandon. Don’t worry about what anyone but the Father thinks. Fall in love with Him again. Rediscover Him as a little child does. Re-capture the “Wow!”