Growth

Tell His Deeds

Psalm 9:11 exhorts its readers thusly:

Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!

iStock_000000633892XSmall
©iStockphoto.com/video1

Most of us who regularly attend church services probably accomplish the first half of this statement pretty well, at least once a week. We are used to structure times of singing where the purpose is to give praise to the Lord.  I wonder how often though we practice the second half of this verse? Are we regularly telling others of God’s deeds? Or are we content to let our public praise of our great God and King be limited to Sunday morning worship songs?

Perhaps we are reluctant to wholeheartedly embrace this action because we think that we don’t know how to tell others of the work that God is doing. I have found that it is deceptively easy to do so. The other day I was visiting the cemetery where we buried my dad’s body. Every week the cemetery staff picks up flowers, pinwheels, flags and other paraphernalia that are used to “accessorize” the grave markers of the dead. As I pulled up to the location where all these are placed after they are removed from the grounds, there was a lady who was already there. For some reason, she started chatting with me about the sometimes unfortunate occurrence of other people taking items that did not belong to them. This started a brief conversation about the reasons that we were at the cemetery to begin with. As I shared with her that my dad was buried there and quickly recounted some of the circumstances regarding his Heavenly homecoming, I had the opportunity to share about God’s faithfulness to our family. It wasn’t eloquent nor was it drawn out, but the attribution to our Father was made. I realized afterwards that it was a similar approach that I would have used if I was talking to someone at church, where we are often more rapid about giving praise to our King. It was just in this instance, I had the conversation without knowing what the other person’s beliefs were.

I don’t know how God used that momentary encounter in the life of the woman I was conversing with, but I do know how He used it in my life. It was a reminder that the work of His hands should be the subject of my words on far more occasions than it currently is. Regardless of the setting or whom I am talking to, I can be telling His deeds among the peoples. After all, He has been so gracious and generous, there is plenty of stores to share, occasions to recount, and praise to be given. If only I am willing to do so.

Continue Reading

Being Content Hope

Redeeming Restlessness

iStock_000002297733XSmall
©iStockphoto.com/moose-man

One of the gifts that God has given me is an uncanny ability to fall asleep practically anywhere. It’s not exactly a talent per se, but it is something that has come in handy. I’ve fallen asleep at rock concerts, in airports, and sitting straight up in a chair. It’s a very useful proclivity when it comes time to travel or in any situation where the point of exhaustion might not be met by the convenience of comfort. It’s something I’ve been grateful for time and time again.

Lately, however, even in the comfort of my own home my normal patterns of rest have been frequently interrupted. There are good reasons for this, but they still result in a lack of sleep. As I’ve tossed and turned though, God has placed on my heart a desire to redeem these moments of restlessness. If I am going to be awake, I might as well be doing things that draw me closer to Him. So periods of my night are often filled with listening to sermons or worship music, hearing someone read Scripture to me, or praying for those whom I know that have lost loved ones recently. Rest may allude me, but that doesn’t mean worship needs to as well.

There are periods of life that are often like these fitful nights of sleep. We may feel unsettled and uncertain of the work that God is doing. Our points of exhaustion may never seem to find the comfort that we so desperately seek. Refreshment and renewal can seem elusive. We spend our time pondering what God is doing and wondering where He is leading next.

And just like my own restless nights, He can redeem this restlessness as well.

As written previously, when David faced one of these seasons, when he wondered how long he would lack peace from those who pursued them, he did two things – he looked to the past and saw God’s faithfulness, and looked to the future with a commitment to praise Him (See Ps. 13:5-6). As we follow this pattern, we will be reminder of how God has used the uncertainty that we have faced before to increase our reliance on Him. We will see that He has faithfully used the times where we lacked clarity to work in ways that we could not have anticipated. HIs provision was not dependent upon our understanding – instead, even as we struggled to make sense of what was happening, He was busy bringing us to the place He desired us to be.

This should inspire praise. Not only for the work that He has done in the past, but for the confidence that we can have in the future. Like the Psalmist, we can say that we will “look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Ps. 27:13). We might not know how God will work, but we can know that He is. Life may seem uncertain, but we can have confidence in the One who never is (Ja. 1:17).

Ecclesiastes reminds us that to “everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). God is not wasting this time of our uncertainty, and neither should we. We know that while rest may evade us now, God will lead us “besides still water” and He will “restore [our] soul[s]” (Ps. 23:2).  And we will find the peace that we seek, as we rest in Him.

Continue Reading