It has been awhile since I have made any intro remarks to my blog entries. However, today's witness portion has mirrored almost exactly what I am feeling and experiencing at the moment. I am so grateful to my God who reminds me of things I so easily forget.
April 29, 2017
Worship: Can’t Live Without You, by Bebo Norman
You found me here
I'm barely breathing
You picked me up
But I'm still wanting more
You're the ocean deep
I'm in up to my knees
Wanting desperately to drown
You're the one bright part
Of my languid heart
You're the love
I cannot live without
I cannot live without
Please hold me close
I can't stop shaking
It's not for fear
My walls are breaking down
You're the ocean deep
I'm in up to my knees
Wanting desperately to drown
You're the one bright part
Of my languid heart
You're the love
I cannot live without
I can't live without
I can't live without You
I can't live without You
And I cannot live without You, oh
Can You hold on?
Can You hold on?
Can You hold on to me?
Because You hold everything, yeah
You're the ocean deep
I'm in up to my knees
Wanting desperately to drown
You're the one bright part
Of my languid heart
You're the love
I cannot live without
I can't live without You
I can't live without You
Witness:
It’s been overcast these last few days. Rain has been heavy on and off during this time, and the sky has put on its fireworks display from time to time with its corresponding echo of thunder. During these days, my lack of sleep has cast its own pall on my spirit and physical vitality. I will sit here at my desk trying to get into Worship, Witness, and the WORD but then after reviewing a previous entry and putting it on my blog, I will be so tired that I go and lie down and try to take a nap until it is time to go to work.
Stress over debt has also taken its toll on me. My daughter (daughter No. 2) has not been able to cover her bills which means dipping into the emergency funds as well. This has been rapidly decreasing to the point that I worry it will be depleted to the point where I will not be able to pay the mortgage on time. Even as I write this my mind is racing with thoughts of how I can handle this. What will I say to my daughter about this? What will I do if this happens? Money has always been a stressor for me. God is still working on this with me.
What is the bottom line in all this? Should I pack it in? Live a life of despair? Try to sleep my life away? After all my wife is gone, money is slipping away, and sleep is in short supply. Yet the song above is my answer. The bottom line to all this is the fact God is my life. I can’t live without Him. All else may fail me, but He will never leave me nor forsake me. There is a necessary purpose in the storms here on earth- they replenish, refresh, restore, and wash away dirt and pollution- and there is a necessary purpose in the storms I experience in my life as well. They replenish, refresh, and restore my soul. They warn, witness, and wash away the sin in my life. They flood my life and cause me to cry out for rescue. They teach me to trust in the God who brings the storm and the stillness. He is with me in the sunny and the sad. In mirth and misery. Why? Because He “holds everything” and because He is “the love I cannot live without.”
WORD:
|
4 I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
NIV (’84)
|
Ps 26:4-8
4 I do not spend time with liars
or go along with hypocrites.
5 I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands to declare my innocence.
I come to your altar, O Lord,
7 singing a song of thanksgiving
and telling of all your wonders.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
|
Ps 26:4-8
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord:
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works.
KJV
|
Ps 26:4-7
4 I do not sit with men of falsehood,
nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers,
and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
and telling all your wondrous deeds.
ESV
|
I have looked at the character of David’s worship. Now I will look at the content of his worship. As I reflect on this portion of the Psalm, it yields a threefold outline.
I. David’s purity in worship – v. 4 - 6a
II. David’s passion in worship – v. 6b
III. David’s purpose in worship – v. 7
I have looked at the first two, purity and passion. Now I will look at David’s purpose which will yield, at least in this instance, the content of his worship and as well as the object of his worship.
The purpose is to give voice to his heart of thanksgiving. The content and cause of this thanksgiving are God’s wondrous deeds. The object is, of course, God himself. David directs his praise and thanksgiving to the LORD for all He has done. But this is not done silently in his heart but publicly as he proclaims or sings or shouts his thanksgiving. So, David’s thanksgiving is directed to God, but it is also a means of testifying or witnessing to God’s people and causing worship to rise corporately to God. Let us go and do likewise!
No comments:
Post a Comment