Journal for Christ: The Goal of all Our Experiences is Worship

August 4, 2017

Worship:

Cover me, cover up my tears
Cover up this man who's covered up in fear
I need a peace of mind, I need a piece of you
To cover all that's gone and everything that's new
You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
You unfold me, then you hold me

Cover up my heart, cover up my soul
Cover up this world and everything I know
You cover up the sky, you cover up the sea
Cover up the mountains and every part of me

And every single breath I breathe...Cover me

I am still alive and covered up in years
Covered up in lines as innocence appears
So give me a peace of mind, give me a piece of you
To cover all that's old with everything that's new
You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
And you unfold me, then you hold me

Cover up my heart, cover up my soul
Cover up this world and everything I know
You cover up the sky, you cover up the sea
Cover up the mountains and every part of me
And every single breath I breathe...Cover me

You unveil me with your mercy
I want to breathe you in
You unfold me then you hold me
I want to shed this skin
You unveil me with your mercy
You unfold me, then you hold me
You unbreak me, would you take me home

Cover up my heart, cover up my soul
Cover up this world and everything I know
You cover up the sky, you cover up the sea
Cover up the mountains and every part of me
And every single breath I breathe...Cover me

Written by Bebo Norman • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group

This song is from the album "Big Blue Sky."

Lyrics: https://www.lyricsbox.com/bebo-norman-cover-me-lyrics-vsv37pg.html

Video: https://youtu.be/g1pgqOvLKh4

Witness:

Time is a whirlwind. I sleep and wake every two hours. I extend my time in bed because I cannot get enough sleep to feel normal, alive, and rested. Then the tyranny of the urgent sets in - dinner, quiet time, chores, financial needs, etc. Frustration then sets in because I can’t get it all done. I plug away and try to budget my time as well as possible. Distractions take up some of my precious time as I read an alert on my phone. Ahhhh! Wait… What’s that I hear playing in the background?

I wanna scream, but there’s no sound

I wanna fly to You somehow

Can You reach me here and pull me out?

Can You pull me out?

Can You reach down and pull me out?

http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/bebo_norman/pull_me_out.html

https://youtu.be/x5V0TNOrcI8?list=PL4-t5q_JmVDvSsOxpLAEIP0UdgG9d9N6w

Yes! Lord, come and rescue me. Pull me out and set me on a rock high above my enemies. Shelter me from the tempest and turmoil. Part the waters of unrest and lead me through towards Your promised land on the sands of time, following in Your footsteps that can only be seen by the eyes of faith.

Ps 27:5

For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock

NIV

Ps 77:18-20

Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,

your lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and quaked.

Your path led through the sea,

your way through the mighty waters,

though your footprints were not seen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

NIV

2 Cor 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

ESV

2 Cor 5:7
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
ESV

Time Takes Its Toll

Have I become a soul so numb
All too familiar
Words of gold have all grown cold
Over and over

I need to see you in the sunrise

Time takes its toll on us
And it tries its best just to steal our love
And we bend, and we break, but we don't give up
Time takes its toll on us

From the start, you touched my heart
And turned it into something more
Beautiful, you're beautiful
So why does it have to be so hard

To see you in the sunrise

Time takes, time takes away
Love remains, love remains

Songwriters: INGRAM, JASON DAVID / NORMAN, JEFFREY STEPHEN N

Time Takes Its Toll On Us lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/bebo+norman/time+takes+its+toll+on+us_20674881.html

Ps 26:8-27:1

8 I love the house where you live, O Lord,

the place where your glory dwells.

9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 But I lead a blameless life;

redeem me and be merciful to me.

12 My feet stand on level ground; in the great

assembly I will praise the Lord.

NIV (’84)

Ps 26:8-27:1

8 I love your sanctuary, Lord,

the place where your glorious presence dwells.

9 Don't let me suffer the fate of sinners.

Don't condemn me along with murderers.

10 Their hands are dirty with evil schemes,

and they constantly take bribes.

11 But I am not like that; I live with integrity.

So redeem me and show me mercy.

12 Now I stand on solid ground,

and I will publicly praise the Lord.

Ps 26:8-27:1

8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men:

10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me.

12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the Lord.

KJV

Ps 26:8-12

8 O Lord, I love the habitation of your house

and the place where your glory dwells.

9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,

nor my life with bloodthirsty men,

10 in whose hands are evil devices,

and whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;

redeem me, and be gracious to me.

12 My foot stands on level ground;

in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

ESV

This is the final end of all existence: the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of his glory. And he created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving it — with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.
- John Piper http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/worship-god--2

The trial has ended. The defendant had stood before the judge and heard the words “not guilty.” As he leaves the courtroom vindicated, a crowd of reporters gathers around him to listen to his reaction to the verdict. He gives thanks to those who supported him and testified on his behalf. He praises the work of his advocate who defended him, and he thanks the judge for the verdict. This is where we find David at the end of Psalm 26. Having been vindicated by God, the righteous judge (see Ps. 7:8-11; 2 Tim. 4:6-8), David declares his gratitude towards the One who redeemed him and showed mercy towards him.

If the goal of everything is the glory of God and worship is the outward expression of that goal, then everything good or ill is designed by God as a means to that end. Everything David sacrificed or experienced in life led to his praise of the One who brought him through the green pastures and deep dark valleys. Sometimes he had to wait on the Lord before praise burst forth from his heart and his lips.

I waited patiently for the Lord;he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire;he set my feet on a rockand gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fearand put their trust in the Lord.Ps 40:1-3 NIV

He also learned not to become forgetful.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits —
who forgives all your sinsand heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pitand crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good thingsso that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Ps 103:2-5 NIV

He learned not to become proud.

My heart is not proud, O Lord,my eyes are not haughty;I do not concern myself with great mattersor things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;like a weaned child with its mother,like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lordboth now and forevermore.

Ps 131 NIV

We can become proud and forgetful because “WE endured all this for the Lord.” We must remember who brought us through and cared for us through it all.

But I am the Lord your God,

[who brought you] out of Egypt.

You shall acknowledge no God but me,

no Savior except me.

I cared for you in the desert,

in the land of burning heat.

When I fed them, they were satisfied;

when they were satisfied, they became proud;

then they forgot me.

Hos 13:4-6 NIV

Pity the person who climbed the mountain and reveled only in the fact that they made it to the top and descend without taking in the grandeur of the view from there. All they feel is pride in the accomplishment or complain about how hard it was to get to the top. So they go down the mountain boasting that they conquered another one. Or they go down complaining and mumbling of the pain and monotony of the climb. They missed the ultimate goal was the glory they would see and feel at the top and the joy they feel. The joy that only comes when they realize that it was the struggle that brought them to this place of glory.

Too many professed Christians are like this. They climb the mountains of life, and they experience the pain and suffering it takes to get to the top of each one. When they get to the top, they waste their time in self-congratulation or exaltation for enduring the climb. Or they become bitter over the necessity of having to climb the mountains. They never take the time to take in the glory of the view. For if they did, they would see the celestial city they are journeying too. They would see the glory of the One who dwells there. They would find joy in the journey, knowing it was the struggle that is bringing them there. If one turns back and gives up, they will never make it to the city. If they walk in pride, they may hear these words at the gate, “depart from Me, I never knew you.”

Do not be misled by what I am saying. I am not saying that our struggling is the means by which we arrive at glory. No, this is a grace-filled journey. Both the mountains and the power to climb the mountains are given by the Lord. David realizes this. So, he says:

But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;redeem me, and be gracious to me. V. 11 ESV

Which leads to confidence in the Lord.

Now I stand on solid groundPs 26:12 NLT

Which ultimately leads to the goal – worship!

in the great assembly I will praise the Lord.
Ps 26:12 NIV

God, You are…

God, You are my hope

In the midst of the sunny day,

And in the darkness when I grope for

Your hand to lead the way.

God, You are my rock.

To You, O Lord, my hymn I raise,

When my foes jeer and mock,

And friends lavish me with praise.

God, You are my peace,

Though the storm rage outside,

And my fears inside increase,

In Your calm embrace, I will abide.

Journal for Christ

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

The Goal of all Our Experiences is Worship

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