His Name Is A Safe Place

A few months ago, I had the AMAZING opportunity to share my  heart at a women's prayer night at church. I had always meant to post it here, but never seemed to remember to do it. I am preparing for my next heart-dump with the ladies at prayer night on Friday, so I thought it would be best to go in and see what I wrote last time. The topic in mind for this week is definitely different - but funny I should (unknowingly) have one scripture the same. God works like that.

In any event, as I read through it I thought - I should blog this! It needs to be recorded somewhere.

SO without further ado, here is  my heart on His Name being a Safe Place.
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A couple of months ago, I was listening to an IhoP prayer session led by Misty Edwards. If you don't know, IhoP is the International House of Prayer and they are a 24 hour prayer house and you can either go there or you can stream it online. I have a habit of putting it on when I'm at work and streaming from there because its never the same and it always gives me a new perspective on music. Anyway – Misty Edwards is my favorite leader there and I was happy she was on this day. As I listened to her serenading our Lord with His own Word using scripture, I will never forget what she declared. She said “His Name is a safe place” and she kept singing it over and over. She was so sure of this. She was imploring her audience – all those people in the prayer room – to hear her – to TRULY hear her that His name is a safe place.


A few days later, I found that the melody she sang and those lyrics would not leave me. His name is a safe place...I can still hear it. I had never thought about this before. Never really considered that His name – that He is a safe place. I decided to do a topic search about this in the bible. For those of you who don't know, I'm a self professed nerd and I'm ok with that :) I am a thinker and a ponder-er and a research-er... So I decided to use my concordance to try and make some connections. Is anyone else like me – I think in feelings first (I'm emotive) and then I have to really work at making those feelings words and then making those words make any sort of sense to anyone other than me. Anyone else like that?


I was honestly surprised at the amount of scripture there was about this. I didn't expect to have such a richness of Word to pull from. John 17:11-12 says: “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.” The premise of this chapter is Jesus praying to be glorified, for his disciple, and for believers. In this particular part, Jesus is saying as clear as day that His name is a safe place. He says that he kept the disciples safe by the name given to Him by His father – Jesus. I believe the Word – and I know some of you do too – and so believe Him when He says His name is a safe place.


What do you say when something bad happens.. what is your almost instant response. “Oh My God” right? How about when something awesome happens? What is your instant response? “Oh My God” .. and I know we might say oh my gosh, but I'm pretty confident the first word in your heart is God and then it comes out as gosh... or maybe that's just me. What do we say when we are totally overwhelmed and at the end of our rope? “Oh My God!” .. What do we say when we are in complete despair and don't know what to do .. “Oh My God!!”.. Do you sense a theme here? I believe with my whole entire being that our souls are programmed to KNOW .. to innately know and understand that His name is a safe place. If something bad happens, we say oh my God but what are we doing? We are calling Him in to the bad situation. “His name is a safe place.” If something good happens, we say oh my God but what are we doing? We are praising Him of course, but we are calling Him into the midst of the situation and hoping that His safety will prolong the goodness and beauty of the moment. His name, my friends, is a safe place. Amen?


Psalm 91:14 says” I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.” Do you trust Jesus. I am asking you that question – do you trust Jesus? He tells us here that He will protect those who trust IN HIS NAME. Beloveds, His name is a safe place and its a place of protection and love and rescue.


You may even know this scripture – Proverb 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe” Does it get any more clear than this? His name is a SAFE place. Its a strong tower, a place where you can find refuge and have no fear.


I am fascinated with the names of God. Its something I've studied and pursued personally because it helps me to relate to Him – but that's another devotional for another day. I find that if we want to understand God better, we should know the facets of Him...and His names give us VERY clear clues to his nature and His purpose. His names point us to the full revelation of who He is and the breadth of His glory power and greatness.


I've written about this one before, but one day, I was absolutely struck by something and I leaned into the fact that God is El Roi – the God who sees me. Our God never rests, He never sleeps, nothing can be hidden from his loving gaze. No matter how lost you are, or how un-'Christian' you are feeling, You are NOT abandoned and you are NOT alone. He is the God who sees You and His name is a safe place.


Consider El Shaddai ...The almighty and all sufficient God, capable of DOING and PROVIDING anything. You know – that impossible situation that we ALL have, that desire you have to do something but NO means to accomplish it... El Shaddai tell us not to lose heart and not to give up. We serve an all sufficient and almighty God to whom impossible is easy. How could His name, El Shaddai, not be a safe place? If the words almighty and all sufficient do not conjure up a safe place, we need to talk.


I'll give you just one more – though there are many more. Consider Jehova Shammah - “The Lord is There.” In the book of Ezekiel, there is a vision that he describes and he says that the Lord is seated on the throne and He is high and lifted up. This name of God – the Lord is there – Jehova Shammah – is a PROMISE for ALL circumstances you could possibly walk through. When we feel isolated and alone? God is there. When we feel that we have failed Him? God is STILL there. When we are being tempted? God is there. When we pray? God is there. When we come before Him in time of worship? God is there. When we wonder if He can even hear us? God IS there. He loves us and He is on our side. So if we serve a God who is there...who is here in our hearts, then surely His name is a safe place.


I imagine you're thinking – that's all well and good, Dina. That's nice that His name is a safe place. I hear what you're saying, but I just don't feel it the way you do. I promise you this: Everything flows from encounter! I can tell you three distinct moments when I encountered God and where my life was radically changed as a result of it. We were made to know God and be known by Him. I encourage you to EXPECT an encounter w/ God at some point. Seek it. It will change your life.

Paula White recently tweeted “Expectancy is the breeding ground for miracles – there is nothing God cannot access for those who believe. Expect Exodus 14:14 – that the Lord will fight for you, all you have to do is be still. Whatever it is you are fighting, leave the fighting to Him. Don't fight circumstances, don't fight fear, don't fight each other.. just remember His name is a safe place, He is our safe place.


God promised you that His name is a safe place. It is in His gospel of John so there is no refuting it. Luke says Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her. He promises you that His name is a safe place.

Tense matters....

Its been a while...too long for my liking, but it seems that life is passing along at a VERY challenging pace. First it was the end of the school year, now its the dog days of summer … all of these things seem to be taking FOREVER to pass, but suddenly they are gone – like some strange time vortex that we haven't quite figured out. In any event, I realized today that I have a lot to say and no one to say it to... and then I remembered this nice little space where I can vent.


I woke up this morning, as I normally do, with a song on my heart. It usually sets the tone for my day. There is always a message in it for me... always... sometimes its obvious, other times its not... but today it struck me as something I had to chew on for a while before I could spit it out.


The lyrics said “ I've tasted and I've seen – of a God who is greater than anything.” It was a spontaneous moment that soared into the throne room of heaven in this specific worship set. It immediately brought to mind Psalm 34:8 – taste and see that the Lord is good.


I was brought back to my childhood church. To the high and lofty ceilings painted white with beautiful wooden beams running across it, drop pendant lights sprinkled throughout. To the smell of powder and incense and wood polish for the long, long pews that glistened even on the rainiest of days. I can recall, with absolute clarity, the sound of the organ and Mr. Kirby singing “taste and see, taste and see, that the Lord is good.” As bizarre as it sounds, I can also recall the sound of his cough in between songs - he chain smoked like nobody's business and it seemed to take a toll on his Sunday morning crooning.

As sad as this is, I have to confess that it took me until my adult years to make the connection that he actually WAS singing the Psalms. The ones I could read for myself in the Good Book. The ones that have brought me comfort and eased the growing pains of life ... those very same Psalms. I have no idea why I never put two and two together,...but I suppose that is another story for another day.

Let's get to the heart of the matter, shall we?

My journey since my younger catholic years has moved me to a new church and given me a whole new worship experience. Gone is the organ, here is the keyboard and bass - even some drums. Makes me face-hurt smile to think how much I love where I am. I have learned more about who Jesus is in the past 5 years than I did in my first 25... but again, that is another story for another day (I guess one blog post begets two more?!??!)

In thinking about the lyrics today, and comparing it to the organ-laced song from my youth, I realized that tense matters. No, not the tightness in between my shoulders (I wouldn't EVER say no to a massage!) but to the actual TENSE of the words. The lyrics are past tense - she has tastED and SEEN. The Word says to taste and see. Taste. See. Now. Not in the past. That got me thinking...

I can say for sure that I have tastED and I have SEEN that the Lord is good. But can I really say that in the present tense?

I can't help but relate this to food (no snide remarks, please...). Do you have a desire to taste something when you're not hungry? Think about it. You've just had a meal - whatever your heart desires - and you're just sitting in your seat. Satisfied. Full - OVERfull, maybe... but absolutely happy that what you just ate has exceeded your expectations. If I said to you - do you want to taste my food? You probably would say no. You're satisfied. You don't want to change the taste that lingers on your tongue. But if you were NOT satisfied - if you were starving and I offered you a taste of my food, you would be happy to oblige. You are HUNGRY. You WANT. You, quite possibly, need a taste.

Jesus offers us this - Jesus offers us the ability to taste and see that He is good. But He won't force us to try a bite. He waits for us to be hungry - and eventually we realize that it doesn't matter what food we eat, the only true source of satisfaction is Him.

I, unfortunately, have a selfish nature. My first thought is often about how I'm feeling even if whatever the issue brings up is not about me or how I'm feeling. I am working on it. This selfish tendency can put blinders on me. I look around and see how things are NOT instead of how things ARE. I forget that there is pleasure in the small things - like the sound of laughter or a really good cup of coffee. My selfishness ALWAYS turns to grumbling and groaning. Instead of feeling like I'm serving my family by making them dinner, I end up thinking that they are all ungrateful people and should be making ME dinner for all I do for them (I swear, I've had these thoughts. No, I'm not proud of them - I'm keepin' it real here though... I know I'm not the only one).  In these blinding situations, I can not SEE that the Lord is good. I can only SEE how things are affecting ME.

So the song sings to me that I've tasted and I've seen... in the past. And I have - both of those things. And in each time I recognized it, I was full to bursting at the God who would know and see me. If you asked me right at this moment if I can taste and see if the Lord is good, my immediate response would be no. I am not tasting and seeing that He is good. I'm stuck in my own head.

But if you asked me if I've tastED and SEEN that He is good, I would absolutely say YES.

Sooooo...we have a problem here, no?

We (I say we, but I mean I) spend so much time thinking about what has happened, and what WILL happen...that we forget what IS happening.  We (again, I) are so caught up in before and after; in I 'used to' but next 'I will.' We change course from the road we USED TO travel SO THAT we can end up at a different destination - completely unaware of the beauty that surrounds us because our mind and hearts are too far ahead - hanging on a hope that may or may not be what we should cling to. We have tastED, we have SEEN. We do not taste and see.

I'm working on it. Join me?

Dredging The Bottom

So I've been thinking (queue the Jaws song) because I had to process some emotions...and what a better way to process heart-emotions than with your head. So I pulled my heart up by the boot straps and forced my mind to sift through the conflict that had taken residence there. 

After a particularly moving church experience yesterday, I learned this: prayer at the altar stirs up your heart...and sometimes it takes a while to settle back down. I think of it like a small tide pool on a sandy beach. You can walk by, look, and even place a hand in the water and it will ripple, but still remain clear. Once you dredge the sand up from the bottom, the water becomes clouded over and the disruption causes settled things to be unsettled with things swirling about in no particular design other than chaos. Prayer at the altar is like that. Just like in that tide pool, things need time to settle back down again. As long as nothing else disturbs the mix, a little time and patience will get things back to normal. 

I've given myself permission to feel conflicting emotions since I've gone ahead and dredged up muck that was stagnant and stuck to the bottom of my heart. I have allowed myself to feel flooded with peace one minute, and then shrouded with angst in the next. My hope is that this time, I will be able to keep the negative on the top SO THAT my Jesus can come and skim them away. What I want to settle into the depth of my heart are all the things that make me more like Him...all the things that help me shine His light. 

While there is much more work to be done, I feel that this shake up has happened now for a particular reason. I will not allow myself to get caught up in WHY, but I will allow myself to get caught up in HOW I can have patience in the waiting for the revelation that is sure to soon come. 

In The Garden

Sometimes… well for me, many times.. a lyric will grip my heart for days and days. Sometimes I know why immediately, other times it takes a while for me to figure out why, other times the reason doesn’t matter as the comfort it brings is enough. It depends on my state of heart. In any event, I’ve been slain by a lyric that digs deeply into the season I am in right now. This morning, with the help of a Facebook prayer post and a YouTube video, I think I'm finally able to put things together.

Misty Edwards in all her melodious grace sings to me the current song of my heart:

I want to be Your companion,

Just like in the Garden

If You’re searching for Eden,

Find it in me, God,… find it in me.

And I swear she’s in my heart. Being human, I sometimes feel really close to God… other times, I feel as if there is a distance between us. This is a completely normal thing – I know I’m not the only one who experiences this and I’ve learned to accept it. My God is bigger than the gap that exists between my perception of God’s closeness and how close He really is. I stand firm in this and know that my reunion with the closeness of God that I desire is just ahead. I really just want to be His companion – the kind where conversation is happening despite the audible silence. “I want to be Your companion.”

I have two distinct images in my mind’s eye about a garden. The first  garden I conjure up that is synonymous with ALL gardens is my grandmother’s garden. As a kid, it was a maze of beans and corn as tall as the sky according to my little girl eyes. The sound of the breeze would catch them, and when that happened my grandmother would be hidden from sight and sound.  This garden was dusty in drought and muddy in rain. The fig tree stood alone as a solid symbol of strength and vitality. It was a beautiful garden, indeed. “Just like in the garden.”

The second is how I envision the Garden of Eden – which I’m sure pales in comparison to what it really looks like. I picture exotic flowers, a beautiful tree of life with deep roots and expansive branches covered in glorious leaves of shades of green. I picture a worn path walked by God Himself and left for everyone who would come. I picture darting bunnies and the resounding chatter of hidden animals. This Eden was a place of peace and luxurious rest; a place of satisfaction and joy.  To be defined and have a steadfast soul in those words would be mind bending. “If You’re searching for Eden, find it in me…find it in me…”

This morning I read a prayer about being ‘dusty.’ My mind dreamt up a picture of a woman working in a garden, her feet and hands covered in dust. Her face covered too, but also marked with lines caused by sweat or perhaps a tear or two. I imagined that the covered parts of her body – her arms and legs were also ‘dusty’ just not as obvious as the exposed parts were. I pictured this woman walking into church today – Ash Wednesday – to receive her ashes and having the priest use the holy water to carve out a cross on her forehead as that would have been more noticeable than using the anointed ash from last year’s palms.

………..Maybe I was that woman working in the  garden. Working hard, laborious days… toiling away at tasks that seem mundane yet are necessary. Perhaps I’ve let the covered parts of me get dusty and I’ve decided not to care all that much since no one else could see……

My catechism has taught me that the Lenten season prepares us for Easter by way of prayer, repentance, penance and fasting. These sacrificial acts are necessary for preparing the heart for the Easter season. After all, it is the season that means that spring will emancipate us from a cold, long winter just as my Savior redeemed me from the same.

If I am the woman in the garden, this season has the possibility to redeem me from a self that is dusty and worn. If I am the woman in the garden, this season requires me to tend to my garden and view the mundane as striking and the necessary as an occasion of joy. If I am the woman in the garden, this season requires me to tend to planted seed and use as much care in the first seed as in the last for they ALL could bear fruit in season. If I am the woman in the garden, this season requires me to know that I cannot do any of this on my own nor am I doing any of it on my own as there is someone greater than I causing rain and drought and sunshine and cloud cover.

As the cry of my heart is to cultivate a heart of Eden, I also know that without God and without this Easter season, I cannot do that.  The answer to the above lyrical prayer is sung in the next stanza where God says “I’m right here, I’m right where you left me all this time.”  You see, He is ALWAYS here, always by my side and yours. Sometimes He is loud, other times He is silent. Sometimes you know which way to go, other times you don’t. But our God will  NEVER leave nor forsake us and He is always on our side. We think we’ve been abandoned. We think God is too busy and He doesn’t have time for us.. but the beauty of our God is that He is as near to me as He is to you – a whisper of His name can change everything, just as a wet wash cloth can wipe away hidden dust.

During this Lenten season, I encourage you to find those dusty places. Don’t look away from them and think that since company isn’t coming over, you can skip it this week. Go out to your garden and tend to the seeds planted – and if you haven’t planted in a while consider turning over the soil. Connect with the God of all nations who loves you more than we have the human capacity to love back…and most of all turn your hearts to Him who is worthy so that the harvest that is soon to come will produce a bounty.

Satisfaction

~~ Weekly Worship Team Devotional ~~

 

 

“Jesus is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” ~John Piper

 

Yikes. I could probably write a sermon on this one, but I’ll do my best to keep it as short as I can.

 

There have been a few red letter moments in my life where I’ve felt truly satisfied; where the satisfaction runs deeper than my heart can see and my mind can comprehend. The kind of satisfaction that lasts for a while and leaves you with feelings of awe and disbelief. I feel like there are levels of satisfaction - like there is the satisfaction of a good meal, or a job well done, or an 'att'a'boy from a friend ---- these feelings of satisfaction are valid and even necessary at times, but nothing, NOTHING like the God-led satisfaction that hopefully you've experienced.

 

In order to be satisfied with Him, we have to know Him. In order to know Him, we must read Him and be in His presence. Satisfaction is not an independent emotion --- by that I mean that in order for satisfaction to occur, something has to happen first. In order for me to feel full, I have to prepare a meal; in order for me to experience a job well done, I have to have a job to do and do it well. See where I'm going? In order to be satisfied in Him, we HAVE to spend time in His presence.

 

When we spend time in His presence, we realize that there are things He wants us to do. There are ways in which He wants us to serve. There are people He wants us to minister to. Spending time with God allows us to hear the call He has on our lives. I've learned that most of the time when you are acting in obedience to your call, it feels natural. You are innately aware of your own shortcomings, but just as innately aware that God Himself will fill the gaps - and its easy to trust that when you are operating in your gift. Sure, you fail - we all do as we are NOT sinless and spotless as the lamb, BUT, you know that the failure was planned and that there is a lesson in it for you.

 

I say all of this to say that "Jesus is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." I believe that to be satisfied in Him, we NEED to have a relationship with Him. That relationship does take work. It takes effort. It takes time. There are growing pains - but in the midst of it all, we are seeking satisfaction in Him. At the end of our lives, when we stand at the gates we ALL desire to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant," right? There, my friends, is the ULTIMATE satisfaction. And if we live our lives preparing for that statement and finding our satisfaction in spending time with Him, hearing Him, abiding in Him, and serving Him, then we can rest assured that Jesus will be most glorified in us. This, my friends, is the light that others see. This is the true mark of someone who knows the Lord and is known by Him. This, my friends, is the prayer I pray for all of us.

 

The worship list this week is a journey - its a reminder of how blessed we are, its a lifting of our hearts to a God who knows me as intimately as He knows you, and its a surrender of the things that hold us back so that we can find satisfaction in Him and give Him ALL the glory.

 ~Amen~  

How Many Times

~Worship Team Inspiration Devotional~

Mark 4:19 says: “But the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the Word, and it proves unfruitful.” In context, this is from a the parable of the sower (scattered seeds in different places, producing different results). As I read through it, I was struck particularly by verse 19.

How many times? How many times have we let the cares of this world trump the truth of God’s Word? How many times have we let our own selfish desires trump the Word? How many times have we put the advice of friends or family first before the advice of God’s Word and then been disappointed in the turnout? How many times have we placed emphasis on man or manmade things over the blessings that God has poured into our lives? How many times?

The good news is that God is not counting. He is not keeping a ledger with my name and yours next to it, tallying up the number of times we mess up. He is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow. He is sovereign, and He sits on the throne of our hearts… And just as strong as His hands were when they created the universe is as gentle His hands were when He crafted each one of us – down to the gifts He bestowed and the number of hair on our heads. His love is secure. It is steady. It is unchanging and ever present.

Today, do yourself a favor and celebrate the power and sovereignty of the God we serve. He is worthy of ALL praise.

Knotted Love

I have the absolute honor of being a part of the worship team at our church. It is full of amazing talent and incredible hearts. On the weeks that I lead (meaning - I get to pray and seek a list of songs), I write a mini devotional to go along with my song choices. Usually, there is a scripture that I run across that sets the course for the list, or perhaps it's a song that won't leave my heart until its sung. In any event, I like to tell my team why I went the direction I did...I feel like if I can share my heart with them, they will be able to join me in earnest prayer for preparation for what's to come on Sunday. Sort of the "when two or more are gathered in my name" philosophy.

In any event, I often write these mini-devotionals (as I call them) and then I wish I saved them because I'd love to go back to read them later on.

So.

I've decided that I will post them here. They aren't too long and I know I will be happy to have them in a central place :)

Happy Reading!
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Zephaniah 3:17 “ The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing”

Love. It’s on my mind this week. Not just ohhh-i-love-my-husband-love (cause I do J), but I spent some time thinking about how much we all NEED to be loved, and how much we all NEED to love each other (as unconditionally as possible, forgiving faults and accepting people for who they are right in this moment).

It would be nice if our love was like a straight, taut rope with perfectly gapped and tied knots that mark the journey of how we came to love the person it was tied to. One knot for the first time you met, maybe one knot for the first time you realized that THIS person (spouse, family, mentor or friend) was going to be a part of your life. But the truth of the matter is that our love for each other is nothing like a perfectly taut rope of knots. Its knots within knots tied around knots with varying spaces between. Love can be messy and tangled and confusing. And because love can be these things, we have to look to the One who created love to straighten them out. His definition of love is not the same as ours (1 Corin 13).

Rick Warren said: “God IS love. (1 John 4:8) He didn’t need us. But he wanted us.” I’ve realized that when I feel unloved, or perhaps better stated – when I feel not loved to the full measure of love that I feel I need at that moment, I need to look to Him that is love to quiet my restless heart. What I am missing is the unconditional, holy love that only Jesus can pour into us. His love pours and seeps between the tangles and the knots because His love is perfect love. His love is able to reach the places that human love cannot.

I love this concept that Jesus COVETS us and that His sacrificial love is why we are able to be heaven-minded. That I can safely submit to His authority and trust that He has loved, is loving, and will continue to love me in whatever stage I’m at. As humans, we don’t have this capacity. But He does. He WANTS us and has paid the ultimate price for us.

My prayer is that you are able to get lost in the wonder of His love for us as you move thru this week. Focus on seeing how perfect love is able to fill the space between where your heart is and where His heart for you is.
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~ Love and light ~