Category Archives: Worship

Rocks and Trees

DSC_1209By Judy Villanueva

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
  From where shall my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”  (Psalm 121)

“…with God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

I have a hundred pictures of trees growing out of rocks!  It catches my attention like a burning bush and shouts “Hope” to my soul!  My husband and I have literally planted over a hundred trees in the last ten years.  We’ve watered them, fed them, and have spent hours weeding, pruning, and protecting them.  To my dismay, maybe a third have survived!  The large pine under the eaves, on the other hand,  has been pushed completely over by ice sliding off the roof more than once and now stands taller than the roof.  One of our healthiest aspens was severed in half by another ice slide and grew back with such vigor that it now also rises above the roof offering abundant shade each morning.  I’m no arborist, but the common denominators seem to involve hardship and lots of water!

As for trees that grow out of rocks, I can only surmise that God loves life and can call it to rise up…even from the hardest places!

I stand before trees with rocky birthplaces in silence, awe and incredulity!  I take pictures of them to remind myself that God can do anything!  I come from a family that tends to be rather practical, which is a tremendous asset when it comes to making decisions, processing conflict or buying a car.  But, as it relates to matters of faith, being practical seems to tether me to the possible when what I really want to reach for is the “tree out of the rock” impossible! 

I want to hope beyond reason, pray for miracles, and watch breathlessly for God to interrupt my practical expectations with a divine thunder that initiates an impractical faith!

It helps me to remember, that once upon a time, a Father called forth life from behind a stone that covered a tomb…that held a beloved Son.  Was it a whisper or did He shout, “Arise!”?  The stone was rolled away and beneath the burial cloth, a heart began to beat and the sound of God breathing filled the air!  Listen!

Can you hear the sound of God breathing over your life today?

Rest.  He is.  Truth is that sometimes all we can do is lean back into the hard places, drink in God’s presence, and wait for Him to help life break through.   In the meantime, we can lift our eyes to the mountains, marvel at trees that grow out of rocks, and let them shout “Hope!” to our souls.  We can trust that God loves us.   He can do what we cannot and with Him, all things are possible.

“Lord God, breathe into our weary hopes and help us through our trials.  Grow trees out of rocks and do the impossible according to Your good will!  Help us to trust that You love life…our lives, each one!  Strengthen us and sustain us as we wait for life to break through.  Amen.”

What about you?

 Can you hear the sound of God breathing over your life today?

Do you need God to do something that seems impossible? 

What catches your attention and reminds you that you can trust God?

Do you have a practical faith or one that breathlessly waits for God to do the impossible?

Worship

(Dedicated to Steven, Trina Beaumont and my little brother)

 

 

Abba Father

levi and joeBy Judy Villanueva

“I will be a Father to you and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”  says the Lord almighty”.   (2Corinthians 6:18)

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”   (Romans 8:15)

The Lord your God in your midst,
 the Mighty One, will save;
  He will rejoice over you with gladness,
 He will quiet you with His love, 
He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

“Let’s go hunt for fire flies!”  It was evening and bedtime was fast approaching but there was still time for one more adventure.  My son alerted his children that the firefly walk was about to commence.  “Grab your flashlights and let’s go hunting!”  Off they ventured into the dark with magic on their minds and daddy to lead the way.  “Is that one?” his little ones asked excitedly.   “Maybe!  Let’s go check it out!” their father replied.  Flashlights in hand and eyes wide with anticipation, they laughed, told stories and skipped in the night under their dad’s watchful care.  Of course, there were no fireflies to be found in this part of the southwest, but it didn’t seem to matter to these three exuberant hunters!  Their little hearts were filled with an adventure that was all about being with their dad.

What do you think of when you hear the word “daddy”?  It’s a big word that sets off big feelings because dads play a very important role in our lives.

They are protectors, providers, mentors and guides.  Dads are storytellers, dream-shapers, problem-solvers and hope-givers.

Fathers have enormous shoes to fill, for as they love, little hearts are tilled and readied to know their Abba Father.  Is dad good, faithful, and kind?  Does he rejoice over me with gladness? Can I count on him? The tricky part of this, of course, is that however good a dad might be, he will always be a human dad.  At best, he is a humble man versed in kneeling before his Heavenly Father,  confessing his failures and praying for strength, grace and power to love  his family well.

Sadly, many didn’t have a dad “at his best” and may find their hearts tangled and wary of trusting another Father.  If that’s you, I pray you’ll consider that our Heavenly Father is divinely different.

The Lord God is in your midst!  The Mighty One who saves sings over you with gladness!

It is true!  He calls us sons and daughters and rejoices over us!  He knows our names and longs for us to know His name as Abba, our dad!  The reality of His love surrounds us and is a place of welcome always and in spite of whatever other realities may exist.  His arms are always are open, his ears always tuned, his face always toward us, and his heart always ready to give all it has…to have us.   The Mighty One is OUR Father!  And, He invites us to join Him in light-filled, firefly adventures and the discovery of a life loved and led by Him.

“God, bless dads.  Help them to sing with gladness over their little ones.  How desperately this generation needs dads and moms who will delight in them.  Thank you for our dads and help us to be grateful, forgive them their failures and trust You to meet our deepest needs.  Thank you that You are our ever faithful Abba Father!   Amen.”

What about you?

What was your relationship like with your earthly father?  Have you both celebrated and forgiven him for where he blessed or failed you?

 Do you know God as a Father?

Can you relate to calling Him “Abba” or “Daddy”?  Do you feel close to God?

How does it feel to know that God delights in you and sings over you with gladness?

Worship:

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The Lord’s Prayer

Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Worship

DSC_1176By Judy Villanueva

Our Father, which art in heaven,


We belong!   We have a Father in Heaven!  The One who made worms and flowers, oceans and mountains, goofy looking fish, giraffe, and elephants… is OUR Dad!  Think about it!  Our Father really is stronger and smarter than every other dad.  He is the King of Kings and our very own Abba Father…Yours and mine!

Hallowed be thy Name.


“Holy, Set apart, honored and praised!”  Our culture does not hallow much and hard as I try, I find my hallowing efforts terribly lacking.   Help me, Father, into Your presence because I know that anyone who glimpses Your beauty falls down in awed wonder!  I want to be see You better and bless You with abundant and heartfelt praise!

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth,  as it is in heaven.


I can only imagine the fervor with which Jesus uttered, “Thy Kingdom come”!  He knew the beauty and perfection of His Father’s kingdom first hand.  He was teaching us to ask for that which we need most…our true home!  Let Your kingdom come, Lord God, into our hearts, our heads, our choices, our dreams, our words, and our prayers.  We want Your will on earth as in Heaven… and no other!

Give us this day our daily bread.


We need You!  How vast are our daily needs for bread, drink, fellowship, love, work, health, dreams, adventures, comfort and safety!  Hear our cries for provision!  We lack joy.  We are hungry for peace!  We ache for Love.  We grow weary for lack of knowing that we are Yours!

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

Help us to be sorry.  Open our eyes to our failures and give us courage to know ourselves in Your presence.  It is unsettling to to see our sins, but Your grace becomes our safe place.  Help us to forgive any who has sinned against us.  How easy is the temptation to receive Your grace and then to hold offenses against our neighbor.  Fill us with the wonder of Grace and let it fill us with grace for others.

And lead us not into temptation, 
But deliver us from evil. 


Around every corner there seems to lurk temptations that mean to steal life from God’s beloved children.  Jesus came that we might have life to the full, but evil lays traps that siphon off life as it pollute our souls.  Lord, have mercy!  You can see what we cannot…make a victorious way for us to defeat and overcome temptation.  Deliver us from evil!

For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. 

Yours is the kingdom…absolutely!  Yours is the power!  Above any other, You reign victorious!  Yours is the glory, the wonder, the awe-inspired beauty that never, never ends!  We rest in Your power and rise up with praise that Your Kingdom is now and forever!  It will not end!   It will last forever and ever…and ever!

 Amen.

 It is true!  So be it!  Let it be so!!!  We agree!  Do it!

 

What about you?

This is a great exercise!  Take each part of the Lord’s Prayer and let your mind and heart pause, ponder, and pray.  Think about each part, talk it over with a friend, and then, respond to however it speaks to you.  Let this prayer become your own.

Worship:

“The Lord’s Prayer” by Tommy Walker (Generations Hymns)

“Victorious”  by Donnie McClurkin.

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Wonder

DSC_0514By Judy Villanueva

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns,  where evening fades, 
you call forth songs of joy. (Psalm 65:8)

Covered in blankets with our faces pointed toward the sky, we watched for magic!  “Glory!” our friend’s little daughter cried out, “I saw one!”  Under a canopy of stars we laid out on the deck, shivering in the cool night air determined to witness wonder!  “Glory!” another shouted, “Glory!  Glory!  Glory!”  Shooting stars showered us with delight and time seemed to stop as we watched wide-eyed and awed by each brilliant starburst!  It was the peak of the Perseid Meteor shower and there, gathered with family and dear friends, wonder gave way to worship and before we knew it, we were singing songs of joy in the middle of the mountains!

I am so grateful for wonder.  It is different than knowing or understanding a thing….there is something about wonder that points us beyond the comprehensible to unique and magnificent possibilities!

Wonder confronts our finite natures and asks us to reach beyond our grasp and dare to imagine beauty beyond our disappointments.  It signals us to hope!

It opens up soul-space and encourages us to watch for life.  Wonder reminds us that there is a God…a good and wonderful God.

“Wonder-ing” becomes more natural as we practice noticing and tuning into its invitations to stand still and behold.  Beholding helps us to see, feel and hear God in the midst of shooting stars, rainbows, and shimmering aspen trees…to name a few favorite wonders!  To behold is to stop, move toward and then look closely with all of oneself.   It is to allow wonder to speak and teach of God’s glory…glory found all around us, every day...in sunrises and sunsets,  in wildflowers and waterfalls and, in sitting amongst friends with faces pointed upwards,  singing songs of joy for each moment spent together watching for glory!

“Heavenly Father, help me to notice your invitations to be drawn into wonder.  Life can be hard sometimes.  Help me to trust You and stay open to whatever You will next for me.  Thank you for lights in the sky, for dear friends, precious children, for beauty, wind and wonders too many to count that help me reach beyond disappointment and fear,  to hope.  Thank you for daily reminders that You are…and are good.  Amen.”

What about you?

What fills you with wonder?

Are you aware of how beholding wonder moves your heart?

How are your hopes?

Do you need a reminder that there is a God…and that He is good?

Lay down, look up and watch for His wonders.

(Thank you, Tommy Walker, for leading worship that night and helping us lift up beautiful songs of joy!)

Worship

https://youtu.be/oscF-IBd5D8 

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Sacrificing Isaac

Knowing God, Lenten Reflections, Spiritual Formation, Worship

DSC_0142By Judy Villanueva

Genesis 22: 1-2

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

It was an unimaginable ask!

After years of infertility and waiting…after finally giving birth and looking into the face of sweet joy…after cradling  a heart’s desire, God asks what?  Every mother’s heart stops beating at the thought of harm befalling her child but, to think of harm coming at the hand of his father is unthinkable!

Why does God ask Abraham for Isaac?  I’ve always understood this passage as pertinent with regard to idols and placing anything or anyone higher than God.  This makes sense, of course, but this story pushes us to an almost untenable limit.  My child?

Take my dog.  Take me.  Take anything, but please don’t take my child!  And yet, a child is what God gave…

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…”  It’s a familiar story and stories begin to have a fairy-tale quality to them once we’ve heard them a time or two.  But, this story is real and invites us to the most beautiful act of love ever demonstrated.

Before Abraham knew a ram would be provided, he said “yes” to God.

This astounds me!  It makes me curious about  Abraham’s relationship with the Father.  Over a lifetime he had come to know God intimately…through trials, long periods of waiting, personal failures and great acts of faith, he had learned to trust God.   Obedience on the mountain of Moriah would require a deep and unwavering confidence.

Love held Abraham and Love held Isaac as the knife was raised!  Love saved Isaac and provided for Abraham another sacrifice.

But, think of it!

Love let go of His most treasured Son—and held us as our Savior hung on the cross and died.  Love spent all He had to have us!

It was an unimaginable gift!

“Father, I don’t know how to take in the wonder and beauty of the gift You gave on Calvary.  Yours truly is a love beyond reason and invites me into its healing power.  To think that I am loved with such vigor and might fills me with hope and deep, deep gratitude.  Don’t let me forget this moment, not for one minute!  Amen.”

What about you?

Is the story of the cross real to you?  Or, has it become a fairy tale without any real impact on your life?

How does it change the way you think of yourself? Think of God?

Do you know that you are deeply and greatly loved?

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Gethsemane

DSC_0388By Judy Villanueva

Matthew 26:26-36    

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

It was dusk and the desert landscape was quickly changing from shadows to black night as we drove east toward the Colorado River.  I was only twelve years old and had been invited to join a friend’s family on their spring break.  In the light of day it seemed like an exciting opportunity,  but as the sky darkened I held back tears and longed to be home with my family.   When I read this passage and imagine Jesus in the garden, I am dumbstruck at what He must have felt lying on His face, overwhelmed  to the point of death.  I’d always thought that it was the anticipation of the cross that was the cause of His troubled heart, but I have come to believe that what Jesus smelled in the garden was far worse.  I think it must have been the impending loss of home that stole His peace.  Never, for even a millisecond, had He known existence apart from His beloved Father.  They had forever shared a perfect, blessed, loving community of three… but a time was drawing near when Jesus would experience being torn from His Father.

It strikes me that this scene is the only one I can think of where Jesus is troubled and, literally, doubled over with sorrow.  Can you picture our Lord with His face to the ground?   Try.  It isn’t how we are use to seeing Him,  but there in the garden beneath the Mount of Olives, He bends over with a desperate plea!  “Father, take this cup.”

He faces off with a moment of truth…a beautiful, terrorizing, extravagant, horrifying and holy moment!

Imprisonment, false accusations, a thorny crown, beatings, nails, a spear, mocking, humiliation, scorn and the full weight of man’s sin await Him.  THEN, the loss of His most precious treasure, the Love that had been His smile since forever…His Abba, His Dad would turn away!

“Your will, not mine.”  Alone in the garden, with his friends fast asleep, Jesus prays three times that this cup should pass and, each time, submits to His Father’s will.  Finally, He wakes up His friends with what looks like refreshed strength and determination, “Rise!  Let us go!”  He is no longer bent over in sorrow with His face to the ground.  No.  Jesus has been with the Father, accepted His will and now moves with faith and hope to the cross!  He knows what is coming but we don’t see Him hesitate anymore.  I wonder what THEY talked about in the garden.   Was it us they talked about?

Did their Love inspire a gift so great that the Godhead re-uped for being ripped a part in order to carry us home… so that They might become our warm and loving family for all eternity?

Oh beautiful love of God!

“I can’t even fathom this kind of Love, Lord!  I am grateful!  Help me, Jesus, to pray with a submitted heart…to ask for what I want, but trust in what You will!  Thank You for making a way for me to come home someday and share forever with You.  Amen.”

What about you?

Are you in a garden of Gethsemane?  Are you struggling with God in prayer over something He is asking of you?

Is there a cup you would like to pass?

Where are you in terms of the crucifixion of your will?  Are you able to say, “Your will, not mine”?

Have you received this gift of love, Christ’s death on the cross, that delivers us from sin?

Can you trust in the Father’s love to deliver you home safe and sound?

Worship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMX9CNgRJCM

 

Loving Like Mary

Spiritual Formation, Worship

DSC_0435By Judy Villanueva

 John 12:1-11

 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

The first time I read this passage I was drawn to Mary on her knees pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiping them with her hair.  I find myself staring at the scene as though I am in the room watching.  The fragrance fills the air and the beauty of the moment starts to wash over me.  This woman’s love for Jesus touches my heart with a deep yearning to learn how to love like Mary.  She threw it all down, gave all she had to love Jesus.  Spending a year’s wages on a pair of feet may have seemed a foolish extravagance, washing the toes of a guest was servant’s work and unbinding one’s hair in public was undignified.   It’s as though she could not help but use everything at her disposal to love her dearest friend.

The second time I read this passage, I heard Jesus say “Leave her alone.  It was intended that she save this perfume for the day of my burial.”  A hundred thoughts go through my head as I let the power of these words speak!  Jesus doesn’t say, “Oh no, Mary, it’s ok.  Use the money on the poor.  I’m good.”  He lets her love Him!  He receives her worship!  Do my acts of love today become places of knelt adoration to Jesus?  Do they matter and actually bless Him?   Jesus understands that the best thing I can ever do is to love Him!  It is what my soul most needs.  And, that He protects and receives my gestures of love feels like an enfolding of grace and a sweet return of fragrant Love. Oh Lord, help me to love you like Mary.

“Thank you, Jesus, for your amazing grace!  Forgive me for selfish wants and fill me with Holy power to love you well.  I am awed by Your love and grateful for Your Word today that convicts and teaches me.  Draw me to Your feet and receive my acts of worship today.  Amen.”

What about you?

As you read this passage, what are you drawn to?

How do you love Jesus?  How might you show Him love today?

God protects and receives our acts of love, and loving God is what our souls most need.  Love God and others today!

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Wanted!

Disorientation, Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Worship

IMG_2304By Judy Villanueva

Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love; 
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Isaiah 43:1 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

We belong to God! What could be more life-giving than knowing that we are loved with an everlasting Love? Sadly, in this world we do have trouble and when the pressure is on, we can lose hold of this beautiful truth. Disappointments, losses and hopes deferred can cause us to feel unloved and unwanted by God. If that is what you are feeling today or ever, then let it sound an alarm to your soul! It’s not true. Don’t believe it! Lean in and lean hard into the Father’s voice! It may not be easy, but do it because God is speaking, always speaking! “I want you….I always want you. I love you. You are mine.”

We, each one of us, were created to feel wanted and loved. I believe it crushes the heart of God when life in this fallen world causes us to forget, doubt, or worse, stop believing that we are named, redeemed…and His! It makes sense, I suppose, that this is where we are often disturbed and thrown off our feet, spiritually and emotionally. If we doubt that our lives matter…that God keeps track of our smiles and tears, then we may find ourselves tossed about by the wind and whim of circumstance.

Hearing God whisper “I want you” pierces our souls with light!  What else can compare?  It calms our fears, gives us courage, and becomes a place of residing joy within us.  Read what God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; 
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”  We must hold these words close to our hearts as if we are pressing the truth of them into our very bodies and, should we ever feel shaken and unwanted, we need not fear.  Instead, we must remember that independent of our feelings, God remains faithful! He is with us and we are His!

“Father, how often I am fearful and forgetful that You are ever-faithful! I want You to be my place of residing joy and freedom. Thank you for Your unfailing love…and that You always want me. Help me daily to hear Your voice calling my name and leading me to Your heart. Amen.”

What about you?

Have you ever felt unwanted?

What gets in the way of believing that God wants you/loves you?

What helps you hear God’s voice of love?

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Raising the Dead

Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Worship

waterfallBy Judy Villanueva

John 11:38-44
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Can you see Jesus standing before the tomb that holds His dear friend? It has been four days. Go there with me…imagine being with Jesus in front of the cave and watch the story unfold! Mary and Martha are there along with others who loved this man and his family. It’s dusty and I can hear the shuffling of feet on the sandy ground. “What did Jesus say? He wants to take the stone away? Why?” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  I hear these words as if they have traveled over 2000 years and found me typing in my little office.  God is speaking to me!  I want to believe!  I want to see the glory of God! I suddenly realize that some of my stuff is in that tomb! Hopes that have died…prayers that have grown tired…dreams that have been dragged there by long years of waiting.

I look at the tomb that holds the dead…and then, I look at Jesus!  He knows. There are tears of love in His eyes and in mine as I feel intimately known and loved. Then, He turns and faces the mouth of the cave and shouts, “Lazarus, come forth!”  There is a hush that sweeps across the site and a pressured pause as we all wait with wide-eyed anticipation. Then, we hear it…can it be?  Footsteps!  All eyes are on the mouth of the cave.  Now, watch…don’t miss it!  There! A shadow!  And now, a dead man raised and walking out of his tomb! Standing at the cave next to the One for whom nothing is impossible, we witness the beauty and wonder of life called forth from death!  I fall to the ground in sheer awe and utter amazement! The glory of God is spectacular!  I want to dance! I want to cry!  My God can do anything!

Almost unwittingly, I find myself peeking around Jesus as He hugs His friend to see if I can catch a glimpse of my stuff.  Where is it???  It’s not in the tomb!  How can I go from awe to panic in a mili-second? Where’s my dead stuff?  Befuddled, I turn scanning for my shattered hopes, my disappointments, fatigued prayers and lifeless dreams. Then Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  What on earth?  There in front of me is Jesus asking me to believe and inviting me to witness the glory of God!  And, to my surprise, held safely in His arms, is all my dead stuff!  Jesus holds my pages of prayers, my worries, loved ones, hopes and dreams!  He looks at me and says, “Come forth!”…and I feel a surge of faith, dreams awakening, worries resting, and hopes breathing again.

“Lord God almighty! You are faithful! You are all powerful, all good, all knowing…and You love me! You know me! All the time, in every thing, You know me. Thank you that You care about my hopes and dreams. Call forth the things that have died in me and let the reality that Jesus stands with me help me to believe and watch for Your glory! Amen.”

How about you?

Do you have hopes, dreams, prayers, and weathered faith left for dead in a tomb?

How might you pray if Jesus were standing next to you? How might you ask Him to pray for you?

Do you want to see the glory of God? Do you need help to believe?

Pray. Ask God to call forth life!

 

Worship

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He Calls Me Friend

Knowing God, Spiritual Formation, Worship

DSC_1114By Judy Villanueva

John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

“The whole of mankind might be changed if we could all believe that we dwell under a friendly sky and that the God of heaven, though exalted in power and majesty, is eager to be friends with us.” (AW Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy, p.129)

The God of heaven is eager to be friends with me? I was reading along, soaking up Tozer’s words inviting me to understand the goodness of God, and all of a sudden I happened upon this sentence. I paused…and read it over and over. “The God of heaven is eager to be friends with me.” Yet, again my image of God is confronted! I realized, as I sat there and let this thought sit next to me, that I don’t think of God in this way…as eager to be my friend. It sounds so…so…friendly! The idea that we dwell under a friendly sky is as happy as it is consoling at this time in my life when I am far away from my closest friends. Days can feel lonely and making new friends takes time…a little more than I expected. What comfort Jesus’ invitation to friendship gives to all of us who need a friend! I am accustomed to relating to God as Father, Jesus as Son and Savior, the Spirit as Counselor and companion but, what does a friendship with God look like?

As I sit by the fire working to wrap my mind around the notion of a friendship with God Almighty (!), the phone rings. “Hi, sweetie!” It’s one of my favorite voices… and it belongs to my mom! I love the sound of her “hello,” the warmth I feel in her voice and the picture of her that comes to my mind as I listen to her telling me about her and dad’s latest excursion to the Italian Club. I find myself smiling and become aware of the love between us, and the little bits of life being shared across the miles. It occurs to me that God just might be helping me understand His eager heart to be my friend as I enjoy my mother’s company on the phone. It’s not strenuous or complicated…just a gift, a moment, a relationship I need only welcome and receive. I’m starting to get the picture! In a very real way, God is always calling. He offers His love and friendship all hours of the day and through the night. He loves His children profoundly and eagerly waits for opportunities to share bits of life with us! We need only to allow for the moments…to welcome and receive His friendship. I want to be God’s friend and I want to experience His eagerness to be mine! Don’t you?

“Help me, dear and eager Friend, to discover your goodness around me and to know you not only as Father, God, and Savior, but also, as my dearest Friend. Help me to welcome and receive Your friendship and love. Amen.”

How about you?

Do you need a good friend?

Have you ever thought about God as eager to be your friend?

How might you welcome and receive His friendship today?

If friendship with God seems hard to imagine, pray and ask God to help you discover His love and become His friend.

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