Teach My Song To Rise You

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Does one line of a song sometimes grab you bringing you to full attention? That happened to me last week as I joined in worship with my sisters singing Matt Maher’s song, “Lord I Need You”. I had sung this song many times before, but God gripped me with that one line.

Teach my song to rise to You

When temptation comes my way

And when I cannot stand I’ll fall on You

Jesus, You’re my hope and stay.

Often we are deceived into believing that this walk of faith just automatically happens. It doesn’t. We have need to train ourselves in the faith. My song of faith does not always arise. I must train it to rise up. Sometimes I need to set myself down in the chair and preach some truths to me. Training my song to rise to God is practicing. It goes against what I am feeling and praises His name no matter what.

Let’s join in with David training his song to rise.

Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 43:4-5

We choose to trust. We choose to worship. We choose to sing to the Lord. We lean into Him. He is all-sufficient. We so desperately need Him. We don’t want to become self-sufficient, but totally God-sufficient.

Lord, I need You, Oh, I need You. You are my hope and my stay. You are my stronghold. You are the strength of my life. I sing a new song to you today.

Expand Your Territory

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In obedience to God’s leading to take better care of my body, I began the weight loss and exercise journey this summer. It is amazing how quickly the pounds creep up and display themselves in the oddest ways. When I first started walking regularly, everything hurt as I panted my way back home wondering if I could climb the hill that stood in front of me. How embarrassed I would be if I had to call my husband to rescue me from less than a half-mile walk. As I continued to press on, each day became easier and I walked further. I noticed that after 2 months of regular walking, I wasn’t increasing my steps.

This past Monday when I came to the end of my street, I felt a push to cross over the main road extending my normal walk to the church parking lot. It had been there all summer, but I never imagined that I could walk further. When I stepped into new territory, I had new motivation and fresh determination. Not only could I walk further, I had new energy and desire to keep walking. I turned up the praise music and walked and walked and walked. Counting the steps and checking the mileage was no longer a part of the exercise.

My street had been my normal walking path. My house sat in the middle of that street and the temptation to stop was there each time I passed by. Day after day I believed I couldn’t go any further.

So what made Monday different?

I expanded my territory. I stepped into the new, and was amazed at the difference. I had broken the common routine and rhythm and was on a new journey. Then came the best part...

God began to speak revelation to my heart.

During the summer He called me to new obedience. He stripped away much and led me into a new season of trusting. He spoke to my heart that when I step into the new season and new territory that He was calling me to, there is capability that I was never aware of. When He calls us away from the comfortable, common, old path, He gives new vision, new faith and new vigor. The perspective of everything changes and we stand taller and walk faster.

The main road that I had to cross over is New Hope Road. I crossed over from the old into the New Hope of the new.

Lord I trust you. Increase my faith as I walk in obedience to you.

Lord, give us courage to follow you into new seasons and new territory.

Give us faith to let go of the old and embrace the new.

What new territory do you need to take? Go ahead! Dare to believe the One who leads you.

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Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

Stuck Against A Wall

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I have a delightful memory of racing my brother around the bumper car track, feeling certain that if I could press the accelerator far enough I could push him into the wall and leave him behind in my smoke. It never failed that before I could reach him, out of nowhere, a car from behind would bump into me knocking me off course. There I would sit shoved into the wall as the other cars were buzzing laps around the track. I well remember being stuck in a corner as the fun raced past me round after round. I clinched the steering wheel when I spotted him coming toward me. The brother that I had longed to bump into the wall came straight toward me. In shocking amazement it was the very bump that gained me re-entrance to the race. The pressure from his car pressing into mine actually set me free.

Sometimes that is exactly what life feels like. Your eye is on the goal in front of you and out of nowhere something jolts you pushing you into what feels like a dead-end. Just as you get up and out again, another bump presses into your side. You spend day in and day out trying to get re-started, unstuck and back on track. Staring at the wall leads to discouragement and frustration as it appears that the entire world is moving forward with no resistance. Asking “Why? Why? Why?” wastes time and brings on a negative spirit. Singing “Woe is me” deepens despondency.

So how should we deal with unexpected bumps in life?

Stare at God, not the wall.

“But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death.” (Psalms 141:8)

Grieve and Worship.

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:20-21)

Refuse to blame God.

“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” (Job 1:22)

Declare who God is.

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:18-19)

Expect God to rescue you.

“I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see His goodness to me. (Psalms 27:13)

Give thanks.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“God stretches us and grows our faith as we face delays, difficulties, and dead ends. Praise Him while you wait for deliverance. You never know what may actually lead to your freedom.”

“Indeed, in our hearts, we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:9-10)