Jesus loves me, this I know. This category is about Jesus, the Living Word, my prayers to Him, my worship of Him, His relentless pursuit of my heart and His invitation to me to come to Him in Sabbath, my Savior, my Rest.
A song we actually sang in church in the 70s – it was fairly lightweight, but song leaders loved it because they could add all sort of weird verses to it. The main pattern was this
The joy of the Lo-o-ord is my strength!
The joy of the Lo-o-ord is my strength!
The joy of the Lo-o-ord is my strength!
O, the joy of the Lord is my strength!
Can you imagine the fun you can have with that syntax?
Verse 2, everybody now:
If you want joy you can jump for it [make the whole congregation jump here]
If you want joy you can jump for it!
If you want joy you can jump for it!
O, the joy of the Lord is my strength!
Then they came up with these clever, congregation-engaging verses: “If you want joy you can spin for it,” whereupon people with vertigo went down for the count.
My personal favorite was the verse, “If you want joy you can laugh for it,” followed by a verse where, to the tune of the song, we all, young and old alike. were heard singing:
Ha, haha, haha, haha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
There must have been 10-12 embarrassing verses. You can imagine the glory.
Not sure why that popped into my brain? Maybe because the JOY of the LORD is my strength! So I have to pretty much live on a joy-quest. And I do love me some Habakkuk who painted that picture of what life and joy-robbing circumstances really are like sometimes (3:17-18 NKJV):
Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will *joy in the God of my salvation.
And that word *JOY is gil, #1523 in the Strong’s, and it means to joy, rejoice, be glad, be joyful and contains, according to my study Bible’s notes (Jack Hayford’s Spirit-Filled Life Bible) the suggestion of “dancing for joy” or “leaping for joy,” since the verb originally meant “to spin around with intense emotion.”
Kind of dispels the notion that “inner joy” is just this calm, serene, ever-present half smile of knowing, doesn’t it? Joy seems a bit more raucous, active, participatory. It is us, in the face of the toughest circumstances dancing and leaping and praising God and making joy happen.
No blossoms on the tree which is supposed to provide sustenance for us? I will joy…
No fruit? After all my hard work? I will joy!
My intense labor over the olives is a great, big fail? I will joy!
My entire field has no food and dang, I am hungry…yet, I will rejoice…I will joy in the God of my salvation.
So it turns out that silly song wasn’t that far off the mark. If you want joy – you can jump for it! Or leap or spin around with intense emotion. A song of my life.
Dave and Tara introduced me to this song the summer of 2006. I had just left a busy (crazy, heart-pounding, wreck-of-a) church position and I was in rough shape. They were about to embark on this new thing called Worship and the Word Movement, where they could travel and sing and lead worship and infuse local churches and ministries with much-needed resources for worship – all for just the invitation, no $$ required. Missionaries.
It was a summer night. In a barn east of Brighton and the Holy Spirit was pre~sent! O my. And they started singing it and every person in the place had their faces turned heavenward with their arms raised singing, “Yes, yes – yes, yes!”
And I was standing there begging God to show me what was next, to give me my next assignment – something to prove He wasn’t actually finished with my life in light of the loss and the pain of the months just passed.
And you know when you hear from heaven and know it is really God because you know you would never have heard those words from your own heart and mind – you know that kind of hearing? I heard like that and He told me, in spite of the fact that the words of this song are amazing, sweet, and about simple surrender (and have a decidedly early 70s R & B flavor, which is so me),
“Do not sing this song. There is nothing for you to say ‘yes’ to.”
And I am serious. Because He was serious. He absolutely would not allow me the honor of singing this song. I looked around that barn and just like the wounded heart I was, spewed out, with hot, stinging tears, “Why do they all get to say ‘yes?!'” He reiterated:
“There is NOTHING for you to say yes to.”
Settled. KILLED. Just broke my heart. I had thought He meant forever. I couldn’t comprehend He was looking out for me, making sure I was safe before we ventured further…
Many times since, I have asked Dave and Tara why they don’t do that song more because I love it and God lets me sing it now. **happy face** :)
Flash forward: A Sunday morning (today).
I try to slink unnoticed in to the church. I am immediately greeted by 2 of the HF familia who will not let me slink by. Oh no. I just want to come in, sit in the Whitewater dark and sing a little (along with my son, Rocky, who is leading), hear the sermon and leave like I came: over-worked, over-wrought, over-tired, all my own fault.
Rocky and Jovan are about to step out as missionaries themselves. 6 years later, we are here again…He has a dream to build a worship team that goes out into the highways and byways, even into bars. He wants to actually worship the Lord in the dark places. He and Jovan want to write and produce music that will bring healing where the wounded live. And today, omygoodness – it reminded me of that little white barn with Dave and Tara 6 years ago.
And he dusted off the too-little-used song, “Yes.” And I am tired. And I am a bit beaten down by working without resting, by fearing man rather than God, by all the things I should know better than to allow…But sitting there (in the Whitewater dark) I realized, the thing is, I can say yes now. God is asking me.
“Do you want to do this?” I hear Him ask…
Yes, yes. Yes, Lord, yes.
And I hear Rocky lead out with strong resolve:
From my heart I say Yes
From my soul I say yes
All my life I say yes, yes…..
So that is my song of the day. Maybe the month or the next 60 days, I don’t know. It just really washed over me.
GOTTA get a camera that can handle the sound and low-lights. The vid is low-quality. But I am sharing it anyway, because if you’re trying to decide something right now, see if these words and this melody will fit. And if it helps you say what you know you already want to say anyway…
“Yes,” led by Rocky Rhoades (my beloved son in whom I am so pleased.) Words and music by Dave Powers (c) 2006 (my other beloved son in whom I am also very much pleased).
You were my first grandchild ever, the beginning of the age of the bebes. And now you are zooming towards double-digits and it has gone by in such a flash I can barely believe it. Happy Birthday, my little man. You are a such a great, great kid. You are bright and light and sweet and helpful. You take care and take on big jobs. You are energetic and engaging. You are gentle and thoughtful and such a good big brother and cousin. You work hard, you play hard you sleep so soundly. I have never seen anyone go to sleep as fast and hard as you do, at least not since your mommy was little.
You are the smile of my life.
Being 9 will be one of the most amazing things you have ever done and like everything you have ever attempted, done, touched or tried, you will do it soooooo well! I just know it! I hope you will remember how much I love you all the days of your life.
God created you for great things. So here are some things from His Word for your birthday. And His words are life!
So, Gavin Lee Kelley? Here is a great way to spend your life: Praising the Lord.
Because young men who live with reverent awe of the great things God has done also live very joyful lives, and they are happy obeying His ways.
Plus – when you grow up and have children of your own, they’ll end up successful and amazing in everything they try to do! Just because you worship and live for God, your family will be blessed and tons of people around them will be blessed!
Your love for the Lord and your obedience are just open doors of blessing for you! You’ll have your needs met and the cool things you do for others will always be remembered by the Lord.
No matter how hard things get in the world, following the Lord will make your light shine even in really dark places. You are so compassionate and generous and in such right standing with God. It is just gonna make good come to you and cause people to do good business with you. When people hear your name, they will say, “Now that is a good guy!”
Because you trust in the Lord, you do not have to fear bad news. You can believe it, Gavin – you can trust in the Lord! You can even be sure when the enemy comes against you that the Lord will kick-butt on your behalf! O yes, he will.
I love that you share so freely and are so generous with your things. That just sets you up to affect your generation and be well thought of for the rest of forever!
This is the life of a little man who will give God lots of room in his life. It is the life your Nonna is praying for you.
From Psalm 112
I love you like crazy, little man. You know I do. You are one of the coolest people I have ever known in my whole life! Love you, Nonna.
Sunny, cool. Birds chirping away. The pots I planted last weekend are looking happy and sprightly. The dog is just sitting here vibing me with total love, like dogs do. O Sandy. Guini-the-grandbebe is asleep in the guest room, sweet girl she is (she was Grandpa’s date to his movie premier last night and got to meet all the “stars”!).
The reverential awe of the Lord = The Fear of the Lord.
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm —
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
My help comes from the Lord – the Maker of heaven and earth!
Dave Powers, a crazy-amazing God-man (who by some stroke of blessing and favor on our family is also my son-in-law) was leading the HF staff/team in a time of ministry the other day at the office. He directed us to read through and pray through and DO the Psalms 95-106, I think it was. I am not sure, because I actually never made it past Psalm 97.
Because of this:
I think it is important that I comprehend the Father Heart of God. In fact, I set myself to gain that revelation, to finally fully understand God as a Father this year, January 2012 – until I get it. I get Righteous Judge. I get that I am a bond-servant, with gladness. I get other parts of Him. But the Father, that is inconceivable to me, about me. Jesus, yes. Me? ??
And I have focused on it and read the Word and meditated on it and still: bewildered. I feel like an outsider, really, usually. I have been frustrated. I feel receiver-challenged. And kind of afraid of a God of vengeance.
Epiphany:
So I was reading along the other morning as Dave was worshipping with his guitar and singing away and I got to Psalm 97 in the Amplified-version:
3 Fire goes before Him and burns up His adversaries round about. [uh-huh – exactly what I am afraid of]
4 His lightnings illumine the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory.
7 Let all those be put to shame who serve graven images, who boast in idols. Fall prostrate before Him, all you gods.
8 Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced [in relief] because of Your judgments, O Lord.
9 For You, Lord, are high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil; He preserves the lives of His saints (the children of God), He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the [uncompromisingly] righteous and strewn along their pathway, and joy for the upright in heart [the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection].
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you [consistently] righteous (upright and in right standing with God), and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness.
OMYGOSH. Do you see it, too? I have been standing on the outside trying to see if He really is a Father, my Father, and placing myself among the wicked. I was reading about His wrath and vengeance and I haven’t been His child. I saw in verse 8, “…the daughters of Judah rejoiced [in relief] because of Your judgments, O Lord.”
I seriously felt hope, the relief on its’ way. Because of Your judgements…The judgements were FOR the daughters, on their behalf! Not at them. FOR them.
And I realized I am trying to understand everything about Him as Father from His viewpoint and His ways are so far beyond me. But I sensed a definite Holy-Spirit-inspired directive to start figuring out how to be a daughter (as in “sons of God”), a child of the King. I totally sensed Him suggesting that I read and meditate on being a daughter, on receiving what that means: relief. So that I can finally, fiiiiiinnnnaaaaallllly————understand the Father heart of God.
What an adventure this could be. { For those of you who already get it, please share! Songs, scriptures, words of encouragement. Here or by email.}
As a child of God, as a daughter, I love Him and I hate evil (vs. 10), then He does His father-thing: He preserves my life and delivers me from the hand of the wicked – a very my-dad-is-gonna-kick-your-butt-if-you-mess-with-me thing to do. I have longed for that, so I can quit self-defense. I am a big self-defender.
And verse 11? Come on! I am willing to work a little to get a revelation of “the irrepressible joy which comes from consciousness of His favor and protection.”
All in all, that ministry time was pretty sweet and I zoned in on “in relief,” because I need some.
BEWARE: The challenge to the Word
Watch out for the momentary epiphany. It needs a good place to grow. If you don’t tend to it, it will disappear as quickly as it came. Jesus taught about the seed in Matthew 13: seeds falling on the roadside and being eaten by birds, or falling on rocky ground without much soil, a scorching sun killing rootless plantings or being planted among thorns which grow up and choke them out. But seeds in good ground? Watch out! In good ground, the fruitfulness can yield up to thirty or even sixty-fold.
Suffice it to say, the HF office is a wonderful place to work with amazing family-of-God, but we also work hard – contract negotiations, odd phone calls, countless meetings. Just know when the Holy Spirit reveals something, find [create, mix, tend to] good soil for it, because it will be challenged. And it was for me. I had the opportunity to lose that Word from that blessed time. Read: a circumstance immediately caused me to see myself as an outsider to the family, as a servant in the Kingdom, but certainly not a daughter to the King; definitely not a joint-heir with Jesus.
The promised relief, the hope was nearly choked out for me. My heart threatened to become a rocky place where roots could not sink deep. That is how the enemy of our souls works. Just know it and then refuse to let it be.
2 Cor. 10.5 NIV “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Then God confirms His love.
My dad called me this morning. I wish you could know how far we have come, how much I love him and how new it is for us to be able to speak so openly together. He called to bless me. He just called to bless my day and my heart. And he spoke the biblical words of blessing and then told me, “Remember, you’re my little girl.” We talked and he prayed for me and told me again, “Remember, you’re daddy’s little girl. You behave today.” And, feeling totally like a little girl (in a way I never did when I actually was a little girl – a story for another time), I asked, with some trepidation, “But dad – what if I don’t behave today? Will you still love me? Will I still be your little girl?”
And my earthly father said to me: “If you don’t behave today, I will love you anyway and I will speak this same blessing over your life tonight that I just did this morning. You will still be my little girl.”
And just like that, our Father in heaven confirmed that He sees my absolute brokenness and is not going to give up showing me how to be a daughter – so I can know Him as my Father. Is He good or what?
www.rez.org Live-streaming each weekend (Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings)
Here is a sliver of the 8:30 am service this morning. Dave and Tara leading, with Rocky. Dave Beegle was there, too! Love the Dave! (www.davebeegle.com)
O man, I love that the people I love the most love Jesus more than anything. Their voices – the voices I have long-loved, just resonate and reverberate right into the core of me in a way that no other singers can. Just like your childrens’ voices do for you! There is a familiarity, a deep familial recognition – from the inside out. It is good.
All the flowering trees and shrubs are running about 4-6 weeks early this year. Including my Golden Rain-tree just outside the kitchen window. Joy-maker.
Deuteronomy 32.1-3 NLT
“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak!
Hear, O earth, the words that I say!
Let my teaching fall on you like rain;
let my speech settle like dew.
Let my words fall like rain on tender grass,
like gentle showers on young plants.
I will proclaim the name of the Lord;
how glorious is our God!”
Joel 2.21-24 The Message
Fear not, Earth! Be glad and celebrate!
God has done great things.
Fear not, wild animals!
The fields and meadows are greening up.
The trees are bearing fruit again:
a bumper crop of fig trees and vines!
Children of Zion, celebrate!
Be glad in your God.
He’s giving you a teacher
to train you how to live right—
Teaching, like rain out of heaven, showers of words
to refresh and nourish your soul, just as he used to do.
And plenty of food for your body—silos full of grain,
Our family-all-time favorite worship leader (the leader on our first ever Hosanna’s! Integrity cassette worship tape: He is Exalted), has a video blog!!!
Kent Henry: Great voice. Spirit-led. Full of wisdom and grace. Passing it all on to the next generations. He played at Heaven Fest 2009 and it was awesome!
AND, on this one, he is teaching from my favorite book of the Bble: Ephesians!
“The times of refreshing come from His presence because of the power of redemption…(references the song “The God of the Redeemed”from Brian and Jenn Johnson at Jesus Culture).
“Don’t let the devil ever stop you because you’ve fallen in sin…keep using your gift. This is a secret I learned years ago, this is from the heart of God to yours. The devil will try to condemn you and confound you to the place: no more prayer, no more playing the guitar, piano, whatever you are doing in your church, teaching, but do not stop. Don’t let him stop what’s going on in you in terms of redemption. Use your giftedness as God is perfecting His holiness on the inside of you.”
Now-what is cool/weird is, perplexingly…I went to bed singing an old hymn from my childhood that I honestly cannot remember singing for the past 30 years. Maybe I have, but it isn’t like a favorite song or anything. It is vcoming together…Today must be for exploring redemption….by the blood of Jesus…
