It's been a tough road as of late and I'm finding that I have definitely been distracted and have allowed those distractions to take precedence over the important things in life. But God has been gracious and brought some gentle reminders to help me refocus.
One avenue was through allowing me to join the praise and worship team at our new church home. My first opportunity to lead worship with them is this coming Sunday. They're going through a study called "Pure Praise" by Dwayne Moore. The study centers around 2 Chronicles 20. My being a "good student" I decided I would read 2 Chronicles 19 and 20!
Here are the nuggets I pulled from Chapter 19:
* Commit yourself to seeking God. (Right out of the gate He's hitting me hard!! Not that I didn't know I should do this, but maybe I'd sort of forgotten?!?)
* Encourage others to return to Him. (The perfect words of wisdom for this time in my life and something we should probably do everyday with our Christian brothers and sisters.)
* (to the judges) Do not judge to please people but to please the Lord.
* Fear the Lord and judge with integrity.
* You must always act in the fear of the Lord, with faithfulness and an undivided heart.
Here's where I pause.
You must ALWAYS (not sometimes) act in the fear of the Lord. What does it mean to "act in the fear of the Lord"? I did a quick search on biblegateway.com and have come to a rough conclusion that the "fear of the Lord" is a reverence for Him. A high regard for His authority over my life and acting in the fear of the Lord is turning over my control over my life and allowing Him to be in control. Letting Him take the "helm" of my life.
The second part of that verse was more direct - not only am I to act in the fear of the Lord but I'm to do it with faithfulness and an undivided heart. I have done neither one. I have not been faithful and I have allowed the worries of this world, the things of this world, to divide my heart, my alliance to Him.
Moving on...
* You must warn them not to sin against the Lord. (well there it is...I must warn myself and take some time to work through my sinful unfaithfulness and divided heart.)
* Take courage as you fulfill your duties and may the Lord be with those who do what is right.
Wow...so much in one chapter and I still had one more to go...
Chapter 20...When bad news comes WHAT DO YOU DO?
Here's what Jehoshaphat and the people do...
* Terrified by the news, Jehoshaphat begged the Lord for guidance. (he didn't just flippantly ask God or send up a "9-1-1 prayer" - he literally BEGGED God to guide him.)
* He ordered everyone to begin fasting. (without a breath between begging - he directed his people in what they were to do with him.)
* He also ordered them to "come together to seek the Lord's help." (How often do we try to go it alone? The body of Christ is here for us to come together and seek God's wisdom, guidance, and help.)
* He prayed. (this is where I typically fall short. Rather than going to God directly and praying to Him, I usually want to discuss the matter with everybody else around me first.)
* Stand in His presence and honor God.
* Cry out to Him "save us!"
* He will hear you and save you!!
IMPLORE GOD: "We do not know what to do, but we are looking to Your for help." (12)
(In many ways this is exactly where I am at in my life right now. I have no idea what to do Lord! I really am looking to YOU for help.)
Next thing it says is, "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty enemy, for the battle is NOT YOURS, BUT GOD'S!" (15)
(Oh my goodness...why have I not thought about this? Why didn't I realize that the battle truly is HIS, not mine? In dealing with the principalities and powers of the air - who better to fight the battle than God? How could I be so short-sighted? But it gets better!!!)
"You will not even need to fight. Take up your positions and STAND STILL and watch the Lord's victory! Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow for the Lord is with you."
(We're to take up our position. What position is that? It tells us!)
"Bow low, face to the ground and worship the Lord."
The book "Pure Praise" refers to the word WORSHIP saying it means "to bow down and prostrate yourself before a superior in homage. God is superior. Submitting to Him as our master is the essence of worship."
Just yesterday I came across the word "ADONAI" which is Hebrew for "Master" -
BOW DOWN
FACE THE GROUND
WORSHIP ADONAI!
* PRAISE the Lord with a very loud shout!
* BELIEVE in the Lord your God and you will be able to STAND FIRM.
* BELIEVE in His prophets and you will succeed.
* SING to the Lord and PRAISE Him for His holy splendor.
* GIVE THANKS to the Lord. His faithful love endures forever!!!
Synopsis - stand still and watch. do not be afraid. bow down. face the ground. worship Adonai. praise the Lord. believe in the Lord. stand firm. sing to Him. praise Him. give thanks to Him.
WHY?
Because HIS FAITHFUL LOVE ENDURES FOREVER!
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