August Letter

August 2010

“All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God.” Revelation 7:11 NASB

Hello Dear Hearts,

As I sat down to write this letter, I was not sure what the Lord wanted me to share with you, so I prayed as I always do before I begin, but I still didn’t have His leading.  I opened a book I had been reading, turned to a page where the author mentioned worship.  I closed the book and opened the Word to a scripture on worship. So I’m going to write about WORSHIP.

It’s the thing we often neglect in our busy lives, but it is of utmost importance to our relationship with our Almighty God.  He alone is worthy to be worshipped.  He said “I AM THE LORD THY GOD, there is none else, I AM GOD.”

True worship begins with awestruck reverence for who God is and what He has done for us.  There are so many ways to worship God. In the Old Testament there was fasting and praying, feasts and sacred days, music and dancing unto the Lord, sacrificing/offerings, prophets proclaiming God’s POWER.  In the New Testament we come into the holy presence of God through our High Priest Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now God wants us to present our bodies as living sacrifices.

King David was a passionate worshiper.  He gave an offering of more than one hundred million dollars of his personal treasury….”because I have set my affection on the house of my God”. Then he worshipped the Lord as he prayed,  “Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever.  Thine O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and the earth, is thine; thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all.  Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” ^t Chron.10b-13

When our focus is on our circumstances and our world seems out of control, we need to worship our Mighty God.  There is power in praise.  There may be a time when you feel such desperation, like the bottom has fallen out, your heart is breaking, you feel that you have nothing left to give; lift up your hands and offer the sacrifice of praise.  We need to truly understand this power!   It’s not just a cliché, it’s the Word of God.  It’s a mighty weapon that drives away the pain and the enemy.  It lifts you into a healing place, into another level of closeness to God.  When Job was told everything he had was suddenly and tragically lost, including the death of all his children, he rent his robe, shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and WORSHIPPED.  “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” As he raised the shield of faith against the onslaught of Satan he saw the victory.  As the righteousness of God in Christ, when we put our trust wholly in Him, HE IS ABLE TO RESTORE our broken lives.

So many people are shattered and lost, which leads me to a new story.   I went to the beach to walk along the water to praise and worship the Lord.  As I was praying, I sat on a large bolder and asked Him if He wanted me to share His love with someone.  A few minutes later, a lady came over.  She said, “You look like a woman who could give me some sound advice.”  I smiled, “I’d like to try, what’s going on in your world?”  She then proceeded to tell me about her husband who left her six years ago and about the man she’s with now.  She poured her heart out to me.  It was obvious she needed love and I knew just the One who would give it to her.  As she prayed to receive Christ, tears streamed down her face, she felt His presence.  Celeste hugged me for the longest time, before we said goodbye. Please pray that she will grow in the Lord.

THANK YOU LOVERS OF GOD FOR MINISTERING WITH ME.  I PRAY FOR YOU AND PRAISE GOD FOR YOU