Psalm 68:4 “Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds – his name is the Lord – be exultant before him.”

Yesterday afternoon was a time filled with music for me.  One of the groups I ring handbells with participated in a fund raiser and we, along with several other musical groups, provided a concert of vocal and instrumental music for a grateful audience of donors.  There is nothing that lifts me closer to the Divine than music.  My soul cannot keep still and I find myself transported to a different place of beauty.  The feeling is hard to describe but what I can say is that when I sing or ring to the Lord, I feel Him lifting me up.  All peoples of all nations have music and through music there is understanding beyond words.  How does music move you?  What kind of music do you prefer and what message does it have for you?  Whether you have a voice of gold or a voice of tin does not matter to the Lord.  Whether you shake a tambourine or bag a pot with a wooden spoon, it can still be a joyful noise.  Listen to the sounds of the world around you today and allow the music that flows among those sounds fill your heart with joy.  Lift your heart and your voice in song to the Lord, the creator of music, the creator of all.

Lord,

Thank you for the music you place in our souls.  Open our ears so that we can hear it clearly and open our hearts to sing songs of praise back to you in every moment of this day.  You have blessed us, let us be a blessing to you.  Amen.

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.”

The last couple of days I have been battling a cold to beat all colds.  I haven’t done my exercises, my sleep is not as good and I have not been as diligent in my quiet time either.  This morning I turned to this verse and read it along with verse three and four.  I lifted a prayer for the people sharing the word of God today in churches all over the world and then I plopped into my rocking chair.  A little nudge about faith came to me from Hebrews then and so I had two passages to ponder in my sleep deprived heart.  I admit I went back to bed and got a little more sleep.  Now that I am slightly more awake, I can say what I received in these verses.  There are many things that can get in the way of our time with the Lord.  Sicknesses, bad nights of sleep, busy days ahead...  When I don’t spend time with the Lord I feel it.  I have been reminded so I remind you as well- be faithful and devote yourselves to prayer.  Give thanks for all we have been given through the love of our Lord and His faithfulness to us.  This morning I lift a prayer for each of you to be healthy in heart, body and spirit, thanking God for the blessings he has already given each of us.

Lord,

You know my heart and through your strength I persevere through the distractions and excuses to find time with you.  Thank you for being there when I finally come to be with you.  Thank you for giving us prayer.  Amen.

2 Chronicles 5:13 “It was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord...”

This verse comes from the story of bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the new temple.  When I read these stories it strikes me as odd that there is so much ritual in what they do.  I do not think the church I attend has very much ritual but someone from the outside may see that differently.  We have a specific order to our service.  We stand when we sing and for certain prayers.  We have specific responses to the worship leader based on what they say and the list goes on.  I used to think ritual was just pomp and circumstance and if not treated properly it could be.  Rituals serve to bring us into focus.  The rituals here serve to remind everyone that the Holy of Holies was coming to be among them.  The rituals we observe in church serve to call us into the presence of that same God.  We can do it by rote or we can do it with intent.  As I go into this day of bell ringing and music making, I go with the intention of praising and thanking God with music.  I encourage you to go into your day with intent.

Lord,

Help us be present in our lives today.  It is easy to slide through the day without thinking or feeling anything.  Guide our intentions so that we serve and honor you in whatever we do.  Thank you for the rituals that draw us to you.  Amen.

Joel 2:1 “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain!  Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near –“

I haven’t been downtown in quite a while but I can still remember seeing someone preaching to repent for the end is near.  Back then I thought they must be a little off of their rocker and maybe they were.  I wonder how many people thought Joel was off of his rocker.    It seems like the people of old, in the times of the Bible, took notice and to a degree respected prophets.  I do not know of one nation’s leader that has called on a prophet to tell them what they should do.  Do we no longer have true prophets in this world?  Has media grown so vast that word of mouth is no longer effective?  There was a poll on the news recently that 40% of the people polled believe the end of the world will happen within 40 years.  People have thought that for thousands of years now but here are two things I am sure of.  The “end” is closer than it was and it is the day of the Lord, so this will not be the end for me.  Let’s all continue to turn to the Lord in every way we can so that when this day comes we are ready to be embraced with open arms.

Lord,

I know you know the perfect time to come in all of you glory.  Let us not sit idly by waiting but help us continue to do your work and spread your love to others until that day we see you face to face.  Amen.

1 Peter 4:10 “Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.”

It must be time for a stewardship drive in my life.  My husband and I recently talked about changing our pledge amount to our church.  We received a pledge card from a church he has been attending off and on and now this passage comes to me.  There have been other signs I have received as well.  I am not talking about money but about the gifts Peter is talking about in this passage.  What are your gifts?  We all have them; things we are good at and enjoy doing.  I have always enjoyed writing and felt like I was pretty good at it.  I have the ability to put my thoughts down on paper.  I never imagined I would use this gift to benefit God’s kingdom and serve others but He had a plan and here I am.  I really enjoy teaching and at one point in my youth thought I would teach elementary school.  I never dreamed I would be teaching my own children in homeschool but God had a plan.  Search your life and see if you are using the gifts God gave you.  Allow Him to guide you forward in the process of becoming a better steward of His grace, using your gifts to serve Him and others.

Lord,

Thank you for calling me back into focus.  When there are days that do not go as planned, I tend to get derailed and this verse has put me back on track.  Help me use what I have been given for your glory and to serve your children.  Amen.

Psalm 135:3 “Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.”

It does not bode well for a quiet day at the Garwood house.  Both kids are not feeling very good and both were up before I even got up for my “quiet” time.  I started my prayers with laments to God about the lack of quiet and missing my alone time with him when this passage was given to me.  I could barely utter the prayers asking for healing of my children’s colds knowing there are children lying in hospital beds with deadly illness ravaging their bodies.  I turned my heart around pretty quickly after that.  As I sat in meditation I felt the grace of God settle into my soul.  In the midst of this little Garwood chaos, He brings peace.  He will bring healing and rest to my children and all children.  We cannot know His ways or His time but I know He is good and He brings wholeness and blessings to His people.  As the sun breaks over the horizon I am singing praises to the Lord.  He has removed the dark cloud of selfishness and replace it will the sunshine of love and blessedness.    I pray that you are filled with this light and love from God today as well.

Lord,

Open our hands so we will release the struggles that keep us down.  Let us see your goodness in our hearts and in our world so that our voices cannot help but to sing praises to you for you are, indeed, good and gracious to us all.  Amen.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

As I write there is a very light blanket of snow lying on the ground outside and snow is still falling.  The flakes are powdery light and so gentle.  The forecast is a blizzard with several inches of snow.  Schools are cancelled; lots of people will stay home from work or end up coming home early.  This puts a wrinkle in my schedule and if you know anything about me you know I like a schedule.  All day yesterday and some this morning I am praying for the snow to be less than predicted, I want... I want... I want.  This verse and passage came to me as I was lifting others in prayer and it hit me like a gentle snowflake on the head.  Oh, how I need to gain perspective.  I can begrudgingly accept the changes in my day or I can embrace them.  We need this snow so badly and my children, most children love to play in it.  Soup will be cooking on the stove later today and blessings will abound.

Lord,

Thank you for perspective.  Help me release my agenda and embrace yours.   Open my eyes to see what is honorable, just and pure.  Open my mouth to acknowledge what is pleasing, commendable and excellent.  I lift my heart to praise you, for you are worthy of praise forever.  Amen.