Dealing With Cares: Sing A Song

You know I’ve been mentioning assignments of late, well tonight is a very interesting one as I have to complete another one. I believe it really is the last proper assignment that I’ll have to do for a while, so if I can put in the effort over the next hour or so then I should be fine. Trouble is, I’ve been grappling with it since about 2pm this afternoon and that’s a rather long time to be dealing with an assignment that in other worlds I could polish off in a few hours. Such is the life of a man with a lot on his mind.

So what to do when there’s much on the mind? What to do when you’re in a challenging spot in life? Well sing a song of course! Even thinking about it in the run up to doing this blog piece as an illuminative ad-break from the assignment I chuckled at that whole concept. You’re in a spot of bother so sing a song. The Bible is replete with episodes of that happening. Whether it’s the suggestion of the prophet of God to Jehoshaphat when they were going out to war, or the response of the people in the Exodus on making it through the Red Sea as their enemy was flushed out.

The most outstanding episode that springs to mind is the one with Paul and Silas in Acts 16 who have just had the snot beaten out of them as punishment for upsetting the social order with their scandalous gospel talk. So then whilst locked up and presumably coughing and spluttering from the beatings they have received, what better way to pass the time behind bars than to sing a song or two.

Now I obviously don’t have a clue what they were singing. For most people the highlight is the bit afterwards where the earthquake comes and gives the prisoners a chance to do a runner. The guard wants to kill himself only to have Paul and Silas reassuring him that there’s no break-out today and there a gospel invitation is given and the guard and his family get in the business. That’s worth a big shout out right there and then. That’s great to see.

I’m still stuck on the singing business, though. Now the Praise and Worship fanatics will make a big deal of the usual mantra ‘when the praises go up, the blessings comes down’ and do the spiritual hokey-cokey and turn around because that’s what it’s all about. Sing a song – praise Him and He turns up and everything’s alright.

There are of course elements of truth in this glorious approach to life with God. There is however, something about singing a song that doesn’t just put our spiritual debit card to withdraw a blessing from God. There is something in singing a song that turns the words into the melody of the heart that brings them to life, giving them feeling and power that sometimes on their own would not be possible at all.

What it also engenders is presence. For as many people who have experienced ‘victory’ in praise, there are others who through singing a song endure and keep their hope set in God even when the circumstances continue to look dim only because of the Presence it engenders. It’s almost as though as we sing our hearts are intimately connected with the One who gave us the song in the first place. It’s no longer a matter of ‘getting results’ but it’s a reminder of where our first love rests. Music is surely powerful in evoking those sentiments of the soul and heart.

So it comes to me on this Sunday evening with loads on my plate mentally speaking. No I’ve not been beaten physically and imprisoned, but the last year or so has been rather harrowing on occasion. As things build up to the current day there is a great temptation to become overwhelmed with it all, until someone throws a song my way.

No ordinary song as you can hear, but one that says it is more than understandable to have issues. It is life to have many cares and then to deal with them is to follow the advice of Psalm 55:22, which Pete would repeat later on – throw those cares on God. Literally pick them up and throw them in God’s direction and having done so rest assured (two words that really need to be embedded into our psyche) that God Himself will keep us going. Not only will we keep going, but we won’t fall.

Now on that point I think it’s important to be very clear that the kind of fall I envisage hear is very much like the walking over a cliff fall – as in a fatal fall. God allows slip ups, but He will not let His righteous ones fall (especially from that height). So at this hour with things cracking off left, right and centre, I just sing a song and I am reminded of His wonderful love for me and His presence with me, so that I need not carry my cares at all.

A dear friend of mine gave me those words of assurance that I could let go of all the stuff that I’ve been carrying. He was confirming this verse. I can let go of it all, I can throw it at God’s feet and rest assured of His sustaining work in my life. It will literally be not me carrying myself or keeping myself going by sheer power of my will. It is God keeping me going. That is the reality for my situation. He is sustaining me. He is enabling me to keep on loving my wife and children. He is enabling me to keep up with my responsibilities … like finishing assignments on time. He and He alone is doing this and I am so glad that He is.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Role of the Teacher and Praise Perspectives

Just to say how happy I am and honoured to have made it to 200 posts this year before the last quarter begins. I am really grateful to God for getting the level of consistency to this level.

I’ve been rather poorly lately, but have battled on despite everything to carry on with things like work, family and being an usher at the wedding of a dear friend. As ever, however, tonight has been the teacher training session and it has proven again to be a source of much thought and contemplation. Indeed after it I felt somewhat refreshed by the experience and in the context of the day I’ve had today from it I came out with two outstanding thoughts.

The first was on the topic of the role of the teacher. Is teaching a lonely vocation? In the light of the micro-teach and being able to see how our tutor did what happened it got me thinking about what the role of the teacher really is. There is the assumption that the teacher is the fount of all knowledge in a given area and all must bow and learn from them. I don’t think that’s the case and so I believe there must be an alternative,

I believe Jesus lives out that alternative. It is a testament to His impact that He has been able to get people to remember His teachings and endeavour to live them out and pass them along as they do so. This is so much the case that we have gospel accounts where He has not written a word of it yet He speaks resonantly clear for all to read and hear, see and learn from.

So I’m thinking that the measure of a good teacher is not the wealth of their information base, or their charismatic personality and beguiling communication style. There has to be more to it. There has to be an element of authenticity and challenge in that which is taught and the nature with which it is taught that engages the learner to actually take on board the material and allow their lives to be shaped by it. So much so that when the teaching is transferred from the teacher to the learner and then the learner becomes teacher and looks to replicate the process in their own personal style.

The second thought was about the importance of the perspective of praise. I was encouraging a friend in a text sharing that I had prayed for wisdom, peace and clarity in the situation. What it reminded me of is that our first place is not to consider what we have to do, but what God has already done. It really was a balm to my own recent health challenges triggered by self-imposed pressure by the things I have assumed and feel I should do. I’ve had good words of counsel to pace myself and to ensure I do not to put myself through the mill. All of these were sound words of guidance for me leading to this reminder.

As I pondered further I looked at how God made the garden and then set the man in it and then told him what to do in it. Especially in the context of Genesis 2 it is clear that all the fruit in the garden is for man to enjoy. That is to say the work it/keep it deal, is in the light of what has already been done for him. So man does what he does in the light of what has been done for Him.

When I consider what has been done for me in God creating me, Jesus dying for me and the Holy Spirit making me alive again. When I consider the provisions made for me in relational, physical, financial, intellectual and spiritual issues it shows how great God is and what great things He has done. It is on that premise of praise that I go forward in doing what I am called to do with much joy, not in the light of apparently averse circumstances, but in the light of God’s promise, presence and power.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd

Unhindered

Unhindered Praise, Unhindered Worship.

There’s something about having that Audience of One mentality that can lead to a worship and praise lifestyle free from being inhibited by the thoughts of others and the issues going on within you. It is something particularly experienced in those intimate times on your own with God where the full range of emotions can come out and you can be as honest as you can with God. That is based on reminding ourselves of the character, covenant and consistency of God, reflecting on His awesomeness.

It is so clear, that true worship by people is often heavily hindered as well as genuine personal expressions of worship are sidelined for a more acceptable form to conform to on what it is thus reinforcing that sense of being hindered in true worship whether that be declarative or contemplative, emotive or reflective. Sometimes it doesn’t need to be expressed through words shouted but through quiet sombre murmurs to oneself. In any case the desired outcome should be the same and that is to experience that intimacy with the Creator and Saviour of all mankind in whom we now have a hope we could never have imagined.

I love those opportunities as they arise and when I see my brothers and sisters so obviously trapped behind a façade of formality, my heart’s desire is for them to join in with that liberty that comes with the Spirit of the Lord. This can often be experienced as we practice the Presence in private and inevitably that which is done in private will bear fruit in public. The refreshing thing about that liberty is that is not for show or public display primarily it remains that unhindered worship and unhindered praise to that Audience of One who is worthy of it.

For His Name's Sake

Shalom

dmcd