The sky has always been strangely important to me. Since as early as I can remember, I have always felt the intense need to be able to see the sky clearly. When I am under that big blue canopy, I do not feel as panicked. It seems that I can breathe a bit better – a bit deeper. I often get the sense that as long as I am able to see the sky, then all will be well.

When I am under a large sky, I can think clearer. I can sort things out in my mind – and sometimes even bring calmness to the chaos.

I have no idea why I am this way. I sometimes wonder if it is because I can feel so very small under a so very big sky – if maybe there is an odd comfort that sense of smallness.

I initially came across this quote by C.S. Lewis a few years ago; and each time it comes to mind, my soul embraces it all over again. I think Lewis, as he often does, perfectly captures what I feel about the sky God crafted as part of creation:

It is not an accident that simple-minded people, however spiritual, should blend the ideas of God and Heaven and the blue sky. It is a fact, not a fiction, that light and life-giving heat do come down from the sky to Earth. The analogy of the sky’s role to begetting and of the Earth’s role to bearing is sound as far as it goes. The huge dome of the sky is of all things sensuously perceived the most like infinity. And when God made space and worlds that move in space, and clothed our world with air, and gave us such eyes and such imaginations as those we have, He knew what the sky would mean to us. And since nothing in His work is accidental, if He knew, He intended. ~ C.S. Lewis; A Year with C.S. Lewis

O, my soul. That “God knew what the sky would mean to us” – what a picture of grace and goodness bestowed on us. A beautiful depiction of God’s omnipotence and sovereignty combined. He gave us the gift of the sky, knowing that we would, in our simpleness, ‘blend the ideas of God and Heaven and the blue sky.‘ And we do, don’t we??? I know with every fiber of my being, I do. And, in a sense, I always have. Lewis’ words a wonderful reminder that God is deliberate. He is not random. It is a wonderful reminder that His kindness and creativity not only glorify God, but they also point us to Him. The Big Blue Sky, and all of creation, is a gift to me.

And to you, dear friend.

“He knew what the sky would mean to us. And since nothing in His work is accidental, if He knew, He intended.”

A Prayer of Thankfulness

God, even before I knew you, the sky has been important to me.

Even as a young girl in Iowa, I loved being out in the country, amongst the cornfields, under the big, beautiful sky. There was something comforting about it – there is still something comforting about it. I long for the day when we are finally able to move west, where the sky truly stretches as far as the eyes can see.

The sky calms my soul. It reminds me that you are God. It reminds me even, that though this world is vast, You know my name.

God, thank you for this quote by C.S. Lewis – he always seems to have just the right words in the right order, to capture what I can not say elegantly myself. His words reminded me again today that you are intentional. You knew what the sky would mean to us. To me. You designed it and created it and flung its brilliance above us and the times that I have stood under it and seen it’s stunning blueness from horizon to horizon, I have breathed a bit deeper, and sensed your presence a bit closer.

Lord, even when the storm clouds come across the sky we hold onto the hope of knowing that the blue sky is still there and that the clouds will fade – and in the same way, when the storm clouds come across our lives, we hold on to the hope that you are still there – that you see and know.

Thank you God, for how you have used the sky you created in my life. Thank you for the gift of the sky – and the clouds, and the sun, moon and stars. And all creation, that points us to your glory; a glory we can’t comprehend fully any more than we could measure the sky.

The heavens declare the glory of God,
    and the sky above proclaims Your handiwork. (Psalm 19:1)

Amen and Amen

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve begun a series here at my website that focuses on different hymns and worship songs, coupled with relevant scriptures, notes and prayers.

Tonight, having just returned home from Worship Team practice, I am compelled to write about a new-ish (to me) song written by Ben Shive, David Zimmer, Nathan Stiff of Sovereign Grace Music, titled You Have the Words of Life.

The song’s overarching message is focused on the truth of God’s words. Through His words – through the truth we find in scripture – we find hope as we navigate this weary world.

Words are important to me – I’ll read nearly anything I can get my hands on, and always have – from reading every single word on the back of cereal boxes when I was young, to consistently winning the library summer reading programs awards for most books read, I love to read. Always have.

When I became a Christ-follower, reading books by trustworthy, theologically sound authors was a critical component of helping to overcome my deeply rooted cyncism and unbelief. I can definitely echo my favorite author, C.S. Lewis, when he wrote this in Surprised by Joy, “All the books were beginning to turn against me.” God brought authors like C.S. Lewis, John Stott, Timothy Keller, John Piper, Dallas Willard, Philip Yancey and so many more into my world. These authors challenged my thinking, slowly eroding my arguments against God.

But here’s the kicker – those authors and the words they wrote drove me to interact with scripture in ways that completely wrecked me, in a good way. They pointed me to Christ. The Bible was no longer a dusty old relic – something I diligently carried to church as a little girl so that I could mark “Brought my Bible” off on our offering envelopes. No, the Bible slowly became far more than a big book on the shelf – I slowly realized that scripture is the benchmark of truth I had longed for all of my life – did I like everything it had to say? Not by a long shot; I am a rebel at heart, after all. But the words of the Psalmists, and the story of Job, and the way God interacted with the Samaritan woman – all this and more led to a hope that slowly seeped into my heart of stone as I studied the Bible, and by God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness, he used his words as a catalyst for my repentence, and He turned my heart of stone into a heart of flesh.

God could have chosen another avenue – another medium – than the words of scripture to carry the hope of salvation through all time. But he didn’t – and I am so glad. He gave us the gift of his holy words as a revelation of who he is, and who we are – and that truth shows us that we are desperately in need of a Savior.

John 6:68 has been an important verse to me, for several years now. I came upon it during a time in my life when I was beginning to realize that truly I had no where else to go but to God. All of my efforts, all of my doing, all of my striving and independence and stubborness and cynicism was beginning to fall away under the light of the Gospel. When I read this passage in John chapter six, I tend to imagine Peter saying the words a bit exasperated – probably because when I truly read them for the first time, I found myself praying them to God in a very exasperated state of mind – because there was no where else for me to turn.

To set the scene, Jesus has just fed five thousand people – followed by walking on water. He then was followed by a bunch of people in boats who wanted more…what? Miracles? Teaching? I’m not really sure. Regardless – they were seeking Jesus, and when they found him, He spoke to them words of truth – the gospel – He is the bread of life. But his followers grumbled – they found the teachings to be difficult. Not what they wanted to hear. That’s where we pick up the story and the interaction with Simon Peter:

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.

And so, like Peter – I pray:

Where else are we going to go God? Where else?? You have the words of eternal life. You are the Holy One of God. You are my only hope.

All my strivings, all my doubts, my unbelief, my questions to which there are no easy answers, the grief and sorrows and joys of this world – the vanity of trying to navigate this world without God as my Father – I can’t do it. I can’t. And neither can you.

Where else can we go – except to the feet of Jesus.

The song “Your Words are Wonderful” has roots Psalm 119 – a beautifully rich Psalm that speaks about God’s word and his promises – it is definitely worth time reading..pondering…praying through.

But the song also grabs hold of Simon Peter’s words in John 6:68 – Where else shall we go? As the song progresses, we sing that line several times – Where else shall we go? You have the words of life!! And as we enter the bridge of the song, we plaintively cry out to Him with words and voices and souls that swell – Give us ears to hear God – Give us eyes to see, and the ability to read your word, to see what you are doing around us and in our lives – help us to see how much this world is in need of your saving grace – help us in our doubt! Help us in our unbelief!

Make your Glory known, God. Make your Glory known.

Amen and amen.

Your Words are Wonderful

Your words are wonderful, unfolding like the dawn
A wellspring and the rock we rest upon
We trust Your promises that keep our hope alive
They steady us throughout life’s weary climb

Where else can we go? Where else can we go?
You have the words of life, the words of life

Come write Your holy truth upon our longing hearts
And strengthen us to shine against the dark
Lord, guard us from the lies the enemy will speak
No guilt remains for those You have redeemed

Where else can we go? Where else can we go?
You have the words of life, the words of life
Make Your glory known, make Your glory known
Through all Your words of life, Your words of life

Give us ears to hear and eyes to see
Help us in our doubt and unbelief
Give us ears to hear and eyes to see
Help us in our doubt and unbelief
Give us ears to hear and eyes to see
Help us in our doubt and unbelief

My Father, quiet me,
Til in thy holy presence, hushed,
I think thy thoughts with Thee.

~A.C., Dohnavur Songs, item 99 (from Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes, by Iain H. Murray)

These words were the prayer of Amy Carmichael, circa mid-1930s.

Amy, an energetic, passionate missionary, gave every inch of her life to the rescue of low caste children, in India from some of the very similar horrors of child slavery around the world that we read about in our current day.

Reading her biography, we discover that her world was fully of dichotomies:

• The mundane daily tasks of care-giving for the ever-increasing numbers of children rescued and brought to the home at Dohnavur
• The intense moments of crises and fear and exhilaration and grief that were a part of the work that comprised Amy’s days

While most of us will never experience some of the life-threatening scenarios Amy Carmichael experienced in her calling, we do face our own dichotomies of both the mundane and heart-wrenching days.

The change the toilet paper roll take the dog to the vet wipe the fingerprints off the window put gas in the car pay the utility bill wipe the snot attend the board meeting sit in traffic sit in the carpool lane chauffeur the kids to tee-ball gymnastics soccer little league piano lessons ballet class file taxes submit the spreadsheet mow the grass get a physical stir the macaroni and cheese attend the business dinner get the car inspected days.

And the days that threaten to knock us flat on our faces in anguish – days when we are completely undone:

When the diagnosis comes.
When the layoff comes.
When we lose a loved one.
When we learn our children are doing drugs.
When the fire destroys our home.
When we sense God’s unmistakable presence and His glory and holiness.
When evil crosses the firewalls we think insulate us and our loved ones.

All of these life-things create a sense of chaos in our lives – and we find ourselves seldom, if ever, truly still. Try as I might, with all the effort I can muster, rarely am I truly at peace. Truly quiet before our God.

But–here is the beauty of Amy’s prayer:  Our Father knows this about us. He knows this about me – and it is only our God who can quiet our souls. It is only our God, who can hush the chaos of our lives.

That’s not to say there are not things we are to do, in order to be still and know that He is God.  We must practice spiritual disciplines.  We must devote time to spiritual disciplines.  Prayer.  Scripture Work.  Worship.  Care for our bodies and for our minds.  Rest.  Quiet.

But it is our Father, who does the stilling.  It is our Father, who settles our unquiet minds and souls. It is our God, who is our only refuge. We see that so very clearly in the words of Psalm 62:5-8 (ESV):

5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6  He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7  On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

“My Father, quiet me, ’til in Thy holy presence, hushed….”

However, the quieting of our souls and minds, is not the end objective.  It is good, and right, and beautiful, yes.  Our Father God gifts us with that peace and stillness of mind and soul, sometimes even in the most grievous and terrifying moments in our lives.

But that is not where Amy ended her prayer, and neither should we – what we most desire, or, rather, what we should desire, is to echo with Amy the plea to God, to “think thy thoughts with thee.”  To see the world as He sees it.  To see the needs around us, as He sees them.  To see our sin as He sees it, and to see the forgiveness He extends to us, as He sees it.

We need His grace and mercy in order to see His sovereignty in it all – in the mundane, in the joyful days, and in the tough stuff that overwhelms and cripples us.

And when He hushes our quaking – when we breathe deeply in of His grace – when we are still and know that He is God – and when He causes us to think His thoughts through what we read in scripture and through what we know to be truth about who He is–

–it is then that we can assuredly find ourselves able to leave the circumstances of our life – the grief, the pain, the joy, the sorrow, the fear, the uncertainty – all of it – to our God to order and provide.

Be Still my Soul is a profoundly beautiful hymn, written in the early 1700’s by Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel. The words are meaningful, of course, when sung in church together in corporate worship. However, I find that singing the words of this song when I am alone, on my face before my God in all the chaos of life and in desperate need of his grace and mercy, is when I find myself quieted by my Father, my soul hushed in His holy presence.

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

A friend has recently taken to posting quotes on his website on a somewhat regular cadence, often adding his thoughts, related scripture or additional context. Shamelessly jumping on that bandwagon, I would like to start a series in this space, examining hymns and songs while also adding my thoughts, scriptures and at times, prayers of response. I hope this will an encouragement as you read these words, and that they will prompt you worship and cling to our God.

O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer is a song written by Nathan Stiff and published by Sovereign Grace Music. We often sing it at Seaford Baptist Church, and each time we do I am strongly pulled to Psalm 71:19-20, as we lift the words to our God in worship.

Psalm 71:19-20

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.

I’ve turned to time and again to this passage to remind me who God is. Maybe that sounds strange to you – God is God, you may be thinking – and dear friend, you are right. He is. But I can so often forget the immense magnitude of who He is – and find myself needing to preach the truth of this to my soul: “O God, who is like you?” And, the words of the song O Lord, My Rock & My Redeemer capture this so perfectly that as I sung the words this morning with my church family, I was moved to tears with gratitude for what my Rock and my Redeemer has done for my weary soul.

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
Greatest treasure of my longing soul
My God, like You there is no other
True delight is found in You alone
Your grace, a well too deep to fathom
Your love exceeds the heavens’ reach
Your truth, a fount of perfect wisdom
My highest good and my unending need

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
Strong defender of my weary heart
My sword to fight the cruel deceiver
And my shield against his hateful darts
My song when enemies surround me
My hope when tides of sorrow rise
My joy when trials are abounding
Your faithfulness, my refuge in the night

I need His grace to be that well too deep – deep enough to be applied to my sinful life. Deep enough, to extend to every rebel part of my stubborn soul. Deep enough to match His great mercy, and for both that grace and mercy to intertwine divinely to make me His own.

And you do as well, my friend.

And night after endless night, when my mind is attacked by nightmares and fear, my God’s steadfast, unwavering faithfulness becomes my refuge in the dark, dark night…even when I may not sense His presence in the moment, I know I can grab hold of Psalm 19:20 with a white-knuckled grip: “You who have made me see many troubles and calamities, will revive me again.” He is my hope when the ever present tides of immense sorrow threaten to drown my soul. He is my Rock & my Redeemer, the greatest treasure of my longing heart.

But it is verse three of this worship song, that points to why the grace and refuge and and love and faithfulness can be proclaimed and sung in verses one and two. It is verse three, the crescendo (and I do love a good crescendo, don’t you?), that points to why we have a God who the Psalmist is able to cry out about in Psalm 71:19 – “You who have done great things, O God, who is like you??”, because nothing is greater than what was accomplished on the cross for me, and for you.

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
Gracious Savior of my ruined life
My guilt and cross laid on Your shoulders
In my place You suffered bled and died
You rose, the grave and death are conquered
You broke my bonds of sin and shame
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer
May all my days bring glory to Your Name

He is the Gracious Savior of my ruined life.

He is the Gracious Savior of my ruined life.

He is the Gracious Savior of my ruined life.

And He is the Gracious Savior of your ruined life.

Without His resurrection, there is no hope. No redemption. No salvation. Without his resurrection, I can not – and you can not – voice the final words of Psalm 71:20 – “From the depths of the earth, you will bring me up again.”

He has broken the bonds of MY sin and shame – thick bonds, titanium bonds. Bonds that threatened to completely unravel not only my soul but also my mind. I need that reminder often. The bonds are broken. They are no more.

Several years ago now, I wrote the following prayer, in response to this passage. I share it here with you, not because it is an eloquent prayer – it is far, far from it. But I hope that it will encourage you to interact with scripture as you truly consider your Rock and Redeemer.

O God, I can not fathom how far your righteousness extends. I can not. It reaches the highest heavens, of which I have no concept of. But I do know – at least, I have some awareness of this: You have done great things. Like Thomas who needed to see the nail prints in your hands, I am a first hand witness to the great things you have done in my life.

O God – who is like you? Who is like you? You are God, and I am not. You are God, and I am not.

I have seen many troubles and calamities God. Oh God – the things I have seen, the things that I have known – the things that still, to this day, threaten to cut off my oxygen in an avalanche of fear and grief, pain and sorrow. But Psalm 71:20 reminds me of the story of Job…you made him to see many troubles and calamities – yet your love never departed from him. And Job, in 19:25-26 declares this, as do I “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.“

Therefore God, I am coming to you with my shame, with my grief, with my nightmares and with my sin – I am coming yet again, yet again, yet again, to borrow the words of the Psalmist and say revive me again, revive me again, revive me…again.

May all my days, bring glory to Your Name.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Ps 71:19–20). (2016). Crossway Bibles.