Your Fame, O Lord, Is Famous (Putting Majesty Back)

I woke in the middle of the night and remembered my “blog-sabbatical” had come to an end. 

Well, so was any hope of going back to sleep.

I had told the Lord that If I was to continue, He’d have to give me the inspiration.

I rather liked the three months off. I enjoyed lots of celebrations with my family. I stayed busy with other writing projects (added two new books to Amazon, with a third in the production line, due to be up by the end of September). I even prepped for the next two upcoming speaking events. 

Still unsure about this regular weekly assignment being of the Lord, I picked up my Bible sometime around 2:30 AM, and opened it to the Psalms. 

Number eight is where I landed. These words written by David, as a song of wonder and awe:

O LORD, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

(Psalm 8:1, ESV)

Broken down, here is what David declares in worship:

O Yahweh, my Adonai. 

Your fame is famous.

Your name is famous.

Your works are famous.

Everywhere.

That was David.

He loved recounting God’s fame.

Telling God-stories.

Singing God-praises. 

Recounting God-truths.

Making God’s name (His fame) great.

It wasn’t but just a few centuries later that the name of God seems to have gotten lost…

Forgotten.

As I’ve sloshed through the prophetic-Word-bogs of the Old Testament this summer, I read how deeply the Lord longs to be remembered.

His greatest desire is for His people to return to Him.

So, He warns. 

Hardship is coming. 

When it does: 

Then, they will know that I am the Lord.

You don’t have to look further than the end of practically every chapter of Ezekiel to see the Lord repeat this sentence over and over again.

Then, they will know that I am the Lord.

So, I wonder.

Are we there in history once more?

Have we repeated it, as we are so prone to doing?

What are we doing with the name of the Lord?

Does it still hold an element of stateliness and dignity when we speak it?

Is there still a deep level of respect, awe, and wonder?

Or have we given our Glorious Lord a place in the trenches?

Psalm 8 goes on to marvel at the astonishingly high place God gave humanity in His creation.

Yet have we turned around and lowered Him?

Have we taken the God who elevated us and tried to bring Him down to our level?

Have we forgotten His majestic name - made it just a by-word, a cuss-word, a filler in a sentence?

Well. 

What a way to start up a blog again, right?

🤷‍♀️

Yet, it’s exactly where the Lord had me pondering this morning.

He is worthy of worship.

His name is above every other name.

My heart leans toward lifting it high each morning before I set my hands and feet to do anything else.

Wanna join?

I’ve intentionally started a playlist.

I’ve titled it “💜 of Worship.”

I have one rule for what goes in that playlist:

Only praise songs that speak of Him.

Not songs primarily about me. 

Not about how I feel. 

Not about what I need.

Not even what I want Him to do for me.

Just - WHO HE IS!

His name.

His character.

His holiness.

His greatness.

His majesty.

His fame.

It’s a small way, we can begin our day, doing what David did — singing:

O LORD, our Lord,

How majestic is YOUR NAME in all the earth!

It’s ALL ABOUT HIM!

Just a thought.

XXXXX

For those interested, now available on Amazon - 

God's Voice + My Listening 💜 = Romance

 

On the heels of last week's blogpost, I ran across this quote (above) from Oswald Chambers. 

If you missed last week's post, you can read it here to catch the context.

Chambers wrote much, and often, about learning to live with an open ear to God's voice, and to respond in obedience to it.

Somehow in all the years I've used his devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest, I missed what follows the listening (you can sign up for the free daily devotional on this link).

The part that tells me when I get into this habit, "life will become a romance." 

So, I took some time to let this settle into my soul. 

Our family is in a season of romance with multiple engagements, weddings, and newly formed marriages.

It's absolutely lovely in every way.

(from last weekend's wedding)

When I think of "romance," my mind tends to drift toward the Hallmark movie definition that looks like: find the right person → fall in love → figure out the obstacles that must be overcome → fix your hopes and dreams on one another to fulfill your greatest desires for the happy-ever-after-forever-that-follows.

However, I'm fairly certain that's not Mr. Chambers' idea.

His definition falls more in line with the traditional one I found on Wikipedia:

Traditionally, romance is defined as a state of passionate attraction...a feeling of mystery and excitement. Historically, the word originates from medieval tales of chivalry, referring to stories of adventure and deep-seated love that are "remote from everyday life..."

That concept burns within me as it pertains to my relationship with Jesus.

I long to meet Him, like Moses, at burning bushes. 

Or, like the two men on the road to Emmaus, who, following their conversation with Jesus, found their hearts burning within them. 

(I definitely want the burning heart over a hard heart...)

I want the adventure that leads to deeper passion for my Lord. 

The mystery that comes with faithfully following after Him.

To always say, "This one thing I know - life with Jesus is NEVER DULL!" 

However, to have that, I must start with a wholehearted, HABITUAL, prayer: 

"Speak Lord, your servant is listening." 

So, as I often do, I'll be taking a "sabbath rest" from my typical weekly blog-spots simply to take my own advice, and listen for God's voice to me over the next few months...

The time I generally take to pour into these writings will go into personal listening, writing, and reflecting. 

So, as I did last year, I'll be taking the summer off...and, if I hear the Lord say to continue, will return to this space around September 10th. 

A special thanks to those who've faithfully followed. 

I pray you, too, find romance with Jesus.

What Would a Spiritual Oximeter Reveal About My Prayer Life?

I've been pondering two words this week that have shown up quite often in my Old Testament readings. 

"God said..."

To be fair, sometimes it's recorded, "The LORD said..."

But, "a rose by any other name" (right?).

I've read those two phrases so many times through the first half of the Scriptures, I checked to see how often (the word-nerd in me wanted, no needed, to know).

My ESV records 1645 times (and, of course that doesn't count when pronouns are used or other ways to address God).

My point:

God spoke then.

A LOT!

He speaks now.

And, He has not fallen silent.

It's usually a quiet whisper.

So, we need to listen carefully.

Ask any theologian

What is prayer?

And you’ll get the simple answer:

A conversation with the Almighty 

I know that answer, 

But do I HEAR those words?

Because,

what I act on most is the talking part...

(I like to do the talking),

Then forget that God has something to say back to me.

But, conversation implies

Back and forth

Communication. 

Me to Him

Then me stopping

Turning my ear

Opening my heart

Opening my hands

Receiving in return.

Throughout the Scriptures

God spoke in various ways:

Through ordinary men

Visiting angels

Anointed Prophets and priests 

Judges 

Visions

Dreams

Special circumstances

The Law

Miracles

But, in these days

He speaks through

His Son

The Word made flesh

The Logos

Full of grace and truth 

Jesus is the Word

God’s final Word 

And through His written Word, Jesus presses a timely Word into my heart. 

The eternal Word speaks personally.

(The Logos has a Rhema)...

Applicable to me.

Mine to hold.

To comfort.

Guide.

Sustain.

Hold onto when most needed.

How do I hear His Word?

Through the Word...

I'm learning just how important it is to pray with my Bible open.

Praying is more like breathing than speaking.

I breathe in God's Word

I breathe out in Prayer.

His truth fills my mind.

My prayers return to Him.

Probably that's why my prayers can seem a bit exhausting...

I'm doing all the exhaling.

Talking.

Asking.

Pleading.

Processing.

But, very little breathing in.

Very little listening.

Very little receiving.

I need more oxygen.

We are hard-wired to breathe.

In.

Out.

Receive.

Respond.

Listen.

Speak.

The same is true in prayer. 

So, if I feel like I'm running low on spiritual oxygen...

I open the Word.

Sit quietly before the Lord.

Listen.

Breathe deeply.

If there were such a thing as a spiritual oximeter, what would it reveal about me today?