Worship the King.

We are made to worship. People choose to worship whatever it is, God, money, people, relationships. But, you can't worship two things at once. Worshipping God is having a daily relationship with Him. Telling Him you love Him and hearing Him reciprocate that back to you. It's simply expressing your love to Him whether that be through music, dance, sports, or even simply walking to class. I am going to switch gears and simply talk about worship at church through music. 

I think that sometimes we allow the structure of singing songs overtake us to the point where we're focused on being on pitch and singing the right words rather than focusing on pouring our hearts out to Christ. The atmosphere in our hearts start changing and we feel a rush of emotion over taking us because He is working and stripping away the uglies in our souls. He takes us to a place and when you're in that place you are focused on nothing else except Him. It's in that moment that You taste the goodness of God. The bible says that once you tasted the Spirit, you are forever changed. 

Worship creates intimacy. Every time I close my eyes and worship, I immediately enter in a secret garden of joy and feel an overwhelming sense of love from God. When I am giving Him my love, my voice and declaring to Him how good He is, He immediately holds me and tells me He loves me. That is romance. That's a father telling His princess she is beautiful and worthy. See, once we have an encounter with God in that way, we start trusting Him more. We start wanting to get close and knowing Him more and more. 

God is pursuing YOU. 

My prayer today is that You would get closer to His heart through worship at church. You would understand that He hears You and He knows whether or not Your heart is worshiping Him or not. 

"The heart is deceitful above all thing and beyond cure. Who can understand it?“ I the Lord search the hear and examine the mind to reward each person according to their conduct according to what their deeds deserve.” Jeremiah 17:9-10    

Be still.

Around this time last year, I went to a missions trip informational meeting and we discussed Psalm 46:10 where God says "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." I thought I understood that verse...

until this past weekend happened. 

I have been under the weather for the past few days, and not just your typical cough, flu etc. I mean yes, it could have been a whole lot worse but it was scarlet fever. Mine you, I've never been sick and out for 5 days in a row (even during my elementary schools days!) but man, I was this past week and it couldn't have come at a perfect time. I had tons of things I had planned out for this week but as of right now I haven't started my new job and I already graduated from school so technically my schedule was blank. Blank for the Lord to speak to me. ( I didn't realize that until now..) I was helpless, physically exhausted, drained and all I could really do was to lay still despite my controlling nature. 

As humans, we are wired to plan out our lives, to make our own decisions based on our reasoning and thinking, to do what feels right and then we end up being totally dissatisfied or we end up going down a deadly path of destruction. Sometimes in our spiritual life, I feel like we are always trying to control things without letting God be God and minister to us.  At least for me, I'm always trying to figure out the next step, trying to smart my way around God even in the smallest mundane tasks of everyday life. I'm always trying to be a "big girl", "independent" but in all reality, I have absolutely no idea what is best for me. 

So as I'm trying to scurry my way around and figure out big huge life decision plans, my sweet Dad wanted me to lay down, restore AND show me what I need to do next. And sure enough, He did.  He wanted to regain my trust, take away my doubts and strip me from my dirty ways to show me unfailing, undeniable, everlasting, overwhelming PEACE. 

And most importantly, I learned to let God be God. Knowing that He is Holy, everlasting, healer, omnipresent, creator and He holds my life in His hands. 
He knows what He's doing. I don't. 

So with that being said, I am thankful that the Holy Spirit redeemed me and showed up when I needed Him to. This is a testimony to His grace. 

she is loved by her beloved.

The Lord gave me the title of this blog about a month ago when He showed me in Songs of Solomon.

I didn't understand the fullness of this revelation until recently. 

To anyone who has been through or has felt heartache, depression, hurt, pain, unworthiness, low self-esteem, brokenness or anything else: this is for you. 

When you are left with nothing, God replenishes you. When you feel so discouraged that you can't even get up, He reaches His arm out to you so you can cling on to Him. When you can't even look Him in the eye because you realize how filthy you are, He sweetly smiles at you like you never did anything wrong.

Just like the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8, we have all sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus knew that she was sinful, yet he chose not to condemn her but offered her His grace so that she may have the opportunity to walk with Him in righteousness.

That is love.

The same concept goes for us as well. 

I--yes, I alone--will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again..(Isaiah 43:25) He just wants us to hold His hand and allow Him to lead us into holiness. That is how much God loves you. 

You are loved by your beloved regardless of your past, your failures and your short comings. 
You are a child of God and He sees you beautiful and worthy. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  The one who created you in your mother's womb thinks about you more than the grains of sand on the earth. (Psalm 139)

YOU are loved by your beloved. 
Take courage and hope in that.

His, 
M