Come, Let Us Worship!

Hey guys!

It's just me, Deeds, and it's a good day to blog. :D

Forgive me, I'm smirking as I write that.  Why?

Because today has been a horrible, rotten, no good, very hard day.  I have issues.  Yes, issues.  About the weather, about my house, about my family relationships, about my own health and they all find their way into the deep, deep holes of my heart and begin festering.  

It's quite demotivating actually.  

And to tell you the truth, this horrible, rotten day has gotten so far out of hand I barely made it to the computer to write more of my journey by God's grace.

Now, I sit here, and just rest with a cup of green tea at my side.  Kids are napping, and the only noise I hear is the dehumidifier working it's mechanic "tail" off to keep my house from growing.

Y'all these hard days are purposed for so many things that we don't see or understand.  God has been trying so hard with this stubborn child of His to just help in my learning: "My child, I'm still God.  Come to Me and worship Me.  You will find all you ever need in me."

Background was done using Ranger Distress Oxide.
Colors picture below.

I'm thankful for the ability to sit and type this up, because as I further explain the course of my life in conjunction with the matter of worship, I'm humbled. 
Today may be one of the most terrible, but it's always a good day to praise the Lord.

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,  for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, 

the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!  

The LORD says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, 

as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
Psalm 95:6-8

Here in Psalm 95, we are given a call and beckoning to come and just be with our Maker.  For He is our God and we are His sheep.  We have but one response to God that we may have peace and feel assurance: kneel and worship!

So on this day when my heart grows weary and tends toward the hardness spoken of in verse 8, I am to gravel at the feet of my LORD.  My God. My Savior. 

Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps released this beautiful Christmas set this month, called "O Holy Night."  I found silhouetted manger scene to be quite appropriate.  Having just been newly born, Jesus the Christ is worshiped in splendor, honor, and humility.  Mary and Joseph assume a position of servant in the presence of this baby King. 
Years later, He would be the object of affection and adoration for Magi that traveled miles upon miles to do the very same, only this time to a toddler. 

Ranger Embossing Powder used to created the star shapes from
the stamp set, as well as lettering for "Come."
Supplies pictured below.

Years and years later, the same holds true for us: the key element of our worship is the Object Himself.  Jesus our Savior.  And in Psalms, we are called to worship and bow down - not tomorrow.  Not on a better day.  Not on a good day.  Now.  Right now.  This moment.  This hard, impossible, horrible, defeated moment. 

Bow.

He is God.  God alone.  Jesus is worthy of all praise.  All honor is due His Name. 

You guys, life IS hard.  It's a crap thing, sometimes, and nobody understands that better than the Most High.  No one gets our complaints in full like the LORD of Hosts.  No one can truly identify with our toughest battles than the LORD of Armies, Jesus Christ.

So, come.  Let us worship together.  Let us bow before our Maker.  Christ the LORD.

Stamp sets used: "O Holy Night" and "Rebecca Script Alpha."

O, come let us adore Him…

O, come let us adore Him…

O, come let us adore Him, Christ the LORD!!

*Sigh*  God is good; all the time. :D

Much love,

Deeds

Sing With Joy

Reading through the Bible chronologically has really changed my perspective as I read the Psalms that David wrote. I’ve known for some time that each Psalm was written during certain periods of David’s life. Some during good times, and others not so good. They are a journal of sorts of David’s response to God during these periods in his life. It’s a great to read them alongside the history of what was occurring in the kingdom at the same time. 

Psalm 59 was written during a time when Saul was after David, and Saul had sent soldiers to David’s house to try to kill David.

Hmmm. Wonder what my reaction would’ve been? “Ahhhhh...I’m going to die! The end is near! God, where are you?” Is our first thought to react...or respond...when troubles come upon us?

Let’s take a look at David’s response. In verses nine and ten, David proclaims that God is his strength and that he would wait for God to rescue him! 

What was David thinking? He had soldiers at his house ready to kill him and instead of panicking, He instead says “God’s got it...no need to worry!” (my paraphrase)

David goes on in the next few verses to tell about the enemy scavenging about at night and prowling the streets. I don’t know about you, but the night time is where I have a hard time turning off my head and worrying mind. It seems that during the quiet is when the enemy screams the loudest.

We have a choice. To listen to the enemy, or rest in the peace that only God can bring. Here, David made the choice to rest in the quiet hush of the Lord and to sing the Lord’s praises. 

Verse 16 tells us that David will sing of the Lord’s power and in the morning he will “sing for joy” of the Lord’s love...His unfailing love!!
He goes on to boldly say that the lord has been his refuge and his place of safety.

It wasn’t anything David did himself, or even his mighty men. It was God alone who was David’s refuge!!

I encourage you friends to let God be your strength and your refuge. You’ll be singing for joy about His unfailing love! 

“You are my strength; I wait for you to rescue me, for you, O God, are my fortress. In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭59:9-10, 16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

showing some of the added texture

Art behind the story:

For this mixed media entry, I used my interleaved Bible which has a blank page in between each page of text.  For the background, I started with a piece of printed scrapbook paper and added ephemera for decorations.  Using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sets, I stamped the words "Sing for Joy" with Sunshine Girl Alpha and  the Life In Jesus set.  To add more visual interest, I added some texture with the Texture Tiles 1 set.

Have a great time in Creative Worship as you spend time with the Lord stamping and creating in His Word!

Hugs,

Gayle
Patio Ponderings