Still Praise

Long Lake
Central Adirondacks
August 2013

Look at this photo.....taken last summer on our week-long Adirondack vacation.  It's so refreshing, isn't it??  That lake, the mug of coffee in the early morning hours......so alive......

I didn't get to do a week this summer in my beloved mountains.  I haven't even done all that much hiking up there due to the foot and back issue I'm dealing with.

And I've been complaining about it.  Loudly.  Softly.  To God. In my journal. In the shower.  With anger and disappointment and frustration. Some times with tears.  All the negative emotions I do not like to display or even talk about.

Yet, here I am writing about them.  WHY?

Because the other morning I was having a quiet time.....being still in the presence of God which hadn't happened in a few days...yet that day it happened.

I was doing a devo from the You Version app on my iPad when I heard God's whisper to open my real Bible....you know..the old fashioned hard copy kind....and turn to a Scripture about healing.  Typically I just read the first couple of verses and meditate on them. Not that morning.  I read the entire passage.  Here are the first verses from Jeremiah 17 where I was reading:

I went on to read the the passage....you can read it here.

The verses that jumped out at me were the following:

"Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth,  because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.  Indeed they say to me, "where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!"'

Whoa.  "those who depart from Me (who don't know Jesus, who leave God, etc.) shall be written in the earth (in other words, will not have their names written in heaven...as spoken of in Luke 10:20)

Now I am not going to state my opinion on whether I believe in "once saved always saved" or not.....that's not what I mean here.  

These verses got my attention because with all my negative emotions the last couple of weeks, I have felt a void from God......Oh yes, I have still prayed for my friends and their requests, I have still gone to church, and I have still read Scripture. But...it's just been actions......just lip service.  NOT GOOD!

Our Lord is the giver of life.  He is LIVING WATER!!  He is the fountain of living water!! I want that!!

And my praise??

It's been still.  It certainly hasn't been the first thing I participate in upon waking.....yet I love to praise and think it's extremely important to give praise to God each and every day.  Yet....it's been lacking in any meaningful way in my life.

I've  been too focused on getting better...on running to the chiropractor and doing stretches and trying to heal up......without totally relying on the Lord.

And I need to rely on Him.  He is the only One who can bring total healing....and I still need to praise even if that healing isn't instant or anytime soon.

That goes against what my flesh wants to do.

But my spirit knows it's important.  I want to have vibrant praise....I purpose in my heart to continually praise Him.....the One who gives me Living Water.........that refreshing, reviving, soul cleansing Living Water............

I don't want my praise to be still.............like a placid, calm lake....I want it to be exuberant..like a rushing waterfalls....and constant...in good and bad times....totally focused on Him....because He is in control........the fountain of Living Water.

Kaaterskill Falls
Catskill Mountains
May 2014