Our Hallelujahs, Whether Holy or Broken, are ALL Heard in Heaven

“And David danced…”

Those 3 little words capture the heart of King David.  Whether fighting lions, facing giants or confessing sin, he does so with an unrestrained heart of worship.

I’ve been listening to Dan Berk’s “Hallelujah” cover for the past few days, so it was quite fitting to read about the day David danced without dignity before the Lord.

The King of Israel lays aside his royal robes & dons a simple linen tunic, to worship God with unrestrained zeal. He spins, sings & praises God in ways unbefitting for a king!

So much so, that when his wife looks down from her window & sees him leaping & dancing, she is filled with contempt for her husband.

Michal was the daughter of the former king, Saul. During his reign the Ark of the Lord had been severely neglected. Michal met David when he was a fierce warrior, but now he dances like a fool before the people of Israel as he brings the Ark home.

His religious zeal leads her to despise her husband in her heart. She did not know this unrestrained love for The One Whose Presence was near.  

David’s life is filled with passionate hallelujahs, sometimes broken & sometimes holy.

The psalms are filled with his emotional pleas, & when Goliath talks trash about his God, David runs AT the ten foot man & kills him with a sling & stone! He knows this God Whom he worships & it does not matter who looks upon his unrestrained dancing that lacks kingly dignity…he leaps through the air as he, “worships God with all his might.”

I think what I love most is that we have an inside perspective - we know this:

David is a man after Gods own heart & yet he becomes an adulterer & murderer. Just like the song’s closing lyrics, I wonder if in his last days, David worships his Lord & king, singing,

And even though it all went wrong

I'll stand before the lord of song

With nothing on my tongue but hallelujah

You see, whether we too are fighting lions, facing giants or confessing our brokenness, we can do so with unrestrained worship because that same God who loved David, flaws & all, loves us the same!

So Father, we bring our broken & our holy hallelujahs to You today, choosing to dance like David before our faithful audience of One!

#OneYearBible

May 24th One Year Bible Readings

2 SAMUEL 4:1-6:23

JOHN 13:31-14:14

PSALM 119:17-32

PROVERBS 15:31-32

The Effect of Words on Water Matters When You Remember that Our Bodies Are 70% Water!

The other day I felt like Mrs. Crabbypants. My insides felt sad & I kinda wanted to sit, soak & sour in It. I went to the fire pit to burn some papers & my husband followed me. I felt crabbier because i knew what he was going to do & sure enough he did. He asked me, “So tell me something that’s going well right now or something you’re grateful for…”

To be honest, I was grateful that he was on the otherside of the fire pit so I couldn’t kick him in the shins😂

But, alas, he was right…his approach was confirmed through a verse I read today:

Good news makes for good health.

That’s what Proverbs 15:30 promises & even though we know we can take the Word of God at His Word, I feel a little giddy inside when science confirms it!🎉

Dr Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist & water researcher, studied the effects that words have on water. Through the use of high-speed photography & a vibration measuring device, he captured on film how water reacts to sound vibrations.

The water crystals formed beautifully intricate shapes when encouraging words of life were spoken, whereas water taken from the same source collided the crystals, smashing them into destructive shapes when harsh words were spoken.

If these spoken words had this kind of effect on water, how do you think those very same words affect humans who are comprised of 70% water???😳

The bottom line is that words matter. What we speak over ourselves, our family & others has a direct impact on anyone within earshot!

Have you ever been around someone who is a grumpy gilly & feel like you’ve been slimed by their emotions? I have & it’s like I want to take an emotional shower afterwards. I’ve also been the carrier of crabby words & witnessed the wilting effect it has on those close to me.🥲

Father, we thank you that Your Word is ALWAYS a refreshing spring that brings life to our bones! When we feel grumpy or sad inside, let us turn to you & seek to speak Your Truth. It’s not that we can’t process hurt in our hearts but we have to couple it with Truth for healing to happen. Thank you that science confirms Truth because there is only One Truth. May our words match Yours, giving good health to anyone within earshot!🎶

#OneYearBible

May 23rd One Year Bible Readings

2 SAMUEL 2:12-3:39

JOHN 13:1-30

PSALM 119:1-16

PROVERBS 15:29-30

Hurt People, Hurt People | Drop the Dead Weight to Stop the Cycle

{Kinda funny…I read today’s One Year Bible reading yesterday, so today I’m posting on something from yesterday’s passage (sorry for those following along) 🤪}

Have you heard of the term, “dead weight”? It means to carry that which has no benefit, keeps you from your potential & has the potential to lead you to your own demise.

It’s derived from a cruel punishment created by the Roman Empire. They’d literally strap a dead body to the bare back of a criminal, forcing them to carry that maggot-infested corpse everywhere they went.

Awful, right?

Well, it gets worse. Eventually, the corpse began to break down & the decomposition process oozed poison all over the carrying criminal. The man became sicker with each passing day until he died a stench-filled death from that dead weight on his back.

Talk about a visual!🤢

That’s what popped up from the memory banks as I read Proverbs 15:24:

The path of the godly leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind.

It’s hard to get to our destination carrying dead things behind us, on us or even in our hearts!

I did it for years! I was deeply hurt by someone close & carried the dead weight of bitterness, resentment & unforgiveness as if it were a dear friend.

I’d massage the memories, reigniting the fire of hatred in my heart, over & over & over again. It was exhausting & I’m sure the rank smell of rotting flesh inside my unhealed heart could be smelled from miles away!😳

I’ll never forget the freedom that fell when I finally offered forgiveness. I’d been battling a physical condition for over 3 months-had 2 spinal taps in the process trying to determine the source of pain.

Quite literally, the day I finally wrote a letter of forgiveness & placed it in the mailbox, all ailments left my body! Like, I shut my mailbox, turned to painfully shuffle my way back to the house & the pain immediately left!

Dead weight lifted as I lifted the person who hurt me up in prayer, audibly forgiving them for what they did & for the effects of it, releasing them from the consequences of their sin & even blessing them to receive their own healing.

We all know that hurt people, hurt people.

We can stop the cycle of hurt by refusing to carry the dead weight of unforgiveness. Choose today to leave the grave behind. Drop the dead weight so you’re free to experience resurrection life!

#OneYearBible

May 21st One Year Bible Readings

1 SAMUEL 29:1-31:13

JOHN 11:55-12:19

PSALM 118:1-18

PROVERBS 15:24-26