Jireh Devotional

We stand and sing the team's national anthem at the beginning of many sporting events. A momentary reverence is shared—standing to attention, removing hats, respectful adherence to a tradition. A bailiff invites us to rise when judges enter the courtroom. We stand when the bride begins her processional up the wedding aisle. The historical narratives rooted in some of these traditions are messy, and some choose to bend the knee or hold their seat. At best, these moments are perfunctory. Not so with the anthem of praise to the King of Kings. Think for a moment about the anthem of heaven. Can you imagine how quickly we will rise, how loud we will cheer or how our breath will catch at the sight of Jesus? Will it be loud, or will the presence of the King of Kings have us so moved that it will be our collective silence that fills the space? If we take a knee, it will be because our legs cannot bear the weight of our trembling bodies. Come, let us bow down in worship,let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;for he is our Godand we are the people of his pasture,the flock under his care.Psalm 95: 6,7 NIV As I ventured into the quagmire of social media today, I became aware of the dangers lurking in the shadows. I fasted from social media through December and am now more sensitive to what is still present on my feeds. I don't search for the bad news. I stumble upon it because conflict, chaos and confrontation reign online. So, with each click, or swipe, I hold my breath. My heart quickens, and I remain on high alert. Not like the lioness crouched down in the bushes waiting for her prey, she is fearless; my vigilance is more akin to the wee antelope who suddenly hears the grass rustle nearby and looks up frozen with fright. So imagine my delight today when I read a series of posts from a lovely friend, one after another, offering thanks. She gave an anthem of praise. She wrote thank yous to nurses, mental health professionals, teachers, and pastors for all they do to keep us safe, healthy, and informed. Who else would rocks cry out to worshipWhose glory taught the stars to shinePerhaps creation longs to have the words to singBut this joy is mine An anthem of praise. A melody of adoration. Brooke Ligertwood's A Thousand Hallelujahs is an anthem of praise. A song of devotion. Our heart's cry of gratefulness. We have eternity to sing it. A thousand hallelujah's to magnify his name, give honour and praise because He reigns. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since you were called to peace as members of one body. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, d0 it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.Colossians 3:14-19 NIV If you feel the burden of the here and now, lift your eyes above your circumstances. Join the chorus of A Thousand Hallelujahs. A song of worship we will sing into eternity. An anthem of praise our hearts long to sing. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. A Thousand Hallelujahs was written by Brooke Ligertwood and featured on the A Thousand Hallelujahs album.

We received a text from our mother at 9:31 am on July 30th, 2020. "I think Dad died!" He died in his workshop. His death was shocking. This weekend we will gather as a family to remember him -- one year later. Dad lived life on his own terms and left deep, tender impressions on our hearts. For you, the words may have been different, but the pain is familiar. Grief comes in waves. Sometimes it is expected and sometimes it comes out of nowhere. Some waves feel manageable, bumping us around with flashes of memory -- even bringing a soft smile to our face. Like the moment you find a picture of your loved one that reminds you of the years gone by. It is tenderly sweet and sad all at the same time. Other waves pick you up and slam you underwater, trapping you in an undertow that threatens your very next breath. What have been the words that left your world forever altered? Your mom has Alzheimer's. Your dad has cancer. Your daughter's baby died before she took her first breath. Your husband wants a divorce. Heartache. No one escapes it. Our experiences look different, but suffering is the human condition. A mark of our frailty. All are at risk of feeling pain. In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials for a little while. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6,7) I wrestle with the scripture inviting me to rejoice in my grief. In the moment when waves of pain crash over me, the last thing I think about is rejoicing. I am more focused on breathing through the unbearable ache that comes with loss. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:3) Phil Wickham's song, Hymn of Heaven, offers words that we can sing while being tossed by the waves of sadness. The song acknowledges our vulnerability and desperation, inviting our hearts to lean into the end of the story when death and suffering are no more. Whatever your experience with grief, whatever waves crash around you today, there is a promise waiting. The breath of Heaven is coming. When He returns to wipe away our tearsOh, there will be a day when all will bow before HimThere will be a day when death will be no more Maybe there is room for hope and grief to co-exist? One that grieves and one that rejoices as we look towards a future with Jesus. It doesn't have to be an either/or option ... maybe it is a both/and journey. Not "either I grieve, or I rejoice," but "I can grieve and rejoice in my suffering." We don't have to deny our pain to prove our faith. The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fearIn the end, we'll see that it was worth itWhen He returns to wipe away our tears Thank you, Phil Wickham, for writing music that invites our humanity to exist side by side with the heart of Heaven. This is the kind of worship we can sing with all the pieces of us -- harmonizing the places that ache and the parts that celebrate! Hymn Of Heaven was written by Phil Wickham, from the album Hymn Of Heaven.Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children.

Oh gosh, I love fall and pumpkin spiced lattes. I love the colors of our trees in the backyard, but it is a very different experience from the love I feel for my husband, children, and gorgeous granddaughter. Do you end calls with family with a quick "love you !" Or sign the bottom of birthday greetings the same way? Hear the phrases "love that new coat on you" and "loved that show on Netflix!" We have watered down what it means to love. What does it mean to you to love your neighbor? If I can't love my neighbor like I love myselfIf I won't move when my brother cries out for helpIf I'm too proud to forgive before the sun goes downThen this life that I've been living what does it mean now None of my love comes close to the love that God has lavished on us. We will continually fall short of this unrestrained expression of love while we continue to practice loving only those who are easy to love. Try working it out when the road is rocky, the other is difficult, and your strength is weak. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And this is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1 Something struck me listening to this song by Pat Barrett and Dante Bowe's "Nothing/ Something. " The back and forth sharing of the phrases reminded me that the invitation to love others is something I need help to do. I am not good at it on my own, and I don't have to look hard to notice some of you are not good at it either. Our love billows over when there is no risk, and it blooms easy. It is a whole other workout loving the people around us who are challenging. Maybe they masquerade as our neighbors, but they are often our siblings, children, partners, or friends. These relationships expose our incapacity to love well. Out of one corner of our mouths, we say as for me and my house, we serve the Lord...and then whisper words of judgment on our brothers and sisters. It is the kind of bait and switch that my non-Christian friends find disorienting with the church, seeing a love that looks sloppy and exclusive. I could say I love my neighbor, but it does not nearly shine as bright alongside the love I hold for my children. My love for my neighbor is dim at best. I hardly know my neighbor. With complete transparency, there are some neighbors I don't wish to know at all. And don't get me started on that one person (or two) who grate on my nerves, leaving me rigid from all the tongue biting I do around them. Show me how to love like YouCause if I don't have love it means nothing My love for people and how much I give depends on a few things. How they treat me and how invested I am in their well-being. If I am irritated, I have been known to withhold love, and I shut down, remaining emotionally disconnected. What is your modus operandi? We tend to have a predictable way of discrediting, minimizing or invalidating another's experience. Do you move away because, you know, they don't know the Lord like you do? Or, they don't have the education, experience, money like you do? What pattern do you choose when dealing with difficult people who don't think like you, dress like you or work as you do, so you do not have to love them? I don't want to sound like a crashing cymbalI don't want to be some empty noiseI'm down on my knees, Lord I surrenderJesus help me to love with a love like Yours My least favorite place to linger is a church foyer. The perfunctory meeting, greeting, and hand-shaking turns my insides like we are gearing up to head onto the main stage for a performance. One part of me wants to feel a part of the group and searches for someone I recognize to talk to; another part wants to make a beeline to my preferred seat in the auditorium to avoid making small talk with anyone. When I show up in a church foyer, my "on again off again" love dial switches on. I show interest, smile, ask you about the details I remember from last week. And we have this interaction that at the moment feels like we love one another, but at best, we are being kind. Kindness is love's cousin, for sure, but it is a part not the fullness of God's love. Foyer's are easy places to pretend we love one another. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.John 3:16 For God so loved. He so loved. He doesn't love the world the way I love the changing colors of Fall, or a long walk along a riverbank. His love created. His love created all I know and hold dear. His love sacrificed comfort, set-aside fame, notoriety and chose a humble beginning with a horrific ending instead. His love did this for me. It was a profoundly personal, intimate act of love. This ending paid the highest price and bought my freedom for eternity-THAT is love. If I can't love my neighbor like I love myselfIf I won't move when my brother cries out for helpIf I'm too proud to forgive before the sun goes downThen this life that I've been living what does it mean now My prayer today as I recognized once again my ineptitude to love well: Jesus, loving the people you created is not a task I can do alone. Help me. Show me what You see. Fill me with Your love so I can do better. Your love is an indescribable gift, and I want to be ready to give it to others - even when it is a challenging task to do so. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Nothing / Something was written by Pat Barrett and featured on the Nothing / Something album.

What happens inside when your world feels upside down and nothing seems to make sense anymore? Wave after wave of stories from around the globe relaying horrible acts of violence, families devasted by war, freak accidents or environmental disasters. "All our enemies have opened their mouthswide against us.We have suffered terror and pitfalls,ruin and destruction."Streams of tears flow from my eyesbecause my people are destroyedLamentations 3: 46-48 I long for the days when I didn't know so much. The naivety of my youth without the magnetic pull onto the social media highway. When we hung out at the park and came home when the streetlamps turned on. I never thought I would fondly remember the days of the dewy decimal system and hours lost gathering information. Now there is this onslaught of information, competing agendas, friends who we hardly recognize anymore shouting insults and angry retorts at one another. The world can feel upside down, leaving us feeling defeated and hopeless. Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning;great is your faithfulness.I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion;therefore I will wait for him."Lamentations 3: 22-24 The "just ask Google" age is a double-edged sword. We get information quickly without knowing with certainty that it is accurate. Now, we can find and disseminate information across multiple sources with little accountability to prove validity. Gone are the days of trusted experts...we have become the experts. Our message at church this week focused on humility. Can we acknowledge there are things we do not know or understand? Can we lay down our need to be right? Are we able to live on the edge of not having all the answers? The lyrics in Katy Nichole's song, In Jesus Name (God of Possible), offer words for times when our present circumstances feel like too much to bear. Sometimes, we need help to hope in the not yet. When answers don't come soon enough, or when my solutions don't align with my neighbours. In these moments, all we know to do is pray. I pray for your healing, that circumstances would changeI pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus nameI pray that a breakthrough would happen todayI pray miracles over your life, in Jesus name We are most at risk when our circumstances feel so overwhelming that all we want to do is hide, or when we are so overwhelmed, we get louder and meaner. As a therapist, I manage well with emotional reactivity in the safety of my office space, but facing an angry stranger at the grocery store, or reading the vitriol of an acquaintance's remarks online, can leave me completely gobsmacked. I speak the name of all authorityDeclaring blessings, ev'ry promise He is faithful to keepI speak the name no grave could ever holdHe is greater, He is stronger, He's the God of possible Come believe it, come receive itOh the power of His Spirit is now forever yoursCome believe it, come receive itIn the mighty name of Jesus, all things are possible If you are walking with someone through their darkest days, or you are finding yourself weary and worn out from fighting your own battles- speak the name of Jesus. Sometimes, this is all we can do. Christ Jesus who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?Romans 8:34b, 35 Resist the tendency to limit the power and effectiveness of His name. No amount of digging for answers, no amount of time spent in dialogue, no amount of tears melts the hurt in the human heart like the ministry of Christ's love. As it is written: "For your sake, we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." NO, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans: 36-39 So we turn our eyes to heaven and cry out "in Jesus name." Receive His love, His healing touch for your weary, worn-out heart. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. In Jesus Name (God Of Possible) was written by Katy Nichole, David Spencer, Ethan Hulse, Jeff Pardo, and featured on the In Jesus Name (God Of Possible) album.

Do you remember the worst moments of your life? Burning recollections that flare up, taunting you with a sense of failure and shortcoming. Wretched moments. Do you remember feeling a sense of hope after a long winter season? Times when grace and peace brought you to your knees in gratitude. Salvation moments. Moments when you were rescued from the miry clay, and delivered safely to solid ground on the other side of the raging rivers. We are wretched. Standing rigid by someone you love, unwilling to acknowledge your mistake when you betrayed their trust. Seeing the pained expression on your child's face when you lost your cool, holding fast to your right to discipline. Letting that hurtful, harsh criticism fly from your mouth without regard for how it cut through the heart of a friend. We are wretched. Maybe you don't see glimmers of yourself in the scenes above. Maybe you have been the one hurt. Your spouse cheated. Your parents screamed at you. Your friend betrayed your trust. The disappointment and pain held weighed down, pulling you into the darkness of despair. You longed for relief -- but the relief didn't come -- in desperation, you looked for an escape from the pain. We are wretched, but the story does not end there. Charity Gail's, Thank You Jesus For The Blood is a powerful reminder of how Jesus has rescued us. He plucks out of the pit where there is loneliness and heartache. The words of this song put a layer of truth on top of our pain, making us whole again. When I was lost, Jesus "broke my chains, freed my soul. For the first time, I had hope." Sometimes the lyrics of a song reach deep down inside, and we recognize ourselves as the melody moves through each verse. We all have a rescue story. Maybe for you it is addiction, or like me, despair. Perhaps you are still trapped behind a curtain of anxiety or doubt. Maybe you come from a long history of broken relationships or epic failures in life. When we find ourselves stuck in the muck, wounded on the battlefield, scarred by hurt from those around us, we need rescuing. I know a thing or two about being rescued. Almost 20 years ago, my world shifted dangerously. My darkest days came after the birth of our fourth child. Hopelessness descended on me like a dark, heavy curtain. Imagine the inner conflict, holding a brand new life and simultaneously wanting to run away from it all. I experienced what felt like an unyielding sorrow -- my heart breaking into a million pieces. No one could see my pain. No one could help. I felt all alone. My secret strength and shield around me,You are salvation's ray of brightness shining on the hillside,Always the champion of my cause.So all I need to do is call out to You,Singing to You, the praise-worthy God.And every time I do, I'm safe and sound in You.When the spirit of death wrapped chains around meWhen terrifying torrents of destruction overwhelmed meAnd took me to death's door, to doom's domain;I cried to Him in my distress, the delivering God,And from His temple-throne He heard my troubled cry. My sobs came right into His heartAs He turned His face to rescue me.-“Psalms: Poetry on Fire,” Psalm 18:1-6, Brian Simmons My journey through the winter season of depression was a road of darkness I would rather not travel again. However, that painful journey took me to places with Jesus that I may have otherwise missed -- this is my experience of the Kingdom like a double-edged sword. My heart both ached and soared as I turned to God and God alone. I learned the upside-down truth that even in my distress, God is good, faithful, and He is for me. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:2-5, NIV) I have journals filled with scripture -- the truth of the Word written out letter by letter. Writing scripture and soaking in worship helped me create a roadmap through the dark nights of my soul. I experienced God's goodness as He healed places deep inside me. He is the faithful God who stayed in the boat with me through all the stormy seas and never left me to drown. Is your current season dark and heavy around you? Are you more connected to being wretched than hopeful? Settle in and take a moment to let the words of worship wash over you. Be encouraged by the tender-hearted truth of Jesus. He is for you. Thank You Jesus, for the blood appliedThank You Jesus, it has washed me whiteThank You Jesus, You have saved my lifeBrought me from the darkness into glorious light We all need rescuing. We all have dark, wretched moments. There is nothing more powerful than the blood of Jesus poured over the stormy seas of our own disasters. Thank you, Jesus, for the "wonder-working power of your blood.” See the full interview behind the song Thank You Jesus For The Blood here. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Thank You Jesus For The Blood was written by Charity Gayle, David Gentiles, Steven Musso, Ryan Kennedy, and Bryan McCleery.

Ever feel like an imposter? A pretender who is supposed to be full of faith and love but is also full of a bunch of other less desirable stuff? On the one hand, we confess to know Jesus and love our neighbor while our other hand thinks our neighbor is an annoying git? If others knew the thoughts of our hearts, we would be tossed out on your keister. Doubt and shame can hover like a dark shadow. Maybe your thing is a deeply held insecurity you try to keep buried. Your job is secure. You are relatively successful in your work or even wildly successful in your career. On the outside, no one would know the beast of self-doubt that lurks in the dark corners of your heart. Even with all the worldly successes, you wonder if you are enough. All the wrestling on the inside is not hidden from the God who created us and calls us by name. Sit on that and let the shiver snake down your spine. He knows our thoughts and the intentions of our hearts, and his response is to love. Watching the Maverick City's video for I Thank God, I wanted to jump in with equal expressions of gratefulness. God knows all the deep, hidden corners of my inner world, and He isn't repulsed. He invites me closer. The gift in that invitation is that as I move closer and those hidden areas light up with His presence, they are changed. I am changed. The darkness fades, and the light shines more brightly. Because He healed my heartHe changed my nameForever free, I'm not the sameI thank the MasterI thank the SaviorI thank God Maybe you are in recovery - or have been labeled as anxious or depressed. Overidentifying with labels is dangerous. I am not a fan of labels unless they help me learn how to take care of something. Clothing labels help us decide whether to hang it up or throw it in the dryer. A food label helps determine the expiration date. But labels on people are harmful. Labels on people put us in boxes with sides too high to climb. He is in that boat with you. You are not alone. I say I am broken, but God says He makes me whole. "So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority" (Colossians 2:10). A more vulnerable truth might be that we are all in some sort of recovery. Recovering from broken hearts and broken lives. Recovering from what we created and what we have to deal with but never asked for. We face the dangers from within and the chaos all around us. Our slowly drifting, weary souls leave us battered and bruised. Got no choice but to believeMy doubts are burningLike ashes in the windSo, so long to my old friendsBurden and bitter nightYou can't just keep them movingNo, you ain't welcome hereFrom now 'til I walkThe streets of goldI'll sing of how You saved my soul We tend to want people to look and act a certain way, and deviations from the center typically don't fit in well. Variations often find themselves isolated and silenced. I'll sing of how You saved my soulThis wayward sonHas found his way back homeHe picked me upTurned me aroundPlaced my feet on solid ground Let's tell some truth. All fall short of center. On my worst days, you would run and hide if my heart was exposed before you. I have experienced anger so intense my teeth chattered. I have cursed in ways that would curl paint of the walls, but I also create safe spaces for vulnerable people to share their deepest emotional wounds. And if it happens in me, I know some dark things happen inside you, too. Wandering into the nightWanting a place to hideThis weary soul, this bag of bonesAnd I tried with all my mindAnd I just can't win the fightI'm slowly drifting, oh bag of boneAnd just when I ran out of roadI met a man I didn't knowAnd he told meThat I was not aloneHe picked me upHe turned me aroundHe placed my feet on solid ground I do thank God! He invites all to come close, no matter how visible the flaws. Have you dangerously tight roped your way through major depression? Have you felt your heart tear with sorrow holding vigil with a loved one in the ICU? That's my story, so what is yours? And if He did it for me, He can do it for youIf He did it for me, He can do it for youGet up, get up, get upGet up out of that grave God doesn't define you by your mistakes. He gives you a new name! He sees you in a way that the world may not. His vision of you is through the lens of His sacrifice. His blood for our life. God calls you up. He will not push you out because you haven't mastered or cleaned up every area of your life. Get up out of that graveIf He did it for me, He can do it for you Be encouraged. Join in the dance of gratefulness. Worship with Maverick City and thank God for grace - and His unfailing love. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. I Thank God was written by Maverick City Music from the album Move Your Heart.

When we sat down to write the song Peace Be Still, our lives were filled with circumstances that had us feeling fearful. We were all standing face to face with some scary situations. We knew that fear was present in our personal lives, but we also knew that we could choose to declare the promises of God in the midst of our fears, and His presence would flood us with peace that silences every wave of fear, and anxiety or worry. Worship is a weapon to defeat the schemes, lies and voices of the enemy. Worship is a way to stand upon the waves and tell the storm to go to sleep. I can't begin to tell you how many times, I have personally had to sing the lyrics of Peace Be Still over my own life, mind and situations. I have battled fear and anxiety a great deal in different seasons. At times, I have failed to anchor myself in the word of God through scripture or song and the waves of anxiety and fear have overtaken me. The aftermath of those storms have sometimes left damage that took more time and energy to restore than God ever intended. However, when I chose to grab on to the lifeline of God's word, declaring His promises over my life, the storm was silenced, either in me or in the natural. As we started this new decade, all over the world, we are facing a health pandemic that hasn't been seen in over 100 years. People feel confused, scared, uncertain and worried about the future. It feels like a storm of fear and anxiety has hit us pretty hard. Right now, we can choose to get swept up in the waves of fear and worry, doubting that God is for us or we can choose to remain anchored in the presence of God and allow His peace to wash over us and calm the storm inside our hearts and minds. We don't know what the future holds. We don't know how this current world situation will play out in the following weeks and months. What we do know is that our God is our shield, our fortress, our deliverer, our provider, our healer and our strong tower. Psalm 91:1-4 (God's Word Translation)Whoever lives under the shelter of the Most High will remain in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” He is the one who will rescue you from the hunter's traps and from deadly plagues. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His truth (word) is your shield and armor. Worship builds a reservoir of God's truth to draw from when we face difficult moments. I know that every time I choose to worship, it builds my faith in God. It reminds me once again, that my God is greater than any storm and He speaks PEACE OVER ME! My prayer is that during these times of fear and uncertainty you will find refuge in the Almighty, declare His promises, sing His praises and know His Peace that passes all understanding! Hope Darst, has been leading worship, growing her family and serving the local church. She wears many titles…wife, mother, worship leader and songwriter. Peace Be Still was written by Hope Darst, Mia Fields, Andrew Holt, and featured on the Peace Be Still album.

"Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." (The Gloria Patri doxology, 4th C.) Imagine for a moment you were sitting with the Apostle John on the Island of Patmos during his later years. This is a man who walked and talked with the Saviour - who witnessed such glorious things as his transfiguration, his resurrection, and his ascension. He has lived long enough to grieve the passing of his fellow Apostles - all martyred by enemies of the message of Christ. One wonders if he must have asked himself why he had been chosen to live much longer than the others. But then, John is taken up to Heaven one Sunday and witnesses a grand spectacle of worship where all of Creation joins in with the host of Heaven and the saints of God! He could now pass on to future generations of believers what exactly worship 'in Heaven' looks and sounds like! What if we had been privileged to go with him into this inner sanctum? I believe that we would most certainly be awestruck in the presence of such holiness and would join in ascribing glory to the Lord! Here's the good news… Psalm 100:4 is, in effect, God's offer to do just that – to "enter his gates with thanksgiving and enter his courts with praise." God, most holy, is most loving and desires his people to be in his presence! John's vision is just a foretaste of what worship in eternity will be like. Still, we can embrace that offer now through Christ and find ourselves transported by the Holy Spirit into his very presence in worship. Even if your church doesn't feel like heaven sometimes... know that you are joining in the eternal praise of all creation! Believe it by faith and praise him with all your might! "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!"" (Rev. 5:13, NIV) Johnny Markin is a songwriter, worship leader from Abbotsford, BC, Canada. The Covenant Award-nominated singer/songwriter has new original work of his own compositions, a much-anticipated comeback album called Light Of Day, setting ancient creeds and texts of Scripture to musical styles that reflect the wide breadth of Johnny's journey. See recent PraiseChart Live conversations co-hosted by Johnny and PraiseCharts owner Ryan Dahl.

My heart busted right open when I heard that first newborn cry. Our first grandchild is a bright, delightful little person. If she's over at our house, all the family comes, too. Her aunties and uncles cannot get enough of her. When Grandbaby and her parent's come to visit, schedules clear, plans adjust - we all want to sit and take her in. Along with this depth of love pounding in my chest, I notice something else. Slipping in amongst the awe and delight is worry. It is a familiar worry connected to a younger version of myself. I haven't perceived this gnawing at my heart for quite some time - not since my kids were little. When I first became a mom, I couldn't believe they let me take that sweet, vulnerable tiny baby home from the hospital. He came with no instruction manual and an immense responsibility to keep him safe. It is a familiar kind of worry attached to the indescribable adoration I feel for this little girl. But now, my confidence is buoyed by what I know. I am my older, wiser self, and I know how to pray. Grandma use to pray out loud by her bed every nightTo me it sounded like mumbling, like she was out of her mindShe said, Boy this kind of praying is what saved my lifeYou outta try it some time; now I know she was right And I know the good work that God is doing in her parents. A work that is not complete. An ongoing purposeful work of grace, love, and growth. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.Philippians 1:4-6 When your heart is gripped with anxiety about your kids being in this upside-down world, talk to Jesus. He has plans for us, and he has plans for our kids. Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music's song, Talking To Jesus tells the story of how we can get through the messy uncertainty of parenting. Mama use to drag me to church, Sunday morning and Wednesday nightsKhaki pants and a polo shirt, boy, I put up a fightShe said, Son, one day you'll thank me for having God in your lifeAnd yeah I know she was right, yeah my mama was right Get them talking to Jesus. That is the antidote to my worry. Knowing that the ones my heart bursts for know Him. They see this friend who will never let them down. He will never leave them out. He will never leave them alone. He will never take offense, and He will always forgive. He is never too busy or distracted. With Him, there is no favoritism. No competition. No fear. What a friend! Thank God they are talking to Jesus. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Talking To Jesus was written by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music and featured on the album Talking To Jesus.

Do you ever glance around the world searching for a reason to feel hopeful? Do you ever end up discouraged? Such a quest can feel like a flickering flame, threatening to extinguish in the slightest breeze. While driving through my hometown today, I passed by a row of small wooden crosses stationed along the side of the road, each adorned with toddler-sized dresses. My stomach churned, considering the horror represented by the roadside tribute to 215 children whose remains were found in an unmarked burial site. The unmarked graves discovered in multiple residential school grounds across Canada represent a generation of young people abducted from their homes who faced unknown horrors. If I'm honest, I feel angry and I'm unsure how to respond. Who holds our faith when fears arise? Who stands above the stormy trial? So what happens when in the face of human suffering, the fire of hope in eternity fades? What happens when the words of our worship songs sit like stones in our chest? A quiet hallelujah is barely uttered and the fiery darts of the enemy slide in behind our breastplate. Why do we endure and keep searching for some measure of hope? Because right there in the middle of our suffering is a promise: we will feast in endless joy. And what reward will heaven bring?Everlasting life with himAnd we will rise to meet the LordThen sin and death will be destroyed Maybe you face another kind of agony that is closer to home. Alzheimer's, dementia, ALS, Parkinson's, Cancer: these are the names of afflictions so distant for many and a real-life battlefield for others. When you are on the battlefield, it is easy to feel helpless, hopeless, and numb. Where is the hope in that? This is the plight of our human condition: everyone bleeds. Human suffering is unavoidable. No one escapes hardship -- in some form, at some time. We cannot look here for our hope. Earthly hope does not endure. It fades, disappoints, and dies. "Christ has been raised from the dead" (1 Cor 15:20). That is the only statement that can transform how we live each day and how we prepare for our earthly life to end. To find comfort in life, we must know how we can face death. Hope comes only in trusting the one who died to take the curse of death and who crushed the power of death by His resurrection. See Getty Music. We all experience suffering as our earthly bodies waste away, but we hold fast to a promise that is unfading, protected by the resurrection. One day, we will feast at His banqueting table. Can you feel that truth settling into your heart? Like a healing balm of comfort, God says, "take my gift and have endless joy." And the God of all grace, who called youto his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore youand make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10,11 Don't sit in silence. Tell yourself both sides of the story. We will have suffering and there is a promise. Worship through the grief and find the promised hope. Breakthroughs come when hearts break open. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Christ Our Hope in Life and Death is a modern hymn written by Keith Getty, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, and Matthew Merker (Getty Music). Words inspired by the Heidelberg Catechism.

I woke up angry. Hurt, disappointed and angry. I also have a deadline. I am supposed to be writing about the love of God in Christ alone. So ironic. How do I connect to the love of God with the emotion of anger coursing through my veins? Today is a very human kind of day where no one filled the dishwasher or offered to help with the groceries. Someone borrowed the car and brought it home empty. The garbage cans are still sitting at the end of the driveway, and it was garbage day four days ago. Someone took the last bit of coffee cream, leaving me with skim milk. I could share this with someone. I could weave this tale with a friend or post something in an eerily passive way on social media. I would see those likes and comments of validation, knowing that others share or at least understand my emotions. Here's the thing. None of that would transform my hurt, soften my disappointment or soothe my anger. For a few moments, I would feel great. I'm sure one of my besties would come alongside me and say, "heck ya, that wasn't very respectful to you!" Or, "how dare they do that!! You sure do have a right to be mad! I would be mad too!" My chin would jut out, my shoulders would drop down, and I would stand taller, feeling vindicated and understood. ... for about ten minutes. And then, suppose there is no resolution to the initial hurt? Suppose I have to continue interacting with all of the "someones" who are a part of my irritation? I could so easily pick up my hurt and disappointment the moment I am in their presence. Sharing this pain for the world to hear will not clear the fog away to connect with the love of God, and it will not heal my heart. When I am wrestling internally, I know I need the perspective of someone who both loves me and loves me enough to tell me the truth. My end goal is to have authentic, meaningful, loving connections with my people. To see and be seen and to be accepted and supported. I have learned not to sit in emotional dark places alone. The darkness is where unresolved hurt festers. Instead, I go to my quiet place where Jesus waits with me. This is a loose transcript of a typical conversation: Me: I am pretty mad Jesus: I see thatMe: Ok, more than mad ... I am angry Jesus: I knowMe: I want them to know how hurt I am Jesus: Tell me ... I know them well ... they might not be able to hold your hurt, but I can.Me: I think it would feel better if they knew how they hurt me.Jesus: Because you want them to hurt too?Me: (busted) Maybe ... I am just so frustrated that my bones ache. I always have to be the first to make amends ... so, not this time. I am going to hold out.Jesus: OK, I will wait with you. (Pausing in His presence) How does a conversation like this continue for you? Does the voice of Jesus in your head condemn you for feeling this way? Does He quote some Bible verse about "not letting the sun go down on your anger" or forgiving your brother and "turning the other cheek?" Does Jesus sit and stare at you with judgment in His eyes? This is the real, rusty and relevant, rubber hitting the road of relationships. Relationships are messy and often reactive. Maybe you and your spouse always get along. Maybe your children are always respectable, obedient, and lovely -- both privately and publicly. Maybe you don't ever say something out loud you later regret? Maybe your family is free of awkward moments of discomfort and conflict? Maybe it is just us? Maybe my ordinary, messy life is not typical? I know that isn't true. I know I am not alone because I work with people whose lives are messy. Every day people are constantly falling into pits that they dug for themselves, and then they experience heartache and disappointment. I sit across from them while they tell me their stories of pain. I witness them telling of trauma histories that have turned my stomach in knots. Then, through empathy, I start to feel anger and deep sadness for the victims. I feel their pain. I know the ache of a human heart that lives with hurt, disappointment, and loss. I also know it is not enough to undo our aloneness or to feel understood -- we need to experience transformation. Healing and wholeness can so often feel just out of reach. We need to know the power of Christ in us. I can help others feel through the waves of their emotion and allow them to linger longer in the peace that comes when the waves cease. But Jesus is our Peace. He is the calm in our storms. He is so passionate about pursuing us to bring heaven to earth, so we experience the transformation of our hearts and minds. When I allow the power of His resurrection to course through my veins, something shifts inside me. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3) His power in us is the life-giving grace that floods our burdened hearts with peace, grace, and long-suffering. His power living in us allows our hurting hearts to lay down the pain and take up hope in restoration and repair. We have everything we need in Him. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:16-19) Lean into this truth. Jesus offers us the gift of His presence for eternity. What is the end goal of Jesus? The restoration of all things and to have us near Him forever. He saves. He rescues us from our messy selves and places us in a safe space away from the darkness of our sin and pain. Our hope is in Christ Alone. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. In Christ Alone was written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

Beautiful Jesus by Passion featuring Chidima Ubah, is soul-stirring worship- singing the name of Jesus. The beautiful presence of Jesus. A whisper of his name changes the atmosphere in a room, ushering in healing and peace. Oh, there's just something, something about the nameIt's like nothing, nothing I can explainThere's just something, something about the nameJesus, oh Jesus Our names are purposefully chosen. We take care to find names for our children, make lists, and learn meanings. We combine their middle and last names practising them out loud. We spell them uniquely and consider how they will be shortened. When we heard our full names spoken out loud, we knew to pay attention. Oh, there's just something, something about the nameIt's like nothing, nothing I can explainThere's just something, something about the nameJesus, oh Jesus God gave new names to Abram and Sarai. New names to match the covenant and promise for generations to come. After Jacob struggled with God, his new God-given name, Israel, serves to remind us of our dependence on God to be our strength when we are weak. As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.Genesis 17: 4-6 NIV Jesus meets a fisherman named Simon and renames him Peter declaring, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.Matthew 16:18 NIV His name is Jesus. What a beautiful, powerful, and tender name. The significance of his name is deeply personal. Speak the name of Jesus, let him in and let him change your heart. Tracey Dahl, M.A. is a writer and Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC) in Langley, BC (Canada). She is married to Ryan Dahl (Founder of PraiseCharts) and the mother of four grown children. Beautiful Jesus was written by Mia Fieldes, Jacob Sooter, Chidima Ubah and featured on Passion's Burn Bright album.