Goodness Of God Devotional

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.

"He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him." Daniel 2:22 Have you ever locked yourself in a bathroom with a glow-in-the-dark stick? My kids have pulled me into the bathroom more than once to experience the power of a glow stick. I'm always amazed that a tiny little wand can light up the whole room and incite so much excitement from my children. I'm equally amazed that those same children, who still sleep with a night light, can also willingly walk into a dark bathroom with no fear. They can do it because they believe the advertising promised on the glow stick packaging. They believe it will light up the darkness. God has always been using light to prove that He is with us since the beginning of time. He's been advertising this promise to us since Genesis. Do you realize the second thing God did in creation was bring light into the darkness? “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3). God made sure that we knew right from the beginning that He is in the darkness with us and He is committed to being the light we need. In Daniel 2:22, Daniel proclaims God knows what is in the dark and light dwells with Him. Several chapters later in Daniel 6:19, we find Daniel's trust in this promise is tested when he is thrown into a lion's den, a real-life dark pit full of hungry lions. Daniel was being punished for praying to the God of Abraham instead of praying to King Darius. In Daniel 6:17 it says, “A stone was brought and placed over the opening of the den. The king put his seal on the stone...so that Daniel's situation could not be changed.” How many of us have been in dark situations that we were completely convinced could not be changed? Situations where we could not see the light at the end of the tunnel? I know I have. But in this story, God shows up for Daniel and proves that nothing is impossible for Him. God does not fear the darkness, for light dwells in Him, and He is in the darkness with us…“At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king got up and went to the lions' den to find Daniel ALIVE! Daniel tells the king, “My God sent his angel and shut the lion's mouths so that they couldn't hurt me.” God showed up in that dark lion's den and brought His light and salvation to Daniel. And in the stories of our lives, He will do the same for me and you. Just like Daniel, I too have experienced dark pits. I have had moments when I thought my dark days would never turn around or see light again. But just like the wise men saw the Star of Bethlemham fill the night sky and lead them to worship Jesus, I too have felt the light of God lead me to the feet of Jesus in those dark seasons. At His feet, I've poured out my tears, prayers and worship and experienced His light break through the darkness and show me a way forward. So now, when dark seasons come, I do not fear. Because just like my daughters, I too am able to walk confidently into “dark places” knowing that God's promise of being with me is true. It's not a false advertisement. I believe His promise and His light is the proof. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 God has been bringing light into darkness throughout history. He did it in creation, He did it with Daniel in the lion's den and He will do it again in your life and mine. God is not shaken by the darkness because even in the darkness there is light, and He is The Light. It's been said by scientists that darkness is not the absence of light, but the absence of visible light for humans to see. This means, even though we might not be able to “see” light, it doesn't mean that light doesn't exist in the darkness. This is also true of Jesus, who is The Light of the World. Even though we sometimes can't “see” Him in our darkest moments, it doesn't mean He isn't there. Right now, you might be in the darkest season of your life. It might look hopeless or impossible. You might be convinced that nothing can change it. Let me encourage you to pull out the glow stick of God's word and let it light up your situation. His word will light up peace, joy, hope and faith inside of you. His words will silence fear, doubt, depression and more. His word will build your faith, comfort your soul, and bring light into your life. Just like Daniel, you don't have to fear the darkness anymore. God is in it with you and His light dwells with you right where you are. He will never leave you or forsake you. Darkness is never dark to God because where He is, He has promised there is light. And where there is light, there is hope. GOD PROMISES TO REMEMBER Psalm 139:11-12 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you. Isaiah 60:29 The sun will no more be your light by day, no will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Hope Darst, has been leading worship, growing her family and serving the local church. She wears many titles…wife, mother, worship leader and songwriter. Promise Keeper was written by Jonathan Smith, Ethan Hulse, Hope Darst, and featured on the Peace Be Still album.

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.

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.

Phil Wickham's House of the Lord is a celebration shouting out praise to our God who made a way for us. His presence and provision billow up and overflow from grateful hearts. When you experience His joy, or when you have been rescued and set free, it is hard not to shout out with joy from the mountaintops. Is there joy in your house? A joy that bubbles up, spills over, and leaves your world just right. Maybe you glimpse joy walking along a forest trail, watching your kids play outside, or having that first-morning cup of coffee. Possibly, it is sunsets, sunrises or walking along the beach that does it for you; the moments we feel like our most authentic selves and right there in the middle of this moment, we feel it - deep and steady as a heartbeat - joy. There's joy in the house of the LordThere's joy in the house of the Lord todayAnd we won't be quietWe shout out Your praise But, have you noticed that it doesn't take much to steal your joy? How quickly deep contentment like this can be snatched away? Slipping from your soul the moment you see "that" look from the store clerk and realize you forgot to lift your mask up to cover your nose. You know the look: the judgy eyes, furrowed brows, the look of deep disapproval. Sometimes joy is stolen in moments when family or friends comment or question your decisions, their words laced with sarcasm, passive aggression or explicit judgment. Ever disagreed with a friend and then been ghosted, unfollowed or blocked? And one of the biggest dangers lurks on social media platforms—conversation threads enticing responses and disrupting contentment and joy both for the reader and the ones who post. We don't even have to post a comment to be and feel disturbed by what we read. Joy, peace, and provision. In His house, there will be joy. In His house, we will experience peace. In His house, we will have all that we need. If there is joy in the House of the Lord, we should expect to experience it. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalm 28:7, NIV) If we have confident assurance that our God is near, that He heals, and that He saves, why isn't joy plastered like wallpaper all over our social media platforms, filling our feeds? Because our lives are messy, complicated and we are easily prone to distraction and disappointment. The most common presenting issue in my counseling office is anxiety. Anxiety (fear) and joy rarely co-exist. The emotional marathon of 2020 left some of us depleted with a lingering sense of dread for the next hard thing. Maybe we are having trouble concentrating or feeling stuck and unsure how to get moving again. Some are not excited to re-engage socially when given the freedom to do so. Others report feeling aimless, like wandering through the day looking through a foggy window. With so many unknowns in the days ahead, hope for change is waning. There is a word to describe this -- it is called languishing. Someone described it to me like this: "It's been like hitting a dead end at every turn in a cornfield maze. In the beginning, it was a game, and we were set on winning and persevering. There was all this adrenaline to make it through and to overcome the obstacles. One dead-end isn't discouraging because you've only been in the maze for a short while, and you have a lot of energy to keep pressing through. But now, hitting one detour after another ... having to pivot and change directions has become tiresome. I want to stop playing and have someone rescue me. If I could shoot up some flares and have someone lift me to safety, I'd do that." The thought of experiencing life as a maze is so dark and heavy compared to the contagious joyful expression of praise in the "House of the Lord." What do we have to shift in order to have more sustainable joy? At any given moment, you can respond in one of two ways: Either your authentic best self may show up, or your more compromised version of yourself may appear. Think of being overtired, hungry, distracted, or frustrated, and suddenly someone cuts you off in traffic or drops the entire carton of milk all over your paperwork sitting on the kitchen island. Sidestepping all grace, words and gestures fly from your body quickly without much thought. You react rather than reflect, and your compromised self shows up strong and powerful. Though the fig tree does not budand there are no grapes on the vines,though the olive crop failsand the fields produce no food,though there are no sheep in the penand no cattle in the stalls,yet I will rejoice in the Lord,I will be joyful in God my Savior.(Habakkuk 3:17-19) Or maybe this is more you. Scrolling through Instagram or Facebook, you land upon a post from a "friend." It is outlandish, offensive and flies in complete contradiction to all your values. In fact, you can't imagine how you didn't know this "friend" felt this way. Thoughts rush in: "what an ignorant comment to make," and "how can they call themselves Christian?" or "how can they believe that garbage is true?" Think about the last time you read something online that annoyed you, rattled you with such intensity that you reacted and responded rashly, or maybe you just muddled it over and over for days after. And, we keep going back to check that post to see what new absurd comments are being made, further disturbing our thoughts and disrupting our sense of calm. Criticism, judgment, seeing myself as the expert, name-calling, and hiding behind anonymity. These joy-robbers, peace-stealers, and grace-dismantling thoughts lead us directly into disappointment, anxiety and impulsiveness. We react rather than reflect. Our behavior becomes quick and prickly. Our compromised selves have sharp edges and tend not to respond well to correction from others. Not surprisingly, you may find yourself irritable, distracted, and sensitive to criticism and judgment in this state. So what can we do when we find ourselves in a prickly, reactive, critical way? Take a social media break and tend to the garden of your heart. Resist the pull to respond. "Whatever momentary self-satisfaction we experience when we entertain it leaves behind darkness and a hardness of heart — like cement that begins to cure while we're standing in it up to our knees." (The Chosen Book Two: 40 Days with Jesus. Day 8 Love) Lift your eyes above your circumstances and reconnect with the Prince of Peace. Sing praise and worship, allowing His truth to wash over you. He heals, He saves, and He is still rolling away stones. He makes a way through every dark valley or risky mountain climb. He will give you what you need to face the tricky places you find yourself in. But His direction, leading, and heart will not be easy to hear or find if you have not attuned to Him. We grow close to those we spend the most time with, and intimacy is cultivated intentionally, mindfully and with consistency over time. We sing to the God who healsWe sing to the God who savesWe sing to the God who always makes a way Come back to the revelation that we are the house of the Lord. We are the body. We are not a building. We are a people. How we engage with the world reflects how deeply His presence has touched us. 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. House Of The Lord was written by Phil Wickham and Jonathan Smith.

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.

I was soaking in Maverick City Music / Elevation Worship's song Jireh this weekend and I feel stretched. At the first phrase, my chest tightened, and a lump of emotion rose in my throat catching my breath -- I'll never be more loved than I am right now. Do I believe that when I have Him, I have everything? Do I believe that He is enough? It's more than you ask, think or imagineAccording to His power, it's working in usIt's more than enough Walking the dog with this song speaking to my heart, I realized the words hit me hard because of how sickly contradictory the world can feel right now. I haven't noticed the boldness of others trusting in God's provision, or witnessed courage and confidence in the face of calamity. Maybe it is my job, or my social media platforms? Maybe it is just situational with our current circumstances? But what seems to be more visible is a message like this: don't trust anyone; protect yourself, be on guard! Some hold firm to the belief that those in authority are out to get them, so be cautious and don't believe what they say. Extreme responses and conspiracy theories pop up on every social platform. They are all too familiar. Be vigilant ... be wary — question everything. We tend towards cognitive bias; a confirmation bias based on overvaluing the information confirming our already-established beliefs and expectations. Our preferences can be rigid, leaving us immovable and unwilling to engage our curiosity to consider alternative perspectives. Interactions quickly deteriorate if our primary goal in communication is to hear we are right. The evidence of this is everywhere. Navigating around the cesspool of opinions feels dangerous. When I manage to offer the grace or understanding or lay down my expectations and face someone's disapproval without blowing my top or losing my mind or wits, I look for a reward. I want someone to notice and say, "Good job, I saw you didn't fight back,...good for you for taking the higher road!" or, "Hey, well done for showing so much patience!" Honestly, please give me a gold star or a button to wear because loving difficult people is exhausting. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3-5, NIV) I will tell you something I have learned about myself: my love is shakeable, circumstantial, and dependent on how I feel. I gravitate towards those who are easy to love and find myself avoiding the people who are difficult to love. There, I said it! I avoid difficult people. I am not proud of the way I hide, but I am so aware of my need for Jesus when I make this explicit. No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NIV) We can't love our critics without Jesus. Look around you. Read those political threads. Witness the virus debate, the vaccine dialogue, and the COVID conversations: our love is fickle. Our love goes up in flames when our opinions or perspectives feel attacked. We justify our cruel, critical commentary, becoming instant experts because we disagree. Allow this thought to reach your soul. God loves that difficult family member, that defensive person online, and that government official you find offensive or out of touch. And if in the moment, you cannot show up with love, step aside and get out of His way. Forever, always and more than enough. He responds with perfect love. Our God sees the issues with perfect clarity, and we do not. His viewpoint, perspective, and wisdom are above all our circumstances. Nothing written, spoken, or even implied comes as a surprise to Him. 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, NIV) Yes, sometimes it can be hard to trust people. Friends, family, co-workers will disappoint us, let us down, and fall short. You will bump into difficult people who stretch you, test your patience and hurt your feelings. I hope this doesn't come as a surprise to you, but there will be moments that YOU are the difficult person. When we feel threatened by someone's response or judged unfairly, try lingering longer in His love. Be reflective, not reactive. His love is enough. He has chosen you. No one can stand in the way. No words spoken over you or to you can dismantle the heart of His message about you. He loves you. When we can take this in and allow our hearts to be changed by His love, our responses to others then changes, too. This song has honestly been a reminder for me that God is everything we'll ever need. My prayer and hope is that everyone who listens to this is reminded of the Father's heart toward us and that He loves to take care of us. (Naomi Raine of Maverick City) Thank you Jesus for your love that your love is more than I could fathom or imagine — it doesn't change; it does not depend on how we react or feel. Thank you, Jesus, that I'm already loved. That it is forever and always more than enough. Maybe if I stay close to God's way of loving me, I will get a taste of how I can love others better. After all, I do believe that is part of His plan. 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. Jireh was written by Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore, and Naomi Raine. Jireh was recorded by Maverick City and Elevation Worship.

"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.

Did you get your invitation? You are not going to want to miss this. It is just going to be that good! The food is going to be excellent and the company -- spectacular! There will be more than enough of all the good things your heart craves. And this remarkable gathering will last forever. You won't tire of the company or tap out because you have no more emotional bandwidth to keep visiting with people. Come all you sinnersCome find His mercyCome to the tableHe will satisfyTaste of His goodnessFind what you're looking for One small matter. We don't know the date. For this event, we just always need to be ready. Anticipating an event like this is going to be tiring at times. Waiting is hard. Because in the waiting, other circumstances take our focus off what is to come. At first, we have all this excitement. We are ready; love the idea of being on the guest list and are eager to maintain our appearance, so we won't be caught off guard. But we can become distracted, even discouraged, because it just seems to be taking too long. Come all you wearyCome all you thirstyCome to the wellThat never runs dryDrink of the WaterCome and thirst no more Maybe your waiting is for your person, that particular person who is yours for life. Maybe your waiting is for the pain of grief to lighten because your person is no longer with you. Perhaps you are waiting for provision, protection or wholeness; worn down from human suffering. Our earthly conditions make the time of waiting for the grand reunion, the miraculous dance, our first heavenly supper feel dreadfully far away. For some of us, the waiting becomes unbearable. We turned to sources of gratification that feel good at the moment but leave scars on our bodies and wounds in our spirit. Bring all your failuresBring your addictionsCome lay them downAt the foot of the crossJesus is waitingGod so loved the world God so loved the world that he gave the very best for you and me. He so loved. God, as our host, is gracious, compassionate and attentive. He spares no expense, provides all we could hope for or imagine, and He, alone, will meet all our needs. He has extended this invitation for all to come, and He is all that we require while we wait. Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.Isaiah 55:1-3 NIV There are some seasons in life where the things we look forward to seem thin and less noteworthy. There are no significant events right around the corner; nothing new on the horizon; one day leads into the next. Life feels flat or lacks clarity and color. Things around just seem hazy and grey. Maybe it is the time of year, here on the West Coast? Possibly it is all the world events that we have shared on repeat these years, but January through March can be dull, grey, flat. The journey can be hard, can be tiresome. For now, we are to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus" (Heb 12:1c-2a ESV). The NIV replaces "looking to" with the phrase 'fixing our eyes' -- we are to "fix" or "lock" our eyes on Jesus. We lift our eyes above the muck and mire that weighs us down; we set down the heavy burdens and focus heavenward on the celebration that will happen when we get to the finish line. We The Kingdom's worship song, God So Loved, has been on repeat today. For God So Loved! This time of worship reminded me of that invitation to the heavenly banquet. You won't want to miss this event because you can't be disappointed there and it will exceed your expectations. The guest list, alone, will leave us awed. But it will be the indescribable waves of emotion when we see the One who extended the invitation that will leave us breathless. 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. God So Loved was written by We The Kingdom and featured on the Live At The Wheelhouse album.