18 September 2007

What's on My Heart

I don't have much to say and yet I have so much to say. My dad used to sing a song to me:
Running over, running over
My cup is full and running over
Since the Lord saved me
I'm as happy as can be
My cup is full and running over
This week, God has been working in me through the Psalms, through Psalms I've loved for years, Psalms I'm rediscovering, and Psalms I'm noticing for the first time.
I'm a writer, a speaker, and a musician. God uses these desires of mine in different ways, but not always in the ways I would like Him to. I see others being used how I would like to be used, and I declare it unfair.
Unfair?
I know. It doesn't make sense.
But these past few days, God reminds me that my hope is in Him. Someday, dancing on the new earth, twirling and singing and jamming on the piano, telling stories and drinking coffee with friends and feasting on avocados and mangoes, none of this will matter.
All that will matter is that God is good.
And so, if you don't mind, I'd like to share a few snippets of a Psalm here and there.
This first, taken from Psalm 25 (by David), I've turned to many a time when faced with decisions: do I pursue music or go to seminary? do I do missions overseas or see what this relationship is all about? how do I go into this writing thing?
Psalm 25:2-5
No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.
Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
This next Psalm, I must admit, brings conviction. I read this and think, ah, yes, wait on the Lord for such-and-such to happen. But no. It's not about such-and-such. It's not about me and my little corner of the world. It's about God's plan to redeem and reconcile His creation, to bring about His long-awaited justice. In essence, it's not about me asking Jesus into my life but joining Him in His life. This makes a difference, especially this week with all the excitement about the writer's conference and whatnot. Lord, please make your desires my desires and not the other way around.
Psalm 37:4-7
Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Please, allow me one more. This one excites me because of the day when many people groups will join with many tongues and songs and arts to praise the Lord. On that day, I will learn new songs. I will hold hands with believers from around the world, some persecuted, some celebrated, some of old, some possibly of an age that will come after me, and finally, finally, finally, with a love that is pure, we will turn to our Creator and Savior, and isn't that what this is all about?
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
All wars will cease, all enmity between God and man, between man and man, between nature and man, will end, and only beauty and love will be before us.



9 comments:

christianne said...

Your joy in this post made my own heart glad.

Jeanne Damoff said...

Such good words. Thank you, Heather.

Anonymous said...

I wish I had your strong faith and belief to help get me through the troubling times!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, H.

Unknown said...

You posted two of my faves. Good to be reminded of them again.

tranthegirl said...

Oh the Psalms!

I'm going to hold Psalm 25 close to my heart today. Thanks.
Hope all's well & enjoy that conference.

Real Live Preacher said...

Thank you for this. My wife and I are facing some big decisions. One of them involves doing something we feel led to do but that thing is less safe. The other choice would be to play it safe and wait, hoping for a more opportune time.

For me, trusting God means doing the thing you should do, even though there are no promises that life will be easy for us. Something about the "feel" of these psalms is a comfort.

Heather Jamison said...

Splendid reminders, for all of us.

Anonymous said...

Heather, how great to see this this morning...some familiar verses that encourage and speak truth that fills me. Your delight in the Psalms stirs my own delight!

You're wearing His presence beautiful in your words beside His.