Hearing the Father Sing – The Love Song

/0 Comments/in /by

Last week I shared how reading the Love Story (The Gospel) reminds us that the lost have been found and opens our ears to hear the Father singing and celebrating over us (Zeph. 3:17). Here is another mighty way which opens our spiritual senses to hear His song, it is worship from a desperate heart. 

A little over a year ago my mom was diagnosed with a rare from of cancer. The battle has included surgeries, weekly treatments with a host of side effects, fatigue, and many unanswered questions. During the night when things seem the darkest my stepdad Bill will sing precious hymns they recall from their childhood days. Such special times of worship bring the assurance of the Father’s love and reassure them of His strong and everlasting arms holding them with supernatural comfort and peace.

The gift of worship can occur anytime or anyplace. You don’t need a sound system, lead singers, or a beautiful building. Over the years I’ve been apart of transforming worship in maximum security prisons in the US, shacks in Africa, and at the bedside with my young kids. All that is needed is little faith, even a faint faith will do, if you are willing to make a joyful sound to your Father.

My daily song book of hope is the Psalms. The 150 recorded entries reveal all kinds of ways to lift up a song, even when God seems far far away. And as a reminder a lot of the composers had shaky faith at times, yet managed to spew out some raw words that usually ended up as an authentic love song.

The other morning Patty and I started out the day in Psalm 149. This Psalm of praise starts out with a call to “Sing to the LORD a new song.” It goes on to challenge you to praise Him with “dancing” and beat the “tambourine” and how praise becomes a weapon to fend off and overcome the enemy:

“May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands…”

At times the battle in our minds makes it difficult to hear the Father sing over us. The enemy, the master of confusion and distraction, shifts our focus and before we know it we are spiraling down a gofer hole and overcome by darkness without a way out.

The way out of the darkness is Praise. Praise brings our focus back to the light and to hear the Father’s love song. Notice vs. 4-5:

“For the LORD takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.”

My mom and Bill have practiced singing love songs in the dark to their Savior. And many have witnessed the Father’s delight over as they have strength to move forth in faith, “leaning on the everlasting arms” of Jesus their Savior.

The hardest time to sing is when you face the darkness and the enemy knows this. But when in the midst of the battle we wage war with worship we open our minds to our Savior the Singer and the enemy flees.

So open up your mouth today and make a joyful noise to the Father, sing your love song and open your ears to His response.  In His perfect time you will encounter love songs from heaven.

 

 

Hearing the Father Sing – The Love Story

/0 Comments/in /by

The other week I was preparing for a men’s Bible study meditating on Luke 15 and thinking to myself this just might be the greatest chapter of Scripture. I know that’s a big statement but hear me out. At the very core of Christianity is a love story. It is about Father God who pursues His lost children. The Word that He has given us is all about Him coming near to us as He desires a relationship with sinful broken people. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

In Luke 15 Jesus, is The Word that became flesh. He is hanging out with dishonest tax collectors, notorious sinners, the worst of the worst according to the religious leaders of His day. These religious leaders couldn’t hold back their distain for this reckless rabbi fellowshipping with such polluted people.

Luke records three stories that highlight Jesus’ mission and the heart of His Father. The parables of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Two Lost Sons, without a doubt point to the relentless pursuit of a loving God running to “lost” children. Don’t miss the word “lost!” Who are the lost? Could it be you, me and everyone who came from Adam and Eve? In fact as we talked about in our study, there are no 99 sheep. As the prophet Isaiah said, “we all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned -every one- to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all.” (53:6)

The Father sent Jesus as our Good Shepherd leaving all He had in heaven to find the lost sheep. Jesus is like the Relentless Woman turning the house upside down to find the lost coin. Jesus is like the Running Father who goes after both lost sons. The heart of the Father is manifested through Jesus.

At the end of each of these stories is a full on celebration filled with rejoicing, singing, and dancing over the lost that has been brought home. Jesus even opens up the door of heaven to show us how a party breaks out ever time a time one of these precious children our brought back to their Abba Father.

This is why I believe this could be the greatest chapter in the Bible.  It brings together the theme throughout Scripture, which is an amazing Love Story. So often missed as it is turned into doctrinal truths to be argued, or a moral standard that states some of us are “in” and others are “out.”  Don’t forget Jesus shared these stories because the majority of the religious leaders of His day missed the love story when it was right in front of their faces.

If we are going to hear the Father sing over us (Zeph. 3:17) we need to see His heart of love which is highlighted in Luke 15. He is waiting on the front porch of Heaven searching for us to return home, and when sees us stumbling on the path with our heavy burden of sin and shame-He runs!  Before we can even get out the words “we have sinned….” He calls for our full right as His sons and daughters to be restored and brought into the everlasting party of the lost who have been found!

I don’t know about you but between the constant chaotic noise of the world and the battle in my own mind I need to read and mediate on this Love Story everyday. I need the daily reminder that the Father runs to me in Jesus and brings me home and celebrates me. And as I read the Love Story His Spirit reminds me even when I fail Him, fall down, or I’m overcome with fear I’m forever His beloved son and no one or anything can ever take me out of His arms of love.

Today if you are having a hard time hearing Him sing over your life, spend time reading the ultimate Love Story and picture the Father seeing and running after you with His heart of love!

 

Hearing the Father Sing – Longing for it

/0 Comments/in /by

“I’m not certain I’m loved by God!” Recently 2 people shared with me a podcast from the well-know Christian pastor, speaker, and writer Francis Chan, where he openly revealed his heart. In the podcast (see link below) he disclosed that there was a season right before he turned 50 years old that he wondered if he was truly love by God.

Francis Chan was facing doubts and fears that the Father in heaven didn’t fully love him. Perhaps it came out of a rough childhood where he experienced incredible loss and rejection or even some of the teaching he received at school which led him to battle with knowing he was fully loved.

He felt prompted by the Spirit to share this wondering first with his wife and  later with his ministry team on his 50th birthday. He specifically asked for prayer so that he would know for certain the Father love. What a gift to his family and friends promising to cover him by prayer and fasting for the next year that he would be overwhelmed by such love. He expressed  how such prayers were the greatest of all birthday gifts.

Answered prayers. An overwhelming love. In Francis Chan’s 50th year of life he experienced a Father’s love beyond comprehension.  The words from Zephaniah 3:17 came alive to him. He knew without a doubt that His Heavenly Father “delights in him and rejoices over him with singing!” 

It is a powerful podcast and I hope you can take time to listen. It highlights some of what we have been looking at in the last few blogs. And in the midst of the recent tragic killings it is evident our world desperately needs to know the Father’s love more than ever before.

When we miss out on His love song and replace it with the lies of the enemy that bombard us at every turn we are left empty and hopeless. The more we try to fill the void and find our own love song the more desperate we become. This is when loneliness, self hate, self pity, anger, and destruction begins to grow like a repugnant weed.

I am thankful to Francis Chan for his honesty and for his courage to tell others of his struggle. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. It such an amazing gift of grace when our spiritual ears and eyes encounter a singing God. Embracing our emptiness AND understanding that even good things such as ministry, simply are unable to heal the void within our heart.

The Spirit puts a desire in our hearts to long to hear the love song of heaven in the very core of our souls. Francis asks his team to join him as he prays to know the Father’s love authentically singing over him. Prayer is a gift given to us, an open door for us to walk into the Father’s house and join this amazing celebration of love.

I’m sure if we are all honest there are times and seasons where we too wonder about the Father’s love for us. Where we are not 100% sure if we are truly loved. Be honest about it, long for it in prayer and even ask others to pray that His love would be made known to you.

Jesus left these words for His disciples and for us the night before He went to the cross. Such words challenge us to keep asking and longing to know the Father’s love through the Son’s work on that cross:

“Until now you’ve not been bold enough to ask the Father for a single thing in My name, but now you can ask, and keep on asking Him! And you can be sure that you’ll receive what you ask for, and your joy will have no limits! (Jn. 16:24).

Podcast on youtube – (https://youtu.be/P5GD9FTSCFQ)

 

 

 

Hearing the Father Sing – LOOK

/0 Comments/in /by

Kids get it! One of the gifts of being a grandparent is rediscovering the world through  the eyes of a child. It’s as if God needs to remind us that we benefit from experiencing His Kingdom just as child experiences the world. In so many ways children are more in tune to the here and now and certainly not overwhelmed by the stuff of life that we as adults get fixated on.

One of the things I’ve observed is their love for music and especially worship. I remember a time when Patty and I were babysitting one of our grandkids and we turned on worship music and all of the sudden the toys were dropped as the arms went up in the air and the little legs started to dance.

We couldn’t help ourselves as we picked this little one up and joined in the dance of praise. Before long we both found ourselves in tears, this was a holy moment, a gift to remind us of what really maters in life.

For the next several weeks I want to consider ways to help us hear the Father’s voice as He sings and dances over us inspired by Zeph. 3:17:

“The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

The first step in hearing our Father sing over us is to look at the One who sings over us-using our childlike faith. Jesus taught that the way into the presence of the Father’s Kingdom is to become like a little child again (see Mt. 18:1-4). How I desire that simple childlike trust.

Notice the text says: “The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save…”  Earlier in vs. 15 is says “The LORD has taken away your punishment, He has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.” Powerful words indeed!

Zephaniah the prophet was pointing ahead to the gift of the Father’s Son Jesus and His mighty work as our Warrior God, One who would fight for us on the cross and destroy the power of satan and sin over our lives. Jesus became our King when the Father raised Him from the dead and gave Him the throne of authority over all the world.

With childlike awe and trust we look. We recognize. We know our Heavenly Father sings over us with the gift of His Son Jesus. Jesus is the Father’s love song and IF we stop hearing His singing we need to pause and once again lift up our heads, look at Jesus, and claim the work He did for us. Jesus not only saved us from the power of darkness and sin, but He created in our hearts a place for God the Father and Son to make their home through the Holy Spirit (see John 14:23).

The Creator of the Universe lives in us, and is with us, and is always singing over us with His love song. Therefore we have nothing to fear in life or even in death. His arms will never, ever let us go.

As we were singing, dancing, and holding our little grandchild with arms of love, I couldn’t hold back the tears because God was giving me a picture of just how much He loves me. My Father just wants me to let Him hold and carry me  and with childlike faith look at His love song revealed in Jesus. He is The One who shed tears of love for me, and that love led Him to the cross so that I could hear the love song for all eternity.

Are you having trouble hearing His Song over you? Now is the time to become like a child again. Look at the Father’s gift of Jesus given to reveal His love for you. There is an old hymn that helps me look again, perhaps it will help you as well:

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God: All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down: Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or throne compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole ream of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. Amen!

Hearing the Father Sing

/0 Comments/in /by

What does the Father’s voice sound like? I recently asked this question while preaching at the Gospel Outreach Church in Masiphumelele Township. I’d been pondering Zephaniah 3:17 and the surrounding verses for a few weeks. It reads:

“The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Those last words are truly amazing words-our God sings over us with “rejoicing.” In Hebrew it can be translated as dancing with praise.  I answered the question that Sunday by stating that I believe the Father’s voice sounds like the the last several hours of praise and worship.

My brothers and sisters at the Gospel Outreach Church hold nothing back with their praise to God. They use not only their voice but entire being to let their Mighty Savior know how much they love Him. The passion is evidenced by the perspiration pouring down many faces causing an angelic glow to light up the room. Those of you who have been there know exactly what I’m describing.

This African worship experience helps me comprehend how the Father exuberantly sings and dances with a love song over us, His beloved children. In my mind I attempt to recreate such a picture- trying to imagine that when the Father sees me He lets loose; He celebrates with the angels in heaven my homecoming and apart of His family.

The Father loves to rejoice over His children and especially when we realize our brokenness and sin and turn to Him. I encourage you to take some time and read Luke 15: the stories of the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, and Lost Sons. When the lost are found and brought home there is singing, rejoicing, and yes even dancing in the Father’s house. Jesus shares these parables to show us the behind the scenes look into the Father’s deep affection for us.

It is vital today that we encounter the singing of our Father to drown out all the noise of our culture shouting out shame, rage, and false lies from the Ancient Serpent. When you hear the Father sing your soul will find peace and quiet rest, for you are held securely by His everlasting arms of love. This is what we have been created for! This is what deep down in our soul we all long for! Our hearts will not find lasting peace until we hear Abba’s love song over us.

Over the few weeks I intend to share ways to tune our spiritual ears to hear the Father sing His transforming love song over us. I truly believe this truth will transform your heart. I would also suggest a book “The Singing God,” by Sam Storms which I believe will bless and assist you as you listen for His song.