A Psalm for Summer

7:00 am

Gray mist looms over corn and fallow field

Atmosphere crouches:

thick with heat

Yet His Golden Radiance perforates:

ubiquitous, unruffled

Sparkling up dewy weeds:

fields of sapphire, topaz, and diamond

Wrens are trilling call-and-response:

a liturgy of praise

God is in His Heaven

He is what is right in the world.

How to Pray When You Don’t Feel Better

In my work-a-day world, I am a counselor, so I get to hear a lot of folks’ ups and downs.

One sometimes-surprising “down” during the lovely spring season is the feeling of loss and failure. The sun is bursting, flowers are glorying, trees are greening. Life and fresh starts abound.

“Then WHY don’t I feel better?”

“I should feel better. That makes me feel guilty- so I feel worse!”

It is frustrating to think we should feel encouraged but don’t. I want to share with you some ways that God has helped me deal with “not feeling better”.

Lamentations

There are times of grief, sorrow, rejection, loss, pain or trauma in all our lives. In counseling, we talk about these things openly and safely. In prayer, we do the same with God. We tell Him how we feel- openly, honestly, messily. He knows anyway and he cares.

It is helpful to read a Psalm of Lamentation (look at Psalm 31, Psalm 59, Psalm 74, Psalm 80)- read it to yourself, then to God.

Then ask someone to pray with you, too.

Sacrifice of Praise

There are times when things are irritating and pesky- folks not pulling their weight at work, kids leaving junk all over the house, endless chores. These are the things that make us feel irritable, whiny and snippy.

These are like “little foxes that spoil the vine”. They hold no eternal value and if we get our mind on something else, we forget it.

This it time to pull out Hebrew 13:15-

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. (NIV)

We don’t feel like praising God. That is why it is a sacrifice.

But when we make that sacrifice, we are pulled back to where we belong- living with God, thinking about him and his works and his love.

The sacrifice of praise honors God and changes us.

Adoration

BTW- I love to have comments. For those of us who are not digital natives, you make a comment by clicking on the little-itsy sticky note just above this writing. Give it a try (the comments are often better reading than the original thoughts).–V.

Today’s thoughts:

Remember when you fell in love?

The more you thought about your darlin’, the more your love grew. The more you appreciated each wonderful thing about your sweetheart, the more intense was your love.

Same goes for God. He calls Himself “Love”. So love is amazingly important to him.

To help your love for Him grow- during your Adoration time (ACTS prayer), try thinking about some of the names He calls Himself throughout the Bible. (He is way too big for one name- but that is not unusual. You probably have several names yourself- Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son, Disaster, Honey…)

Pick one of the names from the list. Think about it- why do you think that name is important to God Himself? Give a moment of appreciation for that part of who God is.

ACTS- Adoration

Here are a few of His names from the Old Testament:

Father of the Fatherless- Av (ps 68:5)

The First and the Last- Rishon A Haron

God- Elohim or Eloah or YAH

God Most High- El Elyon

God Almighty- El Shaddai

God My King- Elohim Melekh

God the Lord- El YHWH

God of Salvation- El Yeshua

God Who Brings to Quick Termination (He gets things done)- El Ghamer

Holy One- Qodosh

I AM- Hayah

Living God- Chay El YHWH

Lord God- Jehovah Elohim

Lord Has Heard- Jehovah Shamah

Lord of Hosts- Jehovah Tsavah

Lord Provider- Jehovah Jireh

Lord Our Righteousness- Jehovah Tsedeq

Maker- Asah

Mighty God- El Abyir

Lord Almighty- Adonai Shaddai

Lord God- Adonai

Redeemer- Gha-al

Here are some of Jesus’ names:

Jesus Lord- Iesous Kurios

Just One- Dikalos

The Alpha and Omega

The Apostle and High Priest of our Confession

The Author and Finisher of our Faith

God’s names in the New Testament:

Father (endearment)- Abba

Father- Pater

Holy- Hagiezmos

Mighty One- Dynatos