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I bless God every chance I get, my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe God, if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy. Join me in spreading the news, together let’s get the word out. God met me more than halfway; he freed me from my anxious fears. Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him. When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot, God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see – how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness. Young lions on the prowl get hungry, but God-seekers are full of God. Come, children, listen closely; I’ll give you a lesson in God worship. Who out there has a lust for life? Can’t wait each day to come upon beauty? Guard your tongue from profanity, and no more lying through your teeth. Turn your back to sin; do something good. Embrace peace – don’t let it get away! God keeps an eye on his friends; his ears pick up every moan and groan. God won’t put up with rebels; he’ll cull them from the pack. Is anyone crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath. Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time. He’s your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken. The wicked commit slow suicide; they waste their lives hating the good. God pays for each slave’s freedom; no one who runs to him loses out. - Psalm 34
This morning, as we prepare our hearts for worship online again, let us meditate on a simple Psalm form Eugene Petersons, “The Message.” This Psalm is a prayer for those who are in a time of need. Many of us are in such times, but our greatest need to contact from others. Yet, even as we are yet again apart, God is with us. We can continue praising God all the time, whether we feel His presence or not, because He has assured us that He will never leave nor forsake us. I know that times when boredom sets in, or stress, or anything in life that comes that makes life more difficult, we might become lethargic. We might not really strive to do much of anything but survive. However, no matter where we are God is there, and no matter how we feel, God is there. We need to be like David in this Psalm and let “my lungs expand with his praise.”
God has given us, each of us a desire to worship. However, from the time of our birth there has been another force that has wanted to keep us distracted from worship at all costs. The way this is done is through the distractions of life; and it’s true for all of us. We often get so distracted by life that the one thing we were created to do (worship) is the one thing we often let suffer in our lives. We want to see the goodness of God, yet we are not disciplined enough to follow the call to worship. Let us join in seeking him with all that we have and let “worship open doors to all his goodness” for us, today, and always.
Grace & Peace,
Sam