Author: Steve Vandop

Lifelines.

~ Steve Vandop ~ Leave a comment

lifelineDo you remember the show “Who wants to be a Millionaire”, the game show that has a contestant answer multiple choice questions that progressively get harder and harder? The person has “lifelines”, (phone a friend, 50:50 and Ask the Audience) an opportunity to ask for help when they are stumped on a question. When crisis hits, what is your lifeline? A lifeline can be a rope or line for life-saving or could be someone or something you depend on to provide a means of escape from a difficult situation. That something could be finances, technology or relationships, can these things help us in difficult situations?

I didn’t have to read to deep into the book of Job to understand what his lifeline was, despite losing everything His lifeline was his faith in God. Chapter 1 of Job introduces us to the beginning of a brutal journey of physical and emotional suffering and loss; while at the same time it draws us into the life of a man who exemplified the true meaning of being blameless and upright before God. I have read and heard the story of Job many times and each time I still have a difficult time understanding Job’s first response to the terrible reports of loss. “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship” (1:20). Job was a one of a kind, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil”. (1:8) Today I believe that we would be hard pressed to find another “Job” among us, it is my hope and prayer that as the Lord leads and directs our lives He would help us live blameless and upright lives in His eyes.

We are called to worship in the midst of suffering. The life story of Job should be an inspiration for us to find our lifeline in Christ, not in the objects of this world. In Christ we have the “phone a friend” lifeline through prayer, we just have use it. Suffering and loss are never easy and Job’s life reflects that as well as his commitment to his Faith in God. I am encouraged by this thought today: The God that Job worshiped and served is the same loving God that we serve and worship today.

Worship & Song

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hymn1God in His wisdom and discernment gives all of us gifts and abilities that we can use to bring glory and honor to his name. In the design for my life God did not bestow on me the gift of music in any way shape or form. One thing that God did give me is the gift of three wonderful budding musicians that play a myriad of instruments and sing like life is an endless musical. Each day our home is filled with a variety of melodies and harmonies along with the occasional squeal and high pitched screech.

The Psalms, also known as the “Book of Praises” are both inspirational and instructional for our own personal and corporate worship. “Therefore [I] will praise you, Lord, among the nations; [I] will sing the praises of your name (Ps 18:49), “Be exalted in your strength, Lord; [we] will sing and praise your might” (Ps 21:13). After reading through the psalms and you don’t get the picture of praise and worship I would have to point you to one verse that sums it up pretty well, “Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises” (Ps 47:6). One of the great things I appreciate about the Psalms is how the authors bring praise to God in the difficult times and the good times. The words are written as if we could walk in their shoes; the events and circumstances in our lives may be different, but the living breathing act of worship we offer is being lifted up to the same unchanging God.

Whether our worship comes through song, repentance, prayer, remembrance or thanksgiving our God hears and sees everything we say and do. Our worship must come from the heart and soul of who He created us to be. Like the budding musicians who squeal and screech, we too can struggle in our times of worship; there will be valleys to come out of and mountain top experiences to celebrate. Our worship, no matter where we are must be a response to God’s love for us.

Worship & Remembrance

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stringHow is your memory? Do you have the capacity to remember names, dates, numbers or historical events? Numbers are my nemesis, phone numbers, addresses, lock combinations, alarm codes, they all give me trouble. In addition to the cognitive confusion someone decided to mix numbers and letters together; it has been over four years since I last moved and still to this day I have trouble remembering my own postal code.

The psalmists repeatedly bring us to into a place of remembrance (approx. 45 times) as we read through the psalms. One of the powerful messages I read in regards to remembrance is this: as we reflect (remember) on what the Lord has done for us it encourages us to rejoice in His power and glory. In Psalm 66:5-6, the Psalmist recounts the awesome story of God’s provision for his people in the parting of the red sea, this is an experience that caused the people to rejoice and give thanks. David, in Psalm 13 says that his heart rejoices and sings for the good things that the Lord had done in his life. Asaph, in Psalm 77:11 remembers the Lords “miracles of long ago” and continues to write about how great God is. In each of these Psalms and others we here the voice of fellow believers rejoicing in what God has done for them, their remembrance leads them into a place of rejoicing, a place of worship.

The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines remembering as this: “The process of recalling the past, especially the presence and activity of God in the history of his people. Remembering God’s work in the past can lead to praise and rejoicing, and to hope for the future”. As I reflect on what God has done in my life and where He has brought me I am thankful, it reminds me of the power He has to lead and guide my family and I through all areas of life. Remembering and accepting what the Lord has done to help me grow, I can only wait with a feeling of anticipation for what He is going to do next.

Worship & Repentance.

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RepentHave you ever broken a bone in your body? If you haven’t, I can tell you from personal experience it hurts, a lot! What is the first thing we do when something like this happens? Under normal circumstances we go to the hospital. When you arrive there is a process: first, we sit in the waiting room while the person next to you says “wow, that looks like it hurts”, then we see the doctor, go for an x-ray, and most often have the injury casted then get sent home with a bottle of pain medication.

As I read through the Psalms I found many references to bones. (6:2, 22:14, 31:10, 38:3, 51:8) David is not talking about physical broken bones in these passages, they are expressions of “personal distress”, they are the feelings of a burdened heart because of the sin in his life. Much like the process described above, when in our life we experience “broken bones” we must go before our God, the great physician. Like David we must go before Him with a repentant heart asking for healing (forgiveness). When I read through David’s experiences I can feel his sense of guilt because of the sin in his life and at the same time I get a picture of his confidence for God’s grace in his life. I know that he hates the pathway of sin (119:128) that life often falls into and through that I see him turn toward God, striving to live a life holy and pleasing to Him.

Our confession, our coming before the Lord is an act of worship. As David seeks forgiveness he gives God glory and honor because of His grace and mercy. Other than the time and place in history our lives are not that much different that David’s. We face many of the same temptations and trials as he did. As believers we know today that our sins are covered by the death of Christ on the cross. As we seek to live a life pleasing to God He is waiting patiently for us to come before Him through His son with a repentant heart.

Worship & Thanksgiving

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Psalms-1014“I will give thanks because of his righteousness…” (7:17). “I will give thanks to you Lord…” (9:1). “…give thanks to him and praise his name” (100:4). “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good…” (106:1). “Give thanks to your holy name…” (106:47). “Let them give thanks to the Lord…” (107:8,15,21,31). “I rise to give you thanks” (119:62).  “Give thanks to the God of heaven His love endures forever”. (136:26)

Riding on the heels of a long weekend focused around thanksgiving I had to ask myself two questions: Who did I give thanks to? Did I come humbly before my God in worship, praise and thanks for all that He has provided in my life?

The Psalms provide us with some powerful words that can help draw us into worship. David pens many of the Psalms that point to the core of worship. He reminds us that our worship, our attitude of thanksgiving needs to come from our heart and soul (the core of who we are). Psalm 103 reads: “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” The benefits that David is talking about are forgiveness, healing, deliverance from death, love, and compassion. He reaches deep into his soul because he has experienced God’s goodness in his life. Our God wants the best for us; at the same time, He wants every part of us as we give Him honor and glory.

Did you forget to thank God for something this past weekend? The great thing about our God is we can come to him anytime, anywhere. As you humbly go before him follow in David’s paths in Psalm 103, go before him with all you heart and soul.

Orchestra… A Deeper Meaning.

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orchestra-wikiImagine yourself sitting in the Sydney Opera House or the Royal Albert Hall in London listening to a finely tuned orchestra perform a classical score written by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart or Bach. As the orchestra plays you may hear the emotion filled sound of violin or the soft gentle flowing melody of a flute that calms the senses, then as the music continues and all the instruments play together you experience a powerful heart pounding sound that sends a shiver through your body.

As I begin to reflect on worship and read through the book of Psalms I get this picture of the orchestra in my mind. Especially in the very last Psalm, it reminds me of that moment the orchestra is playing all together. The words of Psalm 150 describe the playing of the trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, strings, pipe and cymbals together to give praise to God. This beautiful piece of scripture is the grand finale, the final instruction of how we are to bring praise and worship through our lives to our Heavenly Father.

The way we worship should play out like that of the orchestra playing together, it is in all parts of our life that we need to worship our God. Each one of us has the opportunity to worship and give praise to God on our own and that is critical to the development of our personal relationship with Him. It is more than just our own personal worship that God calls us to, our worship should be found in all areas of life. The Psalmist writes in verse 6 of chapter 150 “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord”. When I read these words as a living, breathing creation of a God who is always with me my life should reflect that through my daily worship and praise to Him.

Stumbling Blocks

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obstacles_webTake a minute to think about how you got to where you are right now. I don’t mean financially or in respect to your profession or family but right now physically as you read these words. I imagine you walked from somewhere to the seat you are sitting in now. Did you have to think about walking? How many times did you stumble or fall? Other than stubbing my toe on a chair once and a while or stepping on a stray piece of Lego in the dark of night while checking in on my kids I do pretty well.

Ezekiel talks about a different kind of stumbling that has a profound effect on our lives, in fact he calls them “wicked stumbling blocks”. He is talking about the things that hinder our relationship with God, these are the sins, the idols and the practices that we hold on to in our lives. The audience Ezekiel is speaking to are some of the elders of Israel, these are the men called to be leaders and examples to the people. These elders have built up in their hearts and lives idols that have hindered their relationship with the only one true God, their trust in God has been diverted to the things of the world. Overcoming the stumbling blocks in our faith and relationship with God constitutes an authentic change of heart, a genuine repentance for the sins in our lives.

God hears our prayers; He waits for us to come Him knowing that we can’t do life on our own. I often think about the stumbling blocks in my own life that hindering my relationship with God, has the open line of communication with God through prayer become a little clouded or blocked by the idols I hold onto in life? I may be quick to judge the hindrances I see in others people lives but I have to continually examine my own life for those same things. We may have a good handle on physically walking around the things that might make us stumble but can we say the same thing for our spiritual lives?

God’s Timing and Prayer

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old-clockWe all need reminders of things from time to time; this has been proven over and over throughout history. Peter writes to the believers of his time to encourage them as they face opposition and false teaching both inside the church and in their community. Peter’s encouragement for them was a reminder of what the Lord had done for them in the past; chapter 2 recounts many of the events throughout the history of their people.

As I reflect on the role of prayer in my own life and in the lives of others I was mainly drawn to the words of chapter 3:8-9,

“ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”.

I know that Peter is talking about the coming day of the Lord in this passage; I find encouragement in these words when I consider them in respect to my prayer life. Often I pray for something and wait (sometime patiently and other times not so much) for God to answer my request. These verses remind me that we (God and I) work on a different timeline; He does promise to give us what we ask for (in His time and His way). As we grow in our relationship with God we can begin to understand how He can use this time to strengthen our faith. As hard as it is to appreciate I think that “unanswered” prayer prompt us to dig deeper into our faith and be patient in waiting just as He is with us.

This verse talks about His promises, not just that Christ will come back one day but He also promises to be with us here and now. The key to any great relationship is communication, time in prayer with God, spending time in the word are the ways we have to build and grow in our relationship with Him.

Sober and Alert

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1_Peter_Title“Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming”(1Peter 1:13). Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray” (1Peter 4:7). “Be alert and of sober mind” (1Peter 5:8). Alert and sober, two words used in the NIV translation that offer insight to an appropriate state of mind as we come to the Lord in prayer. Other translations use words like vigilant, disciplined, watchful and self-control, each of these words help shape our relationship with God.

When we think of the word sober it is often used in context to contrast the  the lack of self-control and over indulgence of alcohol, an unfortunate state that often numbs the senses and makes one careless and unaware of their actions. There are many things today that can pull us away from that alert and sober state of being that Peter writes about. Things like power, prestige, love/lust and even technology, all these things can distract or diminish our faith allowing us to fall away from God. Peter writes in chapter 4:7 that “The end of all things is near”, He is warning us to be in the right place with God so that we may pray and be ready to be in His presence.

When we set our hope and trust on the grace given to us through Christ Jesus we have an open line of communication to our creator who gives us when we humbly ask the ability to maintain a lifestyle of self control and reverence for Him. The key to staying “sober” is remaining vigilant and disciplined when it comes to our time in prayer with God. Taking time to remove ourselves from the distractions of life (Mat 6:6) will help us know our God more fully and help us live out a life that is pleasing to Him.

Blessings and Smiles

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smileWe have all heard it, many of us could recite it, and I wonder how many could find it in the Bible? Hidden in the book of Numbers among the many instructions, directions and countless reminders of how God’s people failed to listen we run into a short poetic prayer that spells out a blessing that covers the whole nation of Israel.

 24 “‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’

I have to admit that when I was growing up and still today as the preacher reads these words as a benediction instead of reverently bowing my head and listening to the words I have my eyes wide open looking up towards the heavens in expectation that I will get a glimpse of that light that is shining down on me. These words to me were an open invitation to experience the blessing of a pure and holy relationship with my Heavenly Father. This blessing spoken by Aaron in his time was to communicate the Lords love and commitment to His people.

This prayer and many others like it is the line of communication that helps us as believers to know the Lord and strengthens our personal relationship with him. Spoken through His appointed people these words encourage and ignite a passion that comes when we truly believe in Him. When I study these words I gain a sense of closeness with my God, He is not standing at a distance or behind a wall, He wants to be right here with me face to face. One bible translation replaces the word shine with smile; can you imagine that smile of our great and mighty God stretching as far as the eye can see? I can and it makes me want to smile. Thank you Father for your goodness to your people.