Be Exalted!

When Jacob and I dated and were first married, there was this tape (yes tape – not cd or iPod!) that we used to listen to that had a choir singing praise music on it.  It was a favorite of ours until it got worn out!!  As I was reading my Bible and focusing on the goodness of God I came across Psalm 148 ….

Psalm 148

 ¹ Praise the LORD.

   Praise the LORD from the heavens;
   praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;
   praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
   praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
   and you waters above the skies.

 ⁵ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for at his command they were created,
⁶ and he established them for ever and ever—
   he issued a decree that will never pass away.

 ⁷ Praise the LORD from the earth,
   you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
   stormy winds that do his bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
   fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
   small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
   you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
   old men and children.

 ¹³ Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for his name alone is exalted;
   his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,^[b]
   the praise of all his faithful servants,
   of Israel, the people close to his heart.

   Praise the LORD.

I have been facing physical pain again.  I have been having to focus on Him and His character and praising Him.  In the end, whatever is going on in my life, my role is to praise the Lord.  He needs to be exalted and lifted up!!  And in focusing on that and not my own issues, I am able to praise Him and forget my pain.  I know it sounds too easy, however, He is there for me and His grace is sufficient to get me through anything.  And He will be the same for you as well.  Whether it is a physical issue or painful emotional issues or spiritual issues, He will never give you more than you can handle and He will never leave or forsake you. 

Back to that tape!  I found the song on YouTube from that long ago, worn out tape that was one of my favorites.  It was not taken from Psalm 148, more likely from Psalm 57 or 108, however, it fits where I am right now in my life and the desires of my heart.

The song is Be Exalted Oh God and here is the link, I hope you will take the time to listen to it and I pray that it too will be the desire of your hearts to exalt Him in the same manner!  http://youtu.be/46GXeBKGUqc

Be Exalted

---

I will give thanks to thee,
O Lord, among the people
I will sing praises to thee
Among the nations.

For Thy steadfast love is great,
Is great to the heavens,
And Thy faithfulness,
Thy faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens
Let Thy glory be over all the earth.

I Will Trust You

By Lori Worley

A lot of things have been going on in our world and in our society—and particularly in our area lately, that are quite disturbing. Violent crimes are on the rise—and so is the suicide rate. I do not know what the suicide rate is in our country, but it seems to be climbing at an alarming rate–even just in our little corner of South Carolina. I find it extremely tragic that people choose to end their own lives for whatever reason(s). The bottom line is, no matter what their problems may be, they are ending their own lives because of a sense of hopelessness that they feel. These are hard times and people feel desperate. But what they need more desperately than anything is CHRIST—because HE is our only HOPE!!!
No matter what problems you are dealing with; no matter what trials you face; the only thing you really need is JESUS CHRIST!!! I am not saying that He will take all your troubles away. But I am saying that if you have a relationship with Him, He will walk with you as you deal with your problems and as you face the trials in this life.
If you have never cried out to Him for salvation, please do so today! Repent and believe! If you already have a relationship with the Lord, learn to trust Him more! He cares about you—and He cares about your problems. I encourage you to share your heart with Him. He cares about your little problems and your big problems. He is so faithful!  He will never leave you nor forsake you!  I encourage you to trust Him today—with every detail of your life!
Proverbs 3:5-6

 ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

Isaiah 26:3
³ You will keep in perfect peace
   those whose minds are steadfast,
   because they trust in you.

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Song: I Will Trust You by Steven Curtis Chapman

http://youtu.be/cKwwy-sNJDk

Faithful

By Lori Worley

“Hey, how are you doing?” is a common greeting—at least in the South. I’m not so sure if it’s as common in the North—or in other parts of our country—because I have lived in the South all of my 47 years on this earth. And I am honestly clueless as to whether this greeting is used in other countries at all… (Maybe Courtenay can enlighten us!).

While this is a friendly greeting, I have found that for one who is traveling the road of grief, it can be a painful one—one that we may even dread hearing—because it is so hard to answer truthfully. We know that the one who speaks the greeting means well (especially if they know us and are aware of our circumstances). But in all honesty, a person who is grieving isn’t usually going to tell people how they truly feel, or how hard their path really is—because unless the other person has walked in their shoes, they can’t even begin to relate to what the bereaved person is going through.

So the typical reply to that greeting, usually said with a slight smile, is, “I’m fine” or “I’m OK” because they can’t bear to share their absolute heartbreak—nor do they want to be seen as a sad person—since we all know that if the truth is told, no one really wants to be around sad people… I am thankful that the Lord has provided me with a few compassionate people in my life that I can share my grief with. It is such a blessing to be able to say, “Please pray for me. I’m having an extra hard day.” Those faithful friends are such a gift!!!

The greatest gift of all is having a loving and faithful Heavenly Father who knows and understands my grief. It is such a comfort to know that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and rescues those who are crushed in spirit (Psalm 34:18) and that He keeps track of all my sorrows and has collected all of my tears in His bottle, and recorded them in His book (Psalm 56:8). I am thankful that I can feel His nearness to me!!!

A great passage of Scripture that I cling to is Lamentations 3:21-26. The song I have chosen is based on this passage. This song has ministered to my heart tremendously for nearly 2 years now, since Steven Curtis Chapman’s Beauty Will Rise CD was released in November of 2009. And it gave me a new answer to the greeting, “Hey, how are you?” I can smile and say, in all honesty, “I am OK—because my God is faithful!!!” 

Lamentations 3:21-26

New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Yet this I call to mind
   and therefore I have hope:

 ²² Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.”

 ²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
   for the salvation of the LORD.

http://youtu.be/5tVSyqCTLx4

Arms Open Wide

When life is hard how do we cope?  When things unexpected happen how do we deal with it?  The Lord never promised that life would be easy.  He never said that bad things won’t happen to “good” people.  So when things happen that are not easy, what are we supposed to do?  We are supposed to give it to God.  We are supposed to run to Him and lay it at His feet and allow Him to help us deal with it.  He will never give us more than we can handle. 

There is a song called “Arms Open Wide” by Hillsong United.  There lyrics are as follows….

Take my life I lay it down
At the cross where I am found
All I have I give to You oh God

Take my hands and make them clean
Keep my heart in purity
That I may walk in all You have for me

Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine

Take my moments and my days
Let each breath that I take
Be ever only for You oh God

Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine

My whole life is Yours
I give it all
Surrendered to Your Name
And forever I will pray
Have Your way
Have Your way

Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine

Psalm 143:8(NIV)

⁸ Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
   for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
   for to you I entrust my life.

Go to the Lord, no matter what is going in your life.  Go to Him with your arms open wide to receive Him and allow Him to have His way in your life.  He is the only One that can truly carry you!  And the only true WAY to cope with this life.

Here is a link to listen to this song and praise with me!

http://youtu.be/UE-PDMh9WNE

I Lift My Hands

By Lori Worley

Sometimes we may lift our hands as we sing in worship to the Lord. But there are other times that we may lift our hands up to the Lord in desperation rather than in worship. Maybe you have experienced a natural disaster or catastrophic event in your life. Maybe tragedy has struck your family. Your situation may look hopeless. You feel discouraged. Or perhaps you are suffering from a disease or an affliction, or you must deal with a handicap every day. You feel so weary. You need strength from the Lord!!!

Maybe the fact that our country has been at war for a decade now and so many lives have been lost is bringing you down. Perhaps you are more directly affected by the war because you have a loved one who has served  or is presently serving in the military. Or maybe your loved one even lost their life as a result of the war.  My heart goes out to all of these, and I lift up prayers to the Lord on behalf of you and your family.

America’s government and economy are a mess. So many people have lost their jobs and their homes. Most people are being affected in some way or another by our economic crisis. Maybe that is a burden you are dealing with. Maybe you are dealing with multiple burdens…

Maybe it is none of the above, but you struggling with a another kind of trial that is particularly difficult. You are hurting. You are suffering through a temporary physical trial or an emotional heartache. Or maybe a broken relationship has you burdened…

Obviously there are other difficult circumstances that I have not mentioned here… But God knows each and every need. He is always there for those who cry out to Him in faith. We must all come to the realization that we need His grace and His mercy to make it through another day—or even another moment.

So, if we are believers, what do we do?!  We lift up our hands and we pour our hearts out to God. We tell Him that we don’t understand what is going on… We ask Him to please meet us in a special way because we need to feel His presence with us… And we affirm that we trust Him completely—even in the midst of our most tumultuous storms!!!

Note: If you are not a believer, you can lift up your hands and cry out to the Lord for salvation!!! He is waiting for you!!!

Psalm 46^[a]

    For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth.^[b] A song.

 ¹ God is our refuge and strength, 
   an ever-present help in trouble. 
² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way 
   and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 
³ though its waters roar and foam 
   and the mountains quake with their surging.^[c]

 ⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, 
   the holy place where the Most High dwells. 
⁵ God is within her, she will not fall; 
   God will help her at break of day. 
⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; 
   he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 ⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us; 
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

 ⁸ Come and see what the LORD has done, 
   the desolations he has brought on the earth. 
⁹ He makes wars cease 
   to the ends of the earth. 
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; 
   he burns the shields^[d] with fire. 
¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 
   I will be exalted among the nations, 
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

 ¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us; 
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Here is a song to worship with “I lift my hands” by Chris Tomlin.

Here are the lyrics

Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are fortress for the weak

Let faith arise
Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart
These things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary’s tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me

Let faith arise
Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart
These things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart
These things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Let faith arise, let faith arise
Open my eyes, open my eyes
Let faith arise, let faith arise
Open my eyes, open my eyes

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart
These things, I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

And I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart
These things, I remember
You are faithful, God
You are faithful, God, forever

Let faith arise
Let faith arise    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forever Reign

As I was walking this morning, listening to my iPod and praying and thinking of my friends today this song came on my iPod called Forever Reign by Kristian Stanfill.  My heart this morning has been with my new friend and sister in Christ named Lynn.  As I write this she is having surgery to battle breast cancer.  I just met Lynn earlier this month.  She was on the mission team that just came to Costa Rica to serve with us from South Carolina.  She has battled breast cancer in the past and thought she was cancer free.  A couple of weeks before their mission trip here she noticed that things just weren’t right and returned to her doctor.  He wanted to operate on her immediately, but she already had plans to come to Costa Rica on their mission trip and truly felt led to come here and so she asked for her doctor to wait.  She came on her trip and we bonded immediately here as we both know what it is like to battle disease and lift up our Lord and rest in Him through it all.  She emailed me this morning before she left for the hospital for her surgery.  She said that she was, “Feeling good and loving the Lord!” 

So when I heard this song “Forever Reign” by Kristian Stanfill as I was praying for her and walking, I thought, “That is what Lynn is saying with her testimony this morning.”  Read the lyrics…

Verse 1
You are good You are good
When there’s nothing good in me
You are love You are love
On display for all to see
You are light You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope You are hope
You have covered all my sin

Verse 2
You are peace You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy You are joy
You’re the reason that I sing
You are life You are life
In You death has lost it’s sting

Chorus
Oh I’m running to Your arms
I’m running to Your arms
The riches of Your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

Verse 3
You are more You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here You are here
In Your presence I’m made whole
You are God You are God
Of all else I’m letting go

(Repeat Chorus)

Bridge
My heart will sing
No other Name
Jesus
Jesus

Please pray for Lynn as she recovers from her surgery and battles breast cancer.  Please pray for those who are battling hard things in their lives.  If you know someone who is up against something tough, would you encourage them in the Lord?  Encourage them to run to His arms.  The riches of His love are always enough.  Nothing does compare to His embrace in a time of struggle.

The most important thing that I would love for all of us to remember is that no matter what is going on in world, whether it is earthquakes, hurricanes, cancer, disease, death of loved ones…… HE REIGNS FOREVER!!

Lynn I am praying for you precious!  Battle, fight, cling to the Lord, praise His name!! 

This is a picture of Lynn here in Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago loving on this Tico child and sharing the gospel!

Here is link to worship with this song!

http://youtu.be/QpUJkFmv8kE

My Rock

Psalm 18

    For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

 ¹I love you, LORD, my strength.

 ² The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
   my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
   my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Who is your rock?  Who do you turn to when things get hard?  Who do you have at all times waiting to be there for you to take refuge in?  There is only One.  There is only our Heavenly Father whose ways are perfect and His strength and grace are perfect and sufficient.  There is a song by Hillsong that would minister to me in my hardest moments.  It is called “Made Me Glad.”  I remember one day specifically when I was down because of immense pain and I struggled with walking that day in particular.  I started focusing on wondering whether I would be able to walk again or play with my children.  Focusing on my problems instead of focusing on Him.  I put on my iPod and this song came on.  I realized that I was not going to my Rock.  I was not seeking refuge from my storm in Him.  I cried.  I pushed repeat, repeat, repeat…. and listened to this song probably 6 or 7 times in a row.  I went to my Rock.  I prayed.  I laid my questions, burdens, pain…. at His feet and His sovereign hands.  I had peace.  A peace that surpassed the understanding of many around me.  I was able to shine for Him. 

Will you trust the Lord at all times?  Will you allow Him to deliver you from all fear?  Go to The Rock.  Go to our Sovereign Father with your cares, pains, sorrows, worries…. and lay them with Him.  Allow Him to be your Rock, your Refuge. 

Here are the lyrics to Made Me Glad by Hillsong

I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I’ll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but You
There’s none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I’ll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Here is a link to listen and worship with this song.
http://youtu.be/U0Zc_VWJJoI

Be blessed!  Court

The Heavens Declare The Glory of God

By Lori Worley

Life is hard, but God is good. I am continually amazed by God’s goodness to me. I am thankful for the many ways He reveals Himself to me, especially when I am feeling very discouraged. I can honestly say that in some of my darkest moments in life, God has confirmed to me that He is with me in some of the most awesome ways! I am not a mystical person who looks for “signs” from God. But as I have sought the Lord more diligently following some very difficult trials in my life, He has opened my spiritual eyes to many things that I never saw before. And I am thankful for the many gifts He has given me that bring me His peace, His comfort, and His joy!!!
I have always enjoyed a beautiful sunset, but in the past couple of years, I have grown to have a new appreciation for the masterpieces God paints in the sky…  I have become much more observant of all kinds of beautiful skies—not just sunsets. I stand in awe as I gaze up at the sky nearly every day, and my hearts is warmed as I feel God’s presence with me.
My Scripture passage for this blog post is most likely a very familiar one to those of you who are believers. It has always been a favorite of mine—and even more so now than ever before. I hope you will read the words of this Psalm & meditate upon them—and that you will allow yourself to feel God’s presence every time you look at the beautiful skies He has painted for you to see! I also pray that you will prepare your heart for a time of worship as you look upward & fix your gaze upon the Lord!!!

Psalm 19

    For the director of music. A psalm of David.

 ¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
 ⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.

God of Wonders by Third Day 

http://youtu.be/Pcd3_KovPrc

You Are Still God!

While I was walking and walking trying to restrengthen my muscles, I would listen to my iPod and praise God.  Praise when it hurt and ached and praised when I was able to successfully walk!  Praising God while receiving chemo.  Praising God when I did not know if I would ever get out of constant physical pain.  It was during these times of praise that the Lord started to lay it on my heart to start this blog, even down to the name of the blog!  A song came on my iPod and part of the lyrics were, “All of my life, In every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship!”  And immediately I knew that God was saying, “That is what I want you to encourage people to do!  To sing praise in every season!”  Because you see, that is what is so amazing, no matter what is going on in our lives, God is still God.  He never changes.  He is always there, always sovereign, always loving, always perfect, always working…..  He is the one that we each need to look to in good times and hard and we need to praise Him!!  Here are the lyrics to the song…

The Desert Song Lyrics

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

These words just speak to my heart and my desire to sing praises to God no matter my circumstances and to encourage and help others to do the same!

 

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. .”
1 Peter 1:  6-7

In our rejoicing and praising God through our trials, our faith with grow!  And glory and honor are given to God!

Here is a link to follow to worship with this song!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub9ntcIvD0s

First and Last

When it comes down to it, your life, your dreams, your hopes, your world, your ambitions, your motivations, your comforts, etc….., where do they start and where do they end?  Your mornings – who or what do they start with?  Your evenings – who or what do they end with?  Your hurts and troubles – who or what do you go to first? 

Even as my husband and I are unexpectedly going through a trial, even today, when it all comes down to it, we have to just go to God.  We have to go to Him first thing in the morning, all during the day, and He needs to be who we end our day with.

Isaiah 48:12-13

¹² “Listen to me, Jacob,
   Israel, whom I have called:
I am he; 
   I am the first and I am the last.
¹³ My own hand laid the foundations of the earth,
   and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I summon them,
   they all stand up together.

Revelation 21: 6-7

 ⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.

He who laid the foundations of the world is here for you.  He should be who we turn to in times of trouble and in times of joy.  He has no limitations.  He is all powerful.  He wants you to lay your burdens on Him.  He will give you life from His living water when there seems to be no hope for it.

He needs to be your first and your last!

Here are the lyrics to a wonderful song called “The First and The Last” by Hillsong…

VERSE 1
You are the First and the Last
Beginning and the End
The promise of wonders to come
The future is in Your hands

Caught in the light
With all the earth we will sing

VERSE 2
You are the author of love
Our freedom within Your Name
Embracing the cross meant for us
And bought us to life again

Caught in the love
With all we are we will sing

CHORUS
God our hope
Our salvation
Worthy of all the praise
Be our light
Everlasting
Great is Your Name
Jesus the First and the Last

VERSE 3
Show us the way of Your love
Lead us toward the truth
Stir up the fire in us
To live out this life for You

Caught in Your Name
Jesus forever we’ll sing

BRIDGE
Every heart every nation will hear the sound
As Your light breaks through the darkness
And Your Name rings out
Every distant horizon will meet as one
Singing holy is Your Name
We sing holy is Your Name

You are the first and the last
You are the Alfa and Omega
The beginning and the end
Our salvation
You bring freedom
God Your grace knows nowhere
You are the name above all names
Forever now I’ll stand
You are the first and the last
You are the first and the last

Here is a link to follow to worship with this song.  Make Him the first and the last!  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Go to the One who will give living water to all that are thirsty!  Be blessed!  Courtenay

http://youtu.be/hS5rb-W5TwQ