God's heart

Good afternoon everyone!

So, today has been a beautiful day in the city of Fargo and it has been a day to help me see God in such amazing ways. I have been able to recount my blessings and I am so joyous. I am happy, but more than that, I want to worship God and thank Him abundantly. Along with that, I have been doing some reading and studying. One of the things I have been studying is the Lord's Prayer.

The Lord's Prayer impresses me. It draws me into the beautiful heart of God and how He longs for us to call on Him. In this prayer, we find God and so strongly. We feel Him and recognize that He is what we need most of all. He surrounds us and excites us! He loves us lavishly!

Along with studying, I have been reading on God's heart for this world. He longs to be worshiped. His desire is to be lifted up - He is jealous for His name and longs to be the devotion of our hearts. John Piper's book, "Let the Nations Be Glad!" says it greatly:

"With all his heart and soul and strength and mind he delights in the glory of his manifold perfections. The most passionate heart for God in all the universe is God's heart...'the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.' (Westminster Catechism)" (pg. 39 - 40)

God yearns for us to rejoice in Him. Even though we only glimpse the fringes of His absolute glory, this is what is supposed to draw us in. Just think, He knows this is all we can handle of His glory - and we experience an amazing amount!

My desire to just rest in God's abundance and to recount that abundance to Him has been the cry of my heart today. I am so thankful. That stems out of devotion. God longs for our devotion to be to Him. And with that, I'm putting in another plug (hehe!), but I have been also listening to a cd titled, "The More I Seek You - Songs of Devotion." This cd is what it is all about - singing about God's devotion to us and how that transforms us to love Him. When we see His devotion toward us, that turns us to be devoted to Him. We see Him as He truly is. There is one song in particular that spoke this truth to me today and so I post the chorus. It's beautiful. The name of the song is called "Stay Amazed" by Kirsten Takape.

O Holy God, I stay amazed
You are so much more than words could ever say
O Holy God, I pour out my praise
On the One who never ceases to amaze

What a great God. God's heart is for He to be worshiped! And as we grow in obedience and love toward Him, we see His beautiful heart even more radiantly. And doesn't this world need to see that? Oh you are lying if you say no.

Lord, you teach us how to stand, to walk, to run, all toward You. You call our names and invite us in to see You, to know You, to love You. Lord, how simple and beautiful it is to the soul to say, 'I love You,' and these are the only words my soul wants or desires to echo. Lord, let that devotion to You spill out to this world. Help me not to hoard that but to splash and drench this world with that good news! Jesus, You are the friend who sticks closer than any other human. You have loved me in the most powerful way. You become my joy! Lord, I will rejoice, I will praise, I will glorify You. You are the best thing. I love You Savior. I love You. I want that to be the complete reflection of my entire life. Let that be so. To you be the glory! Amen.