Tuesday, January 28th, 2014

Psalm 28:6-9

Praise the Lord!
    For he has heard my cry for mercy. 

The Lord is my strength and shield.
    I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
    I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

The Lord gives his people strength.

    He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

Save your people!

Bless Israel, your special possession.[a]

Lead them like a shepherd,

  and carry them in your arms forever.

Last night, the city of Houston and its surrounding areas prepared to shut down due to the forecasted ice/sleet/snow that was supposedly headed our way.  For anyone who has lived further north, it is almost comical how quickly everyone panics when something cold and frozen is headed our way.  Why is it that states up north manage to keep functioning in multiple feet of snow and ice and negative-degree temps while we close the roads and schools when we're just under the threat of possible "wintry mix"?

Northern states are prepared.

This kind of weather is something they're used to.  They have trucks ready to hit the streets with sand and salt to help melt the ice that might accumulate.  People have snow-blowers and shovels to clear their driveways and sidewalks.  They have snow boots and ice scrapers and thermal underwear and the understanding of how to drive in snow.  They are prepared for this kind of weather.  They are intentional in their preparation.

They expect it to come.

As Christians, we often do a poor job of preparing in the presence of God.  We sit around, minding our own business and checking things off our own to-do lists and we neglect to prepare ourselves with God's presence in our lives.  

Then, when tragedy strikes, we are stunned and unprepared to deal with what lies ahead.  We haven't been expecting trials or struggles or things to go a different way than we planned.  We panic.  Instead of stepping out in faith, we hide away and preserve ourselves the best we know how.  All the while, if we had been spending time in God's presence, preparing our spirits and renewing our minds in His Word, we would be prepared to weather the storms that come.

The purpose of worship is to not only honor God with our lives, but to also keep our focus and attention on God and His goodness.  When we spend our days and moments thinking on and speaking about His power and love and majesty, we are bringing God the glory He deserves while also keeping our hearts and minds fixed on Him.  This prepares us to walk in faith and trust when difficult times come.  We don't question His goodness because we have been faithfully declaring it.  We don't wonder about His power because we have been constantly proclaiming it.  And those proclamations of our God result in worship that honors Him and transforms us.  

Worship changes us and prepares us for the life God is calling us to live.  When we are faithful to spend time in God's presence, worshipping Him, we will walk away from our encounter with God more prepared to live a life that declares His praise, no matter what comes our way.

Spend time today (and every day) in worship, and you'll be amazed at how it prepares you for what lies ahead!