Fill the Temple with Praise!

One voice may echo through the hills...

But many voices just might echo praises up to Heaven.

Let your voice ring out over the valleys and the hills;

And let your praises fill the temple.

Please send your contributions for the Riverside Community Prayer blog to: prayer@connect2riverside.com

Healing for the Heartsick

Sometimes it feels as though we are a people crying to the LORD: 

"This is my lot? This is my lot???"

It's as though we are so tired and consumed by the continual battle that we forget "what" and "who" our lot really is, along with where our hope should be, because it has become so "deferred." 

We are heartsick.

The Israelites in the wilderness were also heartsick. They were tired; thirsty; hungry. And as a result, they complained "continually" and contended with Moses; and they tempted the LORD by saying:

"Is the LORD among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7.) 

Does that sound like ostentatious rebellion or what? 

Not all hope deferred leads to complaining and contending, but during these times of "hope deferred," we must resist what is easy to do and "fall into," lest we find ourselves tested and our waters bitter; our own poor attitudes and rebellious hearts limiting the very God whose power we desire to be at work in our lives (Psalm 78:41.) We must also remember the extra pressure our continual despair and absence of praise places on those in leadership. Our own attitudes can adversely affect our leaders causing them to miss the new ways in which the LORD is trying to move. 

The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
      But who can bear a broken spirit? 
     Proverbs 18:14 NKJV

 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; 

and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 

Numbers 20:10 NKJV

It's interesting that after the people complained about the bitter water (Exodus 15:26,) the LORD promised not to put diseases upon them if they heeded His words. So He tested them there, but in the midst of it all, He also revealed Himself as Yahweh-Ropheka, I am the LORD who heals you. 

Why? 

Perhaps because He wants us to know He is our "every" answer. Perhaps because He loves us and wanted us to know Him for who He really is....our healer. Maybe because being healed is one of the blessings we can enjoy when we're in right relationship with Him. Sometimes it feels like God is saying what He says similarly in Micah: I've shown you what is good...now walk in it!

Perhaps our prayer should be: 

With your very own hands you formed me; 

      now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you. 

   When they see me waiting, expecting your Word, 

      those who fear you will take heart and be glad. 

   I can see now, God, that your decisions are right; 

      your testing has taught me what's true and right. 

   Oh, love me—and right now!—hold me tight! 

      just the way you promised. 

   Now comfort me so I can live, really live; 

      your revelation is the tune I dance to. 

   Let the fast-talking tricksters be exposed as frauds; 

      they tried to sell me a bill of goods, 

      but I kept my mind fixed on your counsel. 

   Let those who fear you turn to me 

      for evidence of your wise guidance. 

   And let me live whole and holy, soul and body, 

      so I can always walk with my head held high.

Psalm 119:73-80 The MSG

We must choose to trust Him. We must find solace and our strength in Him and the promises contained in His Word.

In Psalm 16, "The Hope of the Faithful and the Messiah's Victory," we see that though we sometimes despair, when our eyes are fixed on the LORD, He is always healing our cry. 

The Lord is my chosen and assigned portion, my cup; 

You hold and maintain my lot.

    The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good heritage.

Psalm 16:5-6 NKJV

May you be blessed with the truths and treasures hidden - yet just waiting to be found - in His glorious Word.

Gina Higgins

Crowding Him Out

"We don't see things as they are. We see things as we are."

~ Anais Nin

Making assumptions can put us on a slippery slope - and it's not just because in doing so we tend to make a fool of ourselves.  It's because assumptions really aren't God's heart at all.

According to the Oxford American dictionary, an assumption is: 

a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.

Nowhere in the definition does it say: it is truth. 

Stepping Out Before God

An assumption forces us to take leaps God hasn't asked us to make. It's like acting on what we "think" to be true about situations or people, versus acting on what God's "heart" reveals as truth.        

When we assume, we're likely walking in the sin of pride. We think we know what we really do not know.  We mar the visage of God when we label or judge people in their innocence, ignorance, brokenness or misfortune.  We leave no room for God to work and our assumptions say we're essentially lacking faith that He can or will.  Like it or not, assuming unwittingly places ourselves in His shoes, crowds Him out and takes liberty with the future...of situations and the lives of people. 

It may be dark  to the north of us but to assume it's going to rain may only later find us having missed out on a beautiful opportunity for a family picnic when God's command of the weather pushed those those storm clouds due east. 

God's perspective changes things.

We could assume someone doesn't come around much because they don't have a heart for community or a heart to serve, but seen from God's perspective, we might realize they just never felt welcome.

We could assume that someone doesn't like us by their delayed or lack of response to an e-mail, but seen from God's perspective, we might realize that we we're the sixty-third incoming communication they received that day and for the sake of their own family life and sanity, our e-mail had to go unanswered.

We could assume that someone is a negligent parent by the actions of their child, but seen from God's perspective, we might realize they have incredible faith and know there comes a time when only God and His grace, not their own strength can draw a child's heart to change and turn a situation around.

We could assume that people who don't forthrightly come up, look us in the eye, and say hello are "rude" and must not like us, but seen from God's perspective, we might realize that in their own nervous avoidance they didn't see us trying to make eye contact or our mouths softly forming the words "hello."

The list goes on and on... 

So, why is this even important?  

Because our assumptions inhibit others and belittle God.

But truth is always seen from God's vantage point.  And truth... brings the Light that "illuminates" others and "glorifies" God. 

So what difference does it make who's a Jew and who isn't, who has been trained in God's ways and who hasn't? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed. First, there's the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God's revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn't abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth.          Scripture says the same: 

   Your words stand fast and true; 

   Rejection doesn't faze you.   

   But if our wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God's rightdoing, shouldn't we be commended for helping out? Since our bad words don't even make a dent in his good words, isn't it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most emphatic No!                                                                                                                     How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn't do the straightening?

Romans 3:1-6 The MSG

Gina Higgins

A mother is standing by her son’s grave, tears are streaming down her cheeks.

He was only nineteen.

All she has left now, is her faith in You oh Lord.

Though that same questions haunts her every dream, why? Why!?

I cannot tell her, and she cannot find reason in herself.

For the only explanation that can be found in this world is:

“The Lord works in mysterious ways, He has reasons for all that He does”.

This true, but completely unhelpful response is not what she, or anyone is seeking.

It is the obvious, so obvious that it does nothing but anger those who are told this.

So I beg you, pastor, father, mother, brother, sister, DO NOT try to answer the question: why?

For unless the Lord comes upon you and shares His wisdom with you for a specific occasion.

It is NOT our job to find reason and purpose in the Lord’s actions, especially the painful ones.

It is NOT our job to explain His movement unless He has specifically called us to do so.

Because, though logical and scripturally backed, our own response to what has happened,

Is not what the Lord intends. Though his plan will succeed no matter what we do,

I beg you to be cautious with your insight and only speak when you are led to do so.

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When you pray, kneel behind a dark curtain.

When you do an act of kindness, let it be when eyes are closed.

When your hand opens and silver falls into the lap of a beggar, may he be turned the other way so you are not seen.

For the Lord delights in a private love and service of His people.

Do not announce your good works with trumpets and banners, do them in a hooded cloak.

When you are asked, “was it you that give this to the church”?

Answer “only at the command of the Almighty, for it was not I that did it, it was the Lord”.

Wear the mark of the Lord Jesus Christ on your forehead and hands, in declaration of your faith,

But do not act in goodness for the eyes of the public, for if your love and works are genuine,

The favor of the Lord will be reward enough.

Seek the curious smile of the people as they wonder who has done this for them,

Know that you have done the Lord’s work and be proud to be of service.

If you are meant to be seen by the eyes of the people, the Lord will shed His light upon you.

If you are meant to remain hidden, the shadows of His light will cloak your face.

Smile and rejoice, whether it be in light or shadow,

For you have served the Kingdom by the hand of the Lord.

By Justin Silcox 

Give me a blank stare and I will fill your eyes with excitement. 
Give a drooping smile that proves so many reassuring lies,

And I will make it shine as bright and as clear as the stars above. 
Give me a clenched fist and I will open it to give and receive.
 Give me words that are full of pain and laced with brokenness                                                                and I will turn them into a song of joyful praise. 
Rejoice says the Lord, for all is in His hands.

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Pray that you have a sharp ear among all the distractions of this world,

So that you may hear the Lord’s voice clearly and not take your eyes off of Him,

For He is what is important. He is what matters. He is everything.

He is more than you petty wants of worldly things.

More than you could ever imagine.

So do well in giving Him proper focus and heeding his every word.

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     Compassion is kneeling by a fallen brother or sister,  holding them close,                                                     and bringing them back to their feet.

Compassion is being loving, even to those you don’t think deserve it.

Compassion is seeing brokenness, pain, agony, in the hearts of those around you,

And sharing the truth of an everlasting love with those hearts.

How can we expect people to believe in the Lord when we,

His servants cannot even share a kind word to the downtrodden.

Believe me when I say, the Lord looks upon those with compassion and kindness in their heart with great favor,

In comparison to those who hold only bitterness and anger.

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Now you know that you are not perfect,

And you know that she is not perfect.

The question is, are you perfect for each other?

Now the only way you will find that one out is by asking questions, listening closely,

Having faith in Me, and honestly, just giving the chances that I provide, the best that you’ve got.

Hold nothing back.

Be patient.

Do not speak until I say speak.

Do not walk until I say walk.

Do not reach until I say reach.

Patience. For when you are on My time, you cannot fail.

By Justin Silcox 

May we be men of the Lord.

Let us rise up and stand with the cross at our backs,

Forever growing taller, surrounding us as we surround our community.

Let the light and the love that You provide Lord,

 Flow through our clean hands onto the women and children that we have sworn in Your great name to protect.

Let us be the faithful and strong men You have called us to be.

To Lead.

To Protect.

To serve.

To fight in Your name.

And to love.

Bless us and strengthen us, so that You may rise up from Your throne and call us Your good and faithful servants.

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Your anger is fire spewing from your lips,

It burns and causes pain to your brother and sister, making them fearful and sad.

Your anger is a poison that will, and spread, and devour your very community.

It numbs your ears, clouds your eyes, and laces your lips with venom.

As you hold anger deep inside your heart,

The Lord will keep you from His alter,

Flames of holy fire will push you back until your words turn from death to life.

Repent for your wrong doing, seek reconciliation with your brother,

Pursue the light and the love of the Lord so that He may tame your tongue.

For it is much to evil got you to handle alone.

May he bless you with a family, a community of forgiving, heart healing followers of God.

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Smile and let live, turn and walk from the face of rage.

Be the noble man that walks in righteousness,

Rather than the foolish man that lets his tongue run untamed.

Blessed is the man that remains strong in the discipline of the Lord and

Places the very poison of his tongue and the sin of his heart in the hands of God.

For the Lord can take every piece of anger, bitterness, venom, guilt, and resentment

That we hold inside and make it pure.

Though it may be a painful road of many tears,

The light that you will stand in will be a reward that makes up 10 times over.

For when you lie in obedience, the Lord is pleased and has great favor upon your soul.

Be brave my brothers, have the courage to know when you have done wrong,

And the wisdom to make it right with your neighbor and the Lord.

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When it comes down to the wire, who will you be?
The face of nobility, righteousness, courage, wisdom. 
Or will you fear the end of this short life and turn and run.  
I beg you, think clearly and stand tall, you have nothing to fear. 
The sting of death has been dulled into nothing. 
The victory of hell has been pushed into submission. 
All that is before us as we stand in the light, 
is the everlasting freedom of true life. 
True life in Jesus Christ. 

By Justin Silcox

Judgmental eyes. Persecuting hearts. Scathing tongues.

Who are you, you people that claim to be mine?

You lie and speak death over those who do not believe your deceit.

You cast them out of what you call My house, but I do not dwell there.

You mark them as outcasts when they are the ones that truly shine in My light.

These chosen people, the ones you call exiled will be My children and live in My blessing.

Their hearts will burn with Holy fire and it will spread over these lush fields and vineyards                        that you call My blessing,

And they will be no more.

These flames of My pure light will rise high above your plain four walls and convict and burn

The false prophets, murderers, liars, and guilty that you shelter.

The pure and righteous will stand and dance in my flames,

No longer restrained by the treacherous ones around them.

Chains broken. Blood cleaned. Scars wiped away with a flash of My light.

Nothing is beyond My power and grace.

Believe and live in My mercy, you follower of Christ.

But do not doubt the impending death that lies just beyond the thorns along your path.

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Flames burn, waters rush, winds blow, I stand upon a strong foundation,

The strongest known. Lord it is You.

I look around and I see You everywhere, as Holy Fire burning my heart and igniting others around me.

As Living Water quenching my spirit and sustaining me along my path.

As a Whisper in a soft breeze forever leading me.

As the Holy Ground on which I stand.

You are in everything Lord.

Even though I may hide from You in the darkness, wishing that You not look upon my filth,

Your light will always find me.

Whether I sit, cloaked in sin.

Stand in rebellion.

Turn with shame.

You will always find me Lord and You will always seek me.

For I may be unclean, unfaithful, unhealed, unsure, or unknown.

I know that I am not unloved.

For Your love for me and Your people is never ending.

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her,

That her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for”.

-Isaiah 40:1-2

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Though we may hide in the shadows, cloaked in darkness, wallowing in sin.

The Lord is there.

No matter how far we push Him,

How far we run from Him,

Or how hard we fight Him, He will never leave our side.

He is desperately reaching out, pulling us towards Him, wishing that we would accept His embrace.

He will stand at our backs keeping the darkness at bay, shielding us from all that attacks and wished to devour.

Keep your faith in the Lord and your spirit held high,

For as long as our eyes are kept on His face, we are unbound by the chains of the world.

We stand before Him freed by grace, viewing the chaos at His back,

Knowing that He is what has delivered us.

Lord, we cry out to You, Thank You! Thank You my Merciful Lord!

May You be proud of what we do and will do in You.

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Take a look around and tell me what matters.

You see people and people, a crowd is gathering all around you.

You make one action to please them and make another to please Me.

But I am not pleased because you are sharing what should be Mine with them.

Do you care so much about what the people around you say and think that you change yourself,

Make decisions, take steps, and walk a path based on what they want?

Do you?

I am enraged when you do one thing in the dark and do another in the light.

Your heart is pure, clean, and white but your hands are covered in blood                                                   and your feet are black with filth.

Walk in My light, do as I do, follow My every step.

Do not stray, remember where your heart lies because it is with Me.

As the crowd roars and yells, turn your head and face Me.

They will pull the chains that hold your arms and legs, causing you to stumble and fall.

Rise up! Run towards Me! My arms are open in embrace.

They will pull you down again, and again, and again.

But as the chains cut into your wrists and blood trickles down your fingertips,                                           not a single drop will hit the floor.

I will reach My hand out and catch any that fall. I have bled in your place                                                     so that you would not have a debt to pay.

Look into My eyes, I love you. I want all of you.

So tear the chains apart, shatter and destroy them. They have no place on your body.

Follow My every step, walk as I walk, speak as I speak, soar in My radiance,

For I have died and risen just to set you free.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

-Isaiah 40:31

  

By Justin Silcox 

My beautiful sisters, how you radiate the Lord’s light.

You are examples of His ever present love and nurture.

The things you do, the things you say, the things that you suffer through are so incredible.

May the Lord lift you up in all His glory.

Each and every one of you mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends.

I admire your resolve and strength.

To nurture when we need nurturing. To fight when we need protecting.

You build us up when we are down and leave a red imprint of your hand on our cheek,

When we need reality returned to our lives.

How I love all that you do.

May the Lord bless your every movement, your every step, your every word.

Because I know that I am blessed by you.

By your beauty, by your sweet words, by your strength, 

and by your wonderful grace in the face of the world.

“Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, 

majestic as the stars in procession?”

-Song of Songs 7:10

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Running hard, breathing heavily, I stumble through the brush, 

thorns tearing at my legs and arms.

Blood drips down my hand and falls from my fingertips.

I see Your white robes wave slightly as You disappear through the bushes ahead of me.

The things that pull and cut and hold me back are pushed aside by Your glory, 

not coming near You.

I inhale sharply and return to my pursuit of You.

Still I run, sprinting, being sustained by the glimpses of You that I see.

I run past scenes of an orphaned child being held tightly by a crying woman.

Your love flowing from her, blessing the now smiling child.

To the left I see a man in dirty clothes, sitting on the road begging people as they pass for coins,          food, and even work.

A man walking, shining in Your radiance, kneels by his side, lifts the beggar to his feet                            and takes him to your house.

Your love is shared as he is cared for by Your people.

Still running, I break through the brush and now I stand in a desert, the wind blowing at my face.

I see the back of Your head disappear over the next hill.

I smile and wipe the sweat from my brow and take off running after you,

For just because I wander through the wilderness, does not mean I am lost.

To the right I see a preacher leaning against a wall in a tight hallway, sobbing,

Completely unsure of what to tell the people that await him.

You’ve brought his wife home to be with You in Your palace.

He is broken and beginning to doubt.

A young girl stumbles into the hallway, seeing her father crying.

She hugs his side tightly telling him that she trusts in both of her fathers.

Your everlasting love is shining in her eyes and shared with her father.

Your glory reigns as he steps out of the hallway, facing the people.

He speaks of your word and your message with confidence and trust.

Still I run, seeking Your heart and face.

I am thirsty as I follow You through the desert.

As I come over the next hill, I see You sitting, waiting for me.

I kneel by Your side and You share Your living water with me and I am refreshed and sustained.

You stand and smile at me as You turn and continue walking swiftly deeper into the desert.

I breathe in and praise Your glorious name as I start running once more.

Before me I see a woman, sitting limply in a chair, the room dimly lit.

A needle lies on the table by her side.

She stares blankly into space, her breathing light.

A young man walks into the small house, late from work.

He sees his mother strung out, yet another broken promise.

Your power and might comes upon him, he is filled with a righteous anger,

The mark of Christ burning brightly on his forehead.

He knocks the needle and other objects from the small table with a swing of his hand.

He throws the table aside and picks up the half empty bottle of liquor by her leg,

He throws it against the wall, making it shatter, its contents spraying all over the floor.

His mother’s eyes are wide with shock as she stares at him.

He wipes the blood from her arm with a rag and he lays his hand upon her head and prays.

The filth inside her is burned away by Your might.

Her soul is cleansed and shrouded in Your light.

She looks up to you with pleading eyes, begging for forgiveness.

Her son turns as he sees shadows moving upon him and his mother.

He yells with power, Your great voice enveloping his and the demons are banished from his home.

Your love and glory flow through him into his mother,                                                                          saving her from the darkness inside her own heart.

Forever will I pursue Your face and seek Your heart Lord.

I may stand, clothed in rags, hungry, thirsty, and without shelter, but I am happy and content.

Protected and sustained by Your everlasting light.

I see You turn and face me, Your voice so full of love rings in my ears.

“what’re you standing around for? Come on and follow me”. You walk swiftly away.

I smile and sing praise as I run after You, forever running after You.

Karov Adonai le’nishberei lev v’et dakkei ruach yoshia

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

-The Kingdom of Heaven reigns throughout the world.

Justin Silcox