The Plumbline

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (Psalm 103:2-5) With all that I am - is that how you praise Jesus? To be honest here, I can get pretty distracted when it comes to spending time with him. When it comes to worshiping him, it recenters me and redirects that focus back onto what really matters. It is easy to get caught up in all of life's distractions, but there is just something about praising and worshiping Jesus that 'reorganizes' and reprioritizes our thoughts, emotions, and attentiveness, isn't there? When we turn our attention fully toward him, it is amazing what he will show us, do within us, and help us with that we didn't even know we needed or wanted in our lives! As time passes between those moments of praising and w...

 What exactly do hard times teach us? Many would say it helps us develop a deeper trust in God - at least, that is what they believe to be the most 'biblical' answer and the one we want to hear. Truth be told, there are more times in the wilderness of hardship that we are struggling with why we are there, what God expects us to learn, and how we are going to deal with the issues we are facing. We might not even think about God's purpose in allowing the hardship until we are waist deep in the muck and mire of it all!  I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely. (Psalm 63:6-8) If we consider the words of our psalmist here, you will observe a couple of pretty 'emotion filled' comments: "I lie awake" and "I cling to you". Something is keeping David awake - he is likely wrestling with some of the things...