The GT Weekend! ~ Worship XI Week 3

Katelyn Palmer
June 17, 2023
Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!
This Week's Journeys

Psalm 119:149-154
Resh
Consider my affliction and rescue me, for I have not forgotten Your instruction. Champion my cause and redeem me; give me life as You promised
Prayer Journal Entry
Yahweh, You are the greatest teacher. (Psalm 32:8) You are wise (Proverbs 3:19); You are loving (1 John 4:8), You are honorable (Revelation 4:11); You are just (Psalm 89:14). Yahweh, You taught me to learn from other godly people, as well; to leverage their tough seasons of life in order to avoid similar mistakes and to understand that I am not alone in my struggle. Hear our voices as we cry out to You, Lord, for help and in praise!
My strength is so weak, unbelievably weak, and yet I still try to do it on my own.
Forgive me.
God, I need You desperately. I want You to use me, grow me, keep me humble.
Please help me obey.
I don’t deserve the blessed life I live; I am overwhelmed with gratitude!
You are so kind.
Lead me in Your ways today, Lord. Keep me from wandering away distracted from the path You have laid. (Psalm 16:11) May I follow You more closely (Matthew 16:24), love You more dearly (Matthew 22:37), obey You more willingly (John 14:15), and trust You more fully.
Lord, I am filled with thanks as I consider the blessings and lessons You have bestowed upon me. I am overwhelmed by your relentless pursuit of me.
In Your Son’s name I pray, Amen.
Worship Through Song
Journal Prompts
Psalm 139 tells us God knows our thoughts from afar and our words before we utter them. While this may feel intimidating or even shameful, because we know our thoughts are not always pure, it provides a fuller picture of God’s vast love for us.
There is none who knows us like He does, still He sacrificed His Son on the cross to redeem us. (Isaiah 43:1) I cannot imagine a love greater than this. God is with us in every moment of this life; we have only to turn to Him. The image of turning away from a neighbor offering kindness, slamming the door in her face, is heartbreaking.
How much more so, then, when we realize that neighbor has God’s face? Yet He does not leave. (Isaiah 43:2) In fact, He invites us over and over again to give Him our pain, our questions, our doubts, our fears, our frustrations in return for His peace, love, grace, mercy, confidence, and strength.
He whispers love into our dark places, because shouting is for fools. His magnificence speaks for itself. (Isaiah 40:26) The devil shouts, he puts on a show, because he has no real power. Thus, his greatest influence is in distraction. How is the prince of darkness distracting you from God’s truth, today?
This week, our study on Qof and Resh, verses 145-160, hit me like a ton of bricks in the most wonderful way. Sara brought me to tears with her transparency and vulnerability, a very scary thing to do indeed. Oh, but how I could relate to her story in so many ways! This is the beauty of our testimonies!
We are oftentimes more alike than we are different, but when we use filters and choreographed poses and select only the most pristine pictures to share with the world, we abandon those opportunities to connect with others, cultivating our own loneliness.
In addition to a beautiful example of vulnerability, we were shown the power of divine perspective and the power of hope, both of which are anchored in God’s Word. In using a divine lens to assess our lives and analyze the situations in which we find ourselves, we are better able to see God’s purpose in allowing a particular trial.
He could be teaching, protecting, exercising judgment, refining, preparing, and more. Sometimes literally clutching His Word to our chest, figuratively tucking it into our hearts is all we have strength to do, but through His Word, the Spirit comforts our very souls. He is mighty in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
To understand the treasure that is God’s Word (Psalm 119:162), we must choose daily to seek Him, to study Scripture, and let the Holy Spirit soften our hearts. In Psalm 119:164, the psalmist says, and not for the first time, that they praise God many times a day (7 to be exact!).
The beautiful thing about regular, authentic worship is that it not only brings glory to God, but it changes our perspective. There are days when praising God even once seems like a hardship, but what we must realize is that in the act of praising, the act of worshiping, we find healing, peace, and joy. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Just as God doesn’t need our prayers in order to know our need (Matthew 6:8), He also doesn’t need our praise to know He is the great I AM. Yet again, His instruction is for our good and His glory.
Furthermore, when we intertwine our cries for help with gratitude for God’s character, we align our hearts with His, allowing us to recognize that God is good even if our circumstances aren’t and reinforcing our faith and confidence in His promise of deliverance.
Our expectations are then founded in God’s character rather than our own desires and ideas of how a prayer should be answered.
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This Week's Lock Screen

