A Symphony of Praise
There was a commercial a while back that I just loved. It showed a dad getting breakfast for a toddler who was being occupied on the kitchen floor with the pots and pans. The Dad was getting annoyed with the child's attempts at music until he came up with a solution. He put on earphones and listened to great music composers as his child looked happily on at Dad, who was now enjoying his son's musical talent. I see God doing the same thing for us.
The Courtroom
Recently I sat in a courtroom and watched the judge and all the guilty souls who, one after another, stood before him. Seems I've sat in courtrooms alot in the past few years. Thankfully I've only watched and testified. Some judges have been amazingly merciful, almost like loving parents—especially the judges in juvenile court. One judge was like a cruel "hang 'em high" Wild West cowboy—complete with handlebar mustache. Today's judge was a good man who truly worked for the best in each case, while holding each person to the law. But he sent confusing signals, and this was the second of three times that our attendance was wasted. Justice is inconsistent.
A Mighty Fortress
I stood in awe, the enormity, and beauty overwhelming me. Then I heard the statistics—the nave is ten stories high, the center tower is as tall as a thirty-story building, the heaviest stone is 5.5 tons, and it is only one of 762 elaborately hand-carved stones in Washington DC’s National Cathedral. As I stood there I dreamed about seeing the five other, even larger, cathedrals of the world, and I wondered how the first temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem might have looked. How it must have inspired God’s people to sing praises to God, as this place was now influencing me.
For 400 Years
Today, through the eyes of a child, I saw what pure and innocent joy in the Lord must look like to God. Twenty-seven children participated in a praise and worship workshop in which they learned all forms of worship beginning with liturgical dance. As the workshop began, they were uncomfortable and self-conscious. I could tell several of them were not too sure of this form of praise.
Running on Empty
We don't like running on empty, do we? And yet, sometimes that's exactly where God wants us to be, because that's when He can show Himself for who He really is.
