Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Simplicity 6.9.10

God's been speaking one word to me in relation to the whole story of David and Goliath.  "Simplicity".  I've been meditating on that word for a couple of weeks.

As I research a shepherd's life in those days, I find that at first glance you'd think it was a simple life.  No home to keep up, just pick up and move to the next green pasture.  But when you start to realize all that went into shepherding, it wasn't that easy.  You had to help the new lambs, protect from danger, look ahead to where the next green pasture was and lead them all there.

But simplicity could have come in the sense that David used whatever resources he had with him.  The staff and the sling and stone.  The staff could lead and also keep prey away.  The sling and stone could do deadly damage to enemies of the sheep.

I think David must have had 2 main focus points in his life:  1) his sheep and 2) his music.  I don't know how much spare time he would have had out there in the fields, but we know he was a great musician, so he must have made time to practice while he was out there.

So I contemplate simplicity and how it applies to me.  You can hear more about that in the audio version of this blog and listen to a piano song that is simply - simple.

Listen here to the song "Simplicity".

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

God is God 6.8.10

Goliath had a pretty sophisticated armor to wear.  I Sam. 17:4-7 lists all that he wore, plus he had someone who carried a shield out in from of him.  Can you imagine the size of shield a 9' man would need?

As I pondered the detail of the armor, I realized that our enemy today is no different.  Eph. 6:11 says "Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil."  (NLT).  

I wanted to write something that captures the complication of what the devil plans, but I also wanted something that teaches us and reminds us that God is ALWAYS bigger than anything the devil comes up with.  

Listen to "God is God" here.

It's His Battle 6.7.10

Last week I took the week off from the studio and did some much needed spring cleaning.  I washed down all the outside window and door frames, washed all the windows inside and out, plus rearranged our bedroom and did some organizing to make life a bit more manageable.  Of course we got unusual thunderstorms and the rain came down in sheets and left nice water spots on my clean windows.

Though I shut down the studio and didn't do any devotional notes, I was still meditating on David and Saul all last week.  It was good to do something other than music for a change and gave me lots of time to think and listen for God's voice in a more focused way.

This morning I constructed a song to go with the passage I've been resting in for weeks now:  I Sam. 17:45-47.  Though I think I wrote a song out of this section earlier, I have a new one.  Just goes to show that we can spend days in one passage and get many different things out of it.

David saw that Goliath put his faith in his weapons and David didn't threaten Goliath back with his own natural weapons of a sling and stone.  He simply declared the power of the name of the Lord and the futility of weapons.  Saul should have been the one killing Goliath, but he was afraid.  A lot of good his weapons did him.  But it's not about our weapons. It's about our faith in God's ability!

I don't know what kind of battle you might be facing today, but be encouraged - if this is a battle that the enemy has brought your way, you need to attack him with God's weapons - not your own understanding! 

Hope this song brings you some encouragement:

It's His battle, It's His victory
It's His battle, It's His victory

The enemy comes with his spear and sword
But I'm coming out in the name of the Lord

It's His battle, It's His victory
It's His battle, It's His victory

No weapon formed against me can stand
No one can take me from my Father's hand

It's His battle, It's His victory
It's His battle, It's His victory

He doesn't need any fancy plans
He just wants an obedient lamb

It's His battle, It's His victory
It's His battle, It's His victory

Listen to "It's His Battle" here.