"Speak, O Lord" - That should be our prayer when we worship privately and when we gather as the Body of Christ for worship. Just today I dedicated this song to our pastor as he has faithfully preached God's Word to my family for some 30 years in two different churches where we have served together. This song is another of the great modern hymns that have been penned by Keith and Kristen Getty and Stuart Townsend. In this blog I want to pull some lines from this wonderful hymn and speak to them.
"Speak, O Lord as we come to You, to receive the food of Your holy Word. Take Your Truth, plant it deep in us, shape and fashion us in Your likeness." Why? So that Christ might be seen in us in deeds of love and faith, fulfilling His purposes for His glory. May that truly be our heart's prayer over time as we gather for worship.
The text goes on to challenge us to full obedience, reverence and humility, testing our thoughts and our attitudes. This is the true result of . . . "Letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom; singing Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs with thankfulness in your hearts." (Col. 3:16)
On this Memorial Day Weekend, as we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, we need to consciously and consistently pray that His words of power that can never fail or come back void - His truth - will prevail over unbelief in our nation today.
Finally, "speak, O Lord, and renew our minds, help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us." I have always loved and tried to live by the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." And Proverbs 16:3 in the Amplified Bible: "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed." I have held on to that in the past and continue for the future, praying that God's Kingdom and "Church will continue to be built and the earth be filled with His glory!" What a song! What a life! What a Lord! mjm
