Go Outside.
January 30, 2019·Abby PreJean
Every time we sing “He Is Yahweh” at church, I always cry.
I remember being a young kid and asking my mom why she cried all the time during worship. She simply responded to me, “When I’m in the presence of the Lord, I can’t help it.”
As I’ve become older, I cry a lot too. Most times, you can catch me on a Sunday with mascara running down my face and constantly searching for a tissue.
(Pro Tip: We have tissues underneath the seats in gray boxes. Altoids are in there too! If you need help, ask an usher.)
In the presence of God, I’m fully understood, known, and loved. I don’t have to worry about limitations or expectations. I just get to praise God. When we sing “He Is Yahweh” in particular, there is something deep in my soul that comes alive (not to mention my tear ducts). My mind paints a picture of God creating the Heavens and the Earth.
“Who is moving on the waters
Who is holding up the moon
Who is peeling back the darkness
With the burning light of noon
Who is standing on the mountains
Who is on the earth below
Who is bigger than the heavens
And the lover of my soul”
The Psalms are riddled with colorful, descriptive words of God’s creation and glory. Psalm 8 provides us a personal insight in this week’s Pause Bible Reading Plan. David writes that God is mindful of us and has given us all of this glorious earthly creation. Why? Because He’s always thinking about and caring for us.
Psalm 8:3-4
“When I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,
what is mankind that You are mindful of them,
human beings that You care for them?”
God is mindful of us. But what does that mean? Mindful literally means that He fills His mind with thoughts of us, so intentional that He’s always steps ahead of us! And, in that mindfulness, He gives us gifts to enjoy, like the world around you. We’re stewards of His Kingdom in many ways. Nature was the first lesson in stewardship, all the way back in the Garden of Eden. God created paradise for the first of His human creations and asked them to care for it lovingly. Then, He spent His time walking in the cool of the day, amidst His beautiful creation, alongside His beautiful created ones.
Stop what you’re doing and take a walk today with the Lord, in the cool of the day. Breathe in a deep breath of God’s fresh air. He made it for you.
Pastor Abby PreJean
