Made To Worship-blog name change-Nov. 2019
Made To Worship- blog name change
One of my Facebook friends is starting a blog and asked me to help her brainstorm and come up with name ideas for her blog. As I was helping her brainstorm name ideas for her blog, I kept thinking about my blog and it's name.
I feel that the Lord has put it on my heart to change my blog's name.
I had originally titled it "Uniquely Gifted."
I started the blog as a place to write down my journey with special needs and chronic health issues and how I've been able to help others because of what I've been through. I started the blog in hopes that it could help others.
But it never went anywhere.
As I look back over the years my blog has never really been about me being "uniquely gifted" , instead it's been about my walk with the Lord and His hand in my life. This has been the direction of the blog the whole time. I just didn't see it. Once the Lord gave me the new blog name and the direction of the blog, it took off! It finally feels right!
This is going to be a little bit of a reiteration of what I wrote in the blog post titled
"I Was Made To Praise The Lord."
In Ron Hamilton's children's Christmas cantata titled "Christmas Carol" Carol Bailey was ashamed of her past or the lack of one. She was too afraid to tell anyone anything out of fear that she wouldn't be understood.
Whoa! Boy can I relate to that! I too, was ashamed of my past or the lack of one. I was ashamed of not going to school and not having a job. I hated being asked about school or work because I was ashamed. Like Carol Bailey, I too, was afraid to tell anyone anything out of fear that I wouldn't be understood.
there's a line at the end of the Patch adventure "The Evolution Revolution" that completely changed my perspective about my life. Derwin asks Captain Patch why God put him on this earth and Patch responds with this: "Derwin, you were made to praise the Lord!"
Song: Made To Worship
Whoa! Patch's response hit me like a ton of bricks.
I had always felt useless and always wanted to help others because of what I've been through. I always wished I could do something big like other people. I always struggled and wondered with the thought of, can God really use me in my current life situation? Can God really use me with all these health issues?
I always felt guilty that I didn't have a job and didn't go to school. I felt ashamed and guilty that I wasn't living up to the world's standards.
That one line changed my life! All the sudden all the guilt and shame that I'd been carrying around because I couldn't do things due to chronic illness fell away and a peace washed over me. I finally realized that we weren't created to pride ourselves with an education or a job. We were created for God's pleasure to praise Him. That's our purpose. We were not created to focus on ourselves. We were created to focus on God.
Song: Blueprints by Ben Everson
Evangelist Ben Everson said something that really hit home for me. For some reason he was talking about ministry and he said that ministry isn't having a big ministry like Majesty Music or some big church ministry. He said ministry is anytime you can encourage someone else. I love that. I thought "I can do that."
there's a line in the Patch adventure "The Misterslippi River Race" where Arnie asks Skeeter what she wants to be when she grows up. She tells him that she wants to be a servant when she grows up. Why a servant he asks. "Because the Bible says that if you want to be great in God's kingdom, first of all, you've got to be a servant."
Song: Servant's Heart
The Patch adventure ”Once Upon A Starry Knight” deals with this subject very well. 2 servants, Stormy and Starry end up becoming knights and one becomes the next king. King Arthuritis gives both Stormy and Starry a royal cloak, a royal horse, and 3 bags of gold to use as they please. He warns them to use their treasures in a manner worthy of a king, and the throne may be theirs.
In the course of the adventure, the crew runs into King O’Matic the king maker. A gypsy type character who's self-centered and ends up winning Stormy’s confidence. Stormy goes with King O’Matic while Starry stays with the crew.
King O’Matic turns Stormy into a self-serving king while Starry stays with the crew and remains humble. King O’Matic gives Stormy royal clothing and anything he wants, making Stormy feel like a big shot with all his riches. On the other hand, Starry ends up giving away all his belongings to the poor and needy, making him a servant. He puts others before himself. At the end of the adventure Starry becomes the next king of Lumbago.
Stormy loses all his riches and realizes his behavior was wrong. He apologizes to Starry. Starry lets him take his original place as servant in the castle. Stormy learns that being rich and selfish doesn't get you anywhere.
Song: I Give it Back
Life is not about doing something great in the world's eyes. So often we get so caught up trying to make something of our lives. We want something to show for our lives. But that's not what's really important. What's important is our walk with God.
Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27 where it says,
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest command.”
song: The Greatest Command
2nd Corinthians 4:18 says: "so we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. Since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
I thought I was starting my blog to help others, but now looking back, I think I was trying to find a sense of purpose and trying to make something good come out of what I've been through.
I now realize I was looking for answers in all the wrong places. I was looking for acceptance, fulfilment, and purpose in worldly things instead of Godly things. My purpose isn't to feel useful in worldly things, my purpose is to love and praise God. Nothing else matters.
Revelations 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Isaiah 43:21 ”This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.”
1st Samuel 16:7- "for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
Song: God Sees The Heart
We were created for God's pleasure, to praise Him. Not to focus on worldly accomplishments.
You can't imagine the relief that washed over me when I finally realized I didn't have to live up to the world's standards or expectations. That yes, God can use me despite my circumstances and God can even turn our trials into something good.
"I have found that God brings things into our lives sometimes that we don't understand, but they're always in love, always in wisdom, always for His glory and for our benefit."- Ron Hamilton
I love the song "Tho It's Midnight" by Ron Hamilton. It's the story of Paul and Silas in prison.
Acts 16: 22-32—
“And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”
Paul and Silas were literally in prison, beaten, and bound in chains. What do we find them doing at midnight while in their cell? Singing. Yes, singing. “Singing praise unto God.”
"Those who sing in prison, turn their prison into a pulpit."- Ron Hamilton
When Paul and Silas sing in prison:
- the other prisoners hear them
- God sends an earthquake to release them
- the prison keeper and his entire family accept Christ
Paul and Silas weren't asking why this was happening to them, instead they were "worshipping" God and praising Him in the midst of their trial.
Out of evil men trying to stop the message, a church is born, because Paul and Silas are singing praises at midnight.
I love this quote by Webster
"Worship is to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission" - Webster
Paul and Silas submitted to God's will and watched Him turn their trials into pulpits.
Song: I Was Made To Praise The Lord
Song: God is Good - Story of Joseph in the Bible
If Fanny Crosby had not been blinded as an infant we wouldn't have most of the hymns that we have today.
God took what looked like a tragedy and turned it into a blessing for Fanny and thousands of other people.
Fanny crosby wrote her first hymn when she was 8 years old. She writes this:
"Oh what a happy soul am I,
although I cannot see.
I am resolved that in this world,
contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy that other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot and I won't." - Fanny Crosby 8 years old
If Ron Hamilton had not lost his left eye to cancer, we wouldn't have the amazing Patch The Pirate Ministry. Again, God took what looked like a tragedy in Ron's life and turned it into one of the greatest blessings of his life.
Instead of Ron getting upset at kids for calling him a pirate and saying "I'm not a pirate" , he jokingly tells the kids "yeah, I guess I am a pirate now, you can call me Patch The Pirate."
Because Ron submitted to God's will, God used that to bring about the most amazing ministry ever!!
Song- "Rejoice in the Lord"
"We often don’t sing the praises of the Lord when we’re surrounded by green pastures and still waters. The blessings of trials is that it teaches us to sing the praises of the Lord."- Ron Hamilton
Psalm 40:3- “He hath put a new song in my mouth, Even praise unto our God. Many shall see Him.”
"My life is supposed to be a song of praise so that others see.
Song: The Praise Song
"God often hurts us to draw us close to Him, to get us on our knees and to get us to realize where the real power is."- Ron Hamilton
Job 1:20-22-"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."
Job lost everything. He lost his family and his wealth and what does he do? He worships God in the midst of tragedy and trial. Job submitted to God's will even though he didn't understand it.
That's really what this blog is about. Worshipping God and submitting/bowing the knee to His will and watching Him turn trials into something good.
I feel the Lord has led me to change the name of my blog to "Made To Worship."
When we truly worship, we recognize who we are, and who God is.
We don't exist apart from God.
Psalm 100
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture….."
We need to remember that it's God who made us. We did not create ourselves.
"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
We need to keep our eyes on God and remember that he is good even through circumstances that we don't understand. God knows what is best for us and we need to submit to his will and trust him and his timing even when it doesn't make sense to us. He can turn our trials into something good.
Song- "You Are Always Good"
by Jonathan Hamiton and Chris Anderson
Psalm 95:6
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
Song- "Bow The Knee."
In the Easter story when Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane he asks God the Father 3 times to remove this cup from him but he submits to the Father's will and says not as I will but as thou wilt.
Song: Not My Will