Share the story of His glow

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my Soul
Lord my God, you are great;
The Lord wraps Himself in light as with a garment;
He stretches out the heavens like a tent and
lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters.

God, our Creator you are magnificent. Your glorious might and grace are not something I can keep silent about. I must share the story of your glow.

PSALM: O Worship the King 1561
William Kethe (?-1594); Robert Grant (1779-1838)

O tell of His might O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light whose canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm

Grant’s writing was influenced by William Kethe’s paraphrase of Psalm 104 in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter. Psalm 104 begins with the invitation to Praise the Lord, my Soul. Both authors agreed the story of God’s mighty, marvelous, and gracious works should be shared.

PARABLE:  I sat on the hot sand with my great-nieces, scooping the sand with our hands and trying to count the morsels. The waves of the Atlantic Ocean turned the sand into a thick mud clay that we formed into a heart. The grains of sand are too many to count. The waves of the ocean are too mysterious to judge. The big waves that seem as though they are going to overtake you gently land at the foot of the sand statue. The small waves that appear as if they will stop before reaching the sand wash up past the shore. 

The light and warmth of the sun kisses our skin and darkens our melanin. Eventually, without warning, the warm waves wash away the sand statue and leave our bodies cloaked with sand that takes days to find and even longer to cleanse. Our tans, our glow, our smiles tell the story that we experienced something marvelous. There is no figuring out the wonders of the sand and sea. We realize that the sand is not there for us to count. The waves are not there for us to predict. Both are just marvelous works for us to enjoy and opportunities for us to create stories that we can share.

We marvel at the encounter. We recognize that the mighty SON, full of grace and love, has shown on us. We are reminded of His SON kisses when we see the canopy of stars by night and the light of the sun by day. When we hear the roar of thunder and feel the cleansing rain. When we hear the giggle of a child and see the tears of the parent. The residue of his loving mercy, compassion and grace leaves traces of His touch and a glow of His Presence that we can’t trace. Our glow, our joy tell the story that we experienced something marvelous. It prompts the response of praise! We have to share the story of His mighty works.

There is no figuring out the wonders of God’s love. Unending grace is not for us to count. God’s mighty acts are not for us to predict. All are just marvelous works of His hand and opportunities for us to share the story of His glow so that others too may praise His wondrous works! What story will you tell of God’s marvelous works? What song will you sing of His gracious love? 

Soul care training exercise:  Take a moment and turn your attention to seeking the loving Presence of God. Ponder the question What story can I share of God’s marvelous, mighty, and gracious acts? Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what God wants to say to you about the story of His mighty and marvelous acts and gracious love?

Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know.

• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing that you need to know, hear, or do to share the story of His mighty, marvelous, and gracious love. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. Allow praise to form within you. Take a deep breath in and release a song unto the Lord.

PRAYER: Father, you are the Great Creator. Help me to notice the glow of your glory and to share the story of your wondrous and mighty works and gracious love. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to praise God for a good ending. Then take the mindfulness of God’s glorious glow in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

The post This is how the story ends appeared first on Resonant 7.

BONUS REFLECTION: Take five minutes to listen to the Share the Glory Story guided meditation.

Image attributions:  Text art app with words added