My Jesus Journal

Great Are You Lord

I read an article a while ago that explained how, no matter how much school work and studying that we have, we still need to dedicate time to God. I promised myself I was going to do that, and for a while I did...but as finals got closer I spent less time in scripture and less time in prayer. Through that period I noticed my anxiety taking over again, I noticed a lot of stress, and I noticed a lot of other negative emotions. "I'll spend more time in word and prayer when finals are done, I'm almost there." I put off reading my bible and praying because I was so focused on school work that I didn't totally realize what that was doing to my relationship with God. 

If we don't give God time then we won't have that feeling of closeness. If we don't give God our time and our praise then we are going to feel empty, and that was the feeling that consumed me. I wanted that feeling to go away immediately. I didn't want to feel anxious and stressed, I wanted to feel God. I prayed that God would take these feelings away, but I wasn't really into the prayer. I prayed because I wanted to stop feeling bad, but I didn't really change anything about how I was spending my time.I felt angry, empty, lonely, and disappointed. I expected to feel better when my finals were done, but instead I felt worse.

Over the semester, I made a list of all the stuff I was going to do as soon as the semester was over. As soon as I got home, I got ready to do all these fun projects, but I realized that spending my time like that wasn't going to change my situation. I still felt empty, lost, and confused. I put my activities to the side and I spent time in God's word. I was flipping through my bible when I came across a scripture that stuck out to me. I found Psalm 16:2, which says:

I said to Yahweh, "You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You."

I love that when I'm going through a dark or difficult time that a scripture I need will come across me. It's almost like God's way of telling me, "Kendall, you need to wise up," or "I'm going to bring you through this, just like I always have." I can spend my time doing activities that will temporarily make me happy, but these things will not keep me happy forever. I will never feel complete if I don't dedicate my time to God. If I don't spend time in scripture and prayer then God isn't going to be my main focus, and because of that I won't be happy. If I don't have God in my heart then I have nothing good in my heart.

As I spend my time listening to the songs that I will be worship leading tomorrow, I am overwhelmed by God's presence...that feeling is better than any amount of money, any present, and any craft that I will ever have.

"Great Are You Lord" All Sons and Daughters

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise

We pour out our praise

It's Your breath in our lungs

So we pour out our praise to You only

You give life, You are love

You bring light to the darkness

You give hope, You restore

Every heart that is broken

Great are You, Lord

All the earth will shout Your praise

Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing

Great are You, Lord

Without God in my heart, I have no love, no light, no hope, no fullness, no peace. God has placed breath in my lungs to worship him, to praise him, to spread his word.

We can choose to dedicate all of our time to material or earthly things and feel empty, or we can choose to dedicate time to the God who sent his son for us so that we can have eternal life. We don't have to spend every single second in prayer or scripture, but we do have to dedicate time to God every day and we can worship God in every part of our lives. 

We will not have good in our lives if we do not have God.