Day 1 - Wholehearted

Image result for advent candle first sunday of advent 2019Welcome to the blog!   For those of you who are visiting these pages for the first time, its lovely to have you on board - thank you for taking the time to read my musings on the run up to Christmas.  For those of you who are on your seventh year of reading......  your prize is in the post 😀


To kick off this Advent I want to share with you something which the Lord spoke to me recently in answer to a question I asked Him.

On the third Monday of every month I go to lead worship at a Healing Service in St Annes Cathedral in Belfast.  Ive been doing it for years and recently it has been the only place Ive been involved in worship. The congregation is about 70 strong, average age well over 60.  We sing three or four songs from Mission Praise. The service is quiet, traditional and short.  But every time I go, regardless of how Im feeling or what is going on in my life, I am hugely blessed and am blown away by the annointing of God on the service and the freedom I feel to be 100% myself.

Recently, after another blessed service where people were coming up to me to tell me how much they loved the music and how present they felt God to be in the worship, I asked God why it is that in this service in particular we seem to go to new heights and depths with Him.   Singing four songs from Mission Praise!  No lights,  no sound system, no band.  Just me, a keyboard and 70 people singing their lungs out.   Why is it always SO good Lord?

He answered me immediately and said ' It's because you are wholehearted'


I stopped to think about that.   He is right.  I am.  And so is everyone else there.

Image result for wholeheartedWhen I lead worship at the healing service I am singing songs I know back to front.  I dont need to think about playing in the right key, or keeping in step with a band.  I dont need to concentrate on remembering the words because I know the words.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the congregation love me, which means that I have not one shred of self consciousness or ' performance mentality'.  I know that they are 100% behind me as I lead and that our worship is truly a team effort.  My whole heart is free to be completely involved with Jesus because Im not distracted.  I give Him my complete attention, all my affection,  my most exuberant and expressive singing.   Im secure. It is brilliant and wonderful and rare.

As I pondered the ' wholehearted' word, I was reminded of the verse in John 4:23

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God doesnt just want our worship to be wholehearted - He wants our lives to be wholehearted.   Jesus was wholehearted.  He had no fractures, no insecuirities, no pride, no distractions, no lack of ability in Him.   He approached life from a place of complete freedom, and therefore with joy and attack and committment and purpose.   He threw Himself into His mission in Spirit and truth, and because of His wholehearted approach to life, people loved Him, followed Him and recognised Him as God.

Lord, this Advent, as we settle our souls to look for you and listen to you, may we be increasingly wholehearted.   Root out of us the things which splinter and divide or hurt our hearts.  Move us to a place of trust and complete freedom in You so that we can worship in Spirit and truth.  As as we do so may others see the life of Jesus in us and want to follow You to discover it for themselves.




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