Sounding Forth

Note: I hope to start using this blog as more of a journal than I have been. I rarely have the time to fully develop my thoughts into well-ordered compositions, and yet, I don't want nudges from the Lord or specials moments from my days to slip away. If you are one of my blog's followers and find that this new format doesn't fit your needs, please feel free to change your status. I promise I won't be hurt if you withdraw as a follower!

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Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota

This morning as I was reading 1 Thessalonians, I was struck by Paul's praise of the church in the ancient city of Thessalonica: "For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you" (1 Thes. 1:8).

I want those words to be able to be proclaimed about my life. I want my life to resound with the "word of the Lord."

As I teach my children to write, I'm urging them to use strong, descriptive words. Paul's phrase, "has sounded forth" certainly fits this category. The phrase implies acting with purpose, living with purpose, speaking with purpose. Somehow the phrase reminds me of a waterfall. As the water charges over the cliff, no one nearby can miss the roar or the resulting mist that rises from the foam at the base. The Thessalonians had encountered Christ. They knew the unutterably good news of his death on their behalf. Their sins had been swept away by His sacrifice, and now they can't help but sound forth the news of their changed lives to those they encounter.

Paul goes on to say in the same verse, "in every place your faith toward God has gone forth".  Again, I want those very words to describe my life. I want a robust "faith toward God" that sets me apart in an age of cynicism in which people look to self-help manuals for life's answers.

O Lord,
Please move in my heart that Your word might sound forth from my lips. You are worthy of proclamation. Please increase my faith until it flows forth from me like a roaring waterfall, to Your praise and glory.