MAY 11-17: WITH HEART, SOUL, STRENGTH
Come Follow Me “Beware Lest Thou Forget the Lord” Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34
We’ve been on hikes where the trail is not easy to find. Often a cairn, or stack of rocks will be set up to show the way.
The 2023 Strength of Youth theme used a cairn as a symbol of following the path that God has set. To where? To Him. ‘He takes my fear and gives me hope, he takes my pain and lets it go’.
All My Heart - feat. Dawson Wayne | 2023 Strive to Be
I’ve just learned that the familiar phrase in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 is called the Hebrew Shema. ‘Shema’ means more than an exhortation to listen, but is a call to action. “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” ‘Let Your words be in my heart, In every thought set me apart.’
With All My Heart / Shema Prayer (Deut. 6) - James Block
Having our hearts and minds set towards God does something else; when facing Him, we see Him facing us. That just as He is in our every thought, we are in His. We are His reason. He shows this in every action: His sacrifice on the cross; His staying with us even when we’re not such a good friend to Him. ‘When my heart grows weak, your power sustains... You walk beside me all my days... in every battle you make a way.’
God Who Never Fails - Seek First Worship
If you’re anything like me, you let God down all too often. Yet He will never let you down. Following in the Shema, we welcome and recognize the divine in all we do. We cannot isolate from Him, for He will not separate from us. ‘If this storm you’re walking through feels like it’s too much for you... God is in the story, God is in the details, even in the broken parts, He holds my heart, He never fails.’
Katy Nichole & Big Daddy Weave - “God Is In This Story”
Give Him all your heart, soul and strength. As He is giving His to you. How can we possibly match His portion? How could we ever give up on Him?