The Desert Places
"The Lord is my strong defender; he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness." - Exodus 15:2 GNTD
October 21st, 2024
📍San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
¡Saludos desde el desierto!
Wednesday at sundown marked the start of the Feast of Tabernacles, and I've been observing this Jewish festival by eating dinnertime meals in a palapa (tent). This festival commemorates God's miraculous protection for the Israelites when they left Egypt and lived in tents in the wilderness (more about that in next week's letter).
The Lord keeps speaking to me about this wilderness season that They’ve led me into, and I've been reading a lot about how God has historically used the desert places in the lives of Their children. In the process, I'm learning the power of awe and praise-filled worship of God in all Their glory.
Did you know that the wilderness miracles in the Old Testament began with the first worship song recorded in Scripture? The "Song of Moses" sung in Exodus 15 (and sung in the end times in Revelation 15) praised God for the miraculous parting of the Red Sea.
As the book The Wilderness: Where Miracles Are Born states, "Worship turns a wilderness into an oasis of the supernatural... Worship always sets the stage for miracles. When the people worship, God comes out of hiding and shows His miracle power. It is amazing how worship triggers the supernatural release of heaven upon earth. As the people of God move from bondage into freedom, expect to hear singing along the way."
My friends, worship invites supernatural power into the wilderness seasons of our lives.
As the authors, Brian and Candice Simmons, go on to say, "In our wilderness we tend to be so self-focused and consumed with our needs. But true worship is the worship of God, not just singing about our needs or our blessings. Worship is God focused, taking us out of our need into the glory fire of who He is and what He has done for us. Worship will release miracles in your life!" I couldn't agree more.
Like Moses sang, what does it mean to have the Lord as your strong defender and song? Divine strength and spiritual song are inseparable, and when we find ways to stand in awe of who God is, our hearts are strengthened and naturally turned to praise.
Usually, a worship song comes to mind and pours out of me from my spirit. Certain songs speak to my heart of God and bring me into that place of focused worship, songs that light a fire in my mind, body, and soul for God. I listen to these songs on repeat (aka "soaking"), so they naturally pop out of my memories when my heart needs a song.
I call this soaking music: music that invites our hearts and souls into awe of the glory of God and begs to be played on repeat. Songs that give you "the spiritual feels." My faith has grown in direct proportion to how much time I've been soaking in the Word and these songs, strengthening my trust muscles and awareness of God's presence.
In response to the Holy Spirit's prompting, I've been building playlists of soaking music on Spotify for years. As part of the #lotolistens collection, it is my pleasure and honor to share these same songs with you in hopes that they will also help you soak in the glory of God.
I've never been more grateful for these curated playlists than now, not only in my own wilderness season in Mexico but in my Mom's. As she has been grappling with her recent cancer diagnosis, these same songs have been life-giving to her spirit:
"The "Abide in Me" playlist has proven an anchor for me as I navigate the gut-punch of ovarian cancer and pray over the path forward. It plays on repeat in the reminders and comfort of God's presence with me through it all. I have sequestered myself with Jesus as He speaks His peace and "dances" over me and I watch the ways He is already dazzling me with His glory." - Pam
May YHWH’s face shine upon you and give you peace this week.
With love,
Jennifer
PS- Do you have a song that gives you the "spiritual feels"? Please share those with us in The Collective 🪷 communities on WhatsApp and Facebook in the #lotolistens chat thread.
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You are loved beyond all measure by the Creator of the universe 💚 His glory is on display for us across creation.
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