Reason to Praise Him

As it is the last of the letters of the Apostle Paul in the Brit Chadashah (New Testament) before the Book of Revelation, it may just be accurately fit to be a benediction. But it is much more than just a benediction, it is a HIGH praise TO THE ONE...to the only God our Savior, through Yeshua the Messiah our Lord....be glory, majesty, power and authority....

(The above passage is taken from a Translation that is becoming my favorite, the Tree of Life Version- because it restores the Jewish roots and Yeshua's Hebrew Name. I feel like I am in the Holy Land when I read it.)

Speaking of HIGH PRAISE: You can't get higher than BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD.

Rev. 7:9-12

After these things I looked, and behold, a vast multitude that no one could count—from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues—was standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation belongs to our God, 

who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!”

And all the angels were standing around the throne, along with the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying,

“Amen, blessing and glory 

and wisdom and thanksgiving 

and honor and power and might 

belong to our God forever and ever. 

Amen!”

Check out Voice of the Shepherd Worship website: listen-downloads and listen to #1 Behold the Lamb of God...

We have always thought of it as an ANTHEM or close to High Praise...and our Voice of the Shepherd Worship FB page

Baruch Hashem!!!

 

One thing that I think we have learned as Voice of the Shepherd (Worship) music group is that when God speaks to us; He doesn't have to speak loudly; we hear the "still small voice" and as His flock, the sheep of His pasture, we follow Him. And that is how the making of the song of "Voice of the Shepherd" was prophesied and how it naturally also became the name of the group that the Lord had put together.

It was at Tikvat Y'Israel in Cleveland, Ohio, actually in Beachwood, was the first time that I met Jeff and become aware of the Messianic movement. Tikvat had been holding services there or at another church that the congregation rented on Shabbat for services. Jeff had been there from the beginning and William came along at least a year or so before I did. You can find videos of Jeff and William, only a month or before I started to attend and by the following May, joined in leading worship music on Erev Shabbat...You can watch them at https://voiceoftheshepherdworship.com/live-concerts

How did I get to be at Tikvat Y'Israel and become involved in this wonderful ministry of Voice of the Shepherd? Well, it was when I was "going through a valley" in my life and I had been in music ministry as His Love Ministries (duet), church solos and even 5 years of serving nursing home ministry. I was driving to work and had just parked while listening to the song, "The Love of God" by Marty Goetz on our local radio station, WCRF in Cleveland (a Moody Broadcasting Station) and the announcer, our beloved Bob Devine, spoke after the song completed. "That is our dear brother, Marty Goetz, he is a Messianic Jew"...instinctively, though I had never heard of that title or description before, I exclaimed, "Praise God!!!" for I knew that meant that Marty was a Jewish believer in Yeshua. I heard about the concert at a place called "Tikvat Y'Israel Messianic Synagogue" and made plans to go with a dear christian couple. Don and Cindy and I got there just in time. The place was packed and they had JUST placed three seats in the front row...well, I could hardly believe my eyes that WE were being seated in those three chairs!!! Before sitting down, I exclaimed aloud (yep, there she goes again!!! lol) "Praise God and that last SHALL BE first". Well, when you just have to PRAISE GOD, you should just do it; holding it in can hurt you!!!

I had gotten Marty's cassettes of his albums (yes, pre-CDs, pre-digital players, pre-itunes) and I think that I was beginning to wear out a few of them so I was so happy to be able to purchase some new ones and on CD no less!!! One thing that you might know if you don't know Marty Goetz is that he has an angelic voice and a psalmist's heart and to be sitting so close that I could almost look up his nostrils (sorry, Marty; it really was pleasant), was a great blessing.

I was already on my journey of learning about WORSHIP when I began to understand that God will use any and all willing vessels; after all we are all just "jars of clay" in the Master's Hand and if we are His servants, He will use us to bless and guide others. Marty had been chosen to guide me that night. But like hearing the Shepherd's voice, we must be wanting to "listen". I had been in music ministry; choirs, solos, duets, groups (in contemporary, classical, sacred and even Southern Gospel) for many years. Worship music was new to me. As a budding songwriter, (I had written a few ditties for friends and a few praise choruses) I loved Marty's rendition of the Psalms; they "comforted my soul", I got to share that with him. It was at another church that I felt the calling and commission to "lead worship". It was when Marty was singing "And to behold the Beauty of the Lord, the beauty of the Lord, you're beautiful, My Lord". ("One Thing I have asked of the Lord", from the "I call you friend" album) that I had to quickly turn my head away, averting my eyes, partly in slight embarrassment, part in deep reverence and I whispered "Oh, Lord, I can't look upon him, he is LOVING You!"...and I heard that still small voice reply "How will they know how to worship Me unless they see it?". I gulped. My fate was sealed. My destiny, confirmed.

Worship leading and songwriting has seemed to go hand in hand. I am yet asked to lead a worship song or prayer that I have "written", on the cuff as they say and it is a great joy to have been given that gift and even greater joy to use it. But some of the greatest blessings I have with Voice of the Shepherd is the wonderful synergy; an energy and connection that happens in a songwriting team when collaborators just "flow" together. It happens in leading worship also. We have become attuned with the Spirit of God and then listening with musically and spiritually enlightened ears (for music of the faith that is) collaboration can happen in ways that very few people may experience in life. I've often said that singing, leading worship and songwriting have been and will always when I feel the "most alive", and I think that is because I am working the gifts that I have been given and seeing the fruit that only God can grow in us when we yield to Him. 

I also learned that you don't need to know about the personal life of a songwriting partner. Jeff will confirm that we probably we may not even know as much personal information about each other as most acquaintances. But I have to THANK GOD for this most pure musical/spiritual partnership that I have ever had with anyone in my life. A songwriting partnership is rare; a good one is even more rare. The joy of songwriting and leading worship for me has always been and always will be absolute magic, the power of the Holy Spirit to use two "jars of clay", then three when we joined together as Voice of the Shepherd, to do things that we did not know that we were capable of doing. And honestly, I 'm pretty sure that "we don't think" about it; we just love God, follow the teaching and example of Yeshua and serve humankind with the LOVE of GOD. What comes out; is what the Lord has put in us and what we have dedicated to Him and His service.

Why is the group called "Voice of the Shepherd"? It is fittingly named because we desire to write songs and sing The Word of God in music..we want to hear His Voice...and we hope that in listening to our music, you will hear His Voice as well.

May the Blessings that only come through Yeshua, Our Messiah be yours now and for always.

Purity of heart, mind and soul

Well, this is a little story about "hearing the voice of THE Shepherd"...

It all happened about the time we, Voice of the Shepherd started singing and ministering together. Maybe even before we had written any songs together. Perhaps only a month after we began serving in worship music at Erev Shabbat (Evening Sabbath) Service. We had led the worship music that Friday night service and always had a time of fellowship (Oneg) with coffee and cookies, etc afterward. But this time, I was needing to get on the road but just had to briefly fellowship with my mishpocah (family). While making my apologies for my hasty exit, and only after giving hugs and kisses to Papa Max (Mordecai Kuritsky, Holocaust survivor and exemplary human being) and Mary, his girlfriend (Marie Thomas) and other "family" and friends, I rushed out to spend the weekend at a Christian retreat with a dear sister from our Messianic Congregation. It was held at a State Park; one place where we later observed Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) so it was around October and the crisp winter air was threatening to bring in some snow. It was a 30 minute drive from our Congregation and I was a bit tired, driving in an unfamiliar heavily wooded part of Northeast Ohio at night, alone, and I couldn't wait to find my friend and my bunk and settle in for the night.

I had packed an overnight case and I was carrying a large glass baking dish filled with cherry cheesecake as I walked toward the "meeting room". The roaring fireplace crackled, the warm glow welcomed me as I heard sweet praise and worship music being played; very similar to many songs that we had shared with our congregation in worship or in intimate times of worship, alone with the Lord. I had hardly entered into the damply lit and seemingly very full room when I was struck by the vision of a large Cross with a large wooden basin and towel at its base. I stood mesmerized. I felt called. I quickly realized that I was holding onto so much that I needed to set down so I could get to the foot of the Cross. My Lord Yeshua, hung and died on the Cross; and the wooden bowl and roughly cut linen towel laid there at its base, beckoned me to use it to serve. Hastily setting my things down, throwing off my winter coat and kicking off my heels, I ran to the foot of the cross, cradled the rustic vessel of service in my arms and put the towel over my arm. With tears streaming down my face from a heart that was bursting forth with love and worship, I was ready to wash my Savior's feet. It was then that I heard...

                     "You can't wash your brother's feet with dirty hands"...

I have heard what I believed (and still do) to be the Voice of our God before and this sounded and felt the same, but was I being chastised or was this a word of instruction or perhaps a spiritual teaching?  At that moment, I had no thought of harm or ill will or "dirty hands" that I could have...but intense self-reflection took over and my tears flowed as I prayed that I may have and keep "clean hands and a pure heart" I would be honored to give my life to service to the Most High God. (Psalm 24:3-4 -Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...)

I wondered if I was possibly feeling just a little bit of what Mary might have felt as she washed Yeshua's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. My hungry soul, streaming tears out of a heart bursting with love. I wept and yearned to wash His feet... feeling so unworthy, yet feeling so honored. I clung to the bowl and towel, like soaking in the presence of a loved one whom we rarely see, visiting from a far away country, not even giving thought to retiring no matter how tired or how long day had been; I did not want it to end. 

Later, the next day, a beautiful Shabbat day for us Messianic believers. It was and still is and always will be; the day of rest set apart by the Lord God for the Children of Israel (and we believe ALL who love the Lord and worship Him, Deuteronomy 5:12 says “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you.) I found myself peacefully alone with the Lord "in worship" and prayer and meditation while familiar worship music played. Prayerfully, I glanced at a table full of percussion instruments. I had been praying for months for an instrument to accompany my voice in leading the congregation into praise and worship. I asked the Lord again as I walked toward the table. Looking over all the percussion instruments, I picked up one after another, moving, shaking or touching each one, but it wasn't until I picked up the tambourine that I knew it was "mine". Confirmation actually came out of the mouth of a dear sister who, seeing it in my hand remarked, "The Lord has anointed you to play the tambourine" and to that, all I could say was "PRAISE GOD!!!" The tambourine and I was inseparable; except for a well deserved night's rest that is.

On the Sunday before we left this place of refuge and wonder, we gathered to dance in praise- filled worship when our favorite Messianic worship music began playing. We naturally formed a circle, even though only my friend and myself may have really known the music and the joyfulness of the praise that all the women in attendance seemed to welcome with such open hearts and spirits. It was the worship music of Paul Wilbur and his songs from Shalom Jerusalem. (DVD/CD, must see!!!) Roni Roni Bat Zion...Rejoice O Daughter of Zion. We danced the hora as I fervently played the tambourine as if I had been playing it all my life. Maybe that was when my worshipful spirit, like Miriam, you know, Moses's sister, who led praise and worship with the tambourine, became a real vehicle for service and ministry in my life. Speaking of rejoicing greatly, Listen to Rejoice Greatly #2 here , a song that the Lord gave me from Zechariah 9:9. I was a worshiper and now I had the instrument; apart from my voice and spirit could be used to call others into the intimacy with the Lord. This was not my only confirmation of worship ministry. Our friend, Marty Goetz, was instrumental to me personally (as well as to Voice of the Shepherd) in bringing a word from the Lord to me; more about that in a later blog post.

But what about "You can't wash your brother's feet with dirty hands"? Let me thankfully say that it was a word from God that I took with me from that retreat and I hold it continually in my heart to this day...I cried out for it's meaning in my life; but somehow, I felt that I knew. 

• We can't ascend to the Hill of the Lord, His Holy Place, without having clean hands and a pure heart.

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Who may stand in his holy place? 

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not trust in an idol

or swear by a false god.

Psalm 24:3-4

• With having and keeping cleaned hands and a pure heart, we are ready to serve.

Many peoples will come and say, 

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, 

to the temple of the God of Jacob. 

He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."

The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 

Isaiah 2:3

• Maybe a pure heart proceeds clean hands. It must be God's grace, that perhaps as we present and submit ourselves to the Lord's work, we lovingly wash my brother's feet, (of course, in a figurative, not literal way, preferring them to ourselves), that our own hands are cleansed. He "take(s) what is common and makes it Holy". (song # 4 -Jars of Clay)

I'm so thankful for the Grace of God; the Love of Messiah Yeshua and the patient teaching of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).  As we say in the Messianic Congregation; HALLELUJAH...or Baruch Hashem!!!! (Blessed be THE Name) 

Please visit us online at:  Voice of the Shepherd Worship.com. This link will take you to our Listen-Download page where you can listen and freely download our music. 

Thanks for allowing me to share this story of encouragement and hope with you; I pray that you will find it helpful in your walk with the Lord...

Your sister in Messiah, always,

Denise aka Miriam (LOL)

Voice of the Shepherd