Truth from the Heart

Psalm 3:

1O LORD, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
2Many are saying of my soul,
"There is no deliverance for him in God." Selah.
3But You, O LORD, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
4I was crying to the LORD with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah.
5I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustains me.
6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.
7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.

Psalm 3
Mary Beth Hough

Verse 1:
Arise, O LORD!
Come rescue me!

Arise, O LORD!
Come rescue me!

Verse 2:
The enemy pursues me.
He says, "You won't break free."

Arise, O LORD!
Come rescue me!

Chorus:
You are a shield about me,
My Glory,
and the Lifter of my head!

You are a shield about me,
My Glory,
and the Lifter of my head.
You lift up my head!

Verse 3:
I lay down and sleep,
for You're watching over me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousand enemies!

Chorus

Bridge:
Salvation, Salvation, Salvation belongs to the LORD.
My Salvation, Salvation, Salvation belongs to the LORD.

Salvation, Salvation, Salvation belongs to the LORD.
My Salvation, Salvation, Salvation belongs to the LORD.



Honesty. Transparency. Realness. This is what God desires.

Psalm 51:6: "Behold, you desire truth in the innermost place--You teach me wisdom in the secret heart."

Jesus said, "God is Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

The Lord didn't say true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in striving or in Spirit and in obligation. He said, "Spirit and in truth." There is something so beautiful with this thought for me. Jesus is talking of God the Father desiring worshipers who will worship Him in Spirit and truth. One requirement is that we must have the Spirit of God living in us to worship Him--His Spirit that is given only through accepting Jesus' payment for sin in our place and believing that He is alive now. Then, the second component in this marriage is to worship Him in truth. In the context of why Jesus is saying this, the Samaritan woman at the well has just asked Him about where is the correct place to worship God. Jesus goes to the heart of the matter, by saying (essentially), "Woman, it's not the place. It's that you are marked by Me and sealed with My Spirit and that you are honest enough to let me change you." Why it is that I think (I could be wrong) Jesus says this is because the Samaritan woman, like me, has junk in her life. It needs to be dealt with, and the only way that happens is through communicating honestly with God--letting Him meet us where we are.

For so long, I believed that God wanted me to fake it. I thought He wanted a good and righteous outward appearance. More than that, I thought that God wasn't able to accept how much I have failed. I have failed His expectations--but, most of them were my expectations. Deep down, I believed that He was seriously disappointed in me. I was simply too much. Since the time that Jesus ambushed me, His grace has given me a glimmer of hope that maybe God really does love me. And maybe, just maybe, He can change all things.

God can see right through my failed attempts to please Him; my failed attempts to fake it; my failed attempts to be right before Him; my failed attempts to find the significance that I so desire. And, attempt I do everyday. Many moments throughout my day I make these vain attempts.

The truth: I need Jesus. I need Him. I need the Son of God, who alone is able to save me. I need Him to continuously save me; redeem my false ideas of God; and cut to my core...for that's the kind of worship that the Father wants: Spirit and His truth from the core.

These are pictures of the mountains of Israel. I pray that Israel, you may live forever! You, whom the LORD loves.



One of the most beloved Psalms of all time (besides Psalm 23) is Psalm 121. This is one of the Songs of the Ascents--most commonly thought of as a song sung by Israelite pilgrims making a journey to Jerusalem in order to celebrate the feasts unto the Lord.

I have struggled to rest upon the right sound and the right lyrics for Psalm 3. So, one night, at the suggestion of a father-like mentor, I just opened the Word to Psalm 121; started to play my guitar; I sang. This is what came.

Oh, how I want the Word to live on the inside of me in such a way that these Words would be more than mere words. I want them to be alive within me--piercing to the bone and to the marrow. For, God's Word is alive, and He is alive and well. I pray that this psalm would spur you on to the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. May you know Your keeper is watching over you.

Psalm 121 (NASB)

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun will not smite you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will protect you from all evil;
He will keep your soul.
8 The LORD will guard your going out and your comin in
From this time forth and forever.

(FOREVER!!! PRAISE YESHUA! My note: Emphasis added)

Psalm 121
Mary Beth Hough

Verse 1:
I lift my eyes up to the hills,
where does my help come from?

I lift my eyes up to the hills,
where does my help come from?

(Repeat)

Verse 2:
My help comes from the LORD above,
Maker of Heaven and Earth.

My help comes from the LORD above,
Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Chorus:
You will not let my foot slip--
You do not slumber.

You are my shade by night and day.
You are my strength, forever.

(Repeat Verse 1 and Verse 2)

Bridge:
You are watching over me!
You are watching over me!
You keep watch over me!

You're the guarder of my way!
You're the guarder of my soul!
You are keeper, watcher of my soul!

Repeat Verse 1

How much we need to know Him...in every changing season, in every uncertain territory, He is our help. May our hearts lift up to Him.

I was made for another world. I was made for another world. I was made for another world.

My mind has been constantly thinking.

God's pursuit of man is ridiculous; the way that I defend my sin is despicable; my unwillingness to lose control is futile. I can fight the surrender, but it makes for a miserable experience: Because all of my efforts amount to pride--an unreasonable trust that I am able to satisfy myself. But, I can't.

I am a well--a deep, yet finite chasm that longs to be filled.

Proverbs 4:23
"Above all else guard your heart, for from it flow the springs of life."

Proverbs 20:5
"The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out."

Psalm 42:7
"Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me."

There is only one whose glory has such a weight that the chasm becomes complete.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

The consuming nature of God's love is something that the more and more that I come to the LORD in keeping remembrance of the gospel, the more and more I "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Ps. 34:8).

Fire consumes. It's deadly. It burns.
It ruins houses, strips forests, and can bring great devestation. But, it is also a natural part of nature's course. It is actually ecologically needed to sustain this world in which we live. We can't live without fire, liturally and metaphorically...the heat, the passion, or the renewal that it brings.

There has been fire in my day...but, the fire has been in the form of what Paul writes as "flaming arrows of the evil one" (Ephesians 6:16). I was feeling useless, ineffective, tired, and confused. Why was this happening? Why do I feel so dreary? What's the matter with me? Why can't I be stronger?

My good friend said to me, "This is the anthem for the rest of my life: I fail, but the Cross is greater."

Today, I was realizing my failure: my failure to believe, my failure to hope, my failure to pray, and my failure to trust in the work of Christ to save me from my tormenting selfishness.

So, this is why I post this:



Jesus. Crucified. The Son of God absorbing the wrath of the Father who loved Him. For me. For me.

Oh, let my anthem be:
"Here I am without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me.
And, Thou hast bid me come to Thee...
OH, LAMB OF GOD, I COME."

Psalm 2 (ESV)

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against His anointed, saying,
3 'Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.'

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the LORD holds them in derision.
5 Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury saying,
6 'As for Me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.'

7 I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, 'You are My Son; today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest He be angry, and you perish in the way,
for His wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

***Okay, so that God would even invite us to know the Son, to kiss the Son with our allegiance is brilliant and wonderful to me! What a God! Oh, let us not delay our kiss upon Him who is worthy!

My Song:
Psalm 2

(This is probably my favorite song that the LORD has given me a melody and words for recently.)

Verse 1:
We, in foolish pride,
Stood against the LORD.
We took the yoke for our good
And tore it all apart.

Chorus:
Now, we're without protection
Before a Righteous God.
We deserve to be consumed
In the fury of His wrath!

Verse 2:
God has walked among us
To find is there's any blameless left.
There's no one who does good--
No, not even one.

Chorus:
Now, we're without protection
Before a Righteous God.
We deserve to be consumed
In the fury of His wrath!

Verse 3:
The issue of the LORD,
to the sons of man:
"I've delivered a Holy Son!
Now, take refuge in Him!"

Chorus 2:
Now, we have protection
before a Righteous God!
And, now we deserve to be consumed
in the fury of His love!

Now, we have protection
before a Righteous God!
And, now we deserve to be consumed
in the fury of His love!

Psalm 1 (ESV)

1Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers. 4The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1
Composed by: Mary Beth Hough

Verse 1:
How blessed is the man who knows You (who knows You)
How blessed is the man who knows You as LORD (who knows You as LORD)

He will not stand in the counsel of the wicked (in the counsel of the wicked)
He will not go in the way of sinners (in the way of sinners)

Chorus:
You are the Keeper
You are the Keeper,
YAHWEH

You are the Keeper
You are the Keeper
Of my way

Verse 2:
His delight is in You (is in You)
On Your law he meditates day and night (day and night)

He is like a tree, whose leaves never wither (never wither)
His color remains a lively green (lively green)

Chorus

Bridge:
The LORD regards the way of the righteous
The LORD esteems the way of the righteous

Chorus


That's the song! I wish that I had the ability right now to post it in video form so that you could actually hear what it sounds like. But, Lord willing, that will come later.

1 Psalm down. 149 more to go. But, I will enjoy this process.

Blog Project.

Look at this broken piano. The ivory keys are broken. There are some that are still worth saving, but others that look like they've seen their last days.

Some of the keys are so beaten down, but others stand upright. If one were to play the keys of this piano, it is likely that the tune would match its appearence.

I think that this picture is a mirror image of me in some respects. I, too, have been played. Some of my keys have been so beaten; others stand upright. The voice that I sing with, though I believe would be in better tune than this piano, comes from a broken instrument. But, it is true that most instruments with age and wear are those very ones that produce the best sound...they've been around and they've seen and they've played. They've sang, they've cried, and they've been loved.

Look again at this picture. The lighting of it is beautiful. Because of the light, the piano, though broken, is attractive, intriguing, and distinguished. There is something in me that says, Oh, but this piano will play again!

My project: To be like this piano...broken but touched by the Light...and make music.

As I have been spending more time in the Songs of God's Word, I really want to know what it means to worship the Lord...moment to moment, day in and day out, and with each breath that I take.

So, in order to accomplish this project, I am creating for myself the task of writing songs from the Psalms. I have begun with a song based on Psalm 1. There are 150 psalms. My deadline: December 31st, 2010.

I want to write a song for each Psalm. Now, pslams do not need to be reinterpreted: I am well aware. That is not my aim in the least. But, what I do hope to do is to compose music to the words that Israel sang in worship at feasts, in their homes most likely, and in their hearts to God. My hope is to bless others by merely singing God's word.

So, I am going to post the lyrics of the music, along with the Psalm...and I hope that at some point, that I can make videos and post them here.

Wherever this blog meets you in your journey, I would appreciate your feedback!

Today is a day to remember...a day to remember the Lord. His goodness, His promise, and His Life. I love that the Lord lives and reigns on High.

I have been studying the book of Hosea. Period.

In chapter four of the Text, and God's disdain and His broken heart for Israel is clear. At different times in the chapter, God speaks that Israel had "departed from the Lord," "forsaken the Lord," and "forgot the Law of God." And, what a question to ask myself throughout my day: Am I remembering the Lord? Am I remembering His law of liberty and His freeing commands? Is the Lord the first love of my heart?

Not in a way where I will constantly feel condemned under the weight of those questions, but so that I may depend more freely upon the Lord to draw me to Himself--let that be my prayer.

I am looking forward to this summer: Many things on the horizon! Exciting, too. In no particular order, I will be studying at school, working (Lord willing), recording a CD (Lord willing), spending time with a new guy in my life, and ministering to friends and family.

In everything, I call to remembrance God's Sovereignty, His unfailing and fathomless love, and how faithful and truthful He has been. I love You, Lord, with all of my heart and soul, and I want to love You more.

Dear friends, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength!

What is Garden Fellowship?

Everything exposed.
Known by the Creator.
That's it. And, there's nothing wrong with it.
The fellowship was breached by disobedience and fear.

There's so much to hide, right?
There's so much that's so wrong; it's easier.
It's easier to hide from Holiness.
Easier to run from True Love.

Garden fellowship was perfect.
And, Garden fellowship is perfect.
The road to return is treacherous...
But, fellowship without the Garden context is none at all.
If there's no Garden-like dwelling (the nakedness, the beauty, the vulnerability), then what is life?

It's simple!
It's glorious!
It's so crazy!
It's the heart of the Creator that is simple, glorious, and crazy.

Everything exposed.
Known by the Creator.
That's it. And, there's nothing wrong with it.

Do you want it?
I know that I do.
So, I am willing to return.
That's why I write on Garden Fellowship.
There's no more shame anymore. The breach has been filled!

By God, Himself...He became my disobedience. He became my fear.

That I might live in His glorious garden, and hear Him say...

"O you who sit in the gardens, My companions are listening for your voice--

LET ME HEAR IT!" (from the Song, that is Solomon's).

--Mary Beth Hough, May 5, 2010