Rhythm Series

We talked about Times, Seasons. Last week we learned about “Tempo” and today I would like to teach this message about Rhythm.

God has a rhythm. Everything has a rhythm. The universe has a rhythm. The planets in our solar system have a rhythm. The earth has a rhythm. The seas have a rhythm. The four seasons have a rhythm. Our bodies have a rhythm. Our heart has a rhythm. Our lungs have a rhythm.

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Example: Have the drummer follow this lead. God says, “Remember my rhythm”. Work six days; on that seventh day rest. Beat the drum hard for six beats then rest. Repeat a few times.

A repeating pattern of stresses, or of the presence or absence of sound, is called rhythm. Morse code works by assigning different letters of the alphabet to different rhythms. Rhythm is marked by the regulated succession of opposite elements. Rhythm is made up of sounds and silences. These sound and silences are put together to form patterns of sounds, which are repeated to create a rhythm.

A. God created our heartbeat (a heart with built in rhythm)

What is the heart? Most simply, it is the organ that pumps blood through the body. I read recently that physiologically each person’s heartbeat has its own unique pattern. Just as there are no two people exactly alike, no two hearts keep the exact same rhythm. The Bible refers to the heart as the driving will or innermost being.

Just as there are no two identical physiological heartbeats, so it is with how God made our spiritual hearts. Your spiritual heart possesses a unique emotional heartbeat that races when you encounter different cause, activities, subjects or circumstances. Instinctively, it seems there are some things we care deeply about and other things that don’t even turn our heads. Understanding this spiritual heartbeat is a part of the journey God has for us; it helps us understand God’s intention for our lives.

The Bible is full of stories that show how passion stirred calling. Solomon had a heart to be a wise ruler. Moses had a heart for his people. Nehemiah had a heart for Jerusalem. These are simply a few examples among many. What is your passion?

God created our heart and we need to find the right rhythm of our lives. We should discipline ourselves and learn to be in tune with the heartbeat of God.

Heart Rhythm Disorders

The primary function of the heart is to supply blood and nutrients to the body. The regular beating, or contraction, of the heart moves the blood throughout the body. Each heartbeat is controlled by electrical impulses traveling through the heart. In the normal heart these electrical impulses occur in regular intervals. When something goes wrong with the heart’s electrical system, the heart does not beat regularly. The irregular beating results in a rhythm disorder, or arrhythmia. Some Christians have spiritual arrhythmia in their lives because of a lack of discipline in prayer.

B. PRAYER is the heartbeat of our FAITH

The Apostle Paul’s command to “pray continually or without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Prayer in Jewish understanding is devotion that is in the heart. In its most basic form, prayer can be understood as pouring your heart out to God.

The Hebrew word for heart is lev (pronounced lay-v, Strong’s #3820). Lev means: inner man, mind, will, heart, and understanding. It speaks of the heart and soul of a man, the seat of our emotions and passions. In Genesis 8:21 we see God speaking “in His heart” and promising never again to curse the ground or destroy everything living again as He did in the flood.

God created our heart to function 24/7 without any conscious thought from us. We don’t will the heart to beat, we don’t beg it to, it simply beats…without ceasing. Similarly, we have burdens that are on our heart they don’t leave our heart just because we are not engaged in some form of prayer. Our loved ones stay on our heart, the concerns remain, the hopes and dreams remain. They are there with each and every beat of our heart.

Prayer is not only about asking…it’s about connecting to God. As we take a mental pause our mind and engage in prayer we can connect with God. This step is vital to our heart because it purposefully focuses our attention on the One who is able and willing to grant our request.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.