Christian Meditation for A Bigger Life with Pastor Dave Cover
Christian Meditation can help refocus your mind and recalibrate your body to get the stress, anxiety and anger out of your heart and out of your body. Spend about 23 minutes to "be still" with God as each episode uses a different biblical image to e...
Recent Episodes
The Uncomfortable Claim in God’s Name | Exodus 34:5-8
32:18 | 06-22-2021
We're missing something big about God when we miss God's name, when we don't understand the importance of God's name, when God's name doesn't come to our mind when we think about God. When Moses asked God to show him his glory, God basically said “No, it would kill you right now because you’re too sinful. But I’ll do the next best thing. I’ll proclaim to you my name.” Then God gives a description of his name in Exodus 34:5-8. And there is an uncomfortable claim in that description that we’ll talk about in this episode. This is the third and final of a three-episode look into what God says about his name in the book of Exodus. (Listen at 1.5 speed for a better experience.) Exodus 33:18–20 NIV 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Exodus 34:5–8 NIV Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. There are two ways the word Lord appears in your English Old Testament: 1. “Lord” — Lord This an English translation of the Hebrew Title Adonai (Lord). Ruler. Master. Owner. King. 2. “Lord” — YHWH — Yahweh This an English translation of the Hebrew name for God — YHWH — which most biblical scholars pronounce YAHWEH. When Moses first meets God in the burning bush, Moses asks God his name, and God answers… Exodus 3:14–15 NIV God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
Experiencing God’s Glory In His Name| Exodus 33-34
23:48 | 06-17-2021
When Moses asked God to show him his glory, God basically said “No, it would kill you right now because you’re too sinful. But I’ll do the next best thing. I’ll proclaim to you my name.” This side of our coming resurrection, the closest thing we have to seeing God’s glory is to understand his name. When God wants to give his people a name that best captures who he is in a way we can most understand the infinite, he says I AM the I AM, HE IS is my name forever” (Exodus 3:14-15). Understanding God’s name will empower us to live in his glory more and more until the day we’re able to see it for ourselves with resurrection eyes. This is the second of a three-episode look into what God says about his name in the Old Testament book of Exodus. (Listen at 1.5 speed for a better experience.) There are two ways the word Lord appears in your English Old Testament: 1. “Lord” — Lord This an English translation of the Hebrew Title Adonai (Lord). Ruler. Master. Owner. King. 2. “Lord” — YHWH — Yahweh This an English translation of the Hebrew name for God — YHWH — which most biblical scholars pronounce YAHWEH. When Moses first meets God in the burning bush, Moses asks God his name, and God answers… Exodus 3:14–15 NIV God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” Exodus 33:18–20 NIV 18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” 19 And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Exodus 34:5–8 NIV Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. Romans 3:23 NIV For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. John 17:24 NIV Father, I want those (also believe through their message) you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory. Revelation 21:10–11 NIV …Coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God. Ps 16:11 – “In your presence fullness of joy” forever. Romans 5:2 ESV ...We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 8:18 NIV I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 1 John 3:2–3 NIV Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV And we all, who … contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a...
Do You Pray Using God’s Name? | Exodus 3:14-15
24:15 | 06-15-2021
Who is God? What comes to your mind when you think of God? Author A. W. Tozer said it this way in his book, Knowledge of the Holy: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Let me state it differently, what comes into your mind when you think of God will determine everything else in your life. How you answer that question “Who is God?” will completely define you. But don’t go by your own intuition to answer that question. That’s part of the problem, not the solution. To know the real God, you need to shape your view of God by what God has revealed about himself. And the first thing God reveals about himself to the first author of Scripture was that God has a name. This is the first of a three-episode look into what God says about his name in the Old Testament book of Exodus. (Listen at 1.5 speed for a better experience.) There are two ways the word Lord appears in your English Old Testament: 1. “Lord” — Lord This an English translation of the Hebrew Title Adonai (Lord). Ruler. Master. Owner. King. 2. “Lord” — YHWH — Yahweh This an English translation of the Hebrew name for God — YHWH — which most biblical scholars pronounce YAHWEH. When Moses first meets God in the burning bush, Moses asks God his name, and God answers… Exodus 3:14–15 NIV God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” Isaiah 57:15 ESV “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.” God says in Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Exodus 15:3 NIV The LORD is his name. (Yahweh) Psalms 68:4 NIV His name is the LORD. (Yahweh) C.S. Lewis (Beyond Personality) God has infinite attention, infinite leisure to spare for each one of us. He doesn't have to take us in the line. You're as much alone with Him as if you were the only thing He'd ever created. Psalm 8:1 ESV O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Psalm 9:10 ESV And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 33:21 ESV For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Psalm 75:1 ESV We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. Psalm 148:5 ESV Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
Why You Really Do Want to Embrace Thankfulness | Psalm 100
22:28 | 06-10-2021
A sobering reality in the Bible is the importance of having a heart of gratitude and thanksgiving rather than complaining. It's always surprised me how one of the “big” sins in the Bible is grumbling. Complaining. And one of the pillars of a biblical faith is having a heart of thanks toward God. Actively. Willfully. That's what Psalms of thanksgiving do for me. Like Psalm 100. They’re like those bumpers in the gutters for little kids to learn to bowl. They guide my prayers like a bowling ball to the pins. They help me put my heart where I want it to be with God. And they provide vocabulary for me that I can learn to use as I view my life vertically. Let’s do that now in this episode. Psalm 100 ESV A PSALM FOR GIVING THANKS. 1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
Keeping Yourself Inside this Amazing Story | Psalm 98
21:30 | 06-08-2021
What always amazes me in the Psalms is how they consistently and poetically capture the bigger story this world is in. All throughout the Psalms, God is giving us a glimpse of the future, and it strengthens my faith to see how the Bible has always been giving us this bigger story of what God is doing. I want to be in that story. I don't want to get hijacked by all the other dead-end stories screaming at me — everybody else's cause — everybody else's new idea that's not new at all. I don't want to get sucked into these pseudo stories and miss the bigger story that has been foreshadowed in the Bible, Like here in Psalm 98. And what helps me stay in this story is to meditate on and pray through these important biblical passages. Let’s do that now in this episode. Psalm 98 ESV 1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
The Power of Music Part 2 - House Worship Recording with Crossing Music | Psalm 16
38:11 | 06-03-2021
In our last episode we discussed Psalm 98 about the power of singing and music in worship. God has created this universe, and created music to be a powerful expression of beauty, goodness, truth, and transcendence. Music is grounded in who God is. So you will never be able to worship God as fully as he intends without learning to worship through music and singing. It is embedded with God’s power to effect immediate change in our lives. This episode is the audio of a Facebook live recording our A Bigger Life team did recently with singing and discussion around Psalm 16. In a sense it was a live recording session for A Bigger Life. We intended it to be an episode that you can save and can come back to from time to time to help you worship through music and singing. King of My Heart: By: Steffany Gretzinger & Bethel Music Let the King of my heart Be the mountain where I run The fountain I drink from Oh, He is my song Let the King of my heart Be the shadow where I hide The ransom for my life Oh, He is my song 'Cause You are good You are good, oh oh (Repeat) And let the King of my heart Be the wind inside my sails The anchor in the waves Oh oh, He is my song Let the King of my heart Be the fire inside my veins The echo of my days Oh oh, He is my song Let the King of my heart Be the wind inside my sails The anchor in the waves Oh oh, He is my song Let the King of my heart Be the fire inside my veins The echo of my days Oh, He is my song 'Cause You are good You are good, oh oh (Repeat) You're never gonna let You're never gonna let me down And You're never gonna let You're never gonna let me down (Repeat) Oh 'cause You are good You are good, oh oh 'Cause You are good You are good, oh oh 'Cause You are good You are good, oh oh Psalm 16 ESV 1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” Great Are You Lord By: All Sons & Daughters You give life, You are love You bring light to the darkness You give hope, You restore Every heart that is broken And great are You, Lord It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise We pour out our praise It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise to You only You give life, You are love You bring light to the darkness You give hope, You restore Every heart that is broken Great are You, Lord It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise We pour out our praise It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise to You only (Repeat) And all the earth will shout Your praise Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing Great are You, Lord And all the earth will shout Your praise Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing Great are You, Lord And all the earth will shout Your praise Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing Great are You, Lord It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise We pour out our praise It's Your breath in our lungs So we pour out our praise to You only (Repeat) Psalm 16 ESV 8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. Heart Is Glad By: Crossing Music with Aaron Strumpel I have set the Lord always before me Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken Keep me safe, my God; I have come to You, I have come to You for refuge. Keep me safe, my God; I have come to You, I have come to You for refuge Is it any wonder that my heart is glad? Is it any wonder that my heart is glad? I rejoice. You alone, O God,...
The Power of Music - Interview with Scott Johnson | Psalm 98
49:18 | 06-01-2021
When we actually pay attention to what the Bible says about singing and music, we discover that music is a powerful force in God’s universe. When we worship through song, something happens in us that doesn’t happen through mere words spoken or heard. In this episode on Psalm 98, I interview Scott Johnson, who has served as one of our co-directors of worship at the church I pastor for 21 years. He’s passionate about worship and he knows his stuff. And I think you’ll gain a new level of respect for the role God wants for music in your life and worship. Psalm 98 ESV 1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! 5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! 8 Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together 9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
Our Conflicted Reaction That God is Holy | Psalm 99
38:28 | 05-27-2021
When you worship God as holy, it brings a kind of fear that also brings a kind of joy. There’s a reason why Jesus told us in the Lord’s Prayer that the first thing you’re to pray for is that you would see and experience God’s name as holy (“Hallowed be your name”). Your experience of God’s holiness in worship anchors your life vertically. It’s like putting on corrective glasses for the first time. You see things so much more vividly and clearly than before! Psalm 99 is an important psalm to help you see and experience God’s holiness in worship. And you can do it right now in this episode. Psalm 99 ESV 1 The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! 3 Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he! 5 Exalt the LORD our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he! 8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings. 9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy! Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
Light and Life and Joy from Right Worship | Psalm 97
31:32 | 05-25-2021
The battle line in our lives is always at our worship. As human beings created for living in God’s glory and love, we are always worshiping. Worship is when we ascribe the highest worth and worth-it-ness to someone or something in our hearts and minds. That’s ultimately what prayer is all about, worshiping God “in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24). That’s what brings light and life and joy into our lives. While flawed worship brings greater anxiety and discontentment. Psalm 97 is a great psalm to refocus our worship on the life and light and joy-giving I AM. Let’s do it now. Psalm 97 ESV 1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! 5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. 7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods! 9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked. 11 Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name! Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.
A Meditation on Jesus as the I AM | John 6:20
26:34 | 05-20-2021
We learn from the order of The Lord’s Prayer that Jesus saw prayer as worship. And one significant key to learning to worship in Spirit and truth (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%204%3A23-24&version=NIV (John 4:23-24)) without imaginative meditation on biblical images and phrases. Jesus’s I AM phrases in the Gospel of John are such images and phrases. When we use our imagination to meditate on these images and phrases, we’ll experience how powerful worshipful meditation can be in our lives. Have you tried it? Let’s do it in this podcast episode using these images of Jesus as the I AM in John. John 6:16–20 NIV 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” (Literally in the Greek: “I am; don’t be afraid.”) John 8:24 ESV “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (Literally in the Greek: “...believe that I am you will die in your sins.”) John 8:28–32 NIV 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even as he spoke, many believed in him. 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Literally in the Greek: “...then you will know that I am and…”) John 8:58–59 ESV 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. John 18:4–8 NIV 4 “Who is it you want?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he.” (Literally in Greek in all three occurrences it’s just “I am.”) Follow Dave Cover on Twitter https://twitter.com/davecover (@davecover) Follow A Bigger Life on Twitter https://twitter.com/abiggerlifepod (@ABiggerLifePod) This podcast is a ministry of https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ (The Crossing), a church in Columbia, Missouri, a college town where the flagship campus of the University of Missouri is located. Like this content? Make sure to share it with others and leave us a rating, so others can find it too.