Tag: worship

Be My Vision, O LORD. Today

Jesus had no pointing finger—only arms stretched wide.
In silence.

Yielded.

His love letter to each of us was written with blood.

He rose from the dead. Ever-living.

In believing, we receive . . .

sight, salvation, freedom. Light. Hope.

Eternal life is given.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Dear Lord, we remind ourselves today Your never changing Good News.

I Am the LORD, I “will fight for you; you need only be still,”Exodus 14:14.

I Am the LORD, I “give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak,” Isaiah 40:29.

I Am the LORD, those who “hope in Me will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint,” Isaiah 40:31.

I Am the LORD, “So do not fear, for I am with you,” Isaiah 41:10.

Our Father in heaven, holy is Your name. We choose You, we are Your sons and daughters.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Remind us. Holy Spirit imprint on our minds, a picture of Jesus and His nail-pierced hands reaching out for each and every one of our sins.
For the sins of the entire world . . .

You willingly paid.

Give us the ears to hear Your words, throughout our day “Follow Me.”

And we respond, “I will follow You.”

We wait with great expectancy . . .
We choose to worship You now, and watch our anxieties flee. We choose to worship You Jesus, Be Thou our Vision. Restore Peace to our restless hearts.
Let us exalt the Lord as we take time to meditate and speak:

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

If I lose the world, but have You, I have the King of Heaven as my friend. No one can take that away. You are an ever-lasting love and hope.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
Be Thou My Vision, Irish Hymn, c.8th Century

As We Walk Through a Desert Place, We Will Praise

When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

Do we live in a desert place at this time? With a breeze of heat, discouragement, and pressures all around.

Let’s open God’s Word for a present help. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit as rushing wind to blow through our being. And let’s put on a garment of praise and take off our heavy attire.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” Isaiah 30:21.

“Walk in my Word. Breathe in your dry bones, My Spirit and life,” God ministers to my weary heart through His Spirit alive in me. I must receive it. And I will . . .

because,

I can wake up from a night’s sleep completely discouraged. Before my feet touch the ground, I have to put off garments of discouragement and put on faith.

The battle begins before I get out of bed in the morning!

Remember the word to Your servant, Upon which You have caused me to hope.  This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:49,50 are my kick out of bed to face a day with faith not dreariness.

This world is not my home. I have to remember that. God’s Word is a complete guide to all my needs, this moment and for all my days. My problem is, I must walk in the Truth of the God’s Word and be filled with His Spirit.

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:14,15.

This is my intro to a heart of praise.

“Wake up and rise. Allow Christ to shine on you.” I have a choice to do this or not. Am I to look at the desert terrain or the heavenly sky of hope?

Life giving counsel from God’s Word exhorts:

 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 

 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, . . . Ephesians 5 continues to instruct me in the way I must go for peace and joy in this day:

 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. 

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, (Ephesians 5:17-19).

Am I moaning my dry prayers to the Lord? Yes. But can I sing a refreshing hymn of comfort as well?

Yes. Today, from 1905, Cevilla D. Martin’s Eye on the Sparrow. Let’s speak, (or sing) it aloud. Yes, aloud:

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Refrain:
I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Now it makes sense. The Word of God must be obeyed. We can’t only read God’s Word on the page, we must act on what it speaks to me and you.

So today, I will think on a theme of hope. Speak a psalm or hymn.

Jesus is my portion. A constant Friend is He. His eye is on this sparrow. I know He’s watching me.

That’s how I can:

 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No matter what the circumstances might be, whether we are on a dry and tough trail, His Word is comfort and refreshing, as a drink of life to me:

“Comfort, Comfort my people, speak kindly to the people of Jerusalem. Tell them that their time of warfare is ended…This is a voice of a man who calls out:
“Prepare in the desert the way of the Lord. Make the road in the dry lands straight for our God . . . ” Isaiah 40 1-3.



 

Be Still

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth” Psalm 57:11.

God, the Creator of heaven and earth, our holy Father says to those who have ears to hear His voice today: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10.

 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously”Psalm 96:10.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” Psalm 96:4,5,6.

Active worship brings victory over anxiety.

We will lift our eyes vertical instead of horizontal. We will seek His face. We cry out for mercy, justice, truth, provision, and protection. And we worship Him:

 “Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth” Psalm 96:7-9.

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; . . .

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth” Psalm 96:11-13.

Amen! We will be still. God is faithful. Speak aloud

 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise . . .

I will awaken the dawn” Psalm 57:7,8.

Amen. We will worship while we wait.

We will overcome, because Jesus has overcome.

In His name we pray, Amen.

A walk with a hymn brings out a deep prayer within . . .

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;

When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, oh abide with me. Henry F. Lyte 1847.

Spoken aloud, as on an evening walk, though sitting in one place, with the Creator of the Universe, there comes a release of tension and a new focus of heart.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see— O Thou who chagest not, abide with me.

Loved ones in hospitals left alone, parents in nursing homes without family visits. Children unable to unite with friends. Teachers give virtual lessons in separated spaces. Ministers labor to unite hearts to hope. Grief and loss are endured in separation. Energy turns to weariness quickly, . . . Change and decay in all around I see—

O Thou who chagest not, abide with me.

We raise our hearts to be rescued and lifted. We cry aloud with amplified meaning,

“Abide with us . . . Remain with me. Lodge by my side. Dwell right here. Continue to stay, endure by my side, stay in my sight, encamp around me!”

We cry out these age-old words,

I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

And when we’re still, completely surrendered, as a seed in the ground who breaks down and dies, . . .

life unseen develops within, a calm, a comfort, . . . beyond understanding. And ears open and hearts receive, as a mist of the morning, God’s refreshing news:

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
 But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint Isaiah 40:28-31.

Transformation happens. Nothing changes, save the heart and mind.  

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, . . . Hebrews 4:12.

This hymn is our prayer:

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

We pray for the lonely, the elderly, the sick, our communities, our families, let’s pray for ourselves.

He. Is. The Vine.

Let’s open ourselves to His love and ask Him to abide. Grace sufficient is found in Him. Water, light, bread, the Way. Let’s pray these old words and receive the victory found at the cross. His pardon, His cleansing, His filling, His grace.

There is no fear in love. We can boldly proclaim, in Jesus name:

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. Henry F. Lyte, 1847.

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand Isaiah 41:10.

Transformed. Renewed. All the while, Change and decay in all around I see—

we will pray,

O Thou who chagest not, abide with me.

When Jesus is Silent

A mother’s child was sick. The mother, (a Gentile woman) must have been following and watching Jesus for some time.
She spoke the Jewish dialect, unlike her own, when she made her cry to Him:
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
“But He answered her not a word.” 
“And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us” Matthew 15:22-23.
Jesus was silent, and the followers of Jesus were cold-hearted,  impatient, and more.
But the desperate woman knew something . . .  deep down—Jesus was her only hope.
Then, Jesus spoke, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Are these sharp words of Jesus worse than silence?
Is this “No?” from the mouth of the Lord?
Jesus broke His silence, but the words to this desperate woman seem so far from compassionate: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
As my eyes read on recovering from Jesus’ reply, thinking, “I don’t understand,”
The next verse informs:  “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
This Gentile woman was not offended by His words.
 She most likely witnessed Jesus previously being with the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the house of Israel, of whom He said,
”These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” Matthew 15:7-9.
This Canaanite, gentile woman sought Jesus, not with the right words, but with her whole heart, and she worshiped Him.
 “But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26). 
Israel is a nation, but Israel means, “one who strives with God.” This woman, with all her heart, believing Him to be her only hope, believing Him to heal her daughter, worshiped Him and asked for help—a lost sheep striving with God:
“True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table”Mat. 15:27. 
 “Lord, I know I am a Gentile, but even the crumbs from Your table will be enough for me.”
Jesus wasn’t silent to be cold-hearted. Jesus didn’t reply to offend, but reveal her heart:
 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”And her daughter was healed at that moment Matthew 15:28.
Today, it’s “heart-check” time. Are we offended by the Word of God? Perhaps we do best to follow closely through the Gospels and walk with Jesus for awhile, to witness His grace and truth for ourselves.
“Give us understanding Lord, to Your Word. We are in desperate need of You for healing and hope. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
 For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” 1Sam. 16:7.

Remembering Jenny Part 1

Reasons
You will write the book, Jenny encouraged me.
I told Jenny  I wanted to write a devotional called God’s Hand. Sometimes I would read to her my WordPress posts. I would write what the Lord showed me that day in His word.

Anyway, I write now a series of articles about Jenny. God knew I needed a her friendship. I’m changed when I remember the time we had together. I believe everyone needs to meet Jenny. So I write.

Jenny became completely paralyzed, a tetraplegic, within only a 24 hour period, at 34 years of age. She lost the movement of every part of her body, even her ability to breathe on her own.

She told me, from the very first day when she didn’t even know what was happening to her, she felt God had told her, You’ll be able to walk again.
Jenny believed God.

She couldn’t hold on to anything. But Jenny held on to God and His promises. Her faith remained strong, even after more than 5 years of loss upon loss.

Yes, even after more than 5 years. How do I know? Because, God allowed us to be friends her last year on this earth, and I witnessed faith in champion proportions. After all that time of physical loss and emotional strain and difficulty, Jenny would have the excuse to be bitter, discouraged, impatient, and angry, but she was none of those things.

She was hopeful, patient, gentle, caring, and faithful.

Do you know what she told me the first time I visited her at her house, while she sat in her chair. She said, The very first day I was paralyzed, I asked God to help me get out of bed every day.

She said, He helps me everyday. This woman couldn’t move anything, yet she got out of bed, so to speak, everyday.

God knew that I needed a friend who kept her faith and believed God, no matter what. Day after day, trial after trial, this is what Jenny so victoriously did.  We needed each other.

Jenny was my cure to stop complaining about my nothing in comparison problems. When I was tempted to look at mountains of situations, instead of looking to God, I would remember Jenny.

Beginnings
There were days when, just thinking of her and the extreme challenges she had to face every minute of the day, got me out of bed.

I had suffered great loss. My heart physically felt it was bleeding. Did we even know that the heart can feel like it’s bleeding.

I needed a hero, a champion. Jenny was all that, but don’t think for a minute that Jenny’s the hero I’m writing about. Right from the start, the hero is God.

I started praying for Jenny years before when on the very same week, on a February of 2008, I had a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. But Jenny became paralyzed. Within a 24 hour period—quadriplegic.

Jenny also lost the use of her diaphragm, thus leaving her in need of a respirator. Breath by breath there was struggle to survive.
And, the three girls. Jenny couldn’t hug anymore. Twins in their teens and the youngest only 6.

I had nothing to complain about. What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, swelling and pain when moving, to paralysis of every limb and chest.

Debilitating changes
It all happened so quickly. February, 2008 brought change for the both of us, but for Jenny, she couldn’t move anything.
Was sudden paralysis of the spine due to a virus? Did the medical team ever really know? There were so many questions for Jenny, her husband, and her three girls. Questions that couldn’t be answered.

I thought about Jenny every day even though I didn’t know her well when all the changes happened.
I would reach for a cup out of the cupboard, after getting up and walking out of bed. Tempted to complain of difficulties of life and my RA pain, which seemed to come so naturally, but then I would stop.

Almost as if I was watching myself from the outside, I would fill the cup with water and give myself a drink, then I would think, . . .  Remember Jenny.
A young mom from the Y, with her girls on the same swim team as mine, and all of a sudden, word goes out, “Jenny’s paralyzed.”

I was cured.
Perspective is everything. I had no problems at all. Zero. None.

I can’t even imagine being 34 years old and not being able to move anything. Prayers went up to God for Jenny everywhere for her girls, her husband, and family.

Day after day.

Month after month.

Year after year.

I am not sure how long she was hospitalized, 8 months and more. And then training and preparation for life as a quadriplegic. A special chair was needed as well as 24/7 home health care. The house had to be renovated for the chair to go up stairs. A new van was purchased. The entire dynamics of the household was forever changed.

Jenny couldn’t hug her girls anymore.

The girls would always smile when I gave them a little wave as they walked past me on the bleachers, to swim practice. What a great thing to have a pool to kick off all the stress and hardship of life for an hour.

I remember watching her blow into a long straw-type tube to move her special wheel chair into the Y. We would have chats now and again.

I asked her, “Jenny, what’s the hardest part of all this?” Putting my hand on her hand. With great effort to catch breath, she answered me,
“People put their hands on my hand. They think they’ve touched me. I can’t feel my hands.”

I gently pulled my hand away. I remember saying, “I’m sorry Jenny.”
She couldn’t do anything. Not even breathe on her own. This is more loss than I can comprehend. But Jenny had faith that God was going to heal her. She was waiting on Him with joy and hope.

Time went on. I had a cancer diagnosis. A cancer fight with the struggles of chemo, surgery, hormone block treatments, the ups the downs, the all-arounds. And I would “remember Jenny.”

November of 2012, and I was driving my kids to school.
This was first year of school for my elementary and middle school aged children. I was a home-educator for 21 years, however the stress involved and the weakness I was dealing with gave way to public education for my kids.

We were in the car and the radio announcer posed a question,
“Is there someone very important in your life, and they might not even know it? Let this Thanksgiving be the time to let them know.”

“Jenny” was my thought.

So I found Jenny’s phone number and I called. I remembered Jenny every day, and I began visiting her home periodically.

This was four and-a-half years after the paralysis began.

A friendship developed
The first time I visited Jenny was a bit uncomfortable as I waited at the door at 10:30 in the morning for what seemed like a long time. I stood at the door, but then one of the home-health nurses let me in.

They were blow-drying her hair. I can’t imagine the amount of work every day to tend to all the needs of a young woman who can’t move or breathe on her own.
Jenny seemed so happy to have a visitor. And I was happy to be finally visiting. I came with my guitar. She really didn’t know me at all except for a few conversations at the Y and the call for Thanksgiving.

I felt I needed to thank her for many things.
This woman got me out of bed. This woman gave me courage and perspective. This woman taught me to be thankful.

Quite honestly I wonder how many lives this woman actually saved? I know God used her to save me from my pitiful thinking. From thinking thoughts that would were faith-less and fret-full.

Jenny had a gentle spirit and joyful nature, even after almost five years of circumstantial loss. She couldn’t pull her bangs down to fix them up. She couldn’t take a sip from a cup.

She couldn’t do anything!

I am sure in her quiet moments there was sadness and loneliness, but her faith lifted her. She believed God was going to heal her. She believed this with every ounce of her being.
This is the woman that should be on the cover of magazines of what a “beautiful woman” is.

I brought my guitar for a time of worship and prayer. We sang. Jenny cried. Her respirator buzzer kept going off because of the extra air needed. And we prayed.
When Jenny spoke out of the abundance of her heart, you would think there would be bitterness, frustration, anger, and complaint. But I will tell you right here and now, out of the abundance of this woman’s heart, who had lost so much, was one thing, grace poured out.

Not complaint, but gracious words. She shared, “He’s going to heal me. He told me at the beginning, when this first happened. He said to my spirit, “You’re going to walk again.”
Jenny believed God. From day one to year five, completely paralyzed.
“The Lord has let my legs still have muscle tone. They aren’t supposed to have that. “I’m going to walk again,” she told me with complete faith.
I asked Jenny of her favorite memory verse.

“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
She would joke how she spoke with God, “Lord, I’m not going anywhere!”
You probably think I’m writing nice words about a friend. No, I’m writing about seeing a miracle of God
This woman was overflowing with faith, and hope, and I haven’t even mentioned the love.
God did this.

He was present. I was a witness of a life filled with the Spirit and submitted to Him.
Jenny’s home health care ran out after a little over five and a half years. She found herself back in the very same hospital that she spent so many months in almost 6 years prior.
This was her greatest fear. At 40 years of age.

But God gave us time together in the hospital reading the Bible together and singing songs. The girls will never know what God did for both of us in opening His word together, I thought, unless I write the words.

So, letters for the girls were written. But they aren’t just for the girls. (I will share them as “Letters to the girls,” in further posts.)

United sound brings a sweet fragrance/ Amazing Grace

Common knowledge learned, in the reach to smell a rose is, “Every rose has its thorns.”
“Ouch!”
How this world with vast beauty and joy, is also sharp and prickly. It punctures and so often, brings about so much more than a “whine”.
Yet,”For God so loves the world.”
How can it be? There are days I can’t “love” anything.
I feel so far from smelling the roses. The “thorns” seem to be, like weeds, surrr-rrrou-nnn-ding.
The darkness of nursery rhymes come to the surface, “Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.”
“Whoever wrote these rhymes anyway? Though the origins are argued, we must believe, it was a day of “thorns” in a struggle to smell the rose.
Common knowledge. Community. Comforts and joy in the reciting. Children gather, hand in hand. Going around and ’round, making familiar sounds. “Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.”
Amidst dark clouds, and thoughts of ashes – being together, gathering around, common words chimed – heaviness dashes.
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind but now I see.”
The song is sung and we all join along, even if the tone is completely wrong. The melody flows from all lips with a smile. In full agreement, hearts receive the gracious love God freely gives.
There’s no strife when hearts unify. There’s no disagreement in the “wretch” that we each be. The thirst seems quenched. The heart instantly warmed.
The smell of roses comes vibrantly alive, when we put sound on our voice and in a common hymn sing! This is where God abides. This is where He dwells. We can all agree. Yes, we agree and somehow our blindness is made to flee:
“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”
As if time stops. Glory invites. “For God,” gave His Son, that we might overcome. The song, is sung. And we agree together, and sing along:
“Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.”
Jesus can turn water to wine. Jesus can heal. Jesus can restore. The fragrance of joy is smelled. Let us put sound on our voice. And join together and sing.
Let us unify. Let us give thanks. Let us worship our King.
“Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God!”
 

May I share a hidden treasure of a hymn-"It came upon a Midnight Clear"

Christmas hymns can become familiar and sterile, yet when the waves of a storm are greatly brought on, there is a searching that comes,
as we look for a glimmer of hope, or the light of the dawn.
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth To touch their harps of gold. “Peace on the earth good will to man, From heaven’s all gracious King!” The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.”
The hymnal is opened, Edmund H. Sears work is displayed. “The world in solemn stillness lay? …” There is nothing in this world that is still, it seems, except for the broken in heart and children’s dreams.
But the flood has come, or we’ve been made to walk through the fire, but the hymn sings in our ears, the words of the angels: “Peace on the earth, good will to man, from heaven’s all gracious King!”
My eyes catch the words of the hymn-writer’s story, (thank you Robert J. Morgan for sharing, Then Sings My Soul, in this hymn book I was given.) Recorded are lost words not known, quite forgotten, (still sung with the same melody and rhythm:)
“Yet with the woes of sin and strife/ The world hath suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled/ Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not/ The love song which they bring; 
O hush the noise, ye men of strife/ And hear the angels sing!”
I’ve been hushed. I’ve been striving against my Lord. Perhaps the brokenness has brought me life:  “O God, bring me to hear the angels sing. My vocal chords have been stilled for far too long. Dear Jesus, will you restore to me, Your song.”
And so, I read in my Christmas gift hymnal, a verse I’ve never in the past seen:
“For lo, the days are hastening on, By prophets bards foretold; With the ev-er circling years, comes round the age of gold. When peace shall o-ver all the earth, Its ancient splendors fling;
And the whole world give back the song Which now the angels sing.”
So perhaps, this ‘mid-night’ has been made clear, as my eyes caught the promise of the glorious King. God Almighty has restored to me sight, and brought back a song that was hidden in night.
I will sing of my King, and give back the song: “Peace on earth …” this earth that is me. This Christmas  has brought revival and song. Lord Jesus, my Savior, God with us, Immanuel – I bow my knee …
I bring my offering … to worship Thee, my glorious King.”
If you feel revival in heart is needed today, Admit your wrongs, Believe Jesus loves you, and Call out His name! He hears, He loves and forgives and restores. Jesus is here to give you life evermore.

A hard question…

What shape is your temple in?
We can see quite clearly what shape our physical bodies are in. We know when they need a ‘cleansing!’ We know when we need to ‘get to work’ and ‘work out’ a bit or go for a walk, etc. Hey, we know when our hair is ‘in need’ of some attention and needs some ‘cutting down!’ We look in the mirror everyday, and make sure things are OK and presentable…but what about our temple?
This is a hard question.
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). 
It is told in a Book that is a ‘must read’, the Book of Matthew that  a Man came into Jerusalem, and all the city ‘was moved’. (Matthew 21:10). No, He didn’t come in like one of the Roman soldiers on their impressive black stallions; no, this Man came riding in on a donkey’s colt. (Matthew 21:6-9).
The city was ‘moved’. The hearts of the people ‘quaked’ as we would understand an ‘earthquake!’  People’s hopes were high, they were taking off their garments and laying them on the ground, thinking, “This Man is going to take over the Roman rule and oppression in our life!” The children were shouting “Hosanna, Save Now!” “Hosanna, Save Now!” (Matthew 21:9).
“And Jesus went into the temple of God…”(Matthew 21:12).
Jesus didn’t DO what was expected, perhaps to deal with the Romans, no, ‘Jesus went into the temple of God…’
“…and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves.” (Matthew 21:12).
If ‘your body is the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you’, and Jesus ‘went into the temple of God’ which is you,…
this is a hard question. If it is true that ‘the Lord searches us, and knows us, and knows when we sit down and when we rise up; and if it is true that He even ‘understands our thoughts afar off’, does that not cause us to ‘quake’ inside?
This is a hard question, this is a hard thing, to take time to evaluate the shape of our ‘temple’. “And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves. And said unto them,
“It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:12,13).
The temple of God is meant to be a place of prayer and praise to God. Today, let us ask a hard question: Is our temple a place of praise and prayer where prayers are offered, where we ‘talk to God’ throughout our day, ‘rejoicing always, praying without ceasing and in everything giving thanks, because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’ and for me (1 Thes. 5: 16-18).
“And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple; and He healed them.” (Matthew 21:14). 
The temple is a place where people are helped, where people are healed of their hurts. This is a hard question. Are we even willing to ask it? Can we ‘do hard things’ and take a look and ask ourselves, “What shape is the temple, which is me’ what shape is it in?” Do I take time to ‘help others’ and concern myself with  their ‘hurts?’
“And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased…” (Matthew 21:15). What’s our attitude? Are we actually ‘scoffers’ and ‘sore displeased’. Is church a place that makes us ‘sore displeased?’,  or are we like the children? what were the children doing?
The children were singing and shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:15). The children were singing praises and praising God! The children weren’t worried of all that Jesus might cause them to lose like the chief priests and the scribes, they were praising God for all He ‘was and is and is to come!’ They weren’t focused on anything around them, the out of tune notes, the dirty clothes laid down at His feet, the commotion, the toes being stepped on – NO! The children were focused on Jesus.
And Jesus said to them, who were ‘sore displeased’, “Yes, Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:16). 
The children shouted, the children praised, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”
A hard question? Are you taking time for ‘worship and prayer’? Personally, intimately? Are some ‘tables being turned over?’ Go to church and be there alone- Just you and God, just you and Jesus and tell Him,
“I worship You Lord. I worship YOU. You are God and know all things.” In your kitchen, in your living room – spend some time, ‘talking with God, worship Him’, hey, even in the crowd, you can be alone with God, He is the ‘Lord who saves!’
Let Jesus ‘turn over some tables’ and you will not be ‘sore displeased’, instead you will be ‘as a child again’ and be able to worship and pray and focus on Him: “Come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our God our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” (Ps. 95:6,7).
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to worship and praise HIm. Today is the day to ‘forget about yourself and magnify the Lord and worship Him’, and on that day, we will soon see that Jesus didn’t come to ‘take care of the Romans’, He came to take care of me, and to take care of you.
Let Jesus come in and turn over some tables! That ‘cleansing’ will bring about a ‘life everlasting’, even today!
“…and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

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