Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”
One often overlooked word from the Psalms is the word Selah. While Selah indicates a pause, theologians debate it’s exact purpose. As a lifelong musician, I equate that word with a full rest on my song sheet. But if you think of a rest as the place where the music stops, then you are missing out. Instead that rest is a place of refuge for our hearts, where the full impact of what has been previously played can be enjoyed without interruption. In today’s verse, we find that God has promised to be our refuge. He is our place of rest, where all that has happened before now plays quietly in our hearts In His refuge we may still not know what the final movements in His symphony may be, but we can know that He has redeemed us and written us into His eternal plan!
I will delight myself in Thy statutes. I will not forget Thy word. Psalm 119:16 KJV
When we are serving in memory care facilities, stirring memories is a great beginning, but as Christian workers, we must set higher goals. After all, in the facilities where those struggling with cognitive decline live there are others who are already doing that. They play songs from the distant past, present old movies and employ a variety of resources to stir up the residents’ minds. But God gave us music as a key to unlock a door, and we need to do more than just open it. We need to walk through that door with the Gospel. Now, I venture to say that you imagine that this is a tall order for folks who can barely recall their own names, and I will be the first to agree with you. Effectively sharing with our friends in memory care is a unique challenge that can only be overcome when the Holy Spirit is at work. Just as the message Jesus gave to the thief on the cross was very different from the challenges and teaching, He gave to His disciples, so our goals must be simpler and more direct. Though I occasionally begin a song by first sharing, an encouragement, or a memory of my own, most of the message is wrapped in the songs themselves. The wonderful thing about Hymns is not just that they are familiar, easy to sing or happy. The best hymns give the message of the Gospel in three to five verses. As I lead my friends in song, I try my best to lead them from, “This Little Light of Mine, through the Garden of Prayer, and ultimately all the way to the Old Rugged Cross. Though the specific song selection that you use may be different than mine, the trajectory should be the same. God has put us in places where very few others have the privilege of going, with a message so simple that even a child can understand and even our friends living in memory care can embrace! Memory loss, Parkinson’s, and Dementia create a seemly endless storm in the some of our loved ones and those precious to us. But when we stand with them in the eye of that storm, remember that Jesus is standing there with us. He is the Master of the Storm and the Pilot who can lead us safely into harbor.
Peter came up and he said to Him, “Lord, how often will my brothet sin against me and I forgive him?” Matthew 18:21 ESV
The forgiveness Peter hoped was good enough, entailed adding and subtracting. But the Lords’ answer took him by surprise, when Jesus moved the conversation from addition to multiplication. Peter’s problem, like ours is that we add up our brother’s sins thinking that we need to subtract from our own resources to forgive them. We forget that it was Jesus who paid the terrible price of pardon and that He washes sin away with multiplied grace!
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