music

One Year of Prayer and Praise

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Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

We were so blessed to be celebrating our one year anniversary of prayer and praise meetings at Sunshine Christian Village. This was a meeting that never happened before the pandemic. We know God works all things together for good and He used our need for fellowship when the normal Sunday services inside the facility were cancelled to motivate us to start an outdoor fellow praise place at the fountain. Slowly we were allowed into the activity building which is separate from the facility and together as a team and with God’s help we are growing our outreach. Today the combined theme of our readings, message and songs was prayer and the 23rd Psalm. Towards the end I shared this song which the Lord gave me this year, called The Voice of the Shepherd. I not only hope you like the song but that you take time this weekend to open your heart and listen for the Shepherd’s voice. If you are His sheep He knows your name and is calling it today!

Shelter From the Storm

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Whether by day while working away
With the heat of the sun overhead
Or the pit of despair
In the darkness and gloom
With lightening crashing down everywhere

Still He's holding my hand
As God walks by my side
And Jesus fills me with His peace

He's our shelter in storms
By His grace and His power
And our refuge in darkness and night
He's a friend who stays true
As He leads us all through
To His Heaven and a placed filled with light

I loved the peace of this violin rendition of In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty. For those unfamiliar with the lyrics here is the first verse.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here, in the love of Christ, I stand

God’s Great Symphony

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Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His faithful love endures forever! Psalm 136:1 NLT

If we look at Psalm 136 as if it were a grand symphony we could think of, these first verses like the trumpets blasting out an opening about the goodness of God. They alert us and fill our ears with the knowledge that our God is higher than any other power in the entire universe and above every other god. Then the composer plunges ahead with soaring strings that reach higher and higher ringing out with the beauty of creation and how God made the heavens, the earth and the sun, moon and stars. But with each new measure that is played we hear again a harmony note reminding us of God’s eternal love. Then the orchestra hushes as the score moves on to recount a specific list of each thing that God has done for His people Israel.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Pexels.com

Next a military drum roll marches out the victories God has led them through. First the deliverance from the empire of Egypt, then the crossing Red Sea and finally the defeat of the armies of the Amorites. Each verse sings out that God is faithful and with every note that is played we see His goodness. When thunderous rising notes of opposition challenge His children, God’s unfailing melody of love assures us to rest. No wail of lament or minor key of sorrow will last. They will all pale in comparison one day to the beauty and power of God’s love that echoes in every verse. They carry us from the beginning of creation, through every problem that we have faced and show us that only His love lasts forever. Then the crescendo of praise hushes to a silence at the final fading note of the symphony causes us to pause in awe remembering all that God has done and we give thanks In that glorious amazement we realize that both our blessings as well as our difficulties will pass away but the great symphony of the love of God will last forever and forever!

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