Hymns

Songs in the Night

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Job 35:10

When we are in a battle with the enemy like Job was, usually we have no idea what is going on. The invisible forces of the air, like a relentless defensive line in football are always looking to tackle us for a loss. But, when we can’t think straight and sleep is difficult, my dad used to advise me, “Don’t just lie there Pete! Get up and change the channel!” Just as Job did, we need to discover that the worship of Heaven is not limited to the four walls of the church, and we don’t have to hold on for dear life till next week’s service. We can get up in the middle of the darkest night and tune in to the Jesus Channel. Like the verse in Zephaniah tells us:

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 

God never leaves us alone. He is not only the God who sees us, but also the God who will sing with us on the darkest of nights. I hope you will enjoy our song session from Life Care Center of one of my favorite hymns - God Leads His Dear Children Along-

Some through the waters, and some through the flood
Some through the fire, but all through the blood
Some through great sorrows, but God gives a song
In the night season
And all the day long!

God Leads His Dear Children Along by George Young 1903

In Times Like These

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The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8 ESV

Whether we are looking at the news on television or hearing the news about one of our friends or family members on the telephone, it is sometimes hard to believe these things are really happening. “In Times Like These” was written in the midst of World War II. With reports of thousands dying every day on battle fields and in naval battles around the world and the outcome of the war far from certain, Ruth Caye was inspired to write, “In times like these, we need a Savior, in times like these, we need an anchor” The war that was being fought then is long over, but after eighty years, our need for a Savior, and the Bible, is greater than ever! I pray you will be encouraged and blessed by this week’s song from our Sunday service at Watermark Assisted Living. There is still no one like Jesus who alone promises to carry us through whatever war that we face in our lives today. God bless you all. Seek the Savior, hold on to His word and trust Him with your life and He will carry you through to the very end!

Joy Unspeakable (And full of glory!)

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Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 1 Peter 1:8 KJV

This is one of my favorite forgotten hymns, and the story that lies behind it, starts on the day that Thomas didn’t come to church. When Jesus first showed Himself to His disciples after the resurrection Thomas was missing. So don’t miss church this Sunday because you never know when Jesus just might show up! But the next time the disciples met for prayer, Thomas made sure he was there, and Bingo! – Jesus comes. First, He shows Himself to Thomas and tells Him that He is blessed. But then Jesus adds an amazing promise for those of us who have never seen Him. He says that we can be even more blessed than the Apostles! Imagine that! How can that be? Peter gives us the answer many years later in his letter, when he writes that our unseeing faith, will open the door for our heart to be filled with a joy that is unspeakable and full of God’s glory. There are some days I could sure use that joy. Things aren’t always looking bright in our family, but the sunrise of God’s glory is just breaking over the horizon, if I can simply believe without seeing and trust Him for all that He has in store.