Stanley Simpson

God Will Make a Way

The next entry for my Blog is God Will Make a Way which was written by Don Moen and was first released in 1999. A link to Don Moen singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

God Will Make a Way

Oh, God will make a way
Where there seems to be no way
He works in ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
He will make a way, He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me
And rivers in the desert will I see
Heaven and Earth will fade but His word will still remain
And He will do something new today

There is a rock song from the 60’s titled Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, that was a big hit. The song was telling us how when you are in love, nothing can keep you from getting to the person you are in love with. The lyrics sent a strong message about the power of love. The song was actually released by a second artist in the 70s and went to #1 on the charts. Being in love and having that special person brings so much joy in your life. In this song, the writers are delivering a message that those of us in love are all powerful when it comes to getting to those special people in our lives.

I really like the above song. and will probably have to play it later today, but I wonder how many of us feel about God this way? As we face the mountains and the valleys in our lives, can we honestly say that we completely believe that God will take us over those highest mountains and lowest valleys? It is easy to say this with our lips, but what message is coming from our heart? We ultimately realize that we can’t do it alone and turn to God; but even then, I am not sure that most of us have the faith that he will get us to where we want or need to be. When you get stranded on the road of life, do you sometimes get only halfway up the mountain of life’s challenges or only make it part way through the valley of despair? The mountain or valley all of us are facing as I write this, is the Covid-19 virus. We are wondering when it will ever end and when our lives will get back to normal. The first line in the chorus of the song for this blog entry delivers the most powerful message of all, God will make a way! It doesn’t say might, may, possibly, kinda-sorta, or if; it says he will make a way. God does not need the roads, the paths, or the trails we are forced to take; he chooses his own way and gets us to where we need to be. We may not see his pathway or completely understand why he is taking a specific route; but he knows where he is going. Notice that the writer does not say, God will find a way, but writes God will make a way. God becomes our guide, whenever we let him, and walks side by side with us every step of the way. As he walks with us, he gives us strength and he lets us know we are loved. We are no longer lost, hopeless or alone. He shows us the path of light through what we thought was impenetrable darkness. In Isaiah 40:4, we find the power of God in regards to mountains and valleys, “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.”

The writer puts us in a different setting in the second verse. Instead of a mountain or deep valley of despair, the scene changes to a desert or a wilderness. I view this as more of a picture of life without hope. As we start wandering across the unmarked desert, we slowly realize that if we do not find water soon or find that right path, that we will perish in agony. But the song reminds us that God will take us down the right path that leads us to the water of life that we need. Ultimately, as we become more dependent on him and put our faith in him, our fears begin to diminish and our eyes and heart are opened to his love. One day our earthly life will end, we will no longer be part of this life; he will have taken us to our eternal home with him. Until that time, we should never doubt what God can do for us and what new path he has prepared for us. In Isaiah 43:19, we find this promise from God: “For I am about to do something new, See, I have already begun! Do you not see it, I will make a pathway through the wilderness? I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

I know it is not easy to let go and let God, I know it is not easy to say and mean that it is all in God’s hands; but I also know that if we will only give God a chance that he will bring a joy and peace that we never could have imagined. He not only makes a way, he does it in a manner that we never thought possible. Think about the path you are on today and what path you believe God would want you to take.

Click to Hear Don Moen Sing God Will Make a Way

We Won’t Be Shaken

The next entry for my Blog is We Won’t Be Shaken which was written by Casey Brown, Jason Roy, Jonathan Lindley Smith, and Tim Roseneau. It was first released by Building 429 in 2013. A link to Building 429 singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

We Won’t Be Shaken

This world has nothing for me
This life is not my own
I know You go before me and I am not alone
This mountain rises higher
The way seems so unclear
But I know that You go with me so I will never fear
I will trust in You

Whatever will come our way
Through fire or pouring rain
No, we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken
Whatever tomorrow brings
Together we’ll rise and sing
That we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
No, we won’t be shaken

You know my every longing
You’ve heard my every prayer
You’ve held me in my weakness ’cause You are always there
So I’ll stand in full surrender
It’s Your way and not my own
My mind is set on nothing less
Than You and You alone
I will not be moved, oh

We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
And we won’t be shaken
We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
Yeah, we won’t be shaken
We will trust in You
We will not be moved
We will trust in You
Yeah, we won’t be shaken
No, we won’t be shaken

If we think about the grand picture of life as it relates to eternity, it is a pretty small blip on the radar screen. Whatever we gain today physically, emotionally, or materially pales in comparison to the eternal home God offers us. We are in a temporary earthly life that God has given us and has allowed us the option to secure our eternal home by sending his son to die for us. We are basically living in a borrowed home as we prepare for our final residence. Jesus has come and has paid the way for all of us, we just need to accept him as our savior to earn God’s promise. Putting all of this in perspective, everything we have today will be replaced by an eternity of no pain, no fear, and no sorrow.

We face challenges that seem insurmountable. We have faced wars in the past, floods, hurricanes, fires, tornadoes, and Covid-19; and we have gotten scared, maybe lost our homes or loved ones. Perhaps we have reached the point of just throwing up our arms in despair since we just can’t seem to overcome the latest challenges or the culmination of events in our lives. We often reach that point when we can’t seem to find our way through the fog and over the mountains. The thing we seem to forget along the way is that we have never been and never will be alone. God knows what we are going through, he is there with us, and he is also on the other side of that mountain or challenge; he knows what it looks like on the other side of the storm we are facing. He alone holds the future and is there to hold our hand every step of the way; we just need to let him. He knows no fear since he is all powerful and we can feel his power whenever we completely lay our burdens at his feet and let him guide us along the way.

As we walk with God, no fear can overcome us; he will lead us over the mountains and through the valleys of life. With him, we can know that all things will truly work out as they should. We will not be shaken by the events in our lives or in our world because we have the assurance that we will never be alone and that this is just a temporary home. We can be like David, who faced impossible odds against Goliath. Our focus should be on God and what he wants us to do during our brief earthly life. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, we are told to stand strong and not be shaken: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We will be able to look back across our journey in life and will be able to sing praises to a God that delivered us from all evil and led us through every challenge that was hurled at us.

It is important to note that not only is God there in our deepest darkest times, he is also aware of every need that we have. He hears and answers our prayers, and in our weakest moments of depression, frustration, and angst; he is there to lift us up. Basically, God has already told us that he will take care of us and watch over us, so the next step is really in our court. We must give our lives to him and ALL of our trust, we can’t just go part way and take some things to him and try to handle some alone. For us to be everything he wants us to be, for us to stand strong in an overwhelming world, we must completely surrender to him and trust in him alone. Through this surrender we can sense and see the true love and power that only God can wield. As the song says, our focus is on his way; not our way.

Are you standing on the solid rock of Christ that brings the strength and peace that gives you power to face the never endings battles in this world, or are you still fighting alone?

Click to Hear Building 429 Sing We Won’t Be Shaken

The God Who Stays

The next entry for my Blog is The God Who Stays which was written by Matthew West and AJ Pruis. It was first released in 2019. A link to Matthew West singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

The God Who Stays

If I were you, I would’ve given up on me by now
I would’ve labeled me a lost cause
Cause I feel just like a lost cause

If I were you, I would’ve turned around and walked away
I would’ve labeled me beyond repair
Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair

But somehow you don’t see me like I do
Somehow, you’re still here
You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And you tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

I used to hide
Every time I thought I let You down
I always thought I had to earn my way
But I’m learning You don’t work that way

Somehow you don’t see me like I do
Somehow, you’re still here
You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

My shame can’t separate
My guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

My sin can’t separate
My scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate
I’m Yours forever

No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

You’re the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms

And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart
From the God who stays

Do you know anyone who appears to be just a complete failure? This might be a person you know, a family member, someone you know about, or perhaps a perception you have formed based on what you have seen of someone’s behavior and actions. Sometimes it is easy to walk away and ignore the person and sometimes it is heartbreaking to see that person self-destruct right before your eyes. They seem to make one mistake after another and commit failure after failure until they have completely given up on their lives and are destined to live a life or regret instead of hope.

As you witness this ongoing self-destruction of the person feeling shunned by the world, what do you do? Do you ignore the fact that a life is being destroyed, do you go about your daily life and try to forget this individual, or do you do whatever is in your power to try and help put that person on the right path again? What if that person was once a close friend or a family member? As I look at these various scenarios, I am of the opinion that many of us are willing to turn our backs and walk away. I do understand there are some situations we believe we are not capable of handling, but what about those that we can help, with possibly additional assistance from others. Let’s take this a little closer to home, what if you are the one that has given up? Are you alone because everyone else has given up on you and believe you are just a major screw-up who will never turn around? Maybe you have become the lost cause the song talks about. The really sad part is that you have labeled yourself as a complete failure and that only contributes to others forming the same opinion of you. A lot of times, we project the way we feel about ourselves and this causes others to view us that way as well. We reach a point where we don’t blame people for not wanting to help us or even be around us.

Wow, this entry sounds really depressing so far doesn’t it? Now for the good news, God is not like us and will never be like us. When we finally try to hold our head up and open up our heart a bit, we find out that God sees deep into our heart and soul and he knows that the person we could be and want to be is still in there. Others see the outward appearance, actions, and words; God only sees us from our true inside. As others flee from us and who we have become, God is always running along with us loving us. As we finally allow ourselves to feel his presence, we sense his arms wide open as he reminds us that he has been there with us all the time and always will be. He runs to us instead of away from us, he runs with us as we try to flee others, he is the one who stays. Our God doesn’t look at our sin or what we have become, he only knows our heart and that we are his children. All he asks of us is that we accept his son as our personal Savior and every sin goes away forever. As a result, God never sees the sin in our lives, he only sees his child and what we can become.

You may be a Christian already, but even with the knowledge that you have of the powers of our God; aren’t their times when you want to hide because of some mistake you have made? Maybe something you lied about, maybe infidelity, maybe you lost a job because you didn’t do your best to succeed; you can probably think of a few things you have done in your life that you are ashamed of and just want to hide from God. Even David tried to hide from God. I encourage you to read Psalm 139 in full, but here are verses 1-6 showing that hiding is impossible: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me, even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

Peter lied about being a follower of Christ as shown in Matthew 26:69-75: “Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man! After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly”. Both of them ended up in agony and even tears. When they finally faced God again, it was as if their sins never happened. God didn’t say, you owe me for what you have done. He doesn’t go about reminding us of our sins. When we finally hold our heads up again, his arms are open wide and there is look of love upon his face. God reminds that no matter what we do, we can’t get him away from us. Instead of him walking into our darkness, he pulls us into his light.

God will always run to us, no matter how far we run, and he will always find us, no matter where we hide. He doesn’t see our shame and he overcomes every enemy and obstacle in our lives. Even the power of Satan and the evils of the world cannot overcome us when we have God on our side. The even better news than all of the above is that we are his for eternity.

Our God truly stays with us every minute of every day. As you struggle with the events of life, look up to his extended arms and feel his never-ending all-encompassing love.

Click to Hear Matthew West Sing The God Who Stays

Count Your Blessings

The next entry for my Blog is Count Your Blessings which was written by Johnson Oatman in 1897 with the music written by Edwin O. Excell. It is a staple song in most Christian hymnals. A link to the song being performed is at the bottom of the Blog.

Count Your Blessings

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

As I write this entry in March, 2020; the world is struggling with the COVID-19 virus. We are seeing countries shut their borders, cities confine people to their homes, schools closing, travel being suspended, the stock markets in shambles, and most of us are probably wondering how this will all turn out. Some of our questions are: will I get the virus, when will it all end, how will I ultimately be impacted physically, emotionally, and financially. As I thought about a song that best seems to show an understanding of a life/world filled with troubles and what it looks like on the other side; this song, Count Your Blessings, came to mind. Even though the song was written in 1897, it is still relevant today and the troubles we are facing.

As we listen to the news and surf the internet, we only hear about what could happen as we face this global pandemic. We are definitely in a very tempestuous time filled with fear as well as selfishness. We are frustrated and discouraged as our grocery stores all have empty shelves, as we are all looking for the same life necessities. We see people coming out of the stores with more supplies than they could ever utilize, while we are hoping to get enough to survive for the next few days or a couple of weeks. So, we become extremely frustrated as we come up empty in our search and see others hoarding the things we need. As we become more frustrated, irritated, and discouraged; we start focusing on the what-ifs and fall into the glass is half-empty mindset. What we really need to focus on is how blessed we are and what will ultimately happen to us as believers. As we start to become swallowed up by the worries of life, we need to stop the worrying and start thanking God for what we do have, how he has blessed us, and what eternity looks like. Keep in mind that our life on earth is just a blip in the eternal life Jesus has given to us. Many of us share some of the same blessings, and each of us will have unique blessings. As you count your blessings, think about things such as jobs, housing, food, significant others, children, friends, possessions, health, eternal life, and these are just high-level categories for you to think about as you focus on your blessings. As the song says, I truly think you will be very surprised at what God has done!

Outside of the current time of fear from the pandemic, do you just feel worn down and beaten by the world on a daily basis? I know that each of us face our own challenges every single day in some aspect of our life. These trials ultimately become a burdensome worry that saps our strength, drags us down, and negatively impacts all of those around us. The song refers to these as our cross, the one we end up carrying every day. Jesus also carried a cross, the only difference is that the cross he carried was for each of us. Our cross is basically our challenges in life, whereas the cross of Jesus represented all of our burdens and our sins for every day of our life. He carried that cross long ago so that we could forever give our burdens to him. I realize it is easy to say to give our burdens to Jesus, but isn’t that what he told us to do and isn’t that why he died for each of us who accept him as our Lord and Savior? Consider all that he has done for us and has promised us and it will make the burdens much lighter. In Matthew 11:28 we find God’s promise, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” I do understand this is easier said than done, but we will make a lot more progress by trying than we will by worrying and trying to bear the burdens alone.

As you have thought about your challenges as well as the peace that God offers us, know that God can handle whatever confronts us, whether it is a small challenge or a completely overwhelming challenge. He ultimately overcomes our challenges by giving us the strength, hope, wisdom, and support we need; and many times, he turns those challenges into blessings. In Psalm 103:1-5, we find where David is helping us all to realize who God is and that he is always there to pick us up: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” We serve a mighty God who meets our every need and gives us more blessings than we can ever count; in fact, it would be difficult to count all of the blessings he gives us in a single day. See if you can write down every blessing, large or small, that you have received in the past 24 hours.

In closing this entry for the week, I want to ask you a question. With everything going in the world today, including the pandemic, are you living a life of fear or a life knowing that God is control?

Click to Hear Count Your Blessings

No Longer Slaves to Fear

The next entry for my Blog is No Longer Slaves to Fear which was written by Jonathan David Helser, Brian Joel Case, and Mark Johnson. It was first released by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser in August 2015 in association with Bethel Music. A link to the Helsers singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

No Longer Slaves

You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into a family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance
We’ve been liberated
From our bondage
We’re the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God
You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God (yes I am)

I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God (yes, I am)
I am a Child of God (full of faith yes)
I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Most of us are pretty focused on what is going on in our everyday lives. We are concerned about money, jobs, how our children are going to turn out, school issues, retirement planning, neighborhood problems, what we are hearing on the news, and just basic survival. These are all things that are very important, but so many times we become overwhelmed with these worries, fears, and what-ifs; we are bound by the issues of life. Essentially, we have become slaves to our worries as we obsess over each one; many of these are issues that are completely out of our control. As we become slaves to our fears, we lose our focus on God. When we finally realize what is happening and call out to God, we feel peace, love, and a complete escape from all of the challenges confronting us. If we focus on God first, it helps us to better address all of the other aspects of our life; since we realize once again that we are never alone. It doesn’t mean our problems go away, but focusing on God gives us a greater sense of inner peace as we deal with the issues at hand. We are also reminded yet again that we are his child, a child of God. As we commune with God during our brief escape and open our hearts, we find that sweet and calming spirit that dwells within us. Psalm 32:7 states: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Our worries are replaced with the peace that God provides as he holds us in his arms as he delivers us from our bondage to fears just as he delivered the Israelites from their bondage of slavery.

God made us his child before we were even born and has always loved us and always will. In fact, Isaiah 44:24 tells us “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb, I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself.” He has called out to us our entire life, and patiently waited for us to listen to his voice. When we finally hear him and reach the point of accepting his son Jesus as our personal savior, we become part of his eternal family with a home in heaven. As the old church hymn said,” we are joint heirs with Jesus”; take time to let that sink in. His love and his spirit are with us every day and during every circumstance of our lives. Think of the love you have for your children; it pales in comparison to the love God has for us. God is always there for us, just waiting to wrap his arms around us give us that loving embrace that we need, it is up to us to step into those loving arms. As we fall into the arms of our heavenly father, we are overcome with tranquility that blots out the noise of the world. Our heart is filled with joy and praise; we are finally free from our shackles. It is a time for us to worship the Lord with our hearts and our voice. It is time to sing praises to the Lord at the top of our lungs, so that everyone can know what he means to us and how good it feels to be a child of God.

Most of us have probably read or heard about how God parted the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk on dry land out of Egypt, this miracle is found in Exodus 14. Do you realize that he still parts the waters for us today? Our Red Sea is the turbulent seas of life that we battle every day. When we call upon him in the middle of the storms of life, he takes our hand, pulls us out of the water so that we are no longer drowning, confined by our burdens. He calms our seas and replaces the turbulent waters that drown us with an all-encompassing love that is greater and far beyond our comprehension.

Yes, we are a child of God and with Jesus Christ, we are no longer a slave to fear. I think we should all stop what we are doing and sing praises to him for his unconditional love and the eternal promise has made for each of us.

Click to Hear Jonathan David and Melissa Helser Perform No Longer Slaves

God of All My Days

The next entry for my Blog is God of All My Days, which was written by Mark Hall and Jason Ingram. It was first released by Casting Crowns in 2016. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

God of All My Days

I came to You with my heart in pieces
And found the God with healing in His hands
I turned to You, put everything behind me
And found the God who makes all things new
I looked to You, drowning in my questions
And found the God who holds all wisdom
And I trusted You and stepped out on the ocean
You caught my hand among the waves
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

I ran from You, I wandered in the shadows
And found a God who relentlessly pursues
I hid from You, haunted by my failure
And found the God whose grace still covers me
I fell on You when I was at my weakest
And found the God, the lifter of my head
And I’ve worshiped You
And felt You right beside me
You’re the reason that I sing
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

In my worry, God You are my stillness
In my searching, God You are my answers
In my blindness, God You are my vision
In my bondage, God You are my freedom
In my weakness, God You are my power
You’re the reason that I sing
‘Cause You’re the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You’re the God of all my days

In my blindness, God You are my vision
And in my bondage, God You are my freedom
All my days

Have you ever had one of those OOPS moments when you broke something and it seemingly shattered into a gazillion pieces? Maybe it was an antique, maybe a valuable piece of pottery, a special heirloom, or maybe just someone’s extra special coffee cup. How did you feel when this happened, knowing there was nothing you could do about what happened? This sort of thing happens to your heart as well. Maybe you feel as if life has dealt you a bad hand and no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to come out of that deep dark abyss. Perhaps you feel this way because of relationship issues, losing a loved one, family problems, job problems, or maybe addiction problems. You begin to feel as if your heart is never going to be whole again and that there will never be joy in your life again. I believe all of the above is the core of where this song begins.

The only way we can have a healed heart is to put our lives into the hands of Christ, since only he can heal our shattered heart and help us keep going. It is true we will still have those painful memories and the scars of life, but putting our hearts in his hands allows us to have hope for the future. We have a fresh start on the future as he forgives our past. He gives us something to look forward to; an eternity with him and all of our fellow believers. We all live a life of unanswered questions, we want to know why, when, how, what if…….. These questions are all part of our daily lives and we don’t have the answers, but the good news is that God knows the answers to all of our questions. Part of our daily prayers should be asking God questions about whatever is on our mind. Sometimes we get answers to some questions right away and other times God brings us peace until he is ready to answer our question. Only he has the wisdom we need and the ability to overcome our impatience, if we just completely rely on him. I realize this is easier said than done because of our human nature, but try putting all of your questions and anxieties in his hands and experience his love and his peace.

The writer describes us as being in an ocean and we are struggling just to survive. This ocean pounding with waves, represents the struggles of life and they tend to suck us down every single day. As we cry out to God, hold out our hand to God, and give him our life; he grabs our hand and pulls us out of the waves. All of a sudden our life on that daily stormy ocean shifts to life on a peaceful lake. The wavy days are still out there as we forget our way, but God will always be there to put us back on the calm waters if we just reach out to him. He is the God of all of our days and is with us every day of our life even when we are ignoring him and forgetting about him.

No matter where we are physically, mentally, or emotionally God is there with us to hold our hand and guide us down the right path. Only he knows the right path for us and only he can keep us on the path where we belong. Everyday, our lives change in some way as we experience new events that impact us. We also go through stages of life such as youth, marriage, children, grandchildren, retirement, loss of a loved one; yet God is there to help us through every phase of our life and the troubles we face each step along the way. We constantly change over the course of our life, but God never changes. We lose our focus and we lose our way, but God is always laser focused on our path and on our journey; he knows the future of each of us. As the writer states, we should praise him every step of the way.

We spend a lot of our lives just running away from God. We are ashamed because of the things we have done; we are ashamed of not praying as we should, and we feel weak if we can’t handle things on our own. There are times when we are so disappointed in ourselves and who we have become. What we fail to realize is that God has never turned his back on us and that he stays with us and keeps holding out his open arms to us; he never ever gives up on us and never holds our failures over our heads. He only asks that we love him and accept his son as our personal savior. As bad as we have been or as neglectful we have been in our relationship with God; his overwhelming love for us never changes. He is always there to help us lift our heads and look ahead to the future instead of the past, knowing that he will never leave us or forsake us. We worship God because he is the only one who never lets us down, who forgives and forgets all of our wrongdoings, and the only one who can give us eternal life. Have you ever sung a Christian song or hymn and all of sudden you can just feel the presence and love of God? I get chills just thinking about those times when I strongly sense the presence of my Lord, there is no other experience like it. Psalm 98:4-6 encourages to sing, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn, shout for joy before the Lord, the King.” A lot of us may say we can’t sing, but keep in mind that it is the Lord who gave us our voice and our talents and all of our songs are music to him.

Take a close look at the last verse of the song which gives us examples of when we need God and what he gives us as we call out to him. If you listen to the song via the link below, listen with your heart as you are reminded of what God has for us. The list of what he gives can never be captured in a Blog, a book, a library or a song. He gives us peace, the answers we seek, light in the darkness, freedom from the bondage of the dark world, and power that we cannot begin to fully comprehend. Isaiah 40:31 reminds us of what God can do in our lives if we only let him: “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

He is not just the God of our past, our good days, and our bad days; he is God of all of our days from the day we were born and for eternity.

Click to Hear Casting Crowns Sing God of All My Days

At the Cross (Love Ran Red)

The next entry for my Blog is At the Cross (Love Ran Red), which was written by Matt Armstrong, Ed Cash, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Jonas Myrin and released by Chris Tomlin in 2014. A link to Chris Tomlin singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

At the Cross (Love Ran Red)

There’s a place where mercy reigns
And never dies
There’s a place where streams of grace
Flow deep and wide
Where all the love I’ve ever found
Comes like a flood
Comes flowing down

There’s a place where sin and shame
Are powerless
Where my heart has peace with God
And forgiveness
Where all the love I’ve ever found
Comes like a flood
Comes flowing down

Here my hope is found
Here on holy ground
Here I bow down
Here I bow down
Here arms open wide
Here You save my life
Here I bow down
Here I bow

At the cross, at the cross
I surrender my life
I’m in awe of You
I’m in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
And my sin washed white
I owe all to You
I owe all to You
I owe all to You
I owe all to You, Jesus, Jesus
Your love ran red
Your love ran red

Can you imagine what our life would be like if we were punished for every wrong, aka sin, that we committed? Maybe our sin was a lie, maybe saying something we shouldn’t have said, maybe it is what we watch on TV or at the movies, maybe we cheated in our marriage; I think you get the point. The net is we would live a life of doing wrong, as we do today, and receive immediate and ongoing punishment. What kind of life would that be? Jesus commanded us to obey his commands and since God is our creator, why wouldn’t he punish us for wandering away from him? The good news is that our God is a merciful and loving God, who cares for his family, his children. Because of his love, he is willing to give us mercy, which is basically a continual wipe the slate clean get out of jail card on a permanent basis. Mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we deserve. God never gives up on us and never turns his back on us, his mercy is always flowing. No matter the magnitude or our sin, his love is deeper and wider than we could ever imagine. I compare his love and mercy to a massive waterfall that washes away everything in its path. Just as the waterfall ultimately ends in a flowing river, such is the love of God that washes away all of our sin and brings peace to our life. This love and mercy far exceed what we can find with anyone or anything else.

This mercy came to us via the cross, the son of God dying for each of us as individuals and as the children of God. As Jesus hung on that cross, he had blood flowing from the beatings he was subjected to, the nails in his hands, the nails in his feet, the wound in his side, and the crown of thorns on his head. Greater than the flow of blood was the flowing of his love for us. Because of the death and outpouring of the blood of Christ on the cross, God gives us perpetual love and mercy that never ceases. All that is asked of us is that we accept Christ as our savior, and recognize that he died for us. If we do not accept him, then he died in vain and we trade our heavenly home for an eternity in hell. We should all be in awe of what Christ was willing to do for us, even though many of us may never accept him as our personal savior. What can be more important in our lives than recognizing what Jesus did for us, the courage it took, and the pain he endured? His flowing blood and his love washed all of our sins away and we have become white as snow since we will no longer have the blackness of sin; he forgave us all of sins we have committed and will ever commit while he hung on that cross. It is so easy to surrender our life to Jesus and he asks so little of us. Most of us are focused on today and our narrow view of tomorrow, whereas with Jesus; we can focus on eternity.

Any hope we have in life is misplaced if it is not in Jesus. Jesus is the only being worthy of our worship, nothing we strive for or attain in our life is greater than eternal life that only he can offer. Without Jesus, what do we have to live for? I recently read a devotion by Max Lucado which stated that suicide rates were up and that perhaps it is due to the fact that people without Jesus in their lives have no hope beyond their time on this earth. Hopefully you have surrendered your life to Jesus, have kneeled at the foot of the cross, and have let the love of Christ flow over you and wash away all of your darkness.

Click to Hear Chris Tomlin Sing At the Cross (Love Ran Red)

I Love You Lord

The next entry for my Blog is I Love You Lord, which was written by Laurie Klein and released in 1976. A link to The Maranatha Singers performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

I Love You Lord

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul, rejoice!

Take joy my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound
In Your ear

This is a song that gets into my head and into my heart and fills my heart with joy and brings me comfort. It is just a simple chorus with a powerful meaning. It is a good song to use when starting a bible study, small group, etc.; anywhere people are gathered in his name. Try to take the time to listen to the song and open your heart to its message.

I love you Lord. How many times have you said this with your lips, but it didn’t come from your heart? There are a large number of definitions for love and I looked at a few of them. As I pondered my question about love, I came to the opinion that each of us has our own definition of love. As you think of your own personal meaning, let it come from your heart and not from books, movies, social media, TV, etc. It doesn’t really matter how the word is defined elsewhere, how does your heart define love when it comes to your relationship with Christ? The bible tells us in Mark 14:30-31, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” This clearly tell us that love is giving our all to God and that our love should come from our deepest being, and not be just spoken words. Note that Jesus commands us to love and that there is no greater commandment. In John 14:15, Jesus tells Peter, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” If we love the Lord in the way he has commanded us to do, we will put him first in all facets of our life. Notice that we are told to love the Lord, we are given an absolute directive.

As we praise God and thank him for all he has done, is doing, and will do in our lives; we should unashamedly raise our voices. It doesn’t mean just singing loudly in church or raising our hands in praise, it means we should not be ashamed of the gospel and God’s promises and all people should know that we love our Lord from the depths of our soul and praise him for everything. In addition to praising God and giving him thanks, we should also worship him. To worship is to honor God for who he is and submit ourselves humbly to him; it is to acknowledge that he is the almighty God who made us and has prepared a heavenly home for us. There is no person or being other than God who is worthy of our worship. Music and praise are a part of what God expects us to do, and it is something we probably do when we go to church or pray; but worshipping him with a humble heart is what he deserves the most from each of us. As we fully open our hearts and worship him, we feel a greater joy and peace that only he can provide. This makes us want to rejoice and sing his praises from the mountain tops.

God loves us, sent his son to die for us, and I am of the opinion he wants to hear from us all the time. I believe our prayers, praises, and worship bring joy to his heart. It shows that although we are not perfect, we love him and realize that there would be no us, there would be no hope, and there would be promise of tomorrow without him. In 1st Thessalonians 5:17, we are told to “Pray without ceasing”; this means that God wants to commune with us and hear our praises as well as hear our needs at any time day or night. We want him to know that we are glad we are his children and that there is no better life than a life with him. I am sure he looks forward to hearing the melodious sound of the voices of his children. If you have children, you know they have good days and bad days, but we still want to hear their voices and know that they are ok; because we love them. Think about the times when you go long periods of time when you don’t hear from a child or loved one, how does it make you feel? At least God always knows what is happening in our lives, but he also wants to feel our love and hear our voices.

Have you reached out to God today?

Click to Hear the Maranatha Singers sing I Love You Lord

He’s Coming Back Again

The next entry for my Blog is He’s Coming Back Again, which was written by and performed by the Galileans in 1977. A link to the Shiloh Quartet singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

He’s Coming Back Again

All the pain and shame they caused my blessed Savior,
All the scars that marred the body of my Lord;
All the miles between this earth and God’s blue heaven,
Could not keep Him from returning back to earth.

He’s coming back again and I’m the only reason,
Like a groom He’ll be returning for His Bride;
Preparations have been made; I’ll soon be going,
I’ve a mansion over on the other side.

When He comes again, He will not need a manger,
Earthly man will not be mocking His sweet name;
King of Kings and Lord of Lords He’ll be returning,
With great triumph He’ll be rapturing the saints.

We often hear about the pain and suffering that Christ endured for us. We read a lot about this in our bibles and hear it often in church. As Jesus entered his ministry, he was constantly attacked. The Jews wanted him dead, claiming he was a false prophet. Many considered him a type of devil because of the miracles he performed and the messages he delivered. He had to leave almost every town he entered because they were upset with him claiming to be the son of God and working miracles in the name of God. They beat him, spat upon him, threatened to stone him, yelled at him, and mocked him. If we look at his life from a pure human perspective, his life on earth would have been miserable.

I am not sure that any of us know where heaven is; it could be a long way away or it could be in skies above us. All we know for sure is that it is our eternal home if we have accepted Christ as our personal savior. So, we don’t know how far Jesus has to come to get back to us on earth, but we do know that he promised he would return. He will first come in the clouds and bring his people home, as told to us in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. He will later return and establish his kingdom on earth.” As the song says, wherever heaven is, it is not too far away for Jesus to return for his people. His return also shows us how much he truly loves us; he is coming back despite the way he was treated while he was in human form. Yes, he has the scars from his time on our earth, but his love is so much stronger than the scars and the pain he endured.

As I look at the chorus, one line that really stands out to me is the one: He’s coming back and I’m the only reason. I suppose the question is, isn’t he coming for everyone and not just me? It is true that he is coming for all of those who loved him and accepted him as their personal savior, but he is also coming back for each of us as individuals. When I try to make sense of this, I relate it to a father or mother who has been away from their children for a long period of time. When the parent returns home, they are so glad to see all of their children and give them a group hug; but they also hug each child individually and have special words for each one. This is the type of relationship Christ has with us. We are not just part of the church or just part of the Christian family, we all have our own personal relationship with Christ. It is true that each of us are the only reason he is coming back.

The songwriter also compares the return of Jesus to the groom returning home to his bride. The church is often referred to as the bride of Christ and I believe the church to be those who have accepted Christ, not necessarily everyone in a church or a denomination. We don’t know when Christ is returning, but we as loved ones need to be ready. His return tells us that our heavenly home is ready and he is taking us home to the new home he has prepared for us. Just as he told us in John 14:2-5 that he will come back and bring us back with him to our mansion in heaven, “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” We don’t know when he will return and when our heavenly mansion will be all set for us, so we better be ready to go at any time.

When Jesus comes back, he will be seen as the person he always claimed to be. He will come back in power and majesty and with his angels. He will not come as a baby depending on others for its care. Those who have mocked him in the past will tremble in fear upon his return; there will be no more humiliation of him or mocking. He will be the all-powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords that no one would dare challenge. As his glory shines upon the world, the believers will rise up to go with him to their heavenly homes. The days of sadness, tears, and earthly despair will be over.

One day, he is coming back for each of us as individuals and taking all of his family to our eternal homes. Now is the time to think about what you need to do to be ready.

Click to Hear the Shiloh Quartet Sing He’s Coming Back Again

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

The next entry for my Blog is How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, which was written by Stuart Towend and released in 1997. A link to Selah performing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

How Deep the Father’s Love for Us

How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

The song starts out by posing a challenging question / statement. We can measure the depth of a hole we just dug for a fencepost, we can even measure the depth of an ocean, but how do we measure the depth of a feeling or emotion such as love? I may say I love someone with all my heart, but how I do I measure this love? I think the real answer is that we cannot measure the depth and breadth of love. As much love as we may have for someone, God has this much love and more for all of his children, a love that is even deeper and stronger than our minds can conceive. I suppose the next question that aligns with the song is, are you willing to sacrifice the person you love the most so that other people can benefit? Some of those who would benefit are perhaps people who we don’t even like, don’t want to be around, and most of whom we do not even know? Would you be willing to sacrifice the one you love with all of your heart so that others can gain eternal life? I am sure many people would say, sure I would; how can I not do this to help other people. As you let this soak in for a few minutes, could you really do it? This is what God did for all of us when he let Jesus go to the cross, he let his perfect son die for everyone in an imperfect world so that all of God’s children would have the opportunity to spend eternity with him. John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” In the case of Jesus, he was dying for even those who hated him and those who actually put him on the cross.

God had made the decision to let this happen. Even though he knew that the death of his son was only temporary, can you even imagine what that would be like to lose that person you love the most for even a short time? Some may think, if it was only for a few days and I knew my loved one would come back from death, I can do that. Let’s look at this a little deeper. Suppose that just before the death was to occur, you had to 100% sever the relationship with the one you loved so deeply. It is almost like saying, I don’t love you anymore; yet this is essentially what God had to do to his son while he hung from the cross. In Mark 15:34, we are told that God had forsaken Jesus while he was on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God turned his back because, as Jesus took on the sins of the world, he was no longer able to commune with God since he was no longer perfect in God’s eyes. It was as if their bond of love and family was broken. Could you imagine experiencing this scenario with the person you love the most, even if you knew it was only for a short time?

Now, let’s switch to us and imagine we were there in the crowd that watched Jesus hang from the cross. Put yourself in the place of the people there who had witnessed the miracles of Jesus, his promise of eternal life, and the one who had promised to return. You believed every word he said, but all of sudden you become drawn in by the crowd and you pick up their chants of crucify him, he is a false prophet, he is not the son of God. You then realize what is happening to you and you feel so ashamed while seeing him on the cross and knowing he is there to take your sins and prepare a home in heaven for you. Jesus stayed on that cross until he absorbed every one of our sins from the past, the present, and the future; he gave his perfect life to make you perfect in the eyes of the father. He stayed there until he had all of the sins of the world, and then he breathed his last breath. The nails could have never held him to the cross, remember that he had the power of an almighty God with him and could have even called angels to protect him. It was solely his love for us and his will to make us perfect that held him there. Not only did he suffer from taking on our sin, he also suffered the rejection of his father. This is what love and sacrifice is all about, God had to let his only son die in one of the worst ways imaginable, so all of us would have the opportunity to join him in heaven. All we have to do is accept Christ as our personal savior and put our faith in him as the son of God. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life; as well as the only way to heaven.

God sacrificed his son to give us a heavenly home, Jesus took on all of the pain and suffering of the world to give us eternity, nothing we achieve or strive to achieve in our lives can even come close to this. I know that many of us, in the midst of conversation with others, almost have a contest of who has been the most successful in our careers, who has accomplished the greatest things, who has the best kids, who has traveled the most; but does any of this really compare to what Christ and the father did for us? Do any of our earthly accomplishments really mean anything when you think of the true meaning of eternity? Instead of trying to prove to others that we were the best in some area, we should be focused on the greatest gift we were ever given and didn’t have to work for, the gift of eternal life.

Maybe the greatest thing we can ever achieve is leading someone to Jesus, all other accomplishments pale in comparison.

Click to Hear Selah Perform How Great the Father’s Love for Us