Tag: give you rest

How Long Has It Been

The next entry for my Blog is How Long Has it Been.  It was written by Mosie Lister and was first released in 1956.  A link to Jim Reeves singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

How long has it been since you talked with the Lord
And told him your heart’s hid in secrets?
How long since you prayed?
How long since you stayed on your knees till the light shone through?

How long has it been since your mind felt at ease?
How long since your heart knew no burden?
Can you call him your friend?
How long has it been since you knew that he cared for you?

How long has it been since you knelt by your bed
And prayed to the Lord up in heaven?
How long since you knew that he’d answer you
And would keep you the long night through?

How long has it been since you woke with the dawn
And felt this day is worth living?
Can you call him your friend?
How long has it been since you knew that he cared for you?..

This is a song that came to me a short time ago and it delivers such a powerful message.  You may have never heard it before since it is an older song and you may not have seen or heard the lyrics, but it is such a great reminder for each of us who believes in a loving and powerful God.

I am sure that most of us probably have very engaging lives.  We may be busy with jobs, family, friends, sports, neighborhood activities, and just life in general.  The net is that at the end of the day, we are just ready to find that special spot in our homes and relax with those who are special in our lives.  Maybe you make it to church occasionally, maybe you read your bible as time permits, and you probably say a few prayers along the way to help you through the challenges of life.  This song has one simple question, “how long has it been” since you talked to the Lord, the most important being in your life?

For those of you who worship God, how much time do you give him every day?  When was the last time you spoke to God and just poured your heart out to him?  I think probably all of us have friends and family we confide in, but are there some things deep inside that we just really don’t want to talk about even though we would probably feel better if we did.  I have some wonderful friends, but there are some things that I never share with them.  Maybe it is because I am ashamed of something in my past or maybe it is just something I just don’t want to share since I am afraid of what people may think of me.  God is the one being you can turn to who will cast no judgement for what you have done, he will never betray your secret, and he will keep his arms wrapped around you even in your deepest darkest moments of despair.  So many people are concerned about how they talk to God.  The simple answer to this is that you talk to God the same as you would your very best friend.  He is the one person whom you can share everything with and who will cast no judgement upon you.  He is the best listener you could ever hope for and even better, he is always there and available to us. When you talk to God, there is no time limit; he is not on a schedule and is there for you every minute.  As you start talking to God and baring your soul to him, you will be amazed at how long your conversations last.  You will feel his responses in your heart and mind, not with your ears.  Many times, you may have a quick prayer with him, and then there are other times when you fall on your knees and talk to him almost all night.  Our talks can be a combination of praise and thanks, and they can also be personal needs or for the needs of others. When you are at the bed of a loved one who is nearing the end of their days, you may very well pray through the night since God will not interrupt you and he can feel the pain we are feeling.  At the end of a heart felt prayer, you can feel God’s love and almost feel his arms wrapped around you

I believe we all experience times in our lives when we can seemingly find no peace, there is something that is constantly weighing us down.  Do you have those times?  Maybe you have things going on in your life that just drag you down emotionally and ultimately physically as well.  In these times, it is almost as if your burdens get heavier and heavier and you just can’t take the emotional load any longer.  What you really need is to have someone to help offload the burdens and give you some relief.  Did you know that Jesus, the son of God, is that one friend who can bring you true relief?  In the book of Matthew, 11:28-30 he tells us he will carry our burdens for us.  “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”   When you think about friends, what role do they play in your life?  We spend fun time with friends, we share each other’s burdens, and we live life together; but even though we have these wonderful friends, they can never give us the love and peace that Jesus can.  The disciples first started with Jesus as servants and he was their teacher, but in the book of John 15:15, he tells them they are not servants, they are his friends.   “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you”.  Take a moment and let that sink in.  Jesus, the son of God, has just called his disciples, his followers; friends. Our friends and family love us and want the best for us, but they can never love us as much as Jesus.  When you take the time to pray, talk to Jesus as your very best friend, he is always there to listen and to guide.  He is the friend above all friends and he alone knows your deepest hurts and needs.  He is always there for you.  I know it is different sitting with friends who you can see and touch, but Jesus touches and heals you from the inside.

I can remember seeing books with prayers in them and so many times the front of the book had a picture of someone on their knees praying.  It is absolutely true that you can pray anywhere and anytime and God hears our prayers, but there just seems to be something special about being on our knees when we pray.  Personally, I think it is a way to symbolize our complete devotion to him.  When was the last time you were on your knees in prayer?  If you have been on your knees in prayer before, think about what caused you to get into this position of absolute submission.  Maybe this is a way to help you feel closer to God.  Maybe you were in a room praying by yourself with no distractions around and you began to feel the love of God coming across your heart and soul as you feel his touch while he listens to you. It is in these quiet still moments when we can bare our souls to God, knowing that he answers all prayers in his time.  When we rise from our knees, feel a burden that has either been lifted or is now shared and that we are not alone.  Please know that I understand that everyone can’ get on their knees, the main message is to humble yourself before God.

As you experience these deep times of prayer and conversation with our God, time can pass very quickly.  When you finally stop your prayer and sharing time with him, you may see those first rays of sunlight starting to peek above the horizon.  Your one-on-one prayer time should become something you look forward to everyday.  Of course, you can pray any time and any day, but the dedicated time is so special.  Take some time now and think about how often you pray to God for help, how often you pray and give him thanks.  Every day with God is a day worth living.

How long has it been…..

  Click to Hear Jim Reeves Sing How Long Has it Been

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