Go Out Weeping, Come Home Singing

⁵ Those who cry while they plant
will joyfully sing while they harvest.
⁶ The person who goes out weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
will come home singing, carrying his bundles of grain.

-- Psalm 126:5-6 (GWT)

Lord, do not let the temporary tears of earthly years cause me to lose focus of the never-ending joy that is mine now and forever, simply and profoundly because I belong exclusively to You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.  

You are Faithful... i am..
...Grateful

Today I Must Sing A Blessing Over Your Life!

On my way to the airport in route to preach at a season of revival services in Wisconsin, an original benediction came to my mind so clearly that I just had to write the words down on a note pad. It was almost like a song, so much so, that I sang it loudly over and over in the cab of my Ford as I traveled west on Interstate 66 towards Washingtoin, D.C. It was so refreshing to my own soul, that today I just must sing it as a blessing over your life:

Grace, Peace and Godspeed to you!
May your life be totally full...
of His Spirit and His Love,
and All Joy from above.
Grace, Peace and Godspeed to you!

The LORD your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and He will refresh your life with His love. -- Zephaniah 3:17 (CEV)

God is Love and You Are Loved!
Grateful

When Children Sing Blessings Over Your Life

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
-- Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

It was a Thursday afternoon when I entered Mrs. Hilliard's fifth grade classroom to share with her class some of what I have learned on my multiple journeys to The Holy Land. For about an hour I was blessed beyond measure with attentive and engaged students.

However, it was after the hour of teaching ended that the real blessing came. The students stood around me as their teacher said "We have something special for you." Then they all smiled on me as they lifted their voices and sang this blessing over my life:

May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor.
Lift up your eyes and see His face and His grace forever.
May the Lord, Mighty God bless and keep you forever.

Yes, as I stood there encircled by the children, tears lined my eyes. Take it from me. When children sing blessings over your life, you will know you are blessed indeed. Besides, on that particular Thursday afternoon (without Mrs. Hilliard's fifth grade class knowing it) I really needed a tender touch from the Lord. I left the classroom humbled, grateful, speechless, and yes, blessed indeed!

Now, I sing this blessing over your life today (and remember I am a child, yes a child of God):

May the Lord, mighty God, bless and keep you forever.
Grant you peace, perfect peace, courage in every endeavor.
Lift up your eyes and see His face and His grace forever.
May the Lord, Mighty God bless and keep you forever.

Yes, forever and forever. Amen.
Grateful

A Grateful Heart

It has been suggested that Satan's seeds of despair cannot thrive in a heart that is always overflowing with gratitude.

A few years ago, I cried out loudly to the Lord: Your name if Faithful and my name is Grateful! The suggestion above gives me a whole new perspective as to why my soul may have actually cried out loud to the Lord so specifically -- My name is Grateful.

Truly, my soul sings aloud with the songwriter who penned these words of praise: Give thanks with a grateful heart...

An old out-of-print version of the Holy Bible translates a portion of 1 Chronicles 9:33 like this: Employed to sing both day and night. (Remember Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to the Lord at midnight. Acts 16.)

What do you think?

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

As Long As We Sing Praises to Our King

Could it be possible that as long as we sing praises to our King, that nothing can break us?

(1) I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace. (2) I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. (3) Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name. -- Psalm 34:1-3 (TLB)

You keep me singing, Jesus. Amen.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Enter The Mystery

Psalm 40, verses 1-4, from the Message Paraphrase is a testimony and an invitation that touches the depths of the soul:

I waited and waited and waited for God.
At last He looked; finally He listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:
they enter the mystery,
abandoning themselves to God.
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your backs on the world’s "sure thing,"
ignore what the world worships.

IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful

Look At The Birds!

Seven words in Psalm 50:11 (NIV) speak powerfully to me about our God's compassionate attention to His Creation: I know every bird in the mountains...

Jesus then says in Luke 12:24 (NIV): And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds!

Lord, I pray that we would trust You like the birds do. You challenge us to have confidence in You with these words You spoke in Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—for your Heavenly Father feeds them."

Like the birds, Lord, let our lives be characterized by worship, not worry. We should not dwell in sorrow, but we should instead sing of Your love forever. Amen.

ALL... JOY TO YOUR WORLD!
Grateful (P.S. Added Later in the Day Below)

P.S. This morning after I wrote and posted this blog entry, I sadly found a frozen mourning dove in the midst of black-oil sunflower seed that I keep plentiful in my yard for my winged-friends. I buried the beautiful bird in the ground underneath the snow at the foot of the Manger in our outdoor Nativity Scene. (Because I know the symbolism of a dove in the Bible and because I know that God's Son was born to die, burying the breathless, beautiful dove was a very deep and agonizing moving experience for me.) Still, it was an amazing experience for me,too, in that I had just read Psalm 50:11 late last evening. Think about it: The God I love, knew this dove. When the dove died, I can vouch that it was not hungry, but when it breathed its last breath, our compassionate Creator God cared. And how much more valuable are we than birds. An inspiring illustration for my soul.