Praising amidst "Life"

This morning, as I drove home from work, my spirit matched the frost etched on my car windows. It has been almost a year since my wife left me. A song on the radio reminded me that God was all I needed. I conceded that truth to Him but asked if it was not wrong to need the companionship of my wife, temporary as it is in this life. I "reminded " Him that it was not His will for a marriage to be dissolved by anyone while here on earth. Tears flowed as I cried out to the Lord.  A song came over the radio that caught my attention. The words may not appear to relate to my situation yet I found them to be very comforting at the time. Perhaps as time passes, I will realize how they do. Here is a portion of the words to the song.

We believe Your love is the strongest way

You’re tearing down walls and You break our chains

Even in this darkness hope will rise again

When we lay down our weapons we will let love win

We believe Your love is the strongest way

You’re tearing down walls and You break our chains

Even in this darkness hope will rise again

When we lay down our weapons we will let love win

Lord we lay down our weapons and we let love win

(from Let Love Win by Carrollton)

August 18, 2015

Worship: Nearer My God to Thee by Sarah F. Adams; Come into His Presence by Paul Clark

 

Nearer, My God, To Thee

 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

 

Refrain

Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!

 

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.

Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God to Thee.

 

Refrain

 

There let the way appear, steps unto heav'n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

 

Refrain

 

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

 

Refrain

 

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I'll fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

 

Refrain

 

There in my Father's home, safe and at rest,

There in my Savior's love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.

 

(from Biblesoft Hymnal, PC Study Bible electronic database Copyright © 2003-2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

 

Video: https://youtu.be/414J9NAJ9fs

 

I remembered the song below from the seventies but thought Love Song had done it. It had some of that same sound. Phil Keaggy’s guitar rifts still give me chills on this song, and they lift me, as it were, “into His presence!”

 

Come into His Presence

 

Here’s good news to you who are plagued with sin
And to all of you who find it hard to enter in
Jesus died with his arms stretched out on a tree
And they’re still stretching out because they’re reaching for you and me

Won’t you, Come into his presence
His blood shed for you is the evidence
That He wants us, to come and have fellowship and be free

So now that we can come boldly before his throne
By and new and living way which he did all alone
Let us draw near with assurance that it’s done
With our hearts sprinkled clean and with our bodies cleansed by the Son

Let us, come into his presence
His blood shed for you is the evidence
And He wants us, to come and have fellowship and be free.

Won’t you, Come into his presence
His blood shed for you is the evidence
That He wants us, to come and have fellowship and be free
come and have fellowship and be free
come and have fellowship and be free
come and have fellowship and be free

Won’t you please come?

https://youtu.be/8XLnFMDBhVs

 

Personal: Well here I am in the same circumstances as usual. I got up late because my phone died and there was no alarm. Missed a store meeting I never read about. No word from my wife or my close friend. Good news this morning though. Another friend, and brother, has started a life group. Another friend has shared with me some prayer requests. I’m alive and praising amidst the rush.

 

Word:

Ps 22:25-23:1 5 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26  The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. ESV

Ps 22:25-23:1 25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him — may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him — those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn — for he has done it. NIV

 

Just a few more observations and I will be finished with the Psalm –that is – for now.

 

As I see it, there a few different groups of people seen here each described in some way by the words that follow close after them.

 

The first group is the “afflicted”(NIV 1984) or “poor”(NIV 2011) or “meek”(KJV). A group described by our Lord as “blessed” (Matt. 5:3, 5). I believe what follows is still a description of them, which is:

 

they who seek the Lord will praise him — may your hearts live forever!

 

When the peace offering referred to in verse 25 was made, a portion was kept for the worshiper to eat and with all those he wished to share. Here David and ultimately, our Lord share their sacrifice with the afflicted or needy. Does this not, in a sense, fulfill the beatitudes concerning the poor and the meek? Will they not be satisfied? And will not those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” be “filled”? (Matt. 5:6)

 

Time’s up for now. To be continued tomorrow, Lord willing.