Inspired by . . . my times are in Thy hand

1 My times are in thy hand;

my God, I wish them there;

my life, my friends, my soul, I leave

entirely to thy care.

2 My times are in thy hand,

whatever they may be;

pleasing or painful, dark or bright,

as best may seem to thee.

3 My times are in thy hand;

why should I doubt or fear?

My Father's hand will never cause

his child a needless tear.

4 My times are in thy hand,

Jesus the Crucified;

those hands my cruel sins had pierced

are now my guard and guide.

***

I don't know when it was, the last time I sang or heard these words from the 19th century hymn writer, William Freeman Lloyd but it is no surprise that the refrain has been playing itself in my mind these last few days.

In the midst of the current political and world climate, it is easy to become fearful, even afraid of what the future may hold.

Lately, I've been finding great comfort in the life of Daniel.

As a young man, Daniel was taken from his life in Jerusalem and carted off to Babylon to serve in the King's household. The book of Daniel, in the Old Testament, spans the next 60 or so years. Daniel was exiled, away from all that he held dear for the rest of his life.

Daniel saw many atrocities against man and endured countless attacks on his faith during his lifetime. He faced death many times, including one night in the lion's den.

Interestingly enough, the only time Daniel expresses fear is when he is in the presence of angelic beings. Daniel 10:7 is one example:

And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. (Dan 10:7-8)

So what does Daniel's life in Babylon have to do with us today?

Daniel was able to live his life in exile, not only live but thrive (Daniel 2 tells us that the King promoted Daniel to a high position and bestowed on him many rich gifts) because he believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that God is sovereign over all things.

Daniel's ability to face his accusers, to be compassionate to an evil king, and to write the book of Daniel as an encouragement to the Israelites was only possible because of his humble response to the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Daniel had peace because he understood that nothing happens outside of God's ultimate control. This Truth can be difficult to grasp. Firmly believing it, even when we don't understand, comes down to faith.

Faith is born when we bow our heads to Jesus as Lord but it takes flight when we begin believing God's word as Truth. [click to tweet]

The holy God of Israel, the LORD Who saves you, says: "I am the LORD your God, the One who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go. (Isa 48:17)

Spending time with Him and in His word will give us the assurance and peace we need to overcome the fears cultivated by a God-less view of world circumstances. [click to tweet]

Daniel believed having only visions of a victorious end. How much more should we, having experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit given by the risen Savior, believe in the hope that is set before us!

What will it take in your life for you to know that God reigns?

Shalom,

Sharing inspiration here:
#TellHisStory, Faith On Fire, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, #HeartEncouragement,
Thoughtful Thursdays, #w2wwordfilledwednesday,
Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty
Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments,
#DanceWithJesus; Imparting Grace

Inspired by . . . Advent: prepare Him room

Joy to the world! the Lord is come: let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

I can remember the first time I heard this song. I mean, really heard it; with my spiritual ears.

Let every heart prepare Him room,

I love the hymns because they speak Truth and are grounded in theology. Few churches even sing them anymore . . . except at Christmastime. When we do sing them, I often look around and wonder, "Do they hear what they're singing? Does it even register? Do they believe it?"

Imagine what our world would be like if every heart prepared Him room?

That's part of what Advent is; a time of preparation.

So how do we prepare our hearts for Jesus? It's a little bit like preparing the ground for seed.

We want our hearts to be tender toward Him, free of the sin that entangles us. Repent. We want our hearts to be fertilized by His Word, ready to receive. Read.  Most of all, we want to be awake to His presence. Receive.

Being awake and receptive to His presence often means that we have to clear some of the noise out of our lives. While fasting is typically associated with Lent, Advent was often a time of fasting as well.

This year part of my preparation is going to be fasting from the busyness of the season. I'm going to purposefully slow down and savor each moment. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Laura Boggess' book, Playdates with God:

Every moment is sacred when you pay attention to it.

I cannot be reminded of this enough. The Sacred is here with each of us right this very moment. No matter what you're doing. Immanuel is God with us.

The world would not have us see or experience this truth. The enemy will always try to make secular the sacred.

But when we shut out the noise, when we purposefully pause and open our eyes, our hearts to Him - in that moment we will know . . .

the wonders of His love, and wonders of His love,

and wonders, wonders of His love.

Blessings,

Sharing inspiration here:
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday, #TellHisStory,
Thought Provoking Thursday, Grace & Truth,
Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
Encourage Me Monday, Wholehearted Wednesday,
Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
#GiveMeGrace, Sitting Among Friends, #Glimpsesofhisbeauty

Inspired by . . . He Is Risen!

Blessings on your Easter.

He Lives!

I serve a risen Savior

He’s in the world today.

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy;

I hear His voice of cheer;

And just the time I need Him

He’s always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart.

 In all the world around me

I see His loving care,

And though my heart grows weary,

I never will despair;

I know that He is leading,

Through all the stormy blast;

The day of His appearing

Will come at last.

 Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,

Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs

To Jesus Christ the King!

The Hope of all who seek Him,

The Help of all who find,

None other is so loving,

So good and kind.

Happy Easter!

Inspired by . . . as the deer

 

 

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after Thee

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee

 

You're my friend and You are my brother

Even though You are a king

I love You more than any other

So much more than anything

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship Thee

 

I want You more than gold or silver

Only You can satisfy

You alone are the real joy giver

And the apple of my eye

 

In the stillness,

Inspired by . . . the deer

 

 

Dark eyes and long lashes draw me in.

Wide eyes watching.

Waiting.

 

 

Peaceful creatures. 

Hunted.

 

 

Graceful.

Long, delicate legs defy gravity.

Leaping.

Prancing.

Playing.

 

 

Her gracefulness quiets my soul

and leads me to worship.

 

As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship thee

You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship thee

 

Shalom,

 

Sharing inspiration here:

#GiveMeGrace

Inspired by . . . spontaneous praise

 

Focusing on Thanksgiving as a Lifestyle, not just a holiday.

 

I will give thanks to Him in song. Psalm 28:7

kk_Monday

 

German pastor Martin Rinckart lived in Eilenburg, in Saxony during the Thirty Years’ War. During that time the city was overrun by the opposing army three times. The villagers were subject to overcrowding, disease, and famine among other horrors. In 1637 a severe plague hit the city. Rinckart was the only surviving pastor and performed more than 5000 funerals that year, including that of his wife.

Most of us are so far removed from anything remotely like the suffering Rinckart witnessed and endured. Some of us can relate to some of it, disease, loss, but the total package? Probably not. But try. Try to imagine being under the constant threat of war. Sickness, the gnawing of hunger in your belly. Loss, such great loss. For decades.

How would you think? how would you feel? about God?

In 1648 a series of peace treaties were signed that ended the war.

By then, this hymn was already being widely sung throughout the region, “Nun danket alle Gott,” Now Thank We All Our God:

 

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

 

This beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving was written by none other than Martin Rinckart.

 

kk_restmagic

 

A similar expression of gratitude is found in Exodus 15 when Moses bursts into a spontaneous song of praise after God delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh. We noted in a previous post that failing to thank God went hand in hand with forgetting God and worshiping idols. Here we see just the opposite. Focusing on what God has done and praising Him leads naturally to worshiping Him. This passage also shows that there's a strong connection between praising and thanking God.

 

Gratitude is a characteristic of those who love God.

As believer’s we have the opportunity to bear witness to a loving and faithful God.

An “attitude of gratitude” can be a powerful witness for Christ in an increasing ungrateful world.

 

Blessings,

 

PS Don’t forget to check out my Facebook page for daily inspirations on cultivating a grateful heart! I would love for you to join the discussion!

Note: My inspiration for this series comes from the November 2009 issue of Today in the Word. A ministry of Moody Bible Institute.

#monthofthanks

 

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