Sing On!

When I colored the 4" x 6" card that's pictured here, the words Oh, sing to the Lord reminded me of my sweet Mama. From childhood on, I remember that many times throughout the day Mama either sang softly or hummed her favorite Gospel songs as she did household chores, crocheted, or quilted. 

Even as Alzheimer's eroded her memory, she still hummed many of her favorite hymns. Their words encouraged her. They enabled her to worship and praise God. They reminded her of eternal truths, of God's precious promises, of the assurance of His love, of His presence with her...

Mama did what Priscilla J. Owens (born in 1829) says to do:

Sing it softly through the gloom,

When the heart for mercy craves;

Sing in triumph o'er the tomb;

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

I want to do likewise. Do you?

It's Time to Praise

A few days after I’d taken photos of spring blooms, I read The Making of the Beautiful: The Life Story of Annie Johnson Flint. (She wrote many of the hymns we love, including He Giveth More Grace.)

One of the poems interspersed in the telling of her story is Spring Song of Praise. In it, the poet imagines all of creation being “roused from winter’s chilling dream” and beginning to praise the Lord.

That’s an apt description of springtime, isn’t it? A world that has seemed asleep—even dead—begins to show signs of awakening, signs of coming to life.

Buds and blooms and bees and birds suddenly appear everywhere. And what a delight they are. How the sight of them lifts our spirits. How the sight of them should cause you and me to join them in songs of praise to our Creator.

One of my favorites is This Is My Father’s World.* What’s yours?

* written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock and published in 1901

A Precious Treasure

Sometimes old hymns I haven’t sung (or even thought about) for years pop into my mind. For example, one morning after I'd thanked God for the Bible, some of the words to Holy Bible, Book Divine drifted into my thoughts. I remembered all of the first verse (see caption beneath the photo on the left) but could only recall phrases from the other three.

After locating the entire song on the Internet and reflecting on the blessings the song says the Bible provides (comfort in distress, assurances of joys to come, guidance, etc.), I recalled these words Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, Amplified Bible:

All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately--behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All that "remembering" reminded me anew that the Bible is indeed a precious treasure, one that contains a wealth of knowledge waiting to be "mined" by you and me as we study it and apply it to our lives.

Pray-sing!

Many of the old hymns seem like prayers, and I use them as such. For example, as I've gone about my daily tasks this morning, I've been singing (and praying) all the verses to "Speak to My Heart," which was written by B. B. McKinney and published in 1927.

I, too, am asking the Lord to speak to my heart, to help me hear His voice, to calm all my doubts and fears, to cleanse me from all sin, to help me say or do something to point to the Savior those who do not yet know Him. I'm also offering my heart--in fact, all of me--to the Lord so that He can use me as He wishes.

Now that I've humbly asked Him to speak directly to me, I'm listening eagerly--and carefully--to hear what He will say. And I do believe He will speak to me. Many verses in the Bible promise that He will.

The Source of Light and Hope

Daddy was born 117 years ago (1902) today (January 29) and died on March 6, 1982, at the age of 80. I’ve lived almost that long but, thankfully, have never had to deal with the kind of hardships he did: the death of his first wife, the death of two children (one a child, one an adult), a houseful of children (seven!) to raise by himself, two sons going off to war, a blended family (after he and Mama married and had two children), diabetes, etc. Even with all those problems and few of life’s comforts, Daddy was a happy man, well-known for his big smile and sparkling sky-blue eyes. He loved the Lord—and people—and always had lots of friends (rich ones and poor ones).

The day before he died, he was transferred by ambulance from a small hospital in North George to a larger one in Atlanta. My husband (James) and I rushed there to be with him and Mama. The doctor came to Daddy’s bedside to examine him and to ask lots of questions. When he said, “Pops, what do you for fun?” James answered before Daddy could. “He goes to church!”

James was so right! That was what Daddy loved to do. And he didn’t just go and sit on a pew. No! He led the singing, with or without piano accompaniment. He often preached. He got on his knees during prayer time, as was the custom in Baptist churches in that part of rural North Georgia.

His religion carried over into his daily life, too. Whenever he had a minute to sit down, he’d reach for his well-used King James Version Bible and read from it. Although Daddy had only a third-grade education, he was able to read the Bible; and the Holy Spirit helped him understand what he read. He drew strength and comfort from the Scriptures and from hymns, many of which he'd memorized.

One of his favorite songs was Heavenly Sunlight, written by Henry J. Zelley, published in 1899. I think the words in that song explain why Daddy was joy-filled despite having to face so many hard things. His Source of help and hope is available to everyone who will believe in Jesus and in what He said.

Listen here and/or read the words below. May they comfort and strengthen you as you make your journey through life.

Walking in sunlight all of my journey;

Over the mountains, through the deep vale;

Jesus has said, “I’ll never forsake thee,”

Promise divine that never can fail.

REFRAIN:

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight,

Flooding my soul with glory divine:

Hallelujah, I am rejoicing,

Singing His praises, Jesus is mine.

Shadows around me, shadows above me,

Never conceal my Savior and Guide;

He is the Light, in Him is no darkness;

Ever I’m walking close to His side.

In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing,

Pressing my way to mansions above;

Singing His praises gladly I’m walking,

Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love.

Out of... Into...

I love the old hymns for they remain as true today as when they were written many years--sometimes centuries--ago. Since I can't always remember ALL the words, I like to locate them in a hymnal or on the Internet and either sing them or simply say the words out loud.

I especially like the hymns that sound like prayers. One of my favorites is Out of My Bondage, Sorrow, and Light*. I hope you're familiar with it. If not, you can hear it here.

I hope you, too, will offer this prayer to Jesus:

"Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night, Jesus, I come. Jesus, I come. Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light, Jesus, I come to Thee."

You, too, may want (and need!) to come out of your sickness and into the health Jesus can give, out of earth's sorrows into His balm, out of life's storms and into His calm, out of distress to jubilant psalm...

When we come to Him, He gives us what we so desperately need but can't obtain on our own. He is our Source for every blessing and the Solution to every problem. Oh, Dear One, let's run to Him!

*William T. Sleeper, 1887

Sing! Serve!

I love to sing hymns, although folks around me probably wish I’d spray myself with a can of hush. Because I don’t sing beautifully, I’m thankful the Bible says, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” (Psalm 100:1-2, ESV, emphasis added).

Now, I can make a joyful noise, even if I don’t have a church-choir voice. And I do come before His presence with singing many times throughout the day, especially early each morning before I read the Bible. (I sing softly behind closed doors, of course, so as not to disturb anyone else.)

This morning, I sang a few phrases from the chorus, “I Will Enter His Gates,” which includes these words found in Psalm 100:4, ESV: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!” (If you’d like to listen to the entire song (and sing along!), click here.

After making my joyful noise unto the LORD, I decided I’d "pray back" Psalm 100, so I said to God:

I will, day by day, make a joyful noise unto You, O LORD of all the earth. I will serve You with gladness in my heart and on my face no matter where You lead me to serve, no matter whom You want me to serve. As I serve, I will remember that You are right beside me, so I will sing praises to you  throughout the day as I sense Your presence, not just in the mornings.

I do know that You are the LORD God, the One who made make me, the One who keeps me. Because I’m happy to belong to You, to be  one of the untold numbers of “sheep” in Your pasture and under Your tender care, I will enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter Your courts with praise. I will give thanks to You. I will bless/honor Your name by my words, actions, and attitudes.

I will gladly do these things because You, O LORD, are good, and Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations. 

Because I experience Your goodness, Your steadfast love, and Your faithfulness every day, I will sing and serve with joy!

Will you, Dear Reader, do the same?

The Real Truth

I’ve read various versions of “The Legend of the Dogwood Tree,” as you, Dear Reader, may have. However, the Bible doesn’t say what kind of wood was used to make a cross for Christ. But the beautiful blooms on dogwood trees can remind us of His death on the cross. For example, the petals are arranged in the shape of cross; the center could symbolize the crown of thorns that were placed on His head; and the holes at the edge of each petal could represent the blood-stained nail prints in his hands.

While it’s good to notice such reminders, it’s far better to read what the Bible has to say about the resurrection and its significance (for example: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 15) and to sing the old hymns, such as: Low in the Grave He Lay and Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.

That will help us to truly rejoice and to give thanks that “in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).