"It Is Well With My Soul"

One of my favorite hymns is "It Is Well With My Soul" written by Horatio G. Spafford, 1873. The story about the writing of this song is so tragic. Spafford, a dedicated Christian, decided to take his family on a vacation to Europe after a difficult time in Chicago. Several of his investment properties were destroyed in the Chicago fire. Spafford, an attorney, was detained by urgent business but sent his wife and four daughters on ahead on the S.S. Ville du Havrve. He would follow soon. 

Midway through the Atlantic, the ship his family was on was hit by an English ship and it sank in 12 minutes. All four daughters were lost in the ocean but his wife was one of the few who was rescued. As Spafford sailed to join his grieving wife in Wales, at the approximate location of the first ship's demise, God placed on Spafford's heart the words to the now famous song, "It Is Well With My Soul".

"When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul." Though Satan should buffet, tho' trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.  My sin-- O, the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin-- not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!  And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll, The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, "Even so"--it is well with my soul.  Chorus: It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul."

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's," (Psalm 103:2-5 NIV) 

Thank You, God, for speaking to me through this song and the scripture. You have redeemed my life from the pit and I praise You and glorify You with this blog. May it touch the heart of one who needs it. Be with us today and bless us with Your love and compassion. In Jesus' Holy Name we pray, Amen.

Colors of Life

One thing that always draws my attention is color. I love bright colors in clothing, on cars (even though mine is white), on packaging, and especially on flowers. Our creeping phlox is in full color right now and it makes me so happy to look at it. 

I had trouble finding a scripture about or with color. That surprised me because God is so good about creating a variety of colors in nature. His palette is huge, giving us color everywhere we look.

There must be hundreds of shades of green in nature alone. And the blues of the sky and the oceans and lakes are brilliant. Only God could create so many beautiful colors to look at. 

"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors," (Genesis 37:3 ESV). 

Look at the variety of colors of flesh, eyes and hair. It is amazing how individual we all are made. 

Picture an eagle flying against the blue of the sky:

"A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, rich in plumage of many colors, came to Lebanon and took the top of the cedar," (Ezekiel 17:3 ESV).

God has blessed us with colors in our world. He has made all things beautiful.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us color. Help us notice the beautiful colors all around us today. We thank You for creating such variety to overwhelm us with the fascinating majesty of color. Thank You God for everything. Amen.

Mercy and Light

Mercy is compassion shown to an offender; pardon, tenderness and gentleness. It is such a wonderful gift, freely given by God. We are so blessed to receive mercy from God and from others. 

Peter wrote to Christians everywhere to encourage them in their faith. We all need that sometimes.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy," (1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV).

I need mercy as I am going to be in seclusion for a couple of weeks. My immunity is low so I am susceptible to illness. John is finishing his radiation treatments for cancer. I already brought home a sinus infection but I can't risk exposing John to more so I am staying away from people until he is finished with his treatments. I won't be fulfilling my commitment to volunteer at our church. I need mercy. I feel very bad to let people down.

Things happen in life that we don't expect or plan for, but God has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light. What an uplifting verse!  May we hold on to the Light that guides us and gives us mercy.

Lord God, we thank you for this morning light that leads us out of darkness. We thank You for Your Son, our Light. We thank You for sending Your Son to be our Savior and for the Holy Spirit that is our constant help and counsel. Be with us today and bless us with Your mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

Excitement of Spring

Good morning. The sun isn't up yet but I do not hear the rain that was predicted. It feels like spring is really here. We are halfway through the month of April already so surely spring is here to stay. The garden centers are bursting with everything a gardener might need. Though I don't know what the temperature of our soil is, it is beginning to warm. And we received a wonderful rain this week and more is forecast for today.

Farming has been a profession since the beginning of time. Here in Iowa agriculture is our livelihood. I grew up on a farm, the true farm of the past that featured tilling the ground, raising a few of every livestock animal, chickens, and a big garden. Those farms made each family independent and self-sufficient.

Over the decades, farming has gone to huge fields with few livestock. However, of late, there has been a trend of more small farmers with a variety of produce and animals. Perhaps the family farm will again be common practice.

"Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cummin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way," (Isaiah 28:23-26 NIV).

God is the farmer's guide. Even back in the time of the prophet Isaiah, the farmers depended on God's direction. Farmers still need the blessing of the Lord on their fields and crops. As they move to field work this spring may God be with them and bless them with safety and weather that allows them to plant in due time.

Lord God, be with us this spring and guide us in our preparation and our planting. Watch over us and our seeds. Make them grow and flourish with Your sun and rain. Help us care for Your plants to reap bountiful harvests, of field crops, of flowers, of vegetables and trees. We thank You for all good gifts You bestow. Amen.

 

Do Not Be Shaken

"I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken," (Psalm 16:7-8 NIV).

 Life doesn't always go the way we plan it. 

We encounter bumps in the road that make life difficult. The only way we make it through is by prayer. Sometimes I wake up early, even before the alarm goes off and my heart is heavy. I slept but I awaken with the burdens I had the night before. Did I fail to let go and let God take over? Even in my sleep I held tight to the concerns I prayed about the night before.

My worries are out of my control, yet they weigh so heavy on my heart. How do I accept what I do not want? How do I move on in a situation that is not of my choosing?

Jesus sits at the right hand of God. God sent the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. Jesus promised this while He was teaching the disciples.

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid," (John 14:26-27 NIV).

Lord, I need Your peace today. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and give me counsel. Remind me of Your promises and give me Your peace. Help fix the trouble I feel in my heart and help me be not afraid. I give You my praise and my worship, Lord, and I trust in Your counsel, today and every day. Amen. 

Tenacity for God

Sometimes we must be strong and courageous. In the midst of struggles and strife, our only hope may be in prayer. Our communication with God is an open pathway, a two-way street of hearing and listening. God is so gracious to us. He knows our every fear or pain and He responds with His peace. Prayer is the only way I know of to open our hearts and receive the messages of guidance and grace that God has for us.

"For your Father knows what you need before you ask him," (Matthew 6:8b NIV).

Still, we need to speak our prayers, making them real to us. God wants to hear from us. He longs for our communication with Him. He loves us so much that our relationship with Him depends on our words spoken from our hearts. God is listening, always.

Although we sometimes don't hear an immediate answer from God, we have placed our need in His hands and we can rest in His presence and attention. When we pray we allow God to work in and through us. Knowing God takes tenacity. "We need to persist in pursuing God," (NIV Study Bible notes for Matthew 7:7, 8.)

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened," (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV).

Lord God, hear our prayers today.  Let us be confident and calm as we wait. Speak to us Your answers and remind us to not give up on our prayers. Give us focus and faith as we continue to pray and wait. We are so thankful for Your presence in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Sometimes a song comes into my head and I end up singing it all day long. Does that ever happen to you? That's why I love music so much. The melody can repeat over and over and the words of a song can ring so true to me. That is especially true with Christian music.

Here we are just one week after Easter. He is Risen! Scriptures tell us that Jesus walked again on this earth. He appeared to two believers on the road, to the disciples behind locked doors, to the disciples again with 'doubting' Thomas, to the disciples while fishing, to Peter, to give the Great Commission, to the disciples in Jerusalem, and when He ascended into heaven. Jesus lives!

Paul reminds us in Philippians that Jesus came to teach us to be like Him in both our minds and our actions. Jesus is the precious name that calls us to bow on our knees and praise Him.

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father," (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV).

The song that entered my head this morning is:

There's Something About That Name

by Bill and Gloria Gaither

"Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; there's just something about that name.
Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain;
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all Heaven and earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
But there's something about that name."

Heavenly Father: May this scripture teach us and this song repeat in our minds today, reminding us of the attitude of Jesus that we should try and emulate. Help us to remember all that our Savior did for us and give thanks. His name is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Amen.

Finding Hope

"But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more," (Psalm 71:14 NIV). 

Over the past few weeks, my prayer list has gotten longer and longer. There are so many in need. My heart is heavy for those who are suffering, anxious, waiting for healing, enduring treatments, or grieving. We have to have hope to get us through.

But sometimes it is hard to have hope. Our fears get in the way. Our hearts are lonely for those we miss. We feel crushed by the weight of our burdens. We get impatient and want answers and results right now. 

Our Risen Savior is our hope.  In Him we put our trust and lift our hands in worship. In Him we have true hope. Who can rise from death to life? But Jesus. Who can give us the hope of the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead us and save us from ourselves? But Jesus. Who can sit at the right hand of God? But Jesus.

In Him we have our hope.

"Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again," (Psalm 71:20-21 NIV).

Oh, Blessed Lord God, we ask You to hear our cries for mercy, for forgiveness, for grace and comfort today. Touch our aching hearts and give us Your hope. Replace our concerns with solid trust in You. Hold us close, Lord, so we can feel Your presence and rest in Your arms. In You we find our hope. Thank You, Jesus.  Amen.

In His Hands

"I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;" (Isaiah 49:15b-16 NIV). 

On Easter Monday we still rejoice in our Risen Savior because He remained with His disciples and walked on the earth again for forty days before His ascension. He is alive! His hands will forever bear witness of the nails on the cross. Jesus carries the scars in His hands, His feet, on His back, and in His side. There is no denying that He was crucified on a cross and was laid in a tomb. He left the grave on the third day and lives again!

Jesus' resurrection was foretold many times in Old Testament Scriptures, even in some of the Psalms that David wrote. It was God's plan for Jesus, but also for us. We, too, have the promise of eternal life. As believers we will live forever with Him.

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand," (Psalm 16:9-11 NIV).

Lord, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to save us from our sin. We are so grateful for the wounds Jesus bore for us and the scars that remain in His hands. Help us to live our lives forever in His hands. We pray in our Risen Savior's name. Amen.