More Music From the Heart...

 Happy Sunday!  I hope you are having a glorious day of rest and worship and thanksgiving.  It has been a beautiful day here in our part of the country, albeit a bit warm for so early in the spring, but it is Florida, and we are thankful not to be snowed in or ice-bound.  My prayers go out to those who have experienced severe weather in the past week. I know it has been hard for many of you, and I pray you and yours have come through it all safely.

All week long I had this particular song in my head.  It is the anthem that our choir was scheduled to sing today in church.  I had searched in vain on the internet to find it so I could share it with you...but discovered this morning that I had the title wrong, so that is why I couldn't find it.   I guess it was meant to be that it would be found today so I could share it with you on the day we actually sang it.   Our little country church choir may not have sounded quite as grand as this particular choir, but there again, I know no one sang it with more heart and soul than we did, and our pianist did a remarkable job of playing it, and our choir director also led us with such joy and spirit that we couldn't help but sing it with depth of meaning and our whole hearts.  I hope you will listen to this and enjoy the message contained in the lyrics.  "To Be Your Song", by Joseph M. Martin

When you have finished listening to that song, you might also enjoy hearing and watching our real choir sing a beloved hymn, "Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine".  You can sing along with this one, as I am sure many of you know it.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, perfect delight!

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.

Angels descending bring from above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, all is at rest.

I in my Savior am happy and blest

Watching and waiting, looking above

Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song

Praising my Savior all the day long

Then, if you wish, you can listen to our Pastor's message from Deuteronomy 5:1-21, "The Ten Suggestions Or a Way of Salvation?"...a wonderful sermon about the Ten Commandments and their true meaning for us.

I hope you enjoyed this time of worship and praise and study in God's Word today. I know many of you have your own churches, but perhaps there is someone out there today who really needed to hear all of these messages in song and the Word.

Okay, that's all for now I guess. It's going to be a busy week this week, with Bible Studies tomorrow afternoon, Physical Therapy for me on Tuesday and Wednesday, Choir Practice on Tuesday night,  working at Dixie Cottage throughout the week and some other things happening too...I hope I can visit with you throughout the week, but it might be kind of hit and miss.  Also, I said in my post last night that we were wondering if the Sand Hill Crane babies had hatched. I don't think so from what I can see today.  Mama is still sitting on the nest, so I think they still have some more incubation to complete. Trust me, I will make a big announcement when the "blessed event" does take place. There are two eggs as far as I can tell, so it should really be interesting once they do hatch.  Until then, I will try not to overload you with too many pictures.

I will just leave you with a bit of whimsy.  I love these little wildflowers that crop up in our yard this time of year. Some people might think they are "weeds", but I consider wildflowers to be "God's Garden", because He planted it and I didn't have to do a thing to make it grow.

So I picked a bouquet of what I call "Fairy Flowers" and brought them inside to enjoy. I also had some cut flowers that were given to us at the local Dollar General one day.  They had a lot left over and they were starting to wilt, so they told me to just take a bouquet home with me. Thank you, Dollar General! I enjoyed them until they could no longer hold their smiling faces up.

I also enjoyed this little "Fairy Garden" until the flowers drooped and dropped their petals.

Sometimes you just have to enjoy the little things in life, and listen to the fairies sing...

I hope you will listen to the song not just of the fairies singing, but that your heart will sing a song for God each day...like the song  above said, 

"I long to be Your song! Lord, breathe in me Your music.

Make me Your instrument, Your heart-song, clear and strong.

Lord, tune my heart for peace,

Lord, send Your healing to my silence.

Teach me Your harmony, and I will find my place.

Fill me with joyful praise,

Thrill me with notes of grace,

I will serve for all my days,

I long to be Your song.

I yearn to sing Your Word, Lord, lead, and I will follow.

Teach me a noble theme, and let my soul be stirred.

Lord, speak, and I will hear,

Conduct me with Your wisdom.

Robe me in humbleness, and clothe me in Your grace...

Led by Your holy Light,

I will serve with all my might,

till faith gives way to sight,

I yearn to sing Your Word!

Take my life, and let it be, dedicated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my hand, and let them move at the impulse of Your love!

Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only for my King.

I long to be Your song!

Lord, breathe in me Your music.

Make me Your instrument,

Your heart-song clear and strong.

Fill me with joyful praise.  

Thrill me with notes of grace.

I will serve for all my days.

I long to be Your song.

I long to be Your song!"

(To Be Your Song, words and music by Joseph M. Martin)

Have a song filled day and week!!

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 6-He Hideth My Soul

Today it was a little rainy, cold and dreary, so it wasn't a good day to sit in the Secret Garden...

Looking out the window toward the Secret Garden

But  God had already prepared another place for me to sit under the cover of our back porch, and still be in a quiet, peaceful place, sheltered by His loving hands.

This is also a very special place , set apart as a memorial garden in loving memory of our precious son Matthew, who was called away to heaven much too soon for us, but right on time in God's perfect plan for his life.

And so I ventured out, and entered the garden and prepared my heart for worship.  The first thing I noticed before sitting down was how the birds were being sheltered within the trees and the birdfeeder, as they waited out the drizzly rain.

And immediately my heart started to sing and praise the Lord , yes, I actually sang silently so as not to disturb the birds, but my heart was singing out loud, and I know God heard me...

"A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord,

A wonderful Savior to me..

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

where rivers of pleasure I see.

Chorus:

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock

that shadows a dry thirsty land,

He hideth my life in the depths of His love,

and covers me there with His hand...

And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord;

He taketh my burden away..

He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved;

He giveth me strength as my day...

(chorus)

With numberless blessings 

each moment He crowns,

and, filled with His fullness divine,

I sing in my rapture,

Oh! Glory to God!

For such a Redeemer as mine!

(chorus)

When clothed in His brightness,

transported I rise

to meet Him in clouds of the sky;

His perfect salvation,

His wonderful love,

I'll SHOUT with the millions on high!!

(Chorus)

(He Hideth My Soul, by Fanny Crosby)

Then God directed me to Isaiah 51:15-16:

"But I Am the Lord your God,

Who divided the sea whose waves roared--

The Lord of hosts is His name.

And I have put MY words in your mouth,

I have covered you with the shadow of MY hand..."

And I responded with Psalm 32:7-8:

"You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.

I (God) will instruct you and teach you

in the way you should go;

I will guide you with my eye."

Then God brought me to Psalm 31 as follows:

14> "But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;

I say, 'You are my God,

15>  My times are in Your hand...'"

19> "Oh how great is Your goodness,

which You have laid up for those who fear You...

which You have prepared for those who trust in You

in the presence of the sons of men!

20>  You (GOD) shall hide them in the 

"secret place" of Your Presence 

from the plots of man;

You shall keep them "secretly"

in a pavilion from the strife of tongues."

I couldn't help but notice how God was showing me how He is covering me (us) with His loving hands...and hiding us in the "secret place"...away from the plots of men and those who would seek to harm us.  In this current day and age, many of us have concerns about the "plots of men and those who would seek to harm us"...terrorists and other enemies of our nation, as well as the enemies of our faith.  But God is sheltering, protecting, and keeping us safe in the secret place of His love. We need not fear what man may do to us.

My heart broke out in song again:  singing the praise chorus that says...

"How Great is our God... (click HERE for video "world" version with Chris Tomlin)

"How Great Is Our God"

The splendor of a king
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice
All the earth rejoice

He wraps Himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice

How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
Beginning and the end

The Godhead Three in One
Father, Spirit and Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb

How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

Name above all names
Worthy of all praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God

Name above all names
You are worthy of all praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God

[3x]
How great is our God
Sing with me
How great is our God
And all will see
How great, how great is our God

And then I sang the more familiar chorus to "How Great Thou Art"

"Then sings my soul,

my Savior God, to Thee;

How great Thou art,

How great Thou art...

Then I looked across the page in my Bible Psalm 30, and I see some of the verses that I've underlined as they've become precious to me since the passing of our son almost three years ago...

Psalm 30:4-5

"Sing praise to the Lord,

you saints of His,

and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name...

For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for LIFE;

Weeping may endure for a night,

but JOY comes in the morning!"

Verse 11:

"You have turned for my my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

 12:

To the end that my glory may sing praise to You

and not be silent...

O Lord my God,

I will give thanks to YOU forever..."

"Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee...

How great Thou art,

How Great Thou art!"

No, I'm not so calloused that I no longer mourn or grieve the loss of our son, 

But...I KNOW where he is!!  He's with God Our Father, Jesus the Son, Our Savior, and the Holy Spirit...All there together...in heaven for eternity!  And we will see him again one day,

so how can I be sad?  He's safe at home, eternally!  Praise God for that peace and assurance!  

"Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation,

purchase of God,

born of His Spirit,

washed in His blood.

This is my story,

this is my song,

Praising my Savior

all the day long.

This is my story,

this is my song;

Praising my Savior all the day long!!"

Amen

(Blessed Assurance, by Fanny Crosby)

Note: I sure look forward to meeting 

Fanny Crosby someday in heaven!

What a blessing she has been to me and 

countless millions of people who have sung 

the hymns she wrote out of her heart and love for

Jesus Christ our Savior!

I pray that your Sunday worship is a time of great joy, knowing that the Lord hides our soul in the cleft of the rock...and that He is keeping us safe within the shelter of His loving hands.  

"How Great is OUR God!!!"  

Amen!!