Todd Smith is one of the vocalists in the Christian group, Selah. He says, "This song was inspired by believers in persecution who are standing for the name of Jesus even when it costs them their lives." However, it is a great song for all of us to be reminded that our God is God, through the good times and the hard times. TRUSTING in Him is a choice we need to make, regardless of joy or loss.
David Nevue is one of my favorite piano players. I love listening to his relaxing inspirational music each night as I fall asleep.
One of my favorites of his is Psalm 5. It is so calming and peaceful and . . . oh, the words . . . they are a beautiful picture of what it means to really TRUST in God.
You can't audibly hear the words in Mr. Nevue's piano music but, if you know what they are, you can hear them in your mind while he is playing. Many years ago in the 70's and 80's, I remember listening to this song being sung by the Maranatha singers, so I do know the words. I encourage you to learn them as well, as the words are taken directly from Scripture - Psalm 5:1-3 -
Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Using the Lexicon on Bible Hub, I came up with the following paraphrase that might give you a little better understanding of this passage:
Give ear to my words, O Lord
Listen to me, Oh Lord (Yahweh - Hebrew name for eternal God)
consider my meditation
understand my groanings, musings, whisperings
Hearken unto the voice of my cry
Give attention to my cries for help
my king, and my God
my king, and my God (Elohim - Hebrew name for strong and powerful God)
Charles Swindoll, a well-known Bible-teaching pastor and the Founder of INSIGHT FOR LIVING, has a quote based around the verse above. He says:
"We must cease striving and TRUST God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith." - Charles R. Swindoll
If we wish to strengthen our TRUST, we must choose to exercise our FAITH.
How do we do that? We cease striving.
In other words, BE STILL! Exodus 14:14 - "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Stop fighting and struggling to win a war YOU cannot win! Be at rest as you pray and acknowledge that God is in control of your circumstances. BELIEVE He will not fail you. Have FAITH in Him.
I've heard it said that FAITH is "believing without seeing." In fact, Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (NIV)
Having faith means:
Believing God is real, and good, and is always watching over us, even when we can't physically see Him.
Choosing to "see" God through the actions of other Believers, and in the beauty surrounding us.
Believing God's Word is true, and that He will always keep His promises.
Trusting that ALL things will work out for the good of those who love Him.
Having hope that better things are on the way.
Cease striving (be still) and know that HE IS GOD.
My niece, Carolyn, and I have occasionally been corresponding the "old fashioned" way - via physical letters sent through the post office. She is a 3rd year student at Moody Bible Institute this year, and she wrote to me shortly before returning to classes this Fall. I asked her if I could share a portion of her letter, and she agreed.
In this portion of her letter, Carolyn shares one of the ways the Lord has taught her to let go of her worries and TRUST in Him:
It has been an amazing and growing experience being at Moody! I've loved it so much! One thing God really emphasized during last year at Moody was TRUSTING Him, and processing my emotions. He taught me how to breathe, name off everything that was worrying me or weighing me down, literally count them on my hands, then let go of them, exhale, and say "I give 'such and such' to You. I TRUST You." That has been amazing!
When we put our TRUST in the Lord, it can bring us comfort as we realize that, even when we don't understand God's ways,
everything we go through in life happens for a reason. It brings us peace.
Edgar P. Stiteswas a hymn writer and an active member of his church in the mid to late 1800's. One of the hymns he wrote, Trusting Jesus, conveys the type of trust he had. The lyrics first appeared as a poem in a newspaper. Then, the words were given to Evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, who then asked his song leader, Ira D. Sankey, to put the words to music. A beautiful hymn was the result. It is a timeless hymn that has encouraged many to keep "trusting Him whate'r befall, TRUSTING Jesus, that is all."
TRUSTING JESUS Words by: Edgar P. Stites
Music by: Ira D. Sankey
Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Refrain
Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Brightly does His Spirit shine
Into this poor heart of mine;
While He leads I cannot fall;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Refrain
Singing if my way is clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger for Him call;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.
Let me introduce you to a new, illustrated story Bible, sweetly written by Doris Rikkers, and colorfully illustrated by Fernando Juarez. Before you start thinking, "Oh, its just another Bible storybook for children," let me tell you what's unique about this one.
The Spirit of God Illustrated Bible uses over 40 short stories, presented in a way that helps readers understand how God’s Spirit has been with us since the beginning of time and continues to be with us today.
The book starts out with the account of Creation, where it says in Genesis 1:2, "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (NIV)From there, we are taken through many of the accounts in the Old Testament - some of which will be new stories to the children (and even the adults) who read them. Then, after the building of the temple in Jerusalem is completed, we are taken into the New Testament where we are taught about the life of Christ, and the birth of the church.
In my opinion, this storybook is a unique way of presenting the Bible to children of all ages, while also being appealing (and educational) for adults.
For more information and to view a sampler, click the "landing page" here:
GIVEAWAY: I am happy to be able to give away a copy of this bible to one of my readers.If you are interested, you will need to do ONE of two things - either make a comment on this blog post and make sure I have a contact e-mail for you, or make a comment on the Facebook post on HHMRH MINISTRIES PAGE where I will contact you via private message if you are the winner. For all those who comment, a random drawing will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.
~~~~~~~~~~
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win. Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
At the end of July, before taking a blogging break, I gave a list of TRUST posts that had already been published: TRUST #29: A REVIEW OF TRUST POSTS
In that post, I asked you all to share what your favorite posts have been to that point, or share a
testimony of how these posts have impacted you.
My mom, the wonderful and great encourager that she is, jumped at the chance to write a note and share her thoughts with all of us. Here is what she wrote:
In my late 30's, I was going through a real hard time emotionally. During that time, Vicky (a teenager then) made me a homemade verse card. It was Isaiah 41:13 - For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. I still have the card some 35 years later in my living room and I still read it, reminding me He does help us through rough times. It has become one of my favorite Bible verses.
I also like Hebrews 13:5 - I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Since losing my husband 16 months ago, this verse I say often. It is a promise I am never alone. There have been many things I have needed to do and, because of Him, I don’t have to do them alone. He has been there to help provide through my family and my church family. He is there to help me, and will continue to be there. He cares for the small things as well as the bigger ones. We have an awesome God! ~ Carolyn McIntosh (Mom)
You may know her as a fairly new pop-artist whose debut album "Unbreakable Smile" was released in 2015. You may remember her as the voice of "Meena the elephant" on the animated film SING. But, what you may not know is that TORI KELLY has had a lifelong passion for gospel music.
With the help of her manager, Scooter Braun, the L.A.-based singer/songwriter connected with Kirk Franklin, a 12-time Grammy Award-winning gospel artist and one of Kelly’s musical idols. “I flew to Dallas and Kirk showed me a few songs he’d written, and I fell in love with all of them,” says Kelly. So, with its R&B-infused take on classic gospel, Ms. Kelly's newest album, Hiding Place, will be released on September 14, 2018. It presents what Franklin refers to as “hope-pop.”
Kelly says, "One of the things I want for this album is for people to feel uplifted and encouraged when they listen." She goes on to say, "I want them to know that, no matter what they’re going through, there’s a God who loves them so much and so unconditionally, and there’s always a reason to feel hope. That’s what I really believe in, and I want everyone out there to hear my heart."
As I listened to the CD, I definitely noticed the R & B style, which is not my favorite style of music. However, Ms. Kelly has a beautiful voice, and the lyrics to each of the 8 songs bring out the importance of being real with God and with placing our faith, hope and trust in Him. My favorite is "Souls Anthem," the last song on the album. Check out these lyrics:
Teach me how to love you. Show me how to trust you,
more than with my words or with a song.
No, it's not been easy to live life down on my knees,
but with faith I know I'll carry on.
There is more to see than with my eyes.
Fear sometimes can leave me paralyzed.
I realize that I'm not in control,
yet it is well with my soul.
The enemy's against me, arrows all around me,
never knew the fight would last so long.
In seasons of depression, I plead for your protection.
Make me right, I'm tired of being wrong.
Every time there's hope, it seems to die,
and the voices all around they feed that lie.
Everything I see tells me to let go,
yet it it well with my soul.
This fight I'm in is not of flesh and blood.
The weapons that I need are in your love.
Lord, don't you ever let me go,
You make it well with my soul.
GIVEAWAY: I am able to give away a copy of this CD to one of my readers who are in the United States.If you are interested, do one of two things - either make a comment on this blog post and make sure I have a contact e-mail for you, or make a comment under the Facebook post on HHMRH MINISTRIES PAGE where I will contact you via private message if you are the winner. For all who comment, a random drawing will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2018, at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.
Here is a video of Ms. Kelly singing "Never Alone."
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller/FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Grandparents tend to have a special kind of love for their grandchildren, and can often have a significant impact in their lives. So, since today is Grandparent's Day, this TRUST post is for all of you grandparents who have the great opportunity of passing along your faith to your grandchildren.
As a grandparent, consider some of these ideas that may help encourage your grandchildren to live a life of faith:
Pray for them on a regular basis, and also be sure to TELL them you are praying for them.
Ask them HOW you can pray for them.
Teach them how to pray and/or take them to church with you, if their parents will allow it. (It's always important to be respectful of the parents wishes.)
For young ones, read stories to them that tell of God's love for them.
For grandchildren of ALL ages, share stories from your own life about times when prayers have been answered, or when you needed to TRUST God to help you through a difficult situation. Share your stories in person, or over the phone; or go one step further and record them on a cassette tape, or ask someone to video tape you telling your stories. What a special gift that would be!
If you enjoy writing, take the time to write your faith/trust stories in a notebook or journal in your own handwriting. This would be another great gift to give to the generations that follow you! Or, you could type up an entire memoir and get it self-published. If that is the direction you choose to go in, my friend Linda has a lot of helpful information on memoir writing over at her blog: SPIRITUAL MEMOIRS 101
I am thankful for the blessing of wonderful parents and grandparents who have impacted my life with their faith. Here are a just a few photos of our kids with the grandparents who have shared in their lives over the years. These loving grandparents have not only talked about their faith, but have also shown by their actions what it means to live a life of TRUSTING in the Lord.
At Robin Hood Woods Campground with Grandma & Grandpa S. - July 2004
On our church playground with Grandma & Grandpa Mc. - 2005
Various photos with Grandma & Grandpa S. in 2007
Playing at a park while visiting Grandpa & Grandma Mc. - August 2009
Visiting Great Grandma Mac in her home - June 2011
Celebrating the Holidays with Grandpa & Grandma S. - 2013
Various photos with Grandma & Grandpa Mc. in 2014
Both sets of grandparents at our house for a visit - August 2015
Mother's Day with Grandma Mc. - May 2018
Visiting a covered bridge with Grandma & Grandpa S. - May 2018
I'm finally back after taking a one-month blogging break. How are you doing with placing your TRUST in the Lord?
While I was on my break, my family took a mini-vacation with David's parents to St. Joseph, Michigan. I was excited to see the lighthouses there along Silver Beach; and even more excited to tour the bigger lighthouse and climb to the top of the tower.
I love lighthouses. I'm sure I got the interest in them from my dad, since he was a huge fan of them also. I thought of him a lot as we were walking out on the pier and, I admit, a few of my tears were shed. He would have loved being there, and I wished I could have shared those moments with him. But, I'm thankful I was able to share the experience with my husband, our son, and David's dad. I was in awe at my first, up-close look at a lighthouse.
What is it about lighthouses that are so intriguing? For one, they are beautiful, have interesting architecture, and they come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. But, more than that, they are great reminders of how God is a beacon for us in times of trouble. A lighthouse is lit up when it is dark or stormy to help navigate boaters safely to the shore. In the same way, God cares for those of us who TRUST in Him. He provides the light that navigates us through troubled waters, bringing us safe to shore.
What exactly does that mean? Does it mean nothing "bad" will ever happen to us? Does it mean we will never get hurt or scared? No. It means when we are lost, or going through a hard time - rough waters - the Lord is there to guide us and help lead us to a place of peace. Internal peace.
Hold that thought as you listen to and/or read the lyrics to My Lighthouse, a song by the Christian group Rend Collective. (JJ introduced us to this song when he came home from working at Youth Haven Bible Camp this summer).
In my wrestling and in my doubts
In my failures You won't walk out
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
In the silence, You won't let go
In the questions, Your truth will hold
Your great love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness. I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
I won't fear what tomorrow brings
With each morning I'll rise and sing
My God's love will lead me through
You are the peace in my troubled sea
You are the peace in my troubled sea
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
Fire before us, You're the brightest
You will lead us through the storms
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
Shining in the darkness, I will follow You
My lighthouse, my lighthouse
I will trust the promise
You will carry me safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Safe to shore
