Songs for Sorrow, part six

I live late in my middle age and have seen enough loss and sorrow.  But the things that are before all of us do not compare with my small measure of grief.  When I look at the past and contemplate the future I know that our only response to the great sorrows about to unfold is to praise the Lord.

"When I heard, my belly trembled;
     My lips quivered at the voice;
Rottenness entered into my bones,
     And I trembled in myself,
That I might rest in the day of trouble...
     Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
     The labour of the olive shall fail,
And the fields shall yield no meat;
     The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls;
     Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
     The Lord God is my strength,
And He will make my feet like hinds' feet,
     And He will make me to walk upon mine high places."

Habakkuk 3:16-19




Come, Worship the Lord
by John Michael Talbot


Come, worship the Lord
For we are His people
The flock that He shepherds
Hallelujah

Come, let us sing to the Lord
And shout with joy to the Rock Who saves us
Let us come with thanksgiving
And sing joyful songs to the Lord

The Lord is God, the Mighty God
The great King for all the gods
He holds in His hands the depths of the Earth
And the highest mountains as well
He made the sea, it belongs to Him
The dry land too, is formed by His hand

Come, let us bow down and worship
Bending the knee for the Lord our Maker
For we are His people
We are the flock that He shepherds

Songs for Sorrow, part five

"When the waves of death compassed me,

     the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; 

the sorrows of hell compassed me about;

     the snares of death prevented me;

In my distress I called upon the Lord,

     and cried to my God:

And He did hear my voice out of His temple,

     and my cry did enter into His ears."

2 Samuel 22:5-7

 My Shepherd by Michael Card
 The Lord is my Shepherd
And so I lack nothing
 In meadows of green grass He lets me lie down
 Beside the still waters He patiently leads me
Restoring my soul,
For His holy Namesake
He guides me by right paths
Though I may stray to The veil of deep darkness
 I fear no evil For You are there with me
Beside me Your rod and staff
They comfort me

 You prepare a table
Before my enemies
My head you've anointed
My cup's overflowing
Your goodness and mercy
Will follow me all the days of my life
And I'll make my home place
In the house of the Lord
And I'll make my home place
In the house of the Lord

Songs for Sorrow, part four

It is inevitable that our paths will lead into darkness.  "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted..." (Matthew 4:1)  When walking in darkness it is crucial to only take one step at a time.





Lead Kindly Light
lyrics by John Henry Newman


Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead Thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on.
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile, which I
Have loved long since, and lost awhile!

Songs for Sorrow, part three

Sometimes we get confused in the dark places. We loose our way and can even forget who we are.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the confidence of Job.  To be sure of our Father and His love for us even in sorrow.  "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him..." Job 19:26




Oh Father of Jesus
by Michael Card


Hold me now, Oh, Father of Jesus
Sheltered, safe, asleep in your arms
No other place can promise protection
A fortress from pain and a haven from harm

Hold me now, Oh, Father of Jesus
Sometimes I fear the dark of the night
Your kindness kindles the stars in the heavens
Your love is the reason the moon gives us light

Just You and I, and one holy moment
Together if I have eyes that can see
Open my ears that I might hear You whisper
Of Your tender longing for me

Now I know, Oh Father of Jesus
My hope lies in belonging to You
Never again will I live like a stranger
My heart understands now that You’re my Father too.

Songs for Sorrow, part two

"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rives, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior...Thou wast precious in My sight...and I have loved thee...Fear not: for I am with thee."

Sometimes circumstance or God leads us through fiery trials.  What can we do.  Hide?  Run?  Desert our post?  No, God Has promised He is in the fire.  "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire." (Exodus 3:2) In the pain and sorrow of trial, our loving Savior slowly leads us through to safety.




Through
by The Gaithers


When I saw what lay before me, Lord, I cried what will you do?
I thought He would just remove it. But He gently led me through
Without fire there's no refining, without pain no relief,
Without flood there's no rescue, without testing no belief.
Through the fire, through the flood, through the water, through the blood
Through the dry and barren places, through life's dense and maddening mazes
Through the pain and through the Glory through it all
we'll tell the story of the God whose power and mercy
will not fail to take us through

Songs for Sorrow, part one

What can be done when the one you love best says,
     "Throw away the gifts I have given you.  Give up some of the little joys that brought comfort to your heart."

I suspect there is only one response.
     "Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee." (Mark 10:28)

At those moments, the human heart is tempted to be like Peter and allow self pity to walk beside our obedience. But I am grateful our Father understands.  As He purges us from the things that hinder our devotion to Him, He is tender.  He holds us while we mourn and leads us into a deeper love for Him.





Mourning the Death of a Dream
by Michael Card


Cool morning shadows sadly shift across the floor
Each time we say goodbye it's harder than before
Even after all the pain of parting still we find
That we must mourn the death of the dreams we leave behind
As I turn my back on all that means the most to me
The sounds and smells, the light that dances on the sea
The greatest gamble is to act on the belief
That only the slave who leaves it all is truly free

The sacrifice that we both lay before His feet
A thousand moments that belonged to us
That now will never be

By faith we hold a better dream inside our hearts
A time when our family will never have to be apart
Till then we struggle with just what it really means
And we will mourn the death of our beautif

The Waters (part five)

It had not rained since we moved here to Michigan.  Hot and dry for weeks, the grass had died.  But as I left work and began walking home, it rained.  It poured!  The thunder clouds shone and sang their terrible songs.  The people in the street scurried for shelter, but I slowed my stride.

The rain bathed me.  The drops on my face mingled with my own.  And in the midst of that storm the Lord came and promised He understood.  In the midst of the flood He was there.  "Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?"  Psalms 56:8

Having to move, leaving home and comfort has cost our family much.  But we can praise Him because, "If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there, If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee"  Psalms 139: 8-12

Darkness or light; mountains or valley's; rain or shine all are alike to our Father. No thing unsettles Him.  No problem overwhelms Him.  He is constant.  And He is constant with us. Even in dark water He is there with us. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."  (Genesis 1:2)  He moves the water, moving waters are waves. The Lord in His goodness creates waves of mercy during our sorrow.  They bathe us in His love.  They buoy us and keep us from drowning.

The Waters (part four)

"...without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2

Nothing,  there was nothing worth claiming. Nothing worth keeping in that dark and magled mess of planet.  But the Spirit moved.  God came and parted the waters. He put some above and some below. He separated the dark water again and set it all in one place, causing the land to appear.  He then filled the water with teaming life.

That is the journey of a soul, the journey of my soul.  Disorder, emptiness, darkness these are the characteristics in my heart.  But the Lord separates darkness. He divides it in half, He pools it all into one place.  Then he fills the uninhabitable void with life.  And I wait for the day, when "...the first heaven and the first earth (are) passed away; and there (will be) no more sea." Revelation 21:1

The Waters (part three)

There are times darkness floods, like Noah's water, "the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."(Genesis 7:11)  The darkness raises up from inside and falls down from circumstances.  It surrounds, there is no escaping.

In those moments there is nothing to do but yield.  Surrendering in hope to Christ is the only recourse.
  
"I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and   Thou heardest my voice.  For thou hadst cast me into the deep in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about; all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me.  Then I said, I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look again toward Thy holy temple.  The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.  I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast Thou brought up my life from corruption."

"O Lord my God.  When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into thine holy temple...I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed.  Salvation is of the Lord." Jonah 2:2-9

The Waters (part two)

The wind on the sea produces enormous waves which crash and bounce on the shore.  It is a majestic sight, but the wind on the sea is troublesome.  It churns up the sand, and flying sand stings.

"...the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."  Ex 14:21, 22

I imagine Israel wedged between the sea and the pillar caught in a wind storm. Not an ordinary storm but a supernatural one coming from the east, right at them. All night they were pummeled by the sand.  It got into their tents. It covered their clothing, their bedding and their hair.  It scratched their eyes and added grit to their food. Moses said, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you today..." (Exodus 14:13)  In that situation most of us would resent the storm and complain, "Just when things were hopeless, they got worse." But that sand that peeled their skin was needed.  Yes, it blasted them, and yes it weighed down their caravan as they traversed the ocean floor with pounds of sand tucked in their baggage, but the sand prepared the way for salvation.

Trials that sting; sins we shake out of our hair only to find more tomorrow.  These are all precious reminders that the Lord is preparing for our deliverance. Let the wind fly on the sea, it is there we discover salvation.  "...they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand." (Deuteronomy 33:19)

The Waters (part one)

"Teaming with life..."  He said it was teaming with life.

Although inanimate it breathes.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Rhythmically it's bellows swell and deflate.  Without a mind it has moods: peaceful, playful, or angry.  It tricks you, it soothes you, it grabs your ankles and pulls.  The ocean is wild, it acts like a living thing.

In all of its phases the ocean reflects God's waves of mercy.  They may be small and subtile; just lapping at your toes.  They can be giants rushing miles into shore, completely changing the landscape as they go.  Or they can be surprising, catching you off guard; soaking you from head to toe.  Waves of mercy... Thank God they keep coming.

But the ocean as powerful as it is cannot go past its determined limits, "He hath compassed the waters with bound..." (Job 26:10)  Ellen White says,  "A homeless wanderer, reproach and penury His daily lot, He lived to minister to the needs and lighten the woes of men, to plead with them to accept the gift of life.  The waves of mercy, beaten back by those stubborn hearts, returned in a stronger tide of pitying, inexpressible love.  But Israel had turned from her best Friend and only Helper.  The pleadings of His love had been despised, His counsels spurned, His warnings ridiculed." (GC 20)

Israel was unmoved by the tide of God's love.  Heaven forbid it happen to us.  Are we embracing the daily waves of mercy?  They come as blessings and rebukes.  They gladden our hearts and cross our flesh.  Oh, they come and continue to come, but "He hath compassed the waters with bound."  As great as the wave may be it cannot go past the stoic heart.  Waves of mercy only affect change where they are accepted.