“This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him” Psalm 18:30 (ESV).
The much loved, but nearly forgotten hymns of old continue to come to mind. Being brought up in a Christian home where our family attended a very small country church, hymns were a staple and thankfully still form a reassuring melody in my heart during discouraging times as well as uplifting moments when I stand amazed at His glory. Hymns are poetically sung prayers of heartfelt desires, admiration and devotion being lifted up to our Heavenly Father by those who believe.
1 Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is he; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.
Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For his eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.
2 “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on his goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path he leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]
3 Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise; When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies, I draw the closer to him, From care he sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]
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“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” Psalm 32:8 (KJV).
Remembering the day when we actually used hymnals in church and sang the much loved but nearly forgotten hymns written by those long gone, Fanny Crosby’s lyrics “To God Be the Glory” inspired by the New Testament book of Galatians, will forever stand the test of time.
Stanza 1 To God be the glory, great things He hath done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Refrain Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.
Stanza 2 O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
(Refrain)
Stanza 3 Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.
(Refrain)
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“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” Galatians 1:4-5 (KJV).
Even a lifetime is not long enough to truly wrap my mind around all of His glorious goodness!
“The Parables of Solomon the son of David king of Israel, To know wisdom, and instruction, to understand the words of knowledge, To receive instruction to do wisely, by justice and judgment and equity, To give unto the simple sharpness of wit, and to the child knowledge and discretion. And wise man shall hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels, To understand a parable, and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” Proverbs 1:1-7 (GNV).
Sadly the topic of respect for ourselves and others has become so selfishly twisted and far removed from what God intended, and especially that of respecting women. Singer, entertainer, and more importantly husband and father, Donny Osmond, (now entering forty-three years of marriage with his lovely wife, Debbie, has earned the right to not only speak out but be listened to as he purposely challenges the panel and audience of “Loose Women”, the British daytime talk show, to introspectively re-evaluate their value as women. Real change begins with our thoughts being gently and lovingly challenged with the truth. Real change begins in the heart.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” Ephesians 5:25 (ESV).
“An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life” Proverbs 31:10-12 (ESV).
“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “’Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’” Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” Proverbs 31:25-31 (ESV).
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” Revelations 4:8 (ESV).
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelations 4:11 (ESV).
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelations 5:9-10 (ESV).
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelations 5:12 (ESV).
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” Revelations 5:13.
God wants there to be no doubt about it that it is He who answers our prayer requests. This is what an every day and ordinary happens-all-the time miracle is all about.
Who prays? You
Who believes? You
Who answers? God
Who gets blessed? You
Who says thank you? You
Who gets the glory? God
“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things” Psalm 107:8-9 (ESV).
“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV).
“Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord” Psalm 118:19 (ESV).
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” Matthew 22:37-38 (KJV).
“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment'” Matthew 22:37-38 (ESV).
“Jesus answered him, ‘Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.’ This is the great and supreme commandment” Matthew 22:37-38 (TPT).
“And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible” Mark 10:26-27 (KJV).
“And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, ‘Then who can be saved’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God’” Mark 10:26-27 (ESV).
“That set the disciples back on their heels. ‘Then who has any chance at all?’ they asked. Jesus was blunt: ‘No chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself. Every chance in the world if you let God do it’” Mark 10:26-27 (MSG).
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3:16 (KJV).
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get” Matthew 7:12 (MSG).
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” Matthew 7:12 (KJV).
“Do for others what you want them to do for you. This is the teaching of the laws of Moses in a nutshell” Matthew 7:12 (TLB).
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 (ESV).
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 (NASB).
“In everything you do, be careful to treat others in the same way you’d want them to treat you, for that is the essence of all the teachings of the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 (TPT).
“So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is (sums up) the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 (AMPC).
“Therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do to you: even so do ye to them: for this is the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12 (GNV).
