An old song says “Why worry, when you can pray?” Sometimes we fall into the trap of worry, and forget to cast our cares at Jesus’ feet. If we ask Jesus to increase our faith and trust in Him, He will absolutely answer that request! Why don’t you join us in praying the prayer for increased faith today?
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”
— Mark 11:22 (NKJV) —
Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day
One of our favorite Christian music groups is Glad. Glad is known for their acapella singing and their amazing musical harmonies. The music video below is Glad’s medley of Beneath the Cross of Jesus; Man of Sorrows, What a Name; and We Will Glorify. As you listen to this beautiful music, we invite you to ponder Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross and the gift of eternal life that He offers to all who accept Him.
I grew up singing the hymn “Give Me the Bible,” but recently this song has taken on a new significance for me. I’m currently reading a book that discusses how most people in the Middle Ages did not have access to the Holy Scriptures. Since the December 2 incident, I have been depending so much on the Bible. Passages I’ve read before have taken on a whole new meaning now. I’m so grateful that I live in a day and age when I have the Bible in my own language! What a blessing!
Give me the Bible, holy message shining,
Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way.
Precept and promise, law and love combining,
‘Til night shall vanish in eternal day.
We are so excited to share with this post “Hear My Cry,” a beautiful song written and performed by Judy Evenson, a personal friend of our family and an established recording artist. She sent us the song after we originally posted this image on social media, letting us know that she had written the song several years ago, but it had immediately come to mind when seeing the post. Click on the Play button below to listen to the beautiful melody and inspired words of this medley. Thank you for sharing, Judy! We hope you are blessed as we have been by listening to this song.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
— Psalms 61:2 (NKJV) —
As a blanket of snow covered many of our homes this weekend, our minds couldn’t help but think of the spiritual significance of snow. Even though I live in the South now (where we had flurries, and it still shut down schools), I’m a former New Englander. I have such a clear picture in my mind of the morning after a snowfall, waking up and looking outside my window to see the sun glistening like diamonds on an almost blindingly white blanket of snow covering the ground. Untouched. Perfect. The snow has covered the brown, dead grass beneath, and has turned the bleak world of winter into a scene of sparkling beauty. It seems magical, really.
But what David is pleading for here in the verse that inspired this hymn is not magic. It’s a miracle. We may have made a huge mistake or might be spiritually dead inside. But when that moment of repentance comes, when we awaken to the reality that we can’t do this on our own, and we need the Lord’s help, He is there to cover us in His love. He promises to wash our hearts of sin if we accept Him through the miracle of salvation, and in His eyes we will be as spotless as the snow.
This has always been one of my favorite verses in the Bible, for many reasons, but the meaning has never hit home quite as much as now, when my sister is still in such great need of healing. In so many ways. I wish more than anything I was able to be there, helping her, and that this burden would be lifted from her (or actually never would have happened to her). But sharing these Bible verses with her, and working on our project together–that’s the least I can do. So today I dedicate this verse and image to her. And we have the assurance, here in this verse, that God is going to take care of everything. I love you so much, Amanda!
“But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings.”
— Malachi 4:2 (NKJV) —
Sometimes it’s so hard to wait.
In our Bible study this week, we talked about the urgency of Christ’s coming, and reflected on Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We realized that one of the signs of a follower of Christ is that they have patience. Patience as we wait for His second coming, patience with our fellow believers, patience in God’s timing.
Right now, I’m personally faced with several decisions looming on the horizon. I don’t know the answers right now, and it’s difficult not to stress about what will happen. Sometimes I’m even scared. But this verse reminds us that patience and trust in God is everything. And if I lean on Him, He will strengthen my heart to face every outcome.
His timing is always perfect. “Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!”
— Psalms 27:14 (NKJV) —
