You Remind Me

Lord, when I am trudging through a valley filled with mire,
Feeling oh so lonely, my circumstances dire;
Wondering where the joy of thy salvation went;
Weary of my burdens, my energy all spent,

You remind me of those mountains
Hidden by the clouds….clouds of my own making,
Created by my sin and doubts.
You remind me just to set my eyes and heart on things above,
Then you lift me to the heights upon your wings of love.

Lord, so many times I’ve traveled down that same old path,
From that lofty mountain to cloudy misty flats.
If I’d turn to you before I go astray,
I know you would guide me along the higher way.
You remind me each time I slide and I lose sight of you.
Lord, forgive my sin; I surrender all to you.

Sometimes, when I think I’m in a valley, I’m really just flopping around in a muddy ditch. I may feel like my circumstances are dire, but it’s my frame of mind that’s in need of an adjustment. I’m looking at things from my own earthly perspective rather than setting my eyes on things above. It’s my own sin; my pride, my selfish attitude, and my laziness that has put a black cloud over my head, and blocked my view of the Lord. Thankfully, I’m only one prayer away from getting my heart right.

Psalm 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Psalm 94:18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

Tears In A Bottle

I have a friend who walks with me through every storm and trial.
He’s closer than a brother; he’s with me every mile.
He carries me through valleys, and gently soothes my fears.
He guides my every foot step, as he wipes away my tears.
I have a friend who walks with me and guides me with his word.
He’s closer now than ever; his still small voice I’ve heard.
He answers when I cry out; on him I cast my cares.
He gives me words of comfort, as he wipes away my tears.
He puts my tears in a bottle, and gives me songs in the night.
In the times of trouble, clouds give way to light.
He gives me beauty for ashes, and oil of joy for mourning.
Forever I’ll make my refuge in the shadow of his wings.

Often when I write a song, there is no real story or incident that inspires the lyrics. Sometimes I just come across a scripture or I’ll hear a phrase that is particularly poetic or meaningful to me, so it stands out in my mind. It may take years before I ever use those words in a song, but they are always there in the back of my mind when I get that urge to write. “Tears In A Bottle” is one of those songs.
Shortly after I was saved, I attended a ladies conference called ‘Beauty For Ashes.’ I don’t remember much about what the speaker had to say, but the title stuck in my mind. Some time later I read in Psalm 56, “put thou my tears into thy bottle.” Again the phrase stayed with me. Eventually they both made their way into this song, along with a few other favorites.

But as is often the case, this song has taken on a deeper meaning as I've gone through some storms and trials in my life. The Lord has a way of using the words of my own songs to remind me that he is always there to guide me through whatever storm is brewing, and he will even carry me through, when I don't have the strength to stand...all the while, collecting my tears and replacing them with a song.

Proverbs 18:24b and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Psalm 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psalm 42:8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, and oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Psalm 17:8b hide me under the shadow of thy wings

Love Never Fails

The love I have for my daughters and sons
is not derived from genetics or blood.
It doesn’t depend on their color or shade,
or if they arrived as newborn babes.

This love in my heart grew and was formed
with or without an umbilical cord.
Whether born of adoption or labour pains
this love multiplied as each child came.

For love is of God and he freely gives
when we reach out with our hearts, and the will to commit.
Love grounded in faith knows no limits or bounds.
It lives and thrives where grace is found.

This love doesn’t seek perfection or praise.
It finds the strength to bend and to change.
It bears all things, believes all things,
Hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails.

Having experienced parenthood through both birth and adoption, I know that there truly is no difference in the depth of love I have for my children. It doesn’t require an umbilical cord to form an attachment to a child. In order to become Mom to some of my children, I had to endure many more months of waiting than I did with my pregnancies. The time and the effort required has only served to strengthen the bond I have with them.

Matthew 10:8b freely ye have received, freely give.
1 Corinthians 13:7,8a Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:

God Didn't Have To

One of the songs on the 'sonific player' on my sidebar is called "God Didn't Have To." These are the lyrics.

God didn’t have to send down his Son.
He could have found another way,
than the shedding of Jesus precious blood .
I’m not worth the price he paid.
God didn’t have to give me new life.
He could have left me as I was,
just to fumble my way through life alone.
Going to Heaven was more than enough.
God didn’t have to save me at all.
He could have left me in my sin.
All I truly deserve is death and hell, not eternal life in him.
God doesn’t have to love me but he does.
He doesn’t have to care but he does.
He doesn’t have to be merciful, gracious, and kind.
But he is because God is good. God is so good, God is so good.
He didn’t have to do anything for me.

I don’t think we can ever fully understand why God chose to redeem us the way that he did. Being God, he has the right and the power to do anything he chooses. He also didn’t have to send his Holy Spirit to dwell in my heart and help me through this life here on earth. He could have just left me to figure it all out on my own, then taken me to heaven when my time came. In fact God didn’t need to save me at all! He could have decided to just pick and choose those he wanted, rather than giving each of us a choice. When it comes right down to it, God didn’t have to save any of us! None of us deserve what he has done for us. He doesn’t have to love us, or care for us. He doesn’t have to show us kindness and mercy. He doesn’t have to intervene in our lives. But he does, because he knows what each of us need. Because God is love, and God is good! His mercy endureth forever.

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
Psalm 106:1 Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.

Thanks for joining me! ~~~Deb

Such Awesome Love

Such awesome love Christ had for man,

to set aside his glory,
when he left his throne for the world he had made;

took the form of a helpless baby,
Entrusting his care and his earthly needs

to the hands that he had created,
he lived and dwelt among sinful man,

yet his love for us never faded.
Such awesome love Christ showed for man

to set aside his power.
He allowed himself to be nailed to the cross,

in obedience to his Father.
He suffered such degradation and pain

at the hands that he had created,
to bear our sin, and lay down his life,

yet his love and forgiveness await us.
Such awesome love that Christ would leave

the glorious splendour of heaven,
to come to this earth as God and man,

to redeem his fallen creation.
Such awesome love!

Hebrews 5:8,9 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Such awesome love!

Thanks for joining me!~~~Deb

The Depth Of God's Love

In the Christian film I watched the night before I was saved, I heard a story that seemed to answer all of my questions about the person of Jesus Christ. At the time I was hearing conflicting opinions and beliefs about who Jesus really was. This story was so simple that even a child could understand it, and at the time that’s what I needed, not some deep theological argument about whether Jesus was God, or whether he was merely a created being who came into existence at the time of the virgin birth. I needed something concrete that I could wrap my mind around.
In this story, a father and son are walking along, when they step on an ant hill. Many of the ants died from being stepped on, and others were wounded. The rest were scrambling to rebuild their home. The father says to his little boy, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go down there and tell the ants we didn’t mean to hurt them? We could even help them rebuild their home.” The little boy thought it would be a good idea, but said, “We’re too big, and they’re too little.” His father replied, “You’re right, and that’s what God thought when he looked down at the world he had made, and saw all the people who were lost and away from him. How could the mighty God of heaven communicate with these people?” then he continued, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just become an ant and go down there and help them?” His son agreed that it would. The man telling the story went on to explain that this is exactly what God did. God loved us so much that he became a man, and that is who Jesus Christ is –the God-man; fully God and fully man. Suddenly it all made sense!
The thought that God loves me so much that he came to earth in the form of a baby, still leaves me in awe, and I will never fully comprehend all that he does for me, but put in a context such as the story of the ants, even a child can understand the gospel message. Sometimes we need to be reminded to just keep it simple!

The Depth Of God's Love

I stand in awe of a love that’s so great; a love so strong and true;
a love that offered this sinner grace; a love that makes my heart new.
I marvel at a love that’s so pure; a love so good and just;
a love that gives me the strength to stand; a love that I can trust.
How can I measure a love with no boundaries?
How can I weigh Christ’s sacrifice?
How can I comprehend the depth of God’s love?
How can I thank him for giving me life?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Thanks for joining me!~~~Deb

Will You Cry Crucify?

Walk down the road to Calvary, along the path Christ trod,
and witness there the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb of God.
Watch as the nails are driven in; each blow struck by our sin,
as willingly, Christ laid down his life in such agony and pain.
Hear Jesus say, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
The Son of God, who knew no sin, is pleading there for me and you.
Watch as the crimson drops of blood fall on those kneeling below,
for they have found God’s redeeming love,

beneath the cleansing flow.
Will you with the crowd cry crucify, and spit in the Saviour’s face?
Will you turn away, and try to deny he suffered and died in your place?
Or will you to the cruel cross draw nigh,

seeking out God’s gift of grace,
where the precious blood of the crucified will all your sins erase?

When I first got saved I had no Bible knowledge. Knowing that Easter was just two weeks away, one of the first things I read about in my Bible was Jesus’ crucifixion. I wanted to learn all I could about what my Saviour had done for me. The account of Jesus suffering on that cross and shedding his blood for my sins made an indelible impression on my heart. How can anyone who reads or hears of the sacrifice Jesus made not be profoundly affected by it?
An old spiritual asks the question, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” The haunting tone of the song draws the listener into the scene, and truly can cause one to tremble, knowing that though not physically there, our sin was there, and it was not ‘they’ but ‘we’ who crucified our Lord. It was our sin that caused Jesus to walk that road to Calvary. It was your sin and mine that swung that hammer, driving those nails through Jesus’ hands, as he willingly endured excruciating physical pain. But that pain could not compare with the anguish Jesus must have experienced when he, the sinless Son of God, took upon himself the sins of the whole world. He became the sacrificial lamb, shedding his blood for our redemption.
As Jesus hung on that cross, blood pouring from the wounds on his head, his hands and his feet, he looked down at the crowd below, and saw the faces of those who had earlier cried, “Crucify him!” As the crowd continued to mock and deride him, Jesus said, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.” In the face of such amazing love and wondrous grace, how can anyone remain in that crowd crying, “Crucify!”? Why not step out from the crowd and kneel at Jesus feet where his precious blood will wash away your sin?

Luke 23:21 But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
Matthew 27:27-31 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Luke 23:33,34a And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Thanks for joining me! ~~~Deb

How Could I Doubt?

Happy St Patrick's Day! I don't have anything particular to post about the day, so I guess it's a good thing my site is decorated in shades of green!

My thoughts are more on the upcoming weekend. Our church will be having a Calvary service on Friday, and on Sunday we will celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. With that in mind, I thought I would post the words to another song from the playlist.

These lyrics started out as a question to someone else, “How can you doubt God?" At the time, my son Daniel was a baby, and as I searched for words to describe God’s amazing creation, I couldn’t help but think of the face of my own sweet baby. I am truly in awe of the thought that God loved me so much that he sent Jesus down from the glories of heaven, to be born as a little baby and to grow as a man in order to be the sacrifice for my sin. How can anyone hear of the depth of that love and sacrifice, and still doubt God?

From the opening bud of a fragrant rose

to the face of my own sweet baby.
The stars in the heavens, the rising sun

on a sparkling mountain stream.
As I ponder this awesome handiwork by the Lord of infinity,
I think