November 15, 2024

Stars In The Night

March 22, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

No matter where you lead, we want to follow You
Trouble is we forget who we belong to
We chase the wind and tides
We chase the reasons why
Chase the spark inside each other’s eyes
Desires are a war, we want that final shore
Sailing on until we find what we’ve been looking for

Hallelujah, we’re running to You
On fire from the mercy in Your eyes
And through the dark, singing we are Yours
Your love will lead us through the fight
Like stars in the night
Stars in the night
Stars in the night
Lead us through the fight

We fix our eyes on what we know is true
Even in our shame, grace makes a way through
Be our obsession, our constellation
You are light in and out of every season
So we keep pressing on with our redemption song
No one can undo what You’ve done

All our lives for the other side, where we’ll never die
And in the darkest night, we will lift our eyes
The life that lies ahead is more than all we leave behind

Tenth Avenue North
Mike Donehey, songwriter

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What if the only thing we really chased after was God’s own heart?  And what if the things of this world really didn’t matter and we consciously thought of how fleeting they truly are…because they really are.  What if the spiritual gifts were the only gifts that we asked for.  What a beautiful, loving, peaceful world we would live in!  But it seems we are really always looking for and hoping for something else to fill the void. We want what our friend has…or what we used to have…or what we have always dreamed of.  That void can only really be satisfied with God, your Father and your Creator.

And when we really have tried it all and nothing works—not money or alcohol or a woman or a man—we run as fast as we can to the God Whose arms are waiting and Whose love can really heal all wounds and fulfill all our needs.  Even though there may be shame in how far you may have gone, your Savior took your guilt away.  There is enough grace,  too, for every sin you ever have or will commit.  There’s redemption, too, in His name.

Are you down today?  Dear soul, I ask you to lift up your face and look up. There is hope and healing today.  And though it has been dark, His light shines bright.  No, we cannot go back and change the past…but we can cling to the One that holds our future and it is full of Jesus!  And, remember, this is but a blink.  Earth is so temporary as we are created for so much more than this…Heaven waits for us.

But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love Him…”
1 Corinthians 2:9

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His Name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their Light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:1-5

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Pray with me today…

Dear Lord, You are so amazing and awesome.  Your Name is above all other names and You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. Lord, may we realize that all this chasing and looking for things that we think will make us happy or fill our cup is only a temporary fix.  We will never be fully satisfied until we empty everything and fill the void with only You.  And though You have made this world full of beauty and wonder, it is not our permanent home…Heaven is ours and we will live with You!  What a day of rejoicing that will be!  But until then, keep our eyes on You and our hearts so full of You that love just spills over.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Healing Begins

September 16, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do so we think that you’re good
And you can’t believe it’s not enough
All the walls you built up are just glass on the outside

So let ’em fall down
There’s freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We’re here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you’re broken within
The light meets the dark, the light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find that the shame won’t disappear

So let it fall down
There’s freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We’re here now, we’re here now

Sparks will fly as grace collides with the dark inside of us
So please don’t fight this coming light
Let this Blood come cover us
His Blood can cover us

Songwriters: Jason Ingram, Mike Donehey, Jeff Owen
Performed by Tenth Avenue North
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This song is about not trusting in your ‘works’ to get to Heaven and to be with Jesus.  Our faith in God and His power will get us to Him.  Believing that His Son Jesus was born of a virgin, lived 33 years on our earth without sin, became sin for us and then was crucified…all so that we might have a place in Heaven with God.  That is what we need to believe and share with others.  That is our purpose on the earth.

For those of us who are parents, we are to bring up our children with the fear of the Lord in their heart.  Although we may try to teach this, it is often best learned by example.  Just as a child learns about gravity from falling, or about what hot or cold feels like from experience.  There are some children who naturally trust and there are others who have to test it to see for themselves.  Which child are we, for we are all children of God?  I am the one who will sometimes test it to see, other times I will learn from seeing others’ mistakes to trust in what I see or what I hear.  Blessed are those who trust just from hearing and knowing.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
Jeremiah 17:7

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Father, help us to seek You first.  Help us to not become dependent on ourselves or in men.  Let the Holy Spirit direct us, when we ask, to those people whom You have empowered with Your wisdom.  There are those who have already walked  the path You have laid out focusing on You and only on You.  May we be those people—seeking Your will…not ours.  May we become the light in this barren, fear-filled land.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Struggle — Victory

March 5, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

~  Listen while you read, please!  ~
There’s a wreckage, there’s a fire; there’s a weakness in my love
There’s a hunger I can’t control
Lord, I falter and I fall down then I hold on to chains You broke
When You came and saved my soul…saved my soul
Hallelujah! we are free to struggle
 We’re not struggling to be free
Your blood bought and makes us children
Children, drop your chains and sing
So, why, Lord, do I still fail, do I wear thin?
Why do I still give in to temptation?
On my own, I am bankrupt, I don’t trust You or take You at Your Word
What You’ve promised, yeah 
Hallelujah, Death is overcome and we are breathing
Hallelujah, Our stone hearts become flesh that’s beating
Hallelujah, Chains have been undone and we are singing
Hallelujah, The fire has begun. Can you feel it?

~  Performed by Tenth Avenue North  ~
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Do we ever struggle some days!  Sometimes it may be a struggle to get out of bed, or to complete a task at work, or even to complete a task at home.  When we find ourselves at our wits’ end because we have been trying to do everything on our own, it is time to stop, pray, and give it to the only One that can help us through—God.
I know, that is such an easy answer.  But you know what, He IS the answer.  Yes, we are to do what we are designed to do.  But if we start whatever task that is laid before us by preparing our hearts and asking for His help on the front end—it will go so much smoother <and less making faces or sighing when we just want to throw something, even if it is the cat or child…ha, ha!>
Try for the next few days to start any thing you do with a prayer of thanksgiving and entreaty.  You will be surprised at how less stressful the project can go!
Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , ,