Hymns Permeate My Heart

I don't want to denounce the value of the Bible, but sometimes lines from hymns stick with me better than passages from Scripture. I can read certain verses and it makes me think of certain hymns. I feel a little ashamed at times when I think "Oh, that Bible verse comes from this song" - when in reality it is the other way around. Nevertheless, I am incredibly grateful to the hymn writers throughout the centuries for giving me another resource and inspiration for my Christian walk. When certain truths are put to music, they are easier to remember, and at times they make more sense.
One of my favorite hymns that is rather unknown is called "Before the Throne of God Above", or can also be titled, "The Advocate", as I have recently discovered. I was first introduced to it several years ago at the girls summer camp at my church. It is written by Charitie Lees Smith, who is also an unknown hymn writer. She wrote "The Advocate" when she was twenty two years old, which is quite inspiring considering the truths present and the skill with which she manipulates the lyrics. It speaks of Christ being our all in all, sufficient for every trial we may ever face. We need not fear for He is our Savior, friend, advocate.
Lately I have been going through spiritual attack of being overwhelmed by guilt. I feel guilty for things I haven't even done or I have no control over, and I continue to feel guilty for sins I have already confessed and been forgiven of. The most frustrating part of it all is that I still have this tremendous desire to please God and so I don't want to ignore these feelings of guilt if they are coming from Him, pointing me to obedience or repentance. But after a while I had to realize that these feelings couldn't come from Him, as they are almost paralyzing, driving me into intense despair. A couple lines from this hymn, "The Advocate", came to my mind and a peace washed over me as I re-realized Who was on my side. They begin the second verse:
"When Satan tempts to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within;
Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end of all my sin."
This is the gospel. Christ's atoning sacrifice cleanses us not only from the power of sin, but also its guilt. Satan will try to bring us down by reminding us of past sins (or in my case, things never even committed), but to quote another hymn: "What though the accuser roar, of ills that I have done, I know them well, and thousands more, Jehovah findeth none!" As believers, God the Father sees us as righteous because we are clothes with the righteousness of Christ. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
Praise Jesus that this is true! I am so thankful that His sacrificial work on the cross atones for all my sin - past, present, and future! I have nothing to fear or worry about because of His infinite love for me!
P.S. "The Advocate" is so good that I would like to post the lyrics on this blog, but I'll do it in a separate post. :)

Open Minds & Stretched Lives

     Maybe I should drink coffee more often before church. I only have caffeine about twice a month, so when I do have it, my mind goes crazy alert. That’s how I was this morning – I got a whole bunch of stuff from the message. My only problem now is trying to condense it all into a coherent whole, when this morning everything my pastor said would lead me onto a theological rabbit trail.

     The sermon was on the church being the body of Christ, taking from Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12. I think that Christ’s design of the church is pretty much the coolest thing ever and something that is really not promoted much in today’s society, so I already knew that I was going to like the message. 

     Anyways, the first thing that struck me was when my pastor was talking about how every member in the church is different and has been endowed with  distinctive gifts in order to serve the body. He said that sometimes (for me it’s all the time) we have this idea in our heads of what we’re good at or where we’re gifted, and we limit ourselves to that area. But God doesn't work like that, and he knows us better than we know ourselves. The illustration was used of that of a baseball team, as my pastor used to coach baseball. When players joined the team, they would tell the coach what position they typically played or where they were good at. The coach would take that into consideration, but he would watch all the players together and determine where each one would go. Someone might be good at playing 3^rd base individually because they've always been told they had got a good arm, but that doesn't mean that’s where they should play on this particular team. The coach is the one who evaluates all the players and decides the best way for them all to play together as a team. 

     This analogy works for any kind of team or community effort. I have seen it in casts for plays, sports teams, choirs, even in the workplace. The only difference between these groups and the church is that God is the perfect director while coaches and directors are fallible leaders. The last point that my pastor made in his sermon was that the organization of the body of believers is by God’s sovereign arrangement. When I hear the term “arrangement”, I think in musical terms. An arranger is typically someone who takes a previously composed piece and changes several aspects of it (typically the harmonies and possibly the time signature/tempo), but keeps the melody and intrinsic parts of the piece the same. God is not someone that comes along behind someone else and re-does their work. The work was God’s to begin with. He not only arranges the church, he composed it to begin with. He composed (created) each of the people that make up the church, orchestrated (another musical term) their salvation, and assigned them their particular gifts in order to serve the church.

     Once we realize that the assigning and playing out of our gifts is in the Lord's hands, we should become much more open-minded with how we are going to be serving His kingdom. A quote that I read the other day went something like, "what messes up our lives up the most is our perception of how they ought to be." Talk to any person on the street and I'm sure that they are disappointed about something in their life, because it didn't turn out the way that they thought it should have. But, Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God does not work in the same way as we do, but we must trust Him to do what is best for us. 

     This has become very apparent as of late in my own life. For the past nineteen years, my relationship status has been "single". In the past two or three years, I have learned to become content in this area of my life, and have even relished and rejoiced in it at times. I was able to serve the Lord with a full fire, without the distraction of a relationship, and I got excited at the thought of remaining single my entire life because of the way that I thought the Lord could work in me and through me. 

     But, things changed a couple months ago. Out of the blue, without asking for it, a relationship blossomed in my life. It starting taking up some of my time and effort, and before long I was freaking out because I didn't know who I was anymore. I had placed my identity as a servant in being single. I thought that I could serve God's kingdom better by being single than by being in a relationship, and I was shocked to be proven wrong. In the last few months, I have grown in so many areas and so many ways that I never thought were possible. I see how relationships promote community and how I can be an encouragement to others. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. God was right, and I was wrong. I thought I was gifted in the art of singleness (and maybe I was, though it's doubtful), but God determined that it was better for me to be stretched through this relationship. 

     And boy, has it stretched me. It has been painful at times, and has laid my sins bare. But that's the thing about God - he's not in it for comfort. He's in it to sanctify us and make us more like his Son. A beautiful quote from C.S. Lewis is: "...the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless in its determination that we shall be cured of those sins, at whatever cost to us, at whatever cost to Him." (Mere Christianity). 

     Believer, are you ready to open your mind and let go of your self-image, your picture of who you think you are and what you're good at? Are you ready and willing to dive in and serve Christ's church in whatever area is needed? Are you ready and willing to be stretched if it means becoming more like Christ and furthering His kingdom? 

     If it sounds like a daunting task, that's because it is. But God is faithful, even when we are not. And the Holy Spirit is with us always, working in us, both to will and to do His good pleasure. I have no other words but praise for my Lord, who both saves and sanctifies my soul! 

           

      

           

"Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"

This line is the refrain for the hymn "Man of Sorrows" by Philip P. Bliss. Each verse describes what the Man of Sorrows (Jesus) went through for our sake in order that our sins might be atoned for and his righteousness imputed to us. Then the refrain comes in, signifying our response to these wonderful truths: "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" 

This should be our life's refrain. In poverty and riches, sickness and in health - Hallelujah, what a Saviour! When we feel confused, emotional, and frustrated, we can still say Hallelujah because we know what kind of a Saviour we have. When we are aware of God's crazy love for us in our unlovable state, we can praise Him for the gift of the Saviour that He gave out of His love for us. Whatever happens, at the end of day we can say "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!" 

This is what Hebrews 12:1-2 means when it says to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus counted it a joy to die for us. Wow. That should inspire us to praise and joyfulness. We are to be looking to Jesus, our Saviour, during the whole race. Because of Him we can say "Hallelujah" in any circumstance. 

"Tho' sundered far; by faith they meet"

This line comes from the hymn "From Every Stormy Wind That Blows", written by Hugh Stowell and composed by Thomas Hastings. The entire third verse is as follows:

"There is a spot where spirits blend, Where friend holds fellowship with friend, 

Tho' sundered far; by faith they meet Around the common mercy seat."

I love prayer, and I love praying with other people. It ties you together like nothing else can. I have a prayer group that meets once a week, and this past week one of the girls mentioned how amazing it is that the four of us there were all from different states (and I could add: different backgrounds, schooling, families, etc.), yet the Lord brought us together this semester to live on the same hall and to pray together. Crazy. God is too good to us.

"Spirits blend." There is no strife when prayer is present. When two or three are gathered in God's name, he is there among them. Like-minded believers become even more like-minded when they pray together. Your spirits meld and you understand one another better as you come before the throne of God with each other. 

"Friend holds fellowship with friend." The best thing you can do for someone is to pray for them, and the most enriching thing you can do for a relationship is to pray together. Prayer is intentional, intimate, the baring of our hearts before our Father. To pray with someone is to have close fellowship with them.

"Tho' sundered far; by faith they meet." This is what I was getting at earlier. The word "sundered" means to be separated or parted. It's amazing to see the bond that Christians have with each other even though they have never met. This past summer I felt closer with some people from Mexico that I had met ten minutes prior, than other people that I have known most of my life, simply because I knew we had the same Father and we prayed to Him together. The prayer group with the girls on my hall has given me a deeper relationship with them that I don't believe could have happened otherwise. 

"Around the common mercy seat." The mercy seat is a place of glory and reverence, but it is also a place of acceptance and familiarity. We do not need to "prepare ourselves" to pray, for our Father is always ready to hear us. The mercy seat is common in that it is widespread. I believe there are people all over the world that are praying to God right now. That is amazing to think about, and to know that God hears them all! 

What an awesome God we have! Let us not take the privilege of prayer lightly!

"Where Congregations Ne'er Break Up, And Sabbaths Have No End"

This line is from a hymn that I just heard for the first time today, entitled "Jerusalem, My Happy Home". It is a description of heaven and the believer's eager anticipation for it. The text was written by Joseph Bromehead and the music was arranged by Annabel M. Buchanan, published in 1938.
I love thinking about heaven. It seems as though spending a lot of time thinking about heaven would cause us to be daydreamers rather than doers, but it is quite the contrary. The promise of glory to come is a large motivator for action in this life. The knowledge that there is a heaven and that we will be taken someday to stay there forever puts this life in perspective. This world is not our home, but nevertheless what we do in our time here does matter and has a lasting effect on eternity.
I like the description of heaven - "Where Sabbaths have no end". Over the past couple months I have been convicted and inspired by the Holy Spirit to truly keep the Sabbath day holy and dedicated to God. At first it seemed like a daunting task to actually find things to do on the Lord's Day that weren't all the activities that I did on every other day of the week. But after getting used to it, I realized that I wanted Sundays to go on forever. I long for heaven even more than ever now that I know what a real Sabbath is like. Our Sabbaths on this earth will never be perfect, but nevertheless they point us to the eternal Sabbath where we will worship our King endlessly.
The first part of the line has great significance as well - "Where congregations ne'er break up". Too often have I seen or heard about churches breaking up or being divided by sin within the congregation. There will be none of that in heaven, for all hearts will be aligned to one goal: the glorification of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We will be worshiping with all of God's children at this everlasting worship service. How amazing that will be! Worship without sin and struggle! "O For a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise!"
Let us look long and often at the glory that is to come. I don't think our problems come from thinking about heaven too much, but rather too little. It will give us perspective and persistence in our race.

"Jesus Paid it All"

This is the title line to a hymn with lyrics written by Elvina M. Hall and music by John T. Grape, which both happened to be written at the same time within the same church and "happened" to go together. Cool stuff. 

I have three things to say about this line. The first is: Jesus. 

There is no sweeter name to a believer's ear than that of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who could be placed as the subject of this sentence. At the mention of His name, broken hearts and weary souls should listen and find relief. This statement becomes very important because of who it is about. What is to be said about Jesus? Many things, but the verb used here is: Paid. 

Jesus Paid. 

The greatest transaction in the history of the universe. Our lowly broken souls, released from eternal judgement and imprisonment, bought through Christ's sinless life and painful death in taking the weight of the sins of the world. His name was stained through so that ours might become washed white as snow. Justice and Mercy meet at the foot of the cross. It was a fair transaction, though we as believers cry, "why?", with tears falling as we struggle to comprehend the unbelievable. The gravity of the situation is explained through the last word of this sentence. Jesus paid what? 

Jesus Paid it All. 

All of it. All of our sin, guilt, judgement - he took it. He not only took it, he placed it on Himself and said, "I did this. I did these things." The Father's wrath was taken out upon His Son for the sins of the world. Only God has the authority to use these all-inclusive words such as "all." He is fully aware of how much sin we have, and he made sure that He washed it all away. Our debt is paid; we are free! We shall never fear, for in any situation or trial, we have peace with God because "Jesus Paid it All." 

Connections

So I am a music major, and I have to practice a lot. I also am a vocalist, and I have to sing a lot. But I don't always sing for my practice time. Sometimes I watch masterclasses on the internet to get another teacher's viewpoint on this nebulous thing known as the voice, and sometimes these masterclasses become educational beyond the musical realm, whether it was the instructor's intent or not.
There are so many parallels between the life of a musician (particularly a vocalist) and the life of a believer. Thus I have dubbed the practice room as the "sanctification room", and actually started writing a book on all of my discoveries over the past few years.
This masterclass that I watched the other day ended up being primarily about the breath, which wonder of all wonders was what I was struggling with at the time. I am loosely quoting the teacher (who was Joyce DiDonato for those of you that want to know), when I say the following:
"We can never grab onto the air and hold onto it. We have to do the actions that give us the effect, not go for the effect itself. The second we start thinking about making sound, we're in trouble. We go to try and make the sound, instead of creating the environment for the sound to happen. If we create the environment for it, freedom is there."
Wow. That makes so much sense as a vocalist. Usually the biggest thing that keeps a singer from reaching the full potential of their voice is that something is getting in the way of their breath fully releasing. As sinful human beings, we are all control freaks. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's true. I have seen this carry over into the practice room, the stage, the ensemble, friendships, school, etc. etc. We would choose control over what is best for us. Why live by faith when you can live by sight? Why trust someone or something else when you can just "believe in yourself"?
Let me substitute the word "life" in place of the words relating to the breath.
"We can never grab onto our life and hold onto it. We have to do the actions that give us the effect, not go for the effect itself. The second we start thinking about living a good life, we're in trouble. We go to try and make a good life, instead of creating the environment for it to happen. If we create the environment for it, freedom is there."
Crazy. God does not call us find our life, but rather lose it for His sake (Matthew 10:39). When we see the flaws and inconsistencies in our life, we can't just decide to "be better". All of our good works are as filthy rags. We will continue to be discouraged as long as we are trusting solely in ourselves to live a better life.
We do not go for the effect, but rather the actions that give us the effect. What are these actions? Meeting with God, praying for the Holy Spirit to enter your life and change you from the inside out. Your focus becomes not on being a better person but rather on letting God invade every part of you and making you like Himself. We must create the environment for spiritual fruit to happen, and not try and make it out of nothing ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 says, "I (Paul) planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth."
It's amazing to see that when we give our life over to Christ, everything that we once attributed to ourselves becomes nothing. Our personality, our likes and dislikes, and experiences, all fade away in the light of Christ that shines so brilliantly through us. Just as we have to stay out of the way of our breath when we sing and let it fully release, we have to stay out of the Holy Spirit's way and let Him do His work.
"Have Thine own way, Lord, have Thine own way!"