“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
More than Wonderful is a song written by Sandi Patty and referring to the words of the first part of the song I thank Jesus every day for his love that never ceases and the fact that he everything he said he would be. The song also reminded me how Jesus came to dwell with us. Let me share the second verse and chorus from the song.
Well, I tried Him and I found His promises are true
He’s everything He said that He would be
The finest words I know could not begin to tell
Just what Jesus really means to me
For He’s more wonderful than my mind can conceive
He’s more wonderful than my heart can believe
He goes beyond my highest hopes and fondest dreams
He’s everything that my soul ever longed for
Everything He’s promised and so much more
More than amazing, more than marvelous
More than miraculous could ever be
He’s more than wonderful, that’s what Jesus is to me..
Helen Steiner Rice (May 19, 1900 – April 23, 1981) was an American writer of religious and inspirational poetry. Helen Steiner was born in Lorain, Ohio on May 19, 1900. Her father, a railroad worker, died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. She began work for a public utility and progressed to the position of advertising manager, which was rare for a woman at that time. She also became the Ohio State Chairman of the Women’s Public Information Committee of the Electric Light Association, and campaigned for women’s rights and improved working conditions. In 1929 she married Franklin Dryden Rice, a bank vice-president in Dayton, Ohio. After the stock market crash in October that year, Franklin lost his job and his investments. He fell into a depression from which he never recovered, and committed suicide in 1932. Rice became a successful businesswoman and lecturer, but found her most satisfying outlet in writing verse for the prominent greeting card company American Greetings. Her poems received wide exposure in the 1960s when several were read by Aladdin on the poetry segment of the Lawrence Welk television show. The demand for her poems became so great that her books are still selling steadily after many printings, and she has been acclaimed as “America’s beloved inspirational poet laureate”. Helen Steiner Rice’s books of inspirational poetry have now sold nearly seven million copies. Her strong religious faith and the ability she had to express deep emotion gave her poems timeless appeal. She died on the evening of April 23, 1981, a month before her 81st birthday, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Lorain, Ohio.
Sunday past in the UK was Father’s day, Here is one of Helen’s poem’s
Fathers are wonderful people Too little understood, And we do not sing their praises As often as we should…
For, somehow, Father seems to be The man who pays the bills, While Mother binds up little hurts And nurses all our ills… And Father struggles daily To live up to ‘his image’ As protector and provider And ‘hero of the scrimmage’…
And perhaps that is the reason We sometimes get the notion, That Fathers are not subject To the thing we call emotion, But if you look inside Dad’s heart, Where no one else can see You’ll find he’s sentimental And as ‘soft’ as he can be…
But he’s so busy every day In the grueling race of life, He leaves the sentimental stuff To his partner and his wife…
But Fathers are just wonderful In a million different ways, And they merit loving compliments And accolades of praise,
For the only reason Dad aspires To fortune and success Is to make the family proud of him And to bring them happiness…
And like Our Heavenly Father, He’s a guardian and a guide, Someone that we can count on To be always on our side.
One of the buzz words of the moment is ‘declutter’. You know your husband is really bored when he goes into his office and starts having a clear out. Now he is enjoying retirement all the files and folders in the office are obsolete. I pity the poor recycling men today as our blue bin was stuffed full. I have had a bit of a clear out as well. All the baking and cooking equipment that ‘will come in useful one day’ has now gone to better homes. The challenge now, is not to fill the filing cabinet and kitchen cupboards with other things. This got me thinking, do you need to have a clear out of things that are worrying you, things that are taking prominence in your mind, things that are holding you back from a full relationship with God? Perhaps, I think he coming days, when you are not too busy, you could take time to have a little declutter of your heart and mind. Give over to God the things that are holding you back from fully serving him. Anger, feeling you have been hurt by someone, annoyance, complaining, criticising. Know again a true, deep, uncluttered relationship with Him again.
1 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free, rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of thy love; leading onward, leading homeward, to thy glorious rest above.
2 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Spread his praise from shore to shore; how he loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore; how he watches o’er his loved ones, died to call them all his own; how for them he intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne.
3 O the deep, deep love of Jesus! Love of ev’ry love the best: ’tis an ocean vast of blessing, ’tis a haven sweet of rest. O the deep, deep love of Jesus! ‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me; and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to thee.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgement and discretion; 22 they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. 23 Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble. 24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, 26 for the Lord will be at your side and will keep your foot from being snared.
14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I’ll give you rest.” 15 Then Moses told the LORD, “If your presence does not go with us, don’t bring us up from here. 16 Otherwise, how shall it be known that your people and I have received favor from you, unless you go with us and that we, your people and I, are distinguished from all the people on the surface of the earth?” 17 The LORD told Moses, “I’ll do the very thing that you have said, because you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name.” 18 Then Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
There isn’t a video I can think of that is more suited to the reading above than this one.
As you listen to the video you will hear it is a song of praise and testimony especially in the chorus where we not only seek his grace, we also ask his glory to fall upon us asking I’m to guide us
For the director of music. According to gittith.[b] Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.[c]
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.[d] 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield,[e] O God; look with favor on your anointed one.
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.
5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth.7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign[b] on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped.
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad,
The honours of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease—
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the pow’r of cancelled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
Psalm 121 is a Psalm of Praise reminding us that if we lift up our Eyes unto the hills we will receive help from The Lord. We are also told in the psalm that the Lord will protect and watch over us.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The following words can only be sung to one tune, that is a tune which I hate to hear. The tune is called Passion Chorale
Then you added these powerful words to it that sheds a different light on things.
O sacred head, once wounded
With grief and pain weighed down
How scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown!
How pale art Thou with anguish
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
Which once was bright as morn!
O Lord of life and glory
What bliss till now was Thine!
I read the wondrous story
I joy to call Thee mine
Thy grief and Thy compassion
Were all for sinners' gain
Mine, mine was the transgression
But Thine the deadly pain
What language shall I borrow
To praise Thee, heavenly Friend
For this, Thy dying sorrow
Thy pity without end?
Lord, make me Thine for ever
Nor let me faithless prove
O let me never, never
Abuse such dying love!
Be near me, Lord, when dying
O show Thyself to me
And for my succour flying
Come, Lord, to set me free
These eyes, new faith receiving
From Jesus shall not move
For he who dies believing
Dies safely through Thy love
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