Power in Praise

We could set our watches on Sunday Morning because we sang the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty" at exactly the same time in the service.

When I was a very young follower of Jesus, I was impressionable and teachable and I took my clues from the congregation as to what sort of attitude I should have during the singing of this song, as well as other hymns, but this one in particular was of note.

I learned that you have to look really bored and disinterested as you sang and you had to have a look on your face somewhere between "I just bit into a sour lemon" and "I hope this ends soon, I want to beat the church folk from up the street to the buffet." Oh, yes, and you have to sing in as much of a monotone as you can possibly muster without any emotion or too much emphasis on the words, as if they were relevent to your life.....

At this point you are probably saying to yourself "What??!! How rude!! How dare she say such a thing about people singing in church!!! How critical and judgemental of her...!!!"

Well, yes, I was probably a tad on the harsh side in my description, but, I guess I was young and impressionable as I sat in the choir loft and observed what I observed so many years ago in the late 1960's early 1970's.

The truth is that I actually I learned a lot about the Lord in that incubator of my formative years as a baby Christian and I am grateful for the sound teaching of the Word that was my foundation and bedrock.

I learned to appreciate and value the many hymns that I was exposed to as the truth that was sung in those three to four minute mini-sermons of teaching became one of my most precious educational avenues.

Now back to the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" That song has become one of the most powerful worship songs that I know. It has the ability to bring me to my knees in praise and adoration of the only True and Living God.

The Book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into the praise and worship service that is going on right now in Eternity. The angelic hosts are falling down before the Throne of God and crying out with loud voices "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lamb that was slain.."

When we join the hosts in Heaven by stepping into the vehicle of a wonderful song like this one, we are transported into the very Throne Room of God and given access into His Holy Presence. How precious to think that "Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee...Only Thou are Holy, there is none beside Thee, God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity...!!!"

Next time you have the opportunity to sing this amazingly rich song, please do so with a heart open and ready to give praise and worship to the One sitting on the Throne. Let the pure joy and adoration of that experience shine out of your mortal body so that your face can shine with the joy of the Lord and radiate Life to any around you who may be watching.

Blessings from one who has not yet arrived, but who is on the Train and has left the station.

Shalom,

Linda

"Oh Soul, are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see...there's a Light for a look at the Saviour and life more abundant and free...Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful Face...and the things of earth will grow strangely dim...in the light of His glory and grace..."

The studio was dark, except for a few maintenance lights, and it was quiet except for the accompaniment track and my voice coming through the studio speakers as I ran through this simple old song for the sound check at "It's a New Day" sometime in the mid 1980's.

I had arrived early to the CKND television station for my usual preparation and was singing the song in the empty studio, singing to myself with my eyes closed and knowing that the King was listening in on my rehearsal.....

"His Word will not fail you, He promised, receive Him and all will be well...then go to a world that is dying, His perfect Salvation to tell...Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful Face...and the things of earth will grow strangely dim...in the light of His glory and grace..."

I finished the song and felt the warmth of the Presence of the Lord. The track ended and I opened my eyes and was startled to see someone in the shadows. I recognized the familar face of one of the News Anchors. Eyes brimming with tears all that said was "that was so beautiful, thank you." I sort of nodded and said "Your welcome."

I was humbled that the Lord had allowed me to sing the Truth and give a glimmer of light into a soul who was weary and troubled. No big fanfare, no large billboards, just a simple statement of Truth and Hope that was received quietly by one who was ready to hear and receive.

Are you weary? Are you troubled? Turn your eyes upon Jesus...He is waiting for you to come and receive His glory and grace. 

Are you sure? Sure about what? Sure about anything? It is important to be sure about your assurance...like the old song says "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, oh what a foretaste of glory divine..."

So, you can say with total assurance that you are sure, if you accept the Gift of Assurance as bought and paid for by Jesus, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.

No matter what the day may bring, good or bad, it is comforting to know Who is in control and what we can do to be at peace..."this is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long...!"

Today is the day that the Lord has made, we shall rejoice and be glad in it...to be sure:)

blessings

Linda

 "Just As I Am"

One of the most familiar hymns is the one played at the end of the evangelistic meetings of Mr. Billy Graham. The words are so poignant. "Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy Blood was shed for me, and that Thou bid me come to Thee, oh Lamb of God, I come..I come...Just as I am and waiting not, to cleanse my Soul of one dark blot, to Him Whose Blood can cleanse each spot, Oh Lamb of God, I come..I come...Just as I am..."

The basic idea in the hymn is that we come to the Lord for His cleansing and healing because we need to be taken from death to life in the Lord Jesus. As the words are sung, it is an acknowledgment of our need to be covered by the Blood of the Lamb, referring to the Old Testament sacrifices which covered the sins of the people of Israel on Passover. How great to think that Jesus (Y'shua) became the final Passover Lamb who died to cover the sins of the whole world.

We all need to come to the Father through His Son. We are born dead and need to be born again. Simply coming to the Cross of Christ and receiving His covering of atoning Blood sets us free from the curse that was brought down on mankind by Adam's disobedience. One man's act killed mankind and one Man's Act saved mankind to Life Forever.

We are approaching the Spring season. On the Hebrew calendar the feast of Passover is the retelling of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is the time of year when it is remembered that Moses told the people of Israel to take a lamb and kill it, then to take it's blood and put it on the doorposts and lintels of the houses of the Children of Israel, and the Death Angel 'passed over' the houses that had the sign of life.

The Death Angel killed the first born of each household that did not have the Sign of Life on its doors, from the lowliest person to the highest household of the King the judgement was carried out. This devastating plague was the one which caused Pharoah to set the Children of Israel free from Egypt. The Key to Salvation from the plague was the blood of the passover lamb. The key to our salvation is the final Passover Lamb.

The final Passover Lamb was introduced by John the Baptist when he saw Jesus approaching and declared "Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!" We know that Jesus began His Ministry of revealing His Credentials as the long awaited Messiah on that day. The culmination of that revelation was His death on the Cross and His Glorious Resurrection on the day of the Feast of Firstfruits.

We have some things to look forward to as we come "Just as I am without one plea" to the Cross and accept the gift of Life, in essence we apply the Blood of the Lamb to the doorposts and lintels of our heart and the wrath of the Death Angel will "passover" us.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Good news!!!!

Let the words of "Just as I am..." become your prayer of surrender to the Father through His Son.

Blessings,

Linda

 "Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated Lord to Thee..."

The old hymns of faith are such precious nuggets of Truth. One can sing a song like, "Take My Life" and use it as a daily prayer of dedication and submission. It is a powerful thing to surrender to the Lord and allow ourselves to be consecrated or separated for His Kingdom.

We sang a wonderful song in the '70's called "Let Go and Let God Have His Wonderful Way" and as we sang the words out loud with gusto, we meant every single syllable and as we sang God heard our heart cry and took us and used us for His Glory and building up of His Kingdom!

If I can send a word of encouragement to you today it would be this thought...God wants you to submit to Him Body, Soul, and Spirit...if you do this simple thing then you will go to places you never imagined you could go and do things you never imagined you would be doing and having the greatest time of your life, if you choose to "Let Go and Let God...."

Blessings,

Linda

Thoughts for the day,

Opportunities abound to shine our light of truth, hope, and love into a world darkened by lies, fear, and hate. We get to be a walking New Testament everyday with our Father's Hand guiding us along in the "mission of the day."

As Ambassadors of Christ we are doing our Father's business and keeping His Kingdom's Principles and Precepts in the public eye. We aren't perfect, but we are being perfected, so let us rejoice and be glad and carry the banner of the King in the battle against the evil one's lies and fears.

Be of good cheer, because, even though, in the world we have tribulation (trouble) Jesus has overcome the world!!

Wow!!!

Hi, Webmaster David:)
 
In light of the events taking place on the world stage, it is perhaps timely to put together a "What On Earth is Happening or What In the World is Going On" type of musing.  We have been singing and talking about the Lord's promises and prophecies for almost 40 years, in fact we have been looking for the Lord's appearing from our earliest walk with the King.
 
Since 1948, the country of Israel has been an established and recognized democratic republic in the Middle East.  The book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament has some definite indications of what Israel's destiny is among the nations of Planet Earth.  The world view of the last few years has been corrupted by biased anti-Semetic reporting which sides with those against Israel's right to exist.
 
It is good to know that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is still in control of the destiny of His Glorious Land and the People.  The Lord's Anointed Judge is coming to the Planet to mete out the justice so needed to bring in the Handel's Messiah verse that states "The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our God and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever...Hallelujah!"  When we view the events occurring in the present time of this Age, we can receive comfort and hope from the established Word of God...His Bible is true and contains the answers to all the questions about "What on Earth is going on today??!!"
 
We have been proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom to Earth in songs like "The Lord's Prayer" and "The King Is Coming" and "How Great Thou Art" for almost four decades.  Our Hope is in the return of the King to establish His rule and reign out of the Capital of Israel, the City of Jerusalem.
 
Take heart and take comfort as you ask "What on Earth is Happening?"  It's just the birth pains of the Kingdom.
 
Blessings

Well, another turn of the calendar and we have entered the next number in the millenium. Some people look at this turning of the page as an opportunity to look at their lives in view of what needs to be done to change their bad habits into good habits, etc. Our good friends, Willard and Betty Thiessen began a Christian Television programme in 1976 called "It's A New Day" and the premise focused on the need to take each day as a new day of God's mercy. God's mercy is new every morning and we can handle things much better by taking life "One Day At A Time" as the old song goes.

I am challenged to take each day as a fresh day of grace and mercy. I can't go into the past and change anything that I have done, good or bad. The future of tomorrow is not mine yet. I have heard it said "Yesterday is past, Tomorrow is yet to be, we have Today and that is why it is called The Present!"

What a precious Gift to be given the hope of today being the day of salvation.

Can I share with you this hope and thought...the calendar shows a new year ahead of us and the old year behind us, so my beloved surfer, take this day as the New Day of letting go of our striving and just surrendering to the Father as we sing in the Hymn "Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee, take my moments and my days let them flow in ceaseless praise, let them flow in ceaseless praise!"

The true power in praise comes from a day of daily surrender, this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Blessings,

Linda

One has to be in awe of this time of year. People are rushing here and there, to and fro, back and forth....all in the quest for the perfect gift or the perfect turkey or the perfect ornament for the tree. We get into the frenzy of the seasonal visitation from family and friends and then crash into a burnt out shell as the New Year takes over with all the quiet panic of looming credit card bills. We are in awe of this time of year, because we get to focus in on a tiny baby in a hay filled feeding trough and wonder at the meaning of it all. The peace that seems to be in the centre of the whirling activity is a tiny fragment that fills the centre of our being. We hear the real Christmas carols that tell the Story of His Story...the fulfilled prophecy of the coming King and the exactness of the time and place and purpose of this wonderful, counsellor whom we call "God's Love Gift to the World!"

We sing it out in "Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King..." and "God rest you, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas day, to save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray, oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh tidings of comfort and joy!"

When I was a child, I always experienced the "special Christmas feeling" leading up to the anticipation of "The Day" but by the end of "The Day" even before we were finished clearing all the dinner plates away, a darkness was already surrounding my heart. The presents were all opened, but I could not remember what I got, and by the next morning all the lights and glitter were all but dimmed completely. My thoughts were clouded and sad and I thought to myself that surely there had to be more to the season than this excitement and then crash and burn.

Then I realized what I had been missing in the Christmas season of 1970. In the spring time of 1970, I had said "Yes" to the question presented to me. The question was "Do you want to receive Jesus as your own personal Lord and Saviour?"

As Christmas approached I did not have my "Special Christmas feeling" leading up to The Day. Then I realized that the peace and joy and contentment and hope that was my yearly inkling was with me all year long since the day that I said "Yes" and made room in my heart for the Lord's Love Gift.

Take a moment for yourself. Look at the Father's Gift of Love and say "yes" to the offered gift of John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die, but have Life Forever..."

Joy to the world...the Lord has come...let earth receive her King...let every heart prepare Him room...

my thoughts on Christmas....blessings....Linda

Hello Everyone!  Welcome to the Power in Praise Desk (or PIP Desk for short).  This will be a page where you will not only be able to read the thoughts and feelings of the members of Power in Praise, but you will also get to interact with them as they share their musings with you.  So, as the PIP Desk fills up, please feel free to voice your opinions, ask questions, and partake of this interactive opportunity!