Category: Music

I Sing Because I’m Happy and Free

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Today’s post is inspired by Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday prompt, “Sing”.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Music is my life.

There was a day when you would always find me singing. But lately, I find it hard to sing. It’s like there is a lump in my throat. And I feel kind of sad. So what’s a girl to do?

Always a Reason to Sing

2 Corinthians reminds me that our Christian life is not about being happy but about serving Christ.  We are indeed jars of clay, cracked and broken but shining out the love of Christ. It’s those cracks and breaks that show the world we are His and that life can be fulfilling even in the valleys.

We are not promised a good life. We are not promised a bed of roses. Though if we were, I remind you the roses have thorns. 

These scriptures remind us that even when we feel we cannot sing, we should look back at what God as done for us. If nothing else, He has saved us from our sin and promised us life eternal! This should be enough to give us His joy. 

I’m reminded of the beautiful hymn, His Eye is on the Sparrow.

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heaven, heaven and home,
When, when Jesus is my portion,
My constant Friend is He;
Oh, oh-oh, his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watched, watched it over me.

I sing because I’m happy (happy)
I sing because I’m free (free free free)
For His eye, his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know, I know He watches over me.

He is my Constant Friend

God is watching over us. He cares about every detail of our lives. God sees us as His treasured possession! We can sing in this reality.

So don’t give up. Keep Singing.

Keep your eyes looking up. Be faithful to Him.

Allow His light to shine through you so that when you arrive at heaven’s gates, you will be bringing along a whole host of believers that found Christ because of your perseverance.

Psalm 104:33I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! Psalm 104:33

Sing to the Lord!

Mandy Farmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

even when we feel we cannot sing, we should look back at what God as done for us.

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My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

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My God is ENough

I’m joining Kate Motaung and my friends at Five Minute Fridays to write on a particular prompt for five minutes. In my effort to re-introduce old hymns to my readers, I like to find a hymn that uses the prompt of the week.This week’s prompt: ENOUGH!

Also linking up with Suzanne Eller and Living Free…. Together! Her prompt: REST 

 

 

 

When I heard the prompt of the week, my mind went immediately to this hymn, My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

“It is Enough that Jesus died. And that He died for me.”

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hymn of week

Safe in His Arms Living by Faith

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Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.
 
 

 Life has sure been throwing me some curves lately.

There’s been illness, job loss, and interruption of ministry and just life in general.

But God has been right there with us. 

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He’s my peace in the path of the storm

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I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

I’m so glad that God provides peace in the storm.

This weekend our family is right in the path of Tropical Storm Hermine. Hermine has made his path straight across south Georgia hitting all of our family from Cairo, GA to Waycross and Savannah.

 

 

 

 

 

There’s nothing like getting awakened in the night with the blaring horns from your phone saying there are tornadoes in the area. We ended up being quite safe, but some of our family has flooding and power outages due to trees coming down.

Like in a tropical storm, we have no control of where or how the storms come into our lives. #path #hymn ggmandy

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PSalm 77_19_YouVersion

 

It may barrel straight through us or it might skirt around. Some storms may be strong and dangerous and others are slow and become just a thunderstorm or even just a bit of rain. One never knows

We like to think that if you are following the Lord, life’s path will take you through smooth sailing.

But this is not true. What He does provide is peace in the storm.

What we are promised is safety through the storm

Not that the storm will find another path.

We like to think that if you are following the Lord, life’s path will take you through smooth sailing. #path #storms @ggmandy

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Oh, how we must learn that God is faithful through the storm.

He will be right there with us through the storm. He is our haven.Isaiah43_2_Youversion

He has a plan. His path will help us grow and learn.

We will be strengthened to face another day.

He provides for our every need in every situation.

I wonder about the Israelites. When God made a path through the sea, how willing were they to walk through it?

I’m not sure I would be at peace with walls of water on both sides of me.

 

we must learn that God is faithful THROUGH the storm. @ggmandy

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John 16_33_YouversionWhy do we worry and fret and not live in the peace that He offers us?

Why do we allow the projected path of a storm to get us all worked up? We aren’t showing the world a reason to follow Christ if we fret and worry over our situation.

When we have the peace in the storm, THAT is when people stop and wonder what it is that makes us so calm through the storm.

This is when we exemplify the peace that Christ provides.

 

Let’s rest in Him through our trials so that He gets the glory and we get the peace that passes all understanding.

 

Mandy Farmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. I’ve been introducing the old hymns lately. This seems like a good time to share a hymn…

“There is Peace in the Midst of the Storm”

When the world that I’ve been
Living in collapses at my feet
And when my life is all tattered and torn
Though I’m wind-swept, I’ve been battered
I’m gonna cling unto His cross
I’ll find peace in the midst of the storm
(Is that alright?)

There is peace in the midst of the storm-tossed life
There is an Anchor, there is a rock to build my faith upon
Jesus Christ is my vessel so I fear no alarm
He gives me peace in the midst of the storm

-by Stephen Adams

 

 


The Love of God

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The Love of God

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

The Love of God

 

 Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Frederick M. Lehman, 1917
v. 3 by Meir Ben Isaac Nehorai, 1050

The love of God is, to me, so unfathomable.

I become overwhelmed with awe whenever I think of it. How God could love me, a sinner, enough to leave his throne in heaven, humble himself as a man, and die the cruel death of a criminal, just to conquer death and save me from that horrible death. It’s unfathomable.

This hymn is precious to me.

There are no better words to describe how I feel that have been laid out in this poetry. You must read this beautiful story from The Tan Bible of how this song was inspired into music from 

       Frederick M. Lehman, author and composer, wrote a pamphlet, in 1948, entitled History of the Song, The Love of God. It tells about the origin of this beloved hymn—

While at camp-meeting in a mid-western state, some fifty years ago in our early ministry, an evangelist climaxed his message by quoting the last stanza of this song. The profound depths of the line moved us to preserve the words for future generations.

Not until we had come to California did this urge find fulfillment, and that at a time when circumstances forced us to hard manual labor.

One day, during short intervals of inattention to our work, we picked up a scrap of paper and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against the wall, with a stub pencil, added the (first) two stanzas and chorus of the song.

Since the lines (3rd stanza from the Jewish poem) had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum, the general opinion was that this inmate had written the epic in moments of sanity.

Actually, the key-stanza (third verse) under question as to its authorship was written nearly one thousand years ago by a Jewish songwriter, and put on the score page by F.M. Lehman, a Gentile songwriter, in 1917.

—Selected

 This hymn should never be lost to our hearts because it is thought to be antiquated.

I am thankful to Mercy Me for re-introducing this hymn to the masses.

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I pray that you, too have experienced this merciful love of God. If not, click here to learn about finding it.

Blessings!

Mandy Farmer

 

Photo Credits

  • hymn page was taken from my church hymnal, Sing to the Lord.
  • ocean views by Kandy Chimento; modified by Mandy