Rehearsing God’s Faithfulness

Rehearsing God’s Faithfulness in Troubling Times

It was 5 weeks ago today that I fell and broke my left humerus.

I didn’t think I could survive this affliction the pain was so excruciating and it left me quite debilitated.

But here it is five weeks later and the Lord has helped me persevere despite what I was dead certain I could not live through. He is showing me yet again that He will never fail me in the trials He takes me through. He in His limitless love, mercy, and faithfulness has provided everything I’ve needed and so much support and prayer from so many wonderful people.

Through every trial He takes me, though it’s never pleasant, I’m always reminded He is always with me and He never fails. If He hasn’t failed me thus far, then I don’t have to walk in fear and doubt that next time a crisis occurs, He might slip up.

But as the following scripture passage from the Book of Hebrews relates, that is just what happened long ago to God’s special people whom He rescued from Egypt.

“God’s Holy Spirit says this:

‘You must listen when you hear God speak today.

Do not refuse to obey Him.

Do not be like God’s people many years ago.

When they travelled in the wilderness, they turned against Me.

They wanted to see if I would punish them.

For 40 years your ancestors saw the great things that I did.But still they did not obey Me.

That is why I became angry with them. I said, “They always want to do what is wrong. They refuse to understand My message.”

Because of that, I promised to punish them. Because I was angry with them, I said, “They will never arrive in My special place of rest.” ’

So be careful, my Christian friends. Do not refuse to trust God.That would be a very bad thing to do.

Do not turn away from the God who lives for ever.

Instead, help each other to be strong every day.

Today, you can still hear God’s message.

While that is still true, do not refuse to obey God.

Do not think that sin will not hurt you. That is a lie.

We must continue to trust Christ very well, as we did when we first believed in Him.

We must continue to trust Him until the end of our lives.

Then we will share in everything that is His. We have seen what the Bible says:

‘You must listen when you hear God speak today. Do not refuse to obey Him.
Hebrews 3:7-14 EASY

FEAR AND DOUBT

The Hebrew children saw God’s mighty works, His miracles, for forty years as they traversed the desert wilderness.

God often tested their faith, but instead of trusting Him building on the experience of how He’d brought them through the previous times, they repeatedly fussed, doubted, and complained against God and grew not in their faith.

They seemed never to cross that bridge of fear and worry to advance with God toward the Promised Land.

This gives us a sobering message and warning.

For all God’s children will be tested in our faith according to His Word. However the Lord asks that we trust Him.

How often The Lord in His mercy has spoken to my heart in the midst of countless afflictions, “These troubles are not going to kill you. However, fear, stress, doubt, and depression ~ now these are the dark things that can kill you. But trust, hope and faith will conquer those things and you have to choose to walk with Me by faith.”

“Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
Psalms 34:19 HCSB

“He protects all his bones; not one of them is broken.”
Psalms 34:20 HCSB

I asked the Lord, why He didn’t keep His scripture promise to protect my bones.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that first of all Psalm 34:20 is a prophecy referring to the Lord Jesus Christ specifically, but in a metaphorical sense the Lord will keep all the bones of His children from breaking always.

What are bones? They are the foundation of our body. And God in this verse is promising to hold together my very foundation no matter what adversity I might have to face from any trial He puts me through. Jesus Christ God’s Son, holds all things together, even the very foundation of my being.

“Christ is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:17 HCSB

No matter if everything seems like it is going to fall apart, Christ is still here, ever present, holding all things together. His word promises “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word…” Hebrews 1:3 HCSB

Peter wrote:

“You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith —more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire —may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:5-7 HCSB

Whatever challenge we may find ourselves in right now, it is a good idea to look back over the trials we have faced in the past and write down how God has brought us through those hard times.

Rehearse how faithful the Lord has been to you and give Him thanks. This practice will strengthen your faith.

I know He has never failed our family or anyone I can think of who has trusted in Him. So many people I know have amazing stories to tell of His awesome faithfulness.

We might be tempted to think that if the Hebrew children had taken the time to review God’s amazing miracles with each trial they faced during their forty year sojourn, perhaps faith would have overcome doubt and fear.

However, no one can judge them. For it must have been very hard for those people. Whenever I put myself in their shoes I shudder and thank our merciful God for sending His Son Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins, He is our Mercy Seat.

Personally I know from some of the testings the Lord has put me through that I am certainly no better than His precious Hebrew children were. And I am so grateful for His mercy and grace expressed in the sacrifice of His Son. For we turn the chapter and the writer of Hebrews offers us hope:

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens —Jesus the Son of God —let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 HCSB

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins that we may be forgiven and made Yours forever. Help us to review the ways in which You have come through for us in the past and trust that You will never fail us no matter what is going on now to challenge our faith. Thank You, Lord, we love You, In Jesus holy name, amen.

Come Boldly

Peaceangelsong, “Rehearsing God’s Faithfulness in Troubling Times,” Copyright © 2022, Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. Original Scripture Paintings (Images) Copyright © Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. All Creative Work by Suzanne Is Accomplished Through The Indwelling Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by His Holy Spirit, To The Glory of God The Father, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture Quotations taken From

The HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) Holman Christian Standard Bible®
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

The Easy English Bible www.easyenglish.bible

The King James Version Bible (Public Domain)

Two Chances

Featured ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

When I first fell about three weeks ago, my whole body was screaming with the worst pain I’d ever felt. I wanted more than anything to die. Throughout my agony in the hospital I cried and prayed for Jesus to please come take me Home and rescue me from this ordeal. Having already fallen flat on my face from a dead faint onto a hardwood floor back in November and miraculously only suffering painful bruising, a black eye, and bloody nose, then losing Mama and my precious sister Nancy, enduring vicious migraines every day, and fierce tension knots, I felt like this new affliction was the last straw. No way did I want to face this new trial.

~~Unlike King David, the man after God’s own heart, who, when God put through a dark trial, he faithfully prayed,

“Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain.Then You turned away from me, and I was shattered.I cried out to You, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, “What will You gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise You? Can it tell of Your faithfulness? Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord.””
Psalms 30:7-10 NLT

No, I was not good like David, for the very last thing I thought of was praising the Lord in my pain, alas. I screamed in bitter agony.

The Bible says that the dead praise not the living God, however He seeks a people who will praise and glorify Him despite their trials.

“The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave. But we can praise the Lord both now and forever! Praise the Lord!” Psalms
115:17-18 NLT

I learned that if I truly love the Lord I would endure despite the pain and continue to trust Him believing He will come through in the end. By His Almighty grace, I have determined to seek for ways that I can praise Him during this trial.

For His Word tells us that God’s mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

One thing I will praise the Lord for is giving me such a wonderful husband. Ever since I fractured my humerus I’ve had to rely on Mark for assistance in doing everything ~~even doing my hair. Mark finds this task quite difficult and I must admit he has a gift for making really bad hairstyles. They are so awful that they are hilarious and make me laugh. I wish I had been documenting these crazy styles. Even JJ, our Yorkie, noticed him fixing my hair one day. Her little black eyes seemed to pop as she suddenly halted and hopped fast backwards out of the room, We both wish we could’ve documented her reaction on video.

Well, the night he made my hair look like I was wearing an ice bag, I could not stop laughing. I then said, “Honey, can’t you just manage a simple braid?”

I texted a friend about the issue. She told me that her daughter was really gifted at braiding hair and had her own website dedicated to braiding, and she gave me the URL.

I told Mark and sent him to the website. “Here is your chance, honey. Study her techniques and you will soon be braiding my hair!”

I was hopeful as I saw him intently studying two of the braiding videos. But when I noticed how complicated the braids were my heart sank.

Sure enough he soon gave up overwhelmed. Closing his laptop he looked at me and said, “You have two chances for me to ever braid your hair~ fat chance and no chance!”

I pouted. Why could he not have just chosen a video on how to do a simple braid?

Well, the next day the home health care nurse who comes to help me wash my hair and bathe said that she used to run her own hair braiding business on the side till she had her baby!

Would I like for her to braid my hair? She gave me two long beautiful French braids on either side of my head!

Here was my loving God giving me a chance to replace Mark’s fat chance and no chance!

How I praise Him for showing me His love and mercy in that special way!

And that wasn’t the end of the story either.

The next morning my Occupational Therapist came and wanted to braid my hair. She did a beautiful job. Once again, God demonstrated His love and mercy sending two people to braid my hair!

The dead praise not the living God but I will praise Him for these special ways He blessed me.

And the praising for His amazing blessings does not end there.

We went to the orthopedic doctor for a check up and while she did not see a great deal of improvement in the fracture as it was huge; she said it was going to take time and to be patient; after testing me she said I had no nerve damage!

This was very encouraging to me! She said with this kind of injury they sometimes see nerve damage in the hand so it was very good that I had none.

Glory to our wonderful God!

And today after Mark had graced me with another awful hairstyle last night that was truly hilarious, I went into the bathroom and prayed to be able to braid my own hair.

And God be praised~ He really helped me do it ~despite my broken arm!

God helped me braid my own hair despite my broken arm! Praise our awesome Lord Jesus Christ!

Fat chance and no chance are God’s chances in the eternal realms of the Almighty.

“Lord, You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!”

Psalms 30:11-12 NLT

Whatsoever Things Are True

Featured ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on

WHATEVER THINGS ARE IS TRUE
(focus on what is true about ourselves & other people & our circumstances, & about God)
See Philippians 4: 8

What is HONORABLE,
(Look For What is honorable in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
*See Philippians 4: 8

Fix your thoughts on what is RIGHT,
(Seek for what is right about ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
*See Philippians 4: 8

Fix Your Thoughts on What is PURE,
(in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
See Philippians 4: 8

Seek For things that are LOVELY, (in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
See Philippians 4: 8

Think about things that are ADMIRABLE.
(in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
See Philippians 4: 8

Seek For whatever is EXCELLENT
(in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God)
*See Philippians 4: 8

Focus on those things that are WORTHY OF PRAISE ”
(in ourselves & other people & our circumstances & in God) ~ Philippians 4:8 NLT
*See Philippians 4: 8

God is looking for the good in His redeemed children, not for faults, not for things to condemn.

Christ came not to condemn, but to save us. (*See John 3:17)

What is true about God?

God is love
1 John 4:8

“Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds; Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths.You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.”
Psalms 36:5-6 NLT

“The Lord forgives all my sins, and heals all my diseases, He redeems me from death, and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Psalm 103:3-5 NLT

The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
Psalm 103:6,8 NLT

God will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins. He does not deal harshly with us as we deserve.
Psalm 103:9-10 NLT

For God’s unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:11-12

The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust.”
Psalms 103:13-14 NLT

For the needy shall not alway be forgotten, The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.”
Psalm 9:18 KJV

What is true about God’s redeemed children?

For one thing, we are a new creature in Christ, old things are passed away. God has done a new thing in us, we are reborn in Christ and He has given to us His own righteousness.

“When anyone belongs to Christ, they become a new person. Their old way of life has gone. Their new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Christ never did any wrong thing, but God punished Him as if He had. He died as punishment for our sins. As a result, we become right with God when we belong to Christ. We become right, because He is right.” 2Corinthians 5:21 Easy English Bible

“Nobody can say that God’s people are guilty. God himself has accepted us as right with him. So nobody can say that God should still punish us. Nobody can say that, because Christ Jesus himself died on our behalf.

And God raised Christ up so that He became alive again after His death. Now Christ is sitting at God’s right side in heaven. He himself is praying to God on our behalf.

Christ will always continue to love us.Nothing can stop that! We may have troubles.

Things may make us sad or afraid.People may do bad things to us.

We may have no food or no clothes. There may be great danger.

People may even try to kill us.

But none of these things can stop Christ from loving us.

As it says in the Bible: ‘Because we are your people, God, people try to kill us all the time. They think that we are like sheep, and we are ready to be killed.’

Because God loves us, none of these troubles can ever beat us.

He makes us win against them. I am sure of this.

Nothing can stop God from loving us.

Death cannot do that. Life cannot do that.

Angels cannot do that, nor can demons do that.

Nothing that happens to us now, or that will happen in a future time can do that.

No powerful spirits can do that.

Nothing that is high above the world can do that,

nor anything that is deep down below the ground.

Nothing else in the whole universe can stop God from loving us.

Because of our Lord Christ Jesus, we know how much God loves us.”

Romans 8:33-39 Easy English Bible

Heavenly Father,

Teach us to learn about and then to focus on whatsoever things are true about You, and ourselves, those things in us that are positive, and virtuous, pure and lovely, worthy of praise and of good report; help us not to look for faults or things to condemn ourselves for and feel guilty over; for You forgive our sins and give us the righteousness of Thy Son Jesus Christ, You love us very much, and look for the good in us. Thank You for being so kind to us to save us from our sins through Thy Son Jesus Christ, in Jesus name, amen.

For God So Loved The World Prayersong

Meditations For The Journey

Featured ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

*Meditations For The Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals © ℗ 2022 Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved.*

Meditations for the Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals-is the thirtieth album of published music the Lord has given me to share since 2013.

The first album the Lord gave me was God’s Rainbow Promise. That first release was to be a harbinger of the three main types of music that the Lord would be producing through me for the next nine years: both original vocal prayer songs and instrumentals, and traditional Christian hymns.

We serve a risen Lord and Savior who desires very much to communicate with us. That is why He revealed to me that He gave me this music; He said that they are His musical conversations and that if people will take them into their prayer closets along with their Bibles and listen to them (or even just a clip) and read His Word, looking up the scripture reference the song title points to, by faith trusting He’ll speak to them, He will indeed speak to their hearts.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”
John 10:27 KJV

The Lord asked me to become a musician according to His purpose and plan. I was not a musician before He dropped this beautiful gift in my lap. I didn’t know why the Lord would take a soul who cared only about music as something to listen to while creating art, and would make her into someone whom He created music through for His glory and honor.
I look at all of the music He has made through me and am astonished. I know it is the Lord’s work and not mine.

The other day He inspired me to sit down and listen to the songs on Meditations for the Journey and contemplate them during my quiet time. He had me concentrate on the music, then reference the scripture passages the song titles pointed to while praying, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach me what I believed He was saying to my heart through the music and scriptures. I took my notebook and pen, got out my bible, and listened to the songs, pausing as necessary.

I chose to focus on the title track, “Jesus is the Author of Our Faith.”

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race
that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith;
who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is set down
at the right hand
of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-3- KJV

As I listened to the music I saw it in my mind as an organic triangular shape, its long perspective shooting wildly upward into an ever expanding light, which symbolized the high notes dancing on a steep mountain that kept appearing the more I listened to the song.
I noticed a pronounced symmetry in the music as the lower tones kept resounding beneath the steep mountain.

It seemed as if one had been ascending the summit of a great height, only to tumble down the keys into a dark valley where the echoes of the shadowy notes reiterated their voices in another layer of somber tones; it was a great tumble into the shadow path of mysteries indeed after one had heard so distinctly the brighter notes chiming in the airy sunshine as if they would go on in their cheery triumphant echoes forever.

And like a repeating pattern, its symmetry like a cosmic poem was reprised over and over but in a labyrinthine way so that no two phrases or paths were exactly alike. Down the valley and up the mount…only to fall into the shadows again, but one day, the crown we will reach if we don’t give up for joy lies ahead just ’round the bend…

The music reminded me of the scripture;

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Romans 5:3-5 KJV

For to climb the heights of heaven and taste of its glories and joy and then fall into the depths of despair is indeed a kind of suffering that some of God’s children are appointed to in this world.

However, Christ promises to be with His own no matter where they must go on their journey with Him in this life. For Christ, the Author of our faith, has paved the way for each of us. There is nowhere we can go that Jesus has not gone first. And He will go there again with us through the Holy Spirit He has put in our hearts to abide with us forever as we abide in Him, keeping our hands in His and our eyes on Him, and not focused on this world with all its distractions.

One of the most comforting passages of scripture is Psalm 139:7-12:

Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?
Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven,
Thou art there:
If I make my bed in hell,
behold, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall Thy hand lead me,
and Thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee;
but the night shineth as the day:
the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.
Psalm 139:7-12 – KJV

I couldn’t help but hear those scriptures resonating in this music as I listened to it and was comforted.

For it sent me straight to those passages reminding me of the Author and Finisher of my faith who for the joy set before Him endured His cross, despising the shame, ever looking upward toward the Light ahead of Him by faith.

And if Jesus could endure the horrors of the cross for the joy that was set before Him, then He would help me persevere throughout my journey on this earth no matter what challenges I must face.

For Jesus Christ is a living, risen Savior, and He ever dwells within me by His Spirit who will never leave or forsake me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This song meditation illustrates the idea of how the Lord wants to speak to us through these songs. I pray that what I’ve written will inspire you to listen to the music for yourself and let the Lord speak through them to you personally, for He surely has a unique word for each soul who takes the time to listen to them, while meditating on His Word, and praying to Him. As I wrote, the songs are His divine conversation starters.
The titles are to lead us into God’s Word, and as we listen to the songs, contemplate His Word, and pray, His Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth of what He wants to teach us.
However, We must approach the Lord by faith.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 – KJV

We must want to seek Him, want to believe that He will speak to us, and believe that He will speak to each of us, not just to some of us.

It is imperative that Christians read God’s Word for themselves, and not let people tell us what the Bible means.

Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John 14:26 KJV
John the Apostle wrote,
“But the anointing which ye have received of Him
abideth in you,
and ye need not that any man teach you:
but as the same anointing
teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in Him.”
1 John 2:27 – KJV

The Word of God is the most important Book we will ever read for it is God’s revelation of Himself.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, May You speak to our hearts through these songs that are gifts from Your heart as they point to Thy Holy Word when we meditate on Thy Scriptures and listen to Thy Holy Spirit teaching us what Your Word is saying to us, for You have promised to speak to Thy sheep and You keep every promise forever, In Jesus’ name, thank You, we love You, amen.

Below is the link to the songs from Meditations for the Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals.

*This is a pre-release as the album has not been delivered to any streaming radio platforms yet.
May you be blessed as you read God’s Word and Listen and meditate on the songs in your quiet time with the Lord on my Hear and Now Website:

https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/meditations-for-the-journey-original-keyboard-instrumentals

(*Remember this album is a pre-release and the only website where it is currently available. Please take this opportunity to meditate on the songs and use them to inspire your faith and draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless!)

Peaceangelsong Blog, Meditations for the Journey- Original Keyboard Instrumentals Album Cover, Suzanne Davis Harden, through the indwelling Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by His Holy Spirit, to the Glory of God the Father, In Jesus’ Holy name, Amen.
Copyright © 2022 by Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Scripture References taken from the King James Bible (Public domain)