A Garden And A Path

In January of this year (2023) the Lord was leading me to work on an album of original prayersongs tentatively titled Paths of Praise Christian Worship Songs.

Suddenly He interrupted that work which I was completely focused on and switched directions. He asked me to create an album of traditional hymns as a gift for His children.

When the Lord changes my focus on a project it completely humbles me. This is because I do not like to be interrupted in a creative work, preferring to start and finish a project in a linear way.

And I like to be in control of everything.

However, the Lord Jesus Christ likes to remind me that He is in control of my life.

He is my Good shepherd and is guiding me. He has a purpose for everything He does and even when it makes no sense to me, I must be obedient and walk by faith, even though I don’t understand why He asks me to do something.

The Lord knew and that was enough. It might be maddening, but I got on my knees and prayed to submit to His will and for grace to learn whatever songs He wanted me to put on the hymn album.

The Lord gave me no more grace to work on my Paths of Praise album even when I tried. He definitely wanted me to focus on a hymn album and learn all new songs ~traditional hymns~which seemed daunting as my energy was now strained by a severe flare up of my auto immune illness. There were many days where I could do no work. I seemed a prisoner. But this I knew, Christ was in me and He was in control.

The music is the Lord’s. I’m His servant. Christ is the One who asked me to sing and gave me this gift to exalt His name in the earth for His glory.

For while I still don’t understand why the Lord wanted to redirect my focus from working on my Paths of Praise Album to work on the hymn album, now I’m glad I did.

As for the choice of hymns, I asked Mark what his favorite hymns were growing up in the Methodist Church.

I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church where we sang different songs from the traditional hymns that the Protestants are familiar with.

I remembered the lovely hymns Mama sang to us as children; hymns she had learned as a child attending a Baptist Church.

I presented a collection before the Lord and asked Him to guide me to His will. While learning to sing the hymns, the Lord’s Garden album presented a great challenge. Jesus mercifully gave me the grace and strength to accomplish what He had put on my heart to do by faith.

He also wanted me to sing “…In Jesus Name” at the end of every hymn.

Some might object to this. It is difficult to imagine that a Christian would find fault except perhaps that some of Christ’s precious children might reject these traditional hymns not because they objected to the Lord’s Name, but because they preferred their beloved hymns to be sung in the familiar way that they have always heard them sung in church.

These precious children of God have every right to their preference.

Below are the scriptures that the Lord inspires and motivates me in all the songs He gives me to glorify and exalt Christ’s name now…

“…speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”
Ephesians 5:19-20 NASB1995

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”
Colossians 3:17 KJV

The Lord has so strongly impressed upon my heart the importance to do all things to the glory of Christ’s name that I must do as He leads me.

Each of the redeemed are given a gift in Christ’s Kingdom that we might proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light…

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
1 Peter 2:9-10 NASB1995

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
2 Corinthians 4:5, 8-9 NASB1995

The Lord is shining in and through those who submit to His will! He desires to radiate His light through our weak, cracked vessels that He might be glorified through us. Paul wrote:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;”
2 Corinthians 4:7 NASB1995

Malachi the prophet wrote that God would call those who loved and obeyed Him His jewels.

The Lord guides each of us to honor and exalt His name as we choose to walk in obedience to His will, eschewing the favor of humans and conformity to the culture so that we might please Christ no matter what our commitment to obey God’s will may cost us.

“Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon His name.

And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not.”
‭‭
Malachi‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/the-lords-garden-beloved-christian-hymns

Follow the above link to preview all of the traditional hymns featured on The Lord’s Garden Album! May the Lord use these hymns to comfort and bring joy and encourage those of you who find them a blessing. In Jesus’ Holy name, to whom all honor and glory belongs forever for redeeming our souls from sin. Amen.

Paths of Praise Christian Worship Prayersongs

I love to draw and paint, this is my natural gift…and if left to myself would do this all day. But now I also love to sing ever since the Lord has given me the gift of music to praise Him with. I don’t have the energy to do all things though.

The prayersongs from the Paths of Praise Worship Album all came between 2009-2023. Some are the first prayersongs the Lord ever gave me and I’m excited to be publishing them for the first time. I’ve shared those earliest songs over the years with friends who were suffering, or with my first voice teachers. Songs like Christ’s Joy, For The Mountains May Depart, Secret Place, Sacrifice of Praise, Victory Song, The Lord is My Light and My Salvation, God is For Me; these are some of my earliest prayersongs that the Lord ever gave me. Though they are very joyful songs, they came out of a time of intense spiritual suffering.

*Most of the other prayersongs were written in January of this year with the exception of God is My Refuge which was also one of the earliest Prayersongs.

However, the Lord had me rewrite it.

Be Led By My Spirit is one of my favorites on the Paths of Praise album.

I was sitting one day in the kitchen and the Holy Spirit just sang that song through me. He inspired me to promptly record it.

If I don’t obey that impulse the song will not be remembered.

We Stand Before The Lord, Lord Deliver Me, and Let the Light in Me Not Be Darkness are three published spontaneous spiritual songs that the Lord gave me…but there are many more that are not published.

Obedience to the Lord’s voice within is so important when following Him.

Hebrews 11 tells of the people that heard God’s voice and obeyed Him by faith. They did not wait till they understood why He was asking them to do what He wanted. They just obeyed.

Faith responds to the voice of the Holy Spirit in obedience without the need for explanation because it trusts God.

It loves God. It knows and fears God.

How does it know, love and fear God?

Because it has a habit of abiding in God and studying His word and obeying Him.

God doesn’t want or need perfect people because there are none.

He just needs people that have faith and will listen to Him and obey Him.

God is seeking souls who don’t care what other people think, but who care only what God thinks about them.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NASB1995

Two things are for certain. You and I will die.

We will stand before Christ.

He will then ask us, “Did you obey My voice?”

How will we hear His voice if we are too busy listening to other people?

How do we hear Christ’s voice?

We start by studying His Word.

We read the Gospels. For ourselves. Not someone’s interpretation, book, or blog, or commentary.

But we read the Gospels for ourselves and we go into our prayer closet and we get alone with Christ and pray to Him and ask Him to teach us and we pray to Him.

Christ has promised that His sheep can hear His voice.

He will speak to us. He will guide us. But we must have faith.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.””
John 10:27-30 NASB1995

The Lord Jesus Christ is alive, He is a real, risen Savior!

“He is a God we can come to know…” *Christ’s Joy Prayersong
Paths of Praise Christian Worship Songs, by 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 © ℗ 2023, All Rights Reserved.

https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/paths-of-praise-christian-worship-prayersongs

Follow the link above to preview the original worship prayersongs on Paths of Praise! May the Holy Lord Jesus Christ bless you, fill you with His love and peace and draw you closer to Him as you listen, In Jesus’ holy name, to whom all honor, praise, and worship belong, forever and ever, amen.

All Praise, Glory and honor to our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, who shed Thy spotless blood to redeem our souls from eternal death. Lord, You deserve all our love and worship forever. How we love and praise
**You! Thank You for saving us! In Jesus’ name amen.** ❤️

A Garden and A Path of Praise, Peaceangelsong, Copyright © 2023, by Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved.Accomplished Through the Indwelling Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by His Holy Spirit, To The Glory of God the Father, In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.The Lord’s Garden Beloved Christian Hymns ~Calming Vocals performed by 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 © ℗ 2023, All Rights Reserved.Paths of Praise Christian Worship Prayersongs by 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 © ℗ 2023, All Rights Reserved. /Original Collage Painting of Album Art, by 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 © 2023, All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotes taken from the NASB1995 ( New American Standard Bible Copyright ©️ The Lockman Foundation/ The King James Version Bible

Paths Of Joy~ Christmas Album

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

Paths Of Joy Original Christian Christmas Prayersongs & Instrumentals ~Inspired by The Holy Spirit

Christmas is either some people’s favorite time of year or their most stressful, depending on how busy they find themselves and how organized they are with their time.

Our opinion towards Christmas can be filtered by what the culture has determined the season should and should not be.

For many, it’s no longer acceptable to even say “Merry Christmas.” For anything that even mentions the name of Christ is irksome to some. Jesus Christ pointed this out to His disciples long ago.

He said, ““Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep your’s also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him that sent Me.”
John 15:20-21 KJV

The Culture has now renamed Christmas, the “holiday season,” and it’s appropriate to say “Happy Holidays,” or “Seasons Greetings.”

Much of the music in the malls and streaming stations begins before Thanksgiving and it is anything but peaceful.

Many children nowadays no longer even know the Bible story about the baby Jesus in the manger. A lot of the older traditional Christmas songs and carols are no longer played in many public places because of their Christian nature.

The Lord inspired me to write a Christmas song over a year ago and put it on my Paths of Faith album. It is called “All Glory.” It tells the Biblical account of the Christmas story in a prayersong.

This year the Lord inspired me to create a Christmas album of Christian Prayersongs. It was about the most difficult album He’s ever inspired me to make because I’ve not fully recovered from my arm fracture. Yet He gave me the strength and grace to do the work from start to finish.

I felt Christ’s presence the whole time I was doing the work, which brought me great joy.

The songs on this album are very peaceful. They are perfect for the Advent Season, helping the soul to focus on the birth of Christ, meditating on the themes suggested in the Bible surrounding the Nativity.

While these Prayersongs reveal the truth of the Gospel, we hear in them the songs of joy sung by the Angels to the shepherds of Bethlehem’s fields.

They point to the eternal hope, peace, and love we have in our redemption that the the tiny King, the Son of God, was going to win for all humanity, by dying on the cross someday as the Holy Lamb of God.

There are both peaceful Prayersongs and meditative instrumentals on this album, plus an imaginative children’s song about a group of animals coming to the manger and worshiping the baby Jesus in the manger.

Returning to my keyboard after suffering a broken arm is such a blessing and I praise the Lord Jesus for the Christmas instrumentals He’s given me to share on Paths of Joy!

May the Lord Jesus Christ use this album to bless you and your family this year and fill you with His peace that passes all understanding, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Follow the link below to my Hear and Now Music Website to preview all of the songs on the Paths of Joy Christmas Album.

https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/paths-of-joy-original-christian-christmas-prayersongs-and-instrumentals

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your precious families! May the Lord bless you all and keep you healthy, strong, and sound in every way, and fill your hearts and homes with His peace and joy this week, in Jesus’ name, amen. ~ Suzanne ♥️

Paths of Waiting ~ A Video Story

Featured ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

Paths Of Waiting Before The Lord is my latest music album of comforting Christian prayersongs, released last month. This new video recounts through my original art and in my own words the compelling story behind that album.

May the Lord use my story on this video to bless and encourage those who need to be reminded that Jesus loves them, of His forgiveness and grace, and that He answers our prayers in His own way and time, according to our needs, in Jesus’ name, amen.

To listen to the songs on Paths of Waiting follow the link to my Hear & Now Website or listen on your favorite streaming station.

https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/paths-of-waiting-before-the-lord-comforting-christian-prayersongs

Click on the album cover to preview songs at Suzanne’s Hear & Now Music Website

Lord, Help Me Endure

Featured ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

“Lord Help Me Endure To The End” is a prayer song inspired by a scripture verse that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He was talking to them about prophetic events of the dark last days.

Jesus said, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Matthew 24:13 KJV

What does the word Jesus used for endure mean?

ὑπομένω hupomenō~~Thayer Definition:

1) to remain, 1a) to tarry behind, 2) to remain, i.e. abide, not recede or flee,

2a) to persevere under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one’s faith in Christ

2b) to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments

This verse with its word meaning has spoken volumes to me as I have studied and meditated over them.

I’m so thankful the Lord gave me this prayer song to encourage me to meditate on this verse as I seek Him in prayer and in His Word, especially now.

No stranger to affliction being a sufferer of chronic daily migraines and fibromyalgia, I was painting to distract myself from pain early one morning last month.

Mark reminded me of an appointment I had to get ready for so I got in a rush to print my painting and get ready for the day.

Alas, as I rounded the corner of my bed I tripped and fell backwards landing on my left side and crashed onto the hardwood floor.

Horrified, I saw my left arm detached from my body. In excruciating pain, I thought my hip and neck were broken, as they were hurting as much as my arm and shoulder, also I could not move. Talk about screaming. My beloved Mark was by my side in a second.

I had to be taken to the hospital where they did imaging. Not only did I have bruises all over the left part of my body, but the X-Rays and scans revealed that I’d severely fractured my left humerus. Thank the Lord I had broken nothing else. I returned home with my left arm in a heavy splint and sling. It was so heavy in fact, I could barely walk. The pain was unbearable. I learned how disabled one is made by such a severe injury.

At first I just felt manacled by that awful splint and was sent into panic mode in certain positions. I was in more pain than I’d ever been in my life and I begged God to take me to Heaven. He kept saying nope. Not only did I find the pain beyond my endurance, I couldn’t tolerate being so helpless and dependent on others for assistance in EVERYTHING.

The Lord said, “ENDURE.”

Hadn’t I suffered enough, I asked.

The Lord was not going to let me off the hook.

He reminded me of the prayer song He had given me, “Lord Help Me Endure To The End.”

He reminded me of the other prayer song with lyrics He had given me on my most recent release Paths of Faith, “I Will Lay Down My Life.”

Migraines flared up the agony in my fractured arm even more. The wretched splint caused huge tormenting tension knots in my back and neck. I could not get comfortable nor sleep in my bed but had to sleep in Mark’s recliner.

Despite my misery, the Lord showered me with rivers of His measureless mercy. He sent wonderful home healthcare people to assist me. They always ended up telling me about folks who were far worse off than I was and this would somehow comfort me because I not only then felt I was not alone in my pain, it motivated me to pray for people who suffered as I did.

Prayer was the only way I could lay my life down in love for others because of my disability, while others were laying their lives down in love for me. The Lord always sent me people with the most cheerful attitudes. They somehow could make me laugh despite my intense pain.

Our son flew home from LA to help my husband with my care.

Our daughter being tied up with myriad issues in Tucson did many wonderful things for us that we needed assistance with by ordering things we required and had them sent to us.

We were surrounded by love. God showed His mercy and faithfulness in so many ways that helped me to hang on when I thought I could not endure another moment of pain. Many from our church sent beautiful cards and prayers while our friend Sharon came and stayed with me twice so Mark could run some necessary errands.

Our Pastor came over and anointed me with oil and prayed for my healing. All of these beautiful expressions of God’s love comforted me, reminding me that our Heavenly Father still loved me despite my suffering.

One night after I finally fell asleep exhausted from the pain, I dreamed that the Lord Jesus Christ came down from Heaven and into my living room. He stood by the recliner where I lay sleeping and He checked on my arm as if He were a doctor checking on my progress. I dreamed this two nights in a row. I woke up very comforted both times, assured of His love for me.

But on days when the hours stretched by and my pain level stayed at a ten I became depressed and wept, praying for God’s mercy and repenting for everything I could think of that might have upset the Lord. For when we go through serial trials we can’t help but look up and ask the Lord, “What did I do wrong?”

Whenever I ask the Lord questions like that He refers me to His Word. From the Epistle of James: “My Christian friends, remember to be happy, even when many kinds of trouble happen to you. Troubles can help you. God wants to see if you really trust Him. Your faith in God will become stronger as a result of these troubles. So you should continue to trust God all the time. Then you will become stronger as a Christian. You will become completely how you should be. You will not need anything more.” James 1:2-4 (*Easy English Bible)

The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to comfort me and assure me that God is using my trials to enlarge my faith.

“We thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because He is so good to us. As our Father, He is very kind to us. He is our God who comforts us in every way. Whenever we have trouble, He comforts us. Because of that, we ourselves can comfort other people. When they have any kind of trouble, we can comfort them, in the same way that God has comforted us. Christ himself received much pain, and God comforted Him. As Christ’s servants, we also receive the same kind of pain. But, God also comforts us very much, because we belong to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 *(Easy English Bible)

Peter the Apostle wrote that we should expect to have suffering and trials as Christians.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13 KJV

Peter asserted that suffering and pain motivate the Christian to do God’s will instead of their own will, even as Christ did His Father’s will on earth.

“Christ had trouble and pain while He lived in His human body. So you should prepare yourselves to have trouble and pain too. Think about it in the same way that Christ did. If someone has trouble and pain in his body, he stops doing wrong things. As a result, that person will want to do what God wants him to do. In his life in this world, he will not want to do the bad things that people think are good.” 1 Peter 4:1-2 (*Easy English Bible)

“That is why we never give up.

Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.

For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT (*New Living Translation)

Scripture Quotations from the King James Version Bible Translation, the Easy English Bible, The New Living Bible Translation, All of which are copyrighted by their various publishers.

*Created through the Indwelling Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by His Holy Spirit, To The Glory of God The Father, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.