UNTIL THEN...MY HEART WILL SING!

 

 

 

 

 

UNTIL THEN……..MY HEART WILL SING!

I missed writing to you last week because my walk along the pathway with Jesus suddenly became dark, storms arose in my life.  A simple hospital procedure turned into a frightful time of fighting for breath, and for a moment, I felt lost and alone.  But my God is faithful, and has promised to never leave me alone even for a moment.  He again filled my heart with songs of deliverance right there in the recovery room of the hospital and I began to rejoice in His love and even shared with nurses there of the great joy that He had given me.  So, as this song declares, “Until Then My Heart Will Go on Singing.”

 “My heart can sing when I pause to remember, a heartache here is but a stepping stone along a trail that’s winding always upwards, this troubled world is not my final home.

Refrain:  But until then my heart will go on singing, until then with joy I’ll carry on, until the day my eyes behold the city, until the day God calls me home.

The things of earth will dim and lose their value if we recall they’re borrowed for a while; and things of earth that cause the heart to tremble, remembered there will only bring a smile.

This weary world with all its toil and struggle may take its toll of misery and strife; the soul of man is like a waiting falcon, when it’s released its destined for the skies.”  (Stuart Hamblen)

When we are walking with Jesus, the trail is leading onward and upward towards our eternal home.  Sometimes there are valleys where everything is green and peaceful, and the Lord allows us to lie down in green pastures and rest.  But then as the trail grows steeper and we continue to climb, the storms do come.  But like the song says, those troubles along the way are like stepping stones along the way.  But sometimes we can trip even on a stepping stone and lose our way.  But then we are reminded that no matter what we go through on this earth, we are just pilgrims here, keeping our eyes on our final destiny, our final home.

Yes, it is easy to say that our hearts will continue to sing in spite of the terror that may fill our hearts.  But how do we react when we suddenly receive more bad news regarding test results?  I received such news just this afternoon after tests and lab work in my doctor’s office.  You have probably received such news, a phone call and test results and then the tears may come.  But, Oh, I serve a mighty God.  So I went to the Word of God and was reminded of  an incident in the life of King Jehoshaphat in the 20^th chapter of 11 Chronicles.

It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammononites came to battle against Jehoshaphat.  Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying “a great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi).  (verse 1-2).

So we see in the previous chapters that this King of Judea was a good king who brought reforms throughout the land and encouraged his people to serve the Lord.  He served Almighty God unlike other kings who had reigned before him.

So as we walk with the Lord, the skies may be bright, the Lord may be doing great things in our lives, but one day Jehoshaphat received a bad report, and now did he react?  He reacted like many of us do in these situations.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judea.  (verse 3).

The first thing that happens is that we begin to fear, we begin to panic.  But look at what he did after he calmed himself down, “he set himself to seek the Lord.”  The first step when that panic comes is to find a sister or brother in the Lord, as I did this afternoon in my situation.  There is your strength for battle.  Then as we read further down the chapter we see him gathering the people around him from Judea and they all came to seek the Lord concerning the battle ahead.  You might call your prayer chain, get the prayer warriors praying.  As I have said before, prayer is like a covering is like an umbrella that covers the believer is prayer, surrounding like a cloud, cool and soothing.  And we can read his wonderful prayer to his God, His mighty God in verses 5-11. 

“Then we hear his pleading in verse 12: “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have not power against this great multitude: nor do we know what to do, but but our eyes are upon you.” (emphasis mine).

We sing a chorus based on Zechariah 4:6:  “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts, not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts.  This mountain shall be removed, this mountain shall be removed, this mountain shall be removed, by my Spirit says the Lord.”

Yes, this king faced a mighty army but when we face these mighty battles in our walk with the Lord, it is by His power that the enemy is routed and victory is won, but we have to stand our ground and walk that ground in faith knowing that He, the Mighty Lord of Hosts is going out before us.  Praise the Lord!

And he said, “Listen all you of Judea and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is your yours, but God’s” Verse 15.

The multitude of problems may look big, like a mighty army marching our way, but He calls us not to fear, it is His battle and He will route the enemy. But how do we route the enemy when these great battles come against us?

“You will not need to fight in this battle.  Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you.  O Judah and Jerusalem!  Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you” Verse 17.

As we conclude this great chapter with victory, we see the army marching out, singing and praising their God “with voices loud and high.” (vs. 19b).  They did not even take any weapons with them.  They shouted the victory as the LORD of hosts went before them and the enemy destroyed each other, and God’s people took of the spoil.  And we read in the last verses that God gave them rest all around.

So my testimony this night and your testimony too in times of great storms that come upon us, we can go on singing and praising our God until the day our God calls us home.  We can go forth in these battles with great joy knowing that someday these things will only bring a smile, as the song says.  And truly, each one of us, no matter what this life may hold, is destined for the skies, our heavenly home with Jesus.

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon