What Does True Thankfulness Mean?

Nov11

At this lovely time of year when the leaves are changing colors and falling to earth, when the temperatures have cooled down considerably, and as we approach our more than one month long “holiday season”, let’s pause to consider what an attitude of thankfulness really means.

Throughout the Word of God, we are instructed to “give thanks” to the Lord literally hundreds of times! And yet, we often hurriedly read these passages, particularly in the Psalms, and fail to consider what this actually means in the life of a believer in Christ. Do we, perhaps, take for granted the admonition, rather haphazardly bowing our heads at meals to say grace, and forgetting that true thankfulness to God is an attitude that should permeate everything we do in life? Do we neglect this continual state of true thanksgiving to God and instead insert the negative emotions that come through daily living, substituting them for the gratefulness we owe our Heavenly Father?

Question:

Why do you suppose God desires that His children worship, praise, honor and thank Him on a daily basis for all of His many blessings to them? Couldn’t He have just created people who were automatically programmed, such as robots, to be thankful without being asked to do so? I have thought about this many times, wondering why Jesus said in Luke 19:40 that if the people who were rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice were to hold their peace, “the stones would immediately cry out.” He knew in all of His infinite wisdom that if His Father created men and women who were given a free will as to whether or not they would worship God with thankful hearts, the very act of doing so would be much more beneficial to them, not to mention that it would delight the heart of God! That is why instead of creating stones and inanimate objects to worship Him, He gave human beings a choice in the matter. When they engage in thankfulness, worship and praise, God is pleased, and the end result is that His blessings are poured out upon them in tangible ways, including spiritually, emotionally, physically and materially. He actually “lives in our praises” as Psalm 22:3 reads, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel.” (KJV) To inhabit means to “live in” so when we praise or give thanks to the Lord, He actually is living in those praises! I find that very exciting.

If I want to know God’s perfect will for my life, be the recipient of His blessings, and walk in peace and joy every day, what better way to accomplish this than to have Him living in my praises? The act of ministering to God with words and songs of thanksgiving, praise and worship delight Him and cause His blessings to be poured out in abundance! I love the Doxology hymn whose first line says, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” That really says it all!

When you give your child a lovely gift, perhaps something they have asked for repeatedly and longed for, isn’t your heart blessed when they say, “Oh, thank you so much for this wonderful gift, Mommy!” or “I am so happy that you were able to get this gift for me, Daddy! I will always treasure it!” What if they just opened it and said nothing, perhaps running out of the room to play with it and never said a word of thanks? Wouldn’t your heart be grieved? I believe Jesus felt the same way when He healed ten lepers and only one of the ten returned to glorify God with a loud voice, falling down on his face at Jesus’ feet and giving him thanks (Luke 17:11-18). Jesus said in verses 17 and 18, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” (NASB) He happened to be a Samaritan; the men healed who lived in the village near Galilee apparently did not think it necessary to return and thank Jesus. Are we often guilty of this? Do we continually cry out to the Lord with our needs, grievances, hurts, pain and suffering, while neglecting to thank Him for the many things He has done for us, and especially giving thanks when He intervenes and answers our prayers?

So, during this Thanksgiving season let us remember to give thanks first and foremost to the One who gave His life for us that we might have Eternal life and who truly does give us all things to enjoy! Here is a verse that really sums up the whole matter, where Paul is writing to Timothy: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” (I Timothy 6:17, NASB) I hope you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones and remember to “have an attitude of gratitude” and be truly thankful!

Please join me in praise to God as I play my Thanksgiving medley: “Now Thank We All Our God” and “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” (This and my other music is available to add to your playlist on Pandora, Spotify, and for purchase on Amazon and Apple Music. See link on right side of this page).

My Thanksgiving Acrostic

Nov25

IMG_7489 (1)I posted this ten years ago here on my blog but I think it bears repeating! I hope you will enjoy this:

Here is an acrostic I made that contains verses about thanksgiving, music and praise to God.  As you read through it, remember Psalm 95:2, “Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (ESV)    Let us think about all of our blessings and the One who made them possible as we feast and enjoy the company of those we love on this special day!  I hope you will enjoy this little Thanksgiving acrostic:

                   Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  (Col. 3:16b, KJV)

                   He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.  (Psalm 40:3, ESV)

                   All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! (Psalm 145:10, ESV)

                   No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.  (Psalm 84:11b, KJV)

                   King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.   To him be honor and might forever.  Amen.  (I Timothy 6:15b & 16, NIV)

                   Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Ephesians 6:19 & 20, KJV)

                   Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!  Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.  (Psalm 33:2 & 3, ESV)

                   I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music.  (Psalm 101:1, ESV)

This is the Victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  (I John 5:4b, NIV)

                   It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sings praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the   morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.  (Psalm 92:1-3, ESV)

                   Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!         (Psalm 115:1, ESV)

                   Give thanks to him; bless his name!  (Psalm 100:4b, ESV)

Please enjoy my Thanksgiving Medley featuring my arrangement of “Now Thank We All Our God” and “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”. (My music is available for streaming to add to your playlists on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon and other streaming venues).  From the CD “Hymn Reverie” by Rebecca Bafford

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Worship at the Feast of Tabernacles!

Oct16

Perhaps the most exciting celebration that God gave to His people, Israel, is the Feast of Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths. Another name for it is “Sukkot”, which literally means booths or tents. The eight days of Sukkot were given by God to remind His people that He had sheltered them and their parents as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land! It was to be a time of joy and happiness, singing and dancing, waving of palm branches, in short, eight days of celebration! On the first day there was to be no work and on the eighth day, that Great Day, there was to be more celebrating as well as a day of rest. God gave seven feasts to the Children of Israel and of all of them, Tabernacles was without a doubt the most joyful!

All of the Feasts of God are detailed in Leviticus 23, Deuteronomy 16 and Deuteronomy 31 :10 and again mentioned in Ezra 3:4 as well as in John 5 and 7, where the writer speaks of Jesus going up to the Feast of Tabernacles in two different places. According to the description 0f what was supposed to happen during these eight days given by God in Leviticus 23, were the following: a holy convocation on the first and last days; an offering to the Lord made by fire, burnt offering, grain offering and sacrifice and drink offerings; rejoicing with the waving of palm branches and the boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook for seven days; and the dwelling in booths. It also stresses the importance of doing no work on the first and last days. In short, this was a celebration of worship to YHVH (God)! He also stated it was to be kept forever throughout all of their generations.

This feast of celebration and worship begins at sundown tonight! Jewish people all over the world will be celebrating it, along with Messianic Jews. These are people of the Jewish faith who have accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as their Messiah. They continue to keep the feasts of God and observe the commandments, health and daily living laws He outlined in the books of Exodus and Leviticus, while still trusting in Yeshua for salvation by grace. This is a mixture of both Old and New Testaments, trusting in Christ for salvation while continuing to observe what God has commanded since the days of the tribes of Israel (later divided as Israel and Judah, or “Jew”). The question is: Should those not necessarily of Jewish descent continue to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and the other feasts, such as Passover, Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)?

I personally believe it is a wonderful idea to observe them in a new way, knowing we do not have to offer sacrifices to God to atone for our sins, as Yeshua (Jesus) became our sacrifice when He died upon the Tree (cross) over two thousand years ago. Some of the Feasts have been fulfilled, but the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) has not. Many Christians believe Jesus may well return for His Bride (Christians who have trusted in Him) on a Feast of Trumpets! We, of course, do not know which one, but it is possible God will fulfill this Feast through this occurrence. Passover was fulfilled when Jesus was nailed to the cross and cried out, “It is finished!” right on the day before the Passover (John 19:30). Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:38) and the sun was darkened and the earth quaked (Luke 23:45 and Matthew 27:51).

Many Christians believe that the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to earth and sets up His Kingdom during the Millennium (Thousand-year reign) before all believers are transported to the New Heaven to dwell eternally with Him! Whatever you may believe about these events, we know that Yeshua (Jesus) will come again, and we need to all be ready for that Great Day! So, with this in mind, many feel it is important to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, not with literal sacrifices, but in newness of life in Christ and with the sacrifices of praise, as Paul commanded us in Hebrews 13:15! This is where the theme of this blog, “Music is Worship”, comes in! We worship through our praises, through our lives, through our obedience, through our giving back to Him daily, and we should keep the Feast of Tabernacles in our hearts by giving praise and worship to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, continually offering thanks for His sacrifice on the cross for our sins and Eternal Life with Him! This is the true meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles for a Christian. Looking forward to that Great Day when Jesus returns for His own, the Millennium, and eventually being together with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the Trinity) for Eternity, should compel each of us to celebrate what He has done for us with our songs of worship and praise! Here’s a song I arranged and played called just that….”Praise Him, Praise Him!” I hope you will worship along with me and take time out to enjoy and celebrate this Feast of Tabernacles! Maybe you’ll even bring out the Shofar!

O Come, Let Us Adore Him!

Dec22

As we approach the day we celebrate the birth of the holy Son of God, born to a virgin, God incarnate, let us not forget the awesome miracle that occurred that day so long ago! There are so many things about the birth of Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) that never cease to amaze me, every single one of them proving the miraculous fulfillment of prophecies given by God to His prophets hundreds of years before.

For example, in Isaiah 7:14, the prophet said, “A virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” When the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26-35), she believed his words telling her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her, causing her to conceive the Son of God! 700 years after the prophecy given by Isaiah, Matthew wrote, “All this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.” (Matthew 1:22) Thus, Jesus’ birth totally fulfilled this prophecy!

The fact that Herod, in a jealous rage, sought to have all the male babies under two years old killed, hopefully, in his mind, to prevent another from usurping his kingdom, was another way in which Satan tried to prevent Christ from fulfilling His earthly ministry. Here is another miracle! An angel of the Lord appeared at night to Joseph in a dream and instructed him, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” (Matthew 2:13)

Thankfully, Joseph heeded the angel’s warning and took Mary and the baby Jesus, while it was still night, and left for Egypt, staying there until the death of Herod. And yet another prophecy was miraculously fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called my Son.” (Matthew 2:15 and Hosea 11:1) What if Joseph had chosen not to obey God’s voice through the angel?

Even the fact that Joseph and Mary were required to journey to Bethlehem to register for a census fulfilled another prophecy. Joseph, though currently living in Nazareth in Galilee, was of the house and lineage of David, requiring him to return to Bethlehem to register. The prophet Micah had told us hundreds of years before, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2) This was clearly a prophecy of where the Messiah would be born! Was it a coincidence that this census required Mary and Joseph to journey to this small, seemingly insignificant village? I think not! Matthew reiterated this prophecy when he recalled what the Wise Men answered Herod upon his inquiry as to where the Christ Child should be born, “So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for from you will come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.'”

The Wise Men (probably at least three, although the Bible does not state the number of them) were possibly astrologists and prognosticators from the East, possibly Persia, which is the present-day country of Iran. You may remember the story of Daniel, the Israelite young man taken captive by the Babylonians, thrown into the lion’s den and miraculously saved from certain death! Have you ever thought about the possibility that while Daniel served in the King’s court, he told many stories and gave prophecies about a coming Messiah? God used Daniel in amazing ways during his years there. Later on, the Persian empire (Iran) conquered Babylonia and God used their King Cyrus to rescue the Jews and send them back to their home country of Israel! An amazing story, to be sure. My point here is this: Could it have been that Daniel told stories of this Messiah which were handed down through the generations to the Persian people, and that these Wise Men may have come to inquire whether these stories might have indeed been fulfilled that night in Bethlehem? They looked at stars as guideposts; God guided them to the Ultimate Guidepost, the Lord Jesus Christ! This is the incredible way in which God looks after His Word to fulfill it!

One thing we do know is this: Matthew 2:9-11 says, “After hearing the king, they (the Wise Men) went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Miracles? Coincidences? I believe the Wise Men knew that this was indeed the Christ Child that had been promised and awaited these many years! Do you believe in miracles? I do! I also believe you have to choose to believe, because God comes to those who look for Him, as He did to a young virgin girl, wise men looking for a sign, and men and women through the centuries who have been willing to obey and act on the promises of God given to them. Will you “come and adore Him” today as the Wise Men of old did? I pray that at this beautiful Christmas season, your anthem will be, “O Come, Let Us Adore Him”! Please listen to my piano arrangement of this beautiful old hymn and worship Him with me!

The Story of “Joy to the World”

Dec3



In 1692, an 18 year old boy named Isaac complained to his father about the “wretchedly boring music” of the Anglican Church (Church of England) and was challenged by his dad to write a better song than the ones they were singing each week. The young man accepted the challenge and within a few days he wrote the words to a hymn that so impressed his local congregation that the members asked him to write another one! In fact Isaac Watts wrote a brand new hymn every week for 222 consecutive Sundays, despite a crippling illness that left him virtually an invalid. Nevertheless, he could still write of the praises of God, and in 1719 he penned the words to the best-loved Christmas carol, “Joy to the World”, using references from Psalm 98:4; Psalm 96:11-12 and Genesis 3:17-18, the latter scripture referring to the “curse” from which believers are made free when they place their trust in Jesus Christ. Although it was not originally designed as solely a song to be sung during the Christmas season, it came to be one of the premier anthems of the celebration of Christ’s birth.

At the time, many of Watts’ hymns were dismissed by some as “outrageous contemporary music”, but amazingly they are still being sung around the world 300 years later! They include “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Jesus Shall Reign”. In 1836, a well-known composer and arranger of his time, Lowell Mason, put a melody to Watts’s famous words, which for many years had simply been fitted to “the tunes of the Old Psalm Book” in England, as the majority of hymns of that day were. Mason chose to put it to a melody which he named “Antioch” and attributed to the great composer, George Frederick Handel. Parts of the tune are similar to melodies in the “Messiah” which Handel composed and premiered in 1742. The combination of Watts’s lyrics and Mason and Handel’s music was an instant hit, you might say, and the rest is history!

Many of our old hymns contain so much solid theology, as does “Joy to the World”. Look at three of the verses from this four-verse hymn:

“Joy to the world! The Lord is come; let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.

“No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; he comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found.

“He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love, and wonder of his love, and wonders, wonders of his love.”

In this time of turbulence in our lives, including political fraud and stolen elections, a worldwide pandemic that doesn’t seem to go away, unrest between people who use racism as an excuse for every woe known to mankind, the idea of bringing “joy to the world” seems to be a nearly impossible ideology! But, do you realize that for thousands of years people in all civilizations experienced far worse than we do and were still able to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, often while living in far less than perfect conditions? Their strength came from a steadfast belief that God was in control of the situation and that by committing their lives into His Hands and standing on the promises in His Word, they would somehow come out victorious, despite the evil leaders and intense corruption surrounding them on every side. I think this is a good lesson for us to learn even today as we face very unsettling times!

Think about the profound words of this beloved Christmas carol today and realize we are free from the curse of the law! Jesus came to bring freedom and redemption to all who will accept His great gift of salvation! I would love to share with you my piano arrangement of this great hymn, “Joy to the World”!

“Joy to the World”, arranged and played by Rebecca Bafford from her CD “Proclaim the Joy!”

Victory Is Assured!

Nov17

This morning I was awakened very early with a strong urge to pray and intercede against the forces of the enemy that are hard at work trying to destroy not only the results of this presidential election, but seeking to undermine the very foundations upon which our country was founded 244 years ago by God-fearing people who were resisting tyranny!

I was reminded of the scripture in II Corinthians 10:3 and 4 which tells us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (ESV) What we are seeing today in our society and country are the forces of good and evil, God and Satan, at work in the battle for truth and righteousness according to God’s Word to either prevail or be cut down to nothing; it is a battle literally for people’s souls! When men and women become a law unto themselves with no clear guidance, authority, or sense of what is right and wrong, anarchy, chaos, deceit, lying and fraud are the result! With no clear guidance, people struggle to find themselves and the meaning of their lives, and depression and anxiety become the new norm for them. It is a sad state of affairs!

How do we come against this stronghold of lying, fraud and deception, not only perpetrated by the corrupt media whose theme seems to be, “If we keep saying something over and over again you will believe it and it will become more palatable”, but advanced by our educational system beginning when our children are barely out of the cradle? Of course, individually we are not nearly strong or powerful enough to take action and overthrow the entire deceptive agenda that Satan has laid out for humanity as a whole. He was thrown out of Heaven many, many years ago because of this very thing which stems from pride. It appears from scripture that he actually was a musician (see Ezekiel 28:13-17) as this passage refers to his “tabrets and pipes” which suggest musical instruments.

Satan was cast out of Heaven by God and since that time has been “roaming the earth as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8) and propagating his lies and deception, often appearing as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14). Jesus said of him, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (John 10:10) and he is certainly good at his job. When you see deceit, lying and fraud you can always tell who is behind it!

So, once again the question: What can you or I as single individuals do about this? The short answer: Not much if we rely solely on ourselves. The wonderful answer is: Everything when we employ the weapons of our warfare against Satan! We have the victory through Jesus Christ and we win in the end! God is much more powerful than Satan every time and although it seems the battle is lost, the war is not over and our Victory is assured!! So, how do we take on this enemy who not only seeks to destroy our nation but each of us individually?

The answer is that we must use our weapons against him to break his assignment and destroy his strongholds! Strategically, there is only one source for this and it is found in the Word of God! When Satan came against Jesus in the wilderness, tempting him to sin on several occasions, what did Jesus do? He quoted the Word of God to Satan. Time and again he said, “It is written!” and Satan fled. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Our weapons of warfare are listed: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11 and 12 – KJV)

Many things we are seeing are well hidden and only manifest through the light of the Holy Spirit as we intercede. Satan keeps things vague, confusing and dark, because a thief works best in the dark! We cannot hope to right all of the wrongs committed by demonstrating, complaining or talking; we must get in our prayer closets and pray against the assignment of the enemy! Then, God will show us what we need to do in tangible ways, as well. We cannot let lying and deceit win; we must fight for righteousness and praying for victory is never wrong! This is what our founding fathers would have wanted and now is the time for Believers everywhere to come together in powerful intercession.

Once we have done all we can do, we must stand. Verses 13 – 17 in the above passage add, “…having done all, to stand. Stand therefore….” and then it details the weapons: truth, the breastplate of righteousness, preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Finally in verse 18, Paul says,
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…” Sometimes that is the only way to pray as we do not fully know all God has in mind!

In the Old Testament when Israel and Judah had disobeyed God, had many wicked kings, and were in dire straits because the enemy was encamped about them, God told them to “watch” or “stand still and see his salvation”. He always delivered them!! If you begin to read through I and II Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, you will see this pattern repeated over and over again! God answered the prayers of the righteous even when the majority were disobedient and He always came through with victory! We can claim this promise of God today, as well, and stand back and watch God work! So be encouraged today as you listen to this beautiful hymn written by Martin Luther in 1529 which is based on Psalm 46:

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills, prevailing. For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and pow’r are great; and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

“Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing; were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.”

I played my arrangement of this powerful hymn awhile back and would like to share it with you while you quiet yourself before the Lord in prayer and thank Him for victory which comes as we trust Him completely!

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” played by Rebecca Bafford

      Who Was “Queen of Gospel Songwriters”?

      Apr15

      Fanny J. Crosby #4If you have gone to church all of your life (as I have) or if you have only attended a few times for special services or events you, no doubt, have heard some of the following songs sung:  “Blessed Assurance”, “Near the Cross”, “To God Be the Glory” or “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior“.  What do they all have in common?  The lyricist to these and nearly 9,000 other Gospel songs and hymns is a woman whose name you may have heard; she was Frances Jane van Alstyne, and she went by her maiden name, Fanny J. Crosby.  She is known as the “Queen of Gospel Songwriters” and the “Mother of modern congregational singing in America”, with more than 100 million copies of her songs in print.  Perhaps no one has seen more of their songs included in church hymnals than Fanny Crosby.  But, what you may not know about her is the fact she was blind from shortly after birth!

       

      Fanny J. Crosby was born on March 24, 1820 in the village of Brewster, New York, about 50 miles north of New York City, and traced her ancestry from Anna Brigham and Simon Crosby who arrived in Boston in 1635 and were among the founders of Harvard College.  When she was just six weeks old, she developed an inflammation of the eyes resulting in total blindness for the rest of her life.  Her father died when she was only six months old and she was raised by her devout Christian mother and maternal grandmother, who grounded her in Christian principles and helped her memorize long passages from the Bible.  She memorized five chapters of the Bible each week from the age of ten, and by age fifteen had memorized the four gospels, the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament), the Book of Proverbs, Song of Solomon and many of the Psalms!  Fanny later stated, “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation.  If perfect earthly sight were offered  me  tomorrow I would not accept it.  I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”

      After her 1843 graduation from the New York Institution for the Blind (NYIB) where she was a student for eight years and another two as a graduate pupil, learning among other things to play the piano, organ, harp and guitar, as well as sing, she lobbied in Washington, DC for support of education for the blind; was the first woman to speak in the United States Senate; gave a concert for Congress; spoke before a joint session of Congress; and recited original poems for several presidents, including John Quincy Adams, James K. Polk and Grover Cleveland, whom she had met while teaching at the NYIB, when he was only seventeen years old!  The two spent many hours together at the end of each day and he often transcribed the poems she had written as she dictated them to him.  In 1858 she married Alexander van Alstyne, Jr., who was also blind and had been a student at the NYIB.

      Fanny J. Crosby #3

       

      Fanny J. Crosby was a committed Christian who was a member of several different churches during her lifetime, including the Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Brooklyn, where she served as a consecrated Baptist missionary, deaconess, and lay preacher, writing one of her most famous hymns, together with her minister Robert Lowry, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”, as well as many others.  Although Fanny wrote many political, patriotic, and popular songs, as well as three cantatas, (one written for the choir at the Mercer Street Presbyterian Church in Manhattan), she is best known for her Gospel songs and hymns which have endeared themselves to the hearts and souls of millions through the years.  Although she was criticized by hymnologists as writing “very weak and poor” lyrics which were considered “crudely sentimental” or “gushy and mawkishly sentimental” (attacking both her writing and theology), Fanny persevered with the gift God had entrusted to her.   The informal ballad style broke away from the staid, formal approach of earlier periods, touching deep emotions in singers and listeners alike; audiences thrilled to the genuine, heartfelt Christianity of her songs, placing a heightened emphasis on the conversion experience through Jesus Christ, with the emotions that accompany it, and the testimonies that reflect a genuine change of heart and lifestyle!  I believe they were anointed by the Holy Spirit!  She always asked the Lord to be her inspiration before writing a song, often composing six or seven hymns in one day!  Her poems and hymns were composed entirely in her mind and she worked on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them to an amanuensis (one employed to write from dictation); on one occasion she composed 40 hymns before transcription!

       

      Over 8,000 of her songs were purchased by major publishing companies of the day (nearly 2,000 of them actually published in their hymnals),  and Fanny gave the majority of her earnings from her songs (often only $1 or $2  per song as a lyricist) to the poor and disabled. She truly had a heart of compassion and love and spent most of her adult years working in rescue missions and living near the slums of New York City.  It was her involvement in the city missions and a Manhattan prison that gave her the inspiration for “Rescue the Perishing”, “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” (used worldwide by Ira Sankey in his crusades with Dwight L. Moody in Britain in 1874), and “More Like Jesus”.  Even though Van and Fanny could have lived comfortably on his income from playing the organ at two churches in New York City and giving private music lessons, and hers as a poet and lyricist, the couple “had other priorities and gave away anything that was not necessary to their daily survival.”  The couple organized concerts with half the proceeds given to aid the poor.  Truly they personified Jesus’ words to “go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven….” Matt. 19:21

      In 1859, the van Alstynes had a daughter names Frances who died in her sleep soon after birth.  The cause is not known for sure, but some believe she became ill with typhoid fever, and others have given SIDS as the cause.  As a result of this tragedy, Fanny was inspired to write the beautiful hymn which has been a comfort to so many in time of bereavement, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”. Towards the end of her life, she would remark, “Now I am going to tell you of something that only my closest friends know.  I became a mother and knew a mother’s love.  God gave us a tender babe but the angels came down and took our infant up to God and to His throne.”

      Another hymn which is one of my favorites is “My Savior First of All” which says,

      “I shall know Him, I shall know Him, And redeemed by His side I shall stand; I shall know Him, I shall know Him; By the print of the nails in His hand.”

      During times of great tragedy, as after the loss of her daughter, and even in challenging times caused by her lifelong blindness, Fanny could write such words, looking forward to the day when she would see Jesus and know Him by feeling the print of the nails in His hand!   The only way she knew how to “see” things, was by feel.  Think about the profound statement she made in that hymn…to “feel” the print of the nails in His hand!  She made the statement once, “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”   For the first time ever, she saw Jesus with eyes that were no longer blind!  This touches me deeply.

       

      Fanny J. Crosby wrote so many, many more wonderful songs, some of which are basically unknown, and many which you and I have probably sung multiple times, such as “Jesus Is Calling”, “Will Jesus Find Us Watching?”, “Saved by Grace”, “He Hideth My Soul”, “I Am Thine, O Lord”, “Redeemed”, “Near the Cross” and “Close to Thee”.  She collaborated with numerous composers of melody including William H. Doane, an industrialist who composed melodies for an estimated 1500 of Crosby’s lyrics;  Ira Sankey, D.L. Moody’s song leader who made her basically a household name throughout the world by singing many of her songs in their meetings; and Robert Lowry, an American Baptist minister who also wrote “Shall We Gather at the River”, “Christ Arose!” and “Nothing But the Blood!” among others.

       

      I think one of the most interesting stories is her collaboration with wealthy Methodist socialite Phoebe Palmer Knapp, whom she met in 1868, and who was married to Joseph Fairchild Knapp, co-founder of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company!  The Knapps published hymnals for the Sunday School of Saint John’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, where Knapp was Sunday School superintendent for 22 years.  Fanny co-wrote (lyrics) for 21 hymns in their hymnal “Notes of Joy”; Phoebe provided music for fourteen of them.   The best-known of all of these songs which the two women collaborated on is one you have probably sung many times, “Blessed Assurance”, which Fanny wrote the words to in the Knapps’ music room to Phoebe’s music, while staying at the Knapp Mansion in 1873.  I find it so interesting that the beautiful song which says, blessed “assurance”, Jesus is mine was composed by an “insurance” man’s wife.  The two remained friends for life!

      In her latter years, Fanny J. Crosby continued to be actively involved in her work with the missions of Manhattan and greater New York City, including speaking engagements, support and missionary work among America’s urban poor almost until the day she died in 1915 a month before her 95th birthday after moving to Bridgeport, Connecticut to be closer to her family.   Although her hymn writing declined in these last years of her life, the popularity of her lyrics as well as her winsome personality catapulted her to fame.  In 1975, Fanny was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

      Fanny J. CrosbyOne of my favorite Fanny J. Crosby songs is the well-known hymn, “Praise Him, Praise Him” which I recorded a few years ago in a bit of an up-tempo jazzy version; I hope she would have approved!  The melody is composed by Chester G. Allen.   I hope you will enjoy my arrangement as we celebrate the life and music of a remarkable woman devoted to God in spite of her challenges, and who was determined to write lyrics that would lift up Jesus and win people to Him!  Fanny had set a goal of winning a million people to Christ through her hymns, and whenever she wrote a hymn she prayed it would bring men and women to Christ; she kept careful records of those reported to have been saved through her hymns!  I believe that goal has been surpassed many times over throughout the years as people of all ages continue to be blessed, inspired and changed through listening to the words of Fanny J. Crosby set to music!

       

       

      Peace in the Midst of a Pandemic

      Mar23

      Can it be possible?  We are literally experiencing a global pandemic…a new virus previously unheard of in humans, although veterinarians have been vaccinating cattle against a strain of it for many years!  Perhaps the fear and media hysteria surrounding this new Corona Virus have created more panic than reason, largely because this event is unprecedented.

       

      One thing we as Christians can be assured of:  This event has not taken God by surprise!  He in His ultimate sovereignty has allowed this crisis to take place and as His children, we can believe Romans 8:28,  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  (NASB)  We know God is at work and has allowed this to happen!

      Let’s take a look at a few facts:  Global pandemics are not new; the term means, “an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population.”

      In 1918, the most severe pandemic of influenza in recent history took place.  It was the H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin, and it is estimated that about 500 million people (1/3 of the world’s population at that time) became infected with the virus.  At least 50 million worldwide died; in the United States there were 675,000 deaths.  This dwarfs the current pandemic by huge amounts!  My grandmother’s sister sadly lost her one-year-old twin sons to this horrible plague.  In 1956-1958 the “Asian flu” caused 1.1 million deaths worldwide, 116,000 here in the United States.  The flu epidemic of 1968, the “Hong Kong flu”, caused a death toll worldwide of over 1 million; and most recently  the H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010 infected 60.8 million worldwide, with nearly 13,000 U.S. deaths.  Do you remember this one?  Our Federal government passed a supplemental funding aid bill of $350 million dollars.  It seemed life went on pretty much as usual, although it was obviously horrific for those affected.

      The Corona Virus (Covid-19 is apparently a bit different than the flu in that the bacteria attack the lungs instead of the stomach and is extremely contagious.   Also, the death rate is a bit higher than that of the flu, although most cases range from very mild to severe with a death rate a bit over 2%, and the vast majority of people with it recover.

      Some people feel this is God’s judgment on people who have refused to repent of their sin.  There are a number of passages in the Old Testament where God sent plagues, pestilence, famine, wars and thousands and thousands were killed, because the nation of Israel refused to obey His laws and keep His commandments, preferring instead to worship in idolatry and  commit acts of debauchery.  You may want to read about some of these instances:  II Kings 17:6-20; II Chronicles 34:24-27; Isaiah 24:4-6,10; Amos 4:6-12.  In these cases either prophets were predicting horrible events in the future if they did not repent of their sins, or God Himself was explaining why He had done what He did… if they would not obey and serve Him instead of other gods, He would do thus and so; and then He would end by saying, “Yet you have not returned to me!”  But He continued to love them.

      It is easy to see why God might want to send judgment on wicked people.  However, this is something that we must leave up to Him and not proclaim judgment if He has not directly stated that this is the case!  Of course, during the great tribulation on earth before His second coming (when the Church has already been raptured out), He will pour out His wrath on the earth by sending mighty plagues such as boils, hail, fire and other judgments.  These are detailed in Revelation 16.  Does the Word of God say that the people repented?  On the contrary it states that “they blasphemed God!”

       

      So, you say, if this is not a judgment at this time, just what is it?  While we do not always know everything God is up to, I promise you we can trust Him!  He is at work and is allowing this pandemic not only to wake people up, giving them a chance to turn to Him, but to give us as His people a chance to show the world we do not fear these things, but our trust is in the Lord God! Our reaction during this time is so important!

      When Habakkuk turned to God and asked the question, How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear?  I cry out to You, “Violence!” yet You do not save….Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises.  Therefore the law is ignored and justice is never upheld….”; God answered Him,  Look among the nations!  Observe!  Be astonished!  Wonder!  Because I am doing something in your days—-you would not believe if you were told.  Habakkuk 1:2-5 (NASB)

       

      Wow!  If God really told us everything He is up to, we would probably not be able to handle it!  He truly knows the end from the beginning and all He asks of us, His children, is to “trust, obey and leave the results to Me!”  That really frees us  from worry, doesn’t it?  So, in these trying days where you are perhaps feeling a bit inconvenienced, perhaps stressed because of the constant barrage of negative information flowing from the airwaves each day, afraid for what lies ahead, perhaps worrying that your finances will be drained, not to mention the fear of you or your loved ones succumbing to the virus itself, rise up in faith and stand on the promises of God!  II Timothy 1:7 says,  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (NKJV)   Philippians 4:6 &7 tell us,  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (NASB)

      Psalm 91 is one of the best psalms I know of to read, memorize and quote each day!  It speaks of God delivering us “from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence”; “a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you”; “no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling”, and on and on!  What beautiful words to live by!  Verses 1 and 2 start out,  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” (NKJV)  What is there to fear when God is on our side?

      I would like to close with a song I wrote several years ago called “In the Secret Place“….I took the title from Psalm 91 and I pray it will bless you in your worship time today!  Remember:  “For the child of God, as believers, the best is yet to come!”

       

       

      Rebecca’s music is available on Pandora and Spotify, and by going to the link to the right on this page to “purchase Rebecca’s music”.

       

      The Story of “Silent Night”

      Dec19

      The beautiful and much-loved Christmas carol, “Silent Night”, has a very interesting story behind it….I thought you might enjoy hearing how this most famous carol came to be written!

      The year was 1818 and a roving band of actors was traveling through the Austrian Alps performing their re-enactment of the story of Christ’s birth in towns all over the area. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, where they were scheduled to perform that evening in the small Church of St. Nicholas.

      Unfortunately, the church organ was broken and unable to be repaired until after Christmas. Undeterred, the acting company simply moved their Christmas drama to a private home. In attendance that evening was an assistant priest of the church, Josef Mohr, a young man who had been born an illegitimate child on December 11, 1792 in  Salzburg.  He had become a Catholic priest in 1815 after he obtained a special papal dispensation that was required for illegitimate persons entering the priesthood. That night the beautiful presentation of the actors put him in a meditative mood, and instead of walking straight home, he took a longer route which included a quiet path up a hill overlooking the village below. As he looked down from the hilltop on the peaceful, snow-covered village, he reveled in the majestic silence of the wintry night and, gazing upon the picturesque winter scene, remembered a poem he had written a couple of years before about the night the angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on another hillside far away in Judea.

      Mohr, who was very determined to introduce music in the mother tongue of the Austrian and German people, instead of insisting they sing songs and hear sermons in Latin which was not understood by anyone, decided that the words he had written might make a good simple carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas eve service. The only problem was he had no music to which the poem could be sung! So the next day Father Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Gruber. The organist had only a few hours to compose a melody for Mohr’s poem, and due to the fact the organ was inoperable, he had to come up with an extremely simple melody and chord pattern that could be sung with a guitar. Gruber managed to do just that, and by the time of the Christmas eve service, he had composed a simple but beautiful musical setting for the poem, one which could easily be sung by the common people and whose accompaniment could  be strummed on the guitar. They had just introduced a Christmas carol that could be sung without an organ!

      On that Christmas Eve in 1818, the congregation heard for the very first time the beautiful carol, “Silent Night”, sung by Mohr and Gruber, who also accompanied them on his guitar.

      Weeks later, when the organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived to repair the organ, he heard Gruber play his composition as he tested out the newly refurbished instrument. Deeply impressed by the beautiful, melodious carol, Mauracher took copies of the music and words to “Silent Night” back to his own Alpine village of Kapfing. Two well-known singing families, the Rainers and the Strassers, heard and were captivated by the beautiful new song, putting it into their Christmas season repertoires.

      The Strasser sisters spread the carol across northern Europe. In 1834, after they performed it for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, he ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas eve! Twenty years after it was written, the Rainers brought “Silent Night” to the United States, singing it (in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located outside of New York City’s Trinity Church.  Josef Mohr and Franz Gruber had maintained their church work in relative obscurity through the years.  It was not until people began asking years later, as its popularity at Christmas increased, “Who wrote this beautiful song?” that  Gruber’s son spoke up and said, “I know the story of this song!” and produced a copy of it after his father’s death.  Josef Mohr died of complications from tuberculosis when he was not quite 56 years old, and is buried in the courtyard of a school he started in a small town in Austria during his priesthood.  Neither man ever knew the worldwide scope of the song they had penned that Christmas Eve in a small town in the mountains of Austria, but God used their talents in a remarkable way.  Even though Josef Mohr was a man who came from a less than desirable background at the time, God chose him to herald the message of the birth of the Savior through this beloved song!

      In 1863, “Silent Night” was translated into English from the original German, and today the words of “Silent Night” are sung in more than 300 different languages around the world!  It has been recorded musically by over 740 artists all over the world, making it the most recorded song of all time!

      The original German lyrics go something like this:

      Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
      Alles schlaft, einsam wacht;
      Nur das traute heilige Paar,
      Holder Knab im lockigten Haar;
      Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh’, Schlafe in himmlischer Ruh’.

      Did God in His sovereignty allow a simple church organ to “break down” and be out of commission at a most important time so that someone would compose a simple song, one that ordinarily would not be thought of as nearly complex enough for the traditional organ masterpieces of the day, later sung around the world as a best-loved rendition of His birth? Did God anoint two men who were moved by the events recorded in Matthew and Luke to compose perhaps the most famous of the carols that are sung all over the world to this day? I believe He did! I am thankful that they were obedient to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to pen the words and music that will go down in history as one of the greatest songs ever written!

      Silent night, Holy night,
      All is calm, all is bright;
      ‘Round yon virgin, mother and child,
      Holy infant so tender and mild;
      Sleep in Heavenly peace, Sleep in Heavenly peace.

      Silent night, Holy night,
      Shepherds quake at the sight; 
      Glories stream from Heaven afar;
      Heavenly hosts sing, “Allelujah”;
      Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born!

      Please enjoy my arrangement of this beloved carol from my Christmas album “Proclaim the Joy!” (available also on Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, CD Baby and others)

      The Harp and the King, Part II

      Sep19

      David playing harp #2Last time we talked about how King Saul went from being an anointed King of Israel filled with God’s Spirit, to a tormented man troubled by an evil spirit causing him to exhibit disturbing and violent behavior.  Let’s pick up the story:

      King Saul’s sin of offering a burnt offering to God instead of waiting on Samuel to come as he had said he would, resulted in God  taking the kingdom away from him and giving it to another, a “man after His own heart”…David!  The second sin is detailed in I Samuel 15 which you may want to read in entirety.  Briefly, God told Saul in verse 3, Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. (NASB)  Pretty clear, wasn’t it?  Don’t let anything live, neither humans nor animals!  Well, after Saul and his army killed the entire population of the Amalekites, he decided to spare the life of the king, Agag, and “take him alive”, perhaps as a sort of trophy from the victory!  Verse 9 says, But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. (NASB)

      So, once again we see Saul’s direct disobedience to God, as the prophet Samuel quickly found out when Saul told him, “Blessed are you of the Lord!  I have carried out the command of the Lord.”  But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”  Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.” I Samuel 15:13-15 (NASB)

      So, once again Saul lied and told “half truths”, blaming the people and making it appear they just wanted to sacrifice unto the Lord!  God asked nothing of Saul but his complete and total obedience and he did not give it to Him.  In fact, in verses 15, 20 and 21 he again reiterated his statement about sacrificing, blaming it on the people, and on and on.  Verses 22 and 23 are rather famous and often quoted:  “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.  Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”  I Samuel 15:22 & 23 (NKJV)

      Note that at least two times Saul tried to continue with his lies and deception, but Samuel, through the discernment of God, saw right through it and continued to demand truth and transparency from Saul.  God told him in no uncertain terms that He had rejected him from being king.  His days of being king over Israel were numbered.  Finally in verse 24, we see Saul repenting at least to some extent.  Only God knows the contriteness of his heart.  He did not cry out to God in repentance, but he at least admitted his sin to Samuel in verses 24 and 25:  And Saul said unto Samuel, “I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words:  because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.” (KJV)

      Obviously Samuel was not very convinced of Saul’s sincerity, either, for he said to him in verse 26:  “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”  Verse 28, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” I Samuel 15:26 & 28 (NKJV)  Then Samuel proceeded to hack the wicked King Agag in pieces as God had originally instructed Saul to do.

      So, what was the problem with Saul?  It is fairly obvious from these chapters that Saul did not have a contrite heart, one which was sold out to the Lord in every way, and which obeyed His voice totally.  He was deceptive, he tried to lie and cover up his sin and appeared prideful and arrogant.  Because of these things, God could not use him in the position of king as He had first intended.  So, in Chapter 16 we see Samuel going to the house of Jesse and anointing his youngest (and apparently the most unlikely) son to be the king of Israel upon Saul’s death, instead of continuing the line through Saul’s sons.  David was just a young teenager (most likely), a shepherd, ruddy, with bright eyes and good-looking, according to verse 12.  And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!”  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. (NKJV)  Verse 14 sadly tells us, But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. (KJV)

      It appears that when God removed Saul from being king, He also removed the Holy Spirit’s anointing from him that allowed him to perform the many acts God used in showing His power to His people.  So, when the Holy Spirit departed, because of Saul’s direct disobedience to God, this allowed an evil spirit to come in and torment him.  When the Word of God says “from the Lord” it means “with God’s permission”.  I do not believe that a Spirit-filled Christian can be filled with demon spirits; the two cannot co-exist together in someone’s body.  I believe a Christian can be tempted or even oppressed at times by evil spirits, but when we use our weapons of warfare, the Word of God which is the sword of the Spirit, demons must flee!! They have no part in a spirit-filled Christian’s life.  Never give into satan’s lies or fears that you will be possessed by the enemy or his demonic attacks!  You have all of the tools you need to resist Him; remember James 4:7, Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (NASB)

      So, while Saul opened himself up directly, because of his disobedience, to an evil spirit (demonic) with God’s permission, David, on the other hand, was filled with the Spirit of God from that day on, just as we today under the New Covenant are filled with the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and begin to live the new, overcoming life in Christ, free from sin’s domination!  If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father and can receive forgiveness, living that abundant life in Christ that the unbeliever has never experienced!  David knew what that life was like, and he began to play on his harp as he had never played before, under the new anointing of the Holy Spirit that was upon him!

      So when Saul was tormented with evil spirits, he would call for David, as I Samuel 16:22 & 23 recount, ….“Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”  Soit came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. (NASB)  Verse 18 just before this says David was “a skillful musician”.  That means he knew his music!  He practiced regularly, relied on the Lord to hone his musical skills, studied his craft and then left the rest up to the anointing of the Holy Spirit who in essence came upon him and “played through him” as he worshipped.  This was the secret to the evil spirit leaving Saul…the anointing of a skillful musician!  And this is not the last time we read of this.  Saul’s jealousy of David and the fact he knew he would be king instead of him, inspired Saul to attempt to kill David many times, several times in his own house with a spear poised to hurl at David.  I Samuel 19:9 & 10 reads,  Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand.  Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear in to the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. (NASB)  So, one had a spear in his hand; one had a harp in his hand,  but God delivered the one who  had an instrument of  God in his hand!

      Always remember this:  There may be evil lurking nearby, even in the form of a jealous person in a rage who hates you.  They may even have a spear in their hand!  But, don’t forget, you have the power of God in the form of His Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and even as David’s hand was playing the harp, your hand can hold the Word of God, play and sing His promises, and hold onto the Hand of the One who will never let you go!  Don’t give up, child of God!  Jesus holds your hand and He has not forsaken you!  Perhaps God used the many times Saul tried to take David’s life as a way to inspire him to write the beautiful, anointed Psalms we sing and quote!  Who knows if he would have written them as praise to God if everything in his life were going well?  God works through adversity and many times through other people who mean to do us harm, to work good in our lives for His glory!  Never forget Romans 8:28 when you are tempted to give up, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” 

      Does God use anointed music and musicians?  He surely does!  There is power in music to dispel the forces of evil.   That is why satan hates musicians sold out to God!  Keep playing and singing the praises of God and put the enemy to flight, as David  did for Saul!

      David playing harp

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      The Harp and the King, Part I

      Sep18

      David playing harp #3Have you ever read in God’s Word the accounts of how David, a lowly shepherd boy, came before the great King Saul and basically chased away a tormenting evil spirit from him simply by playing skillfully on a harp?  Have you ever wondered how he got into this condition, actually hurling weapons at David and acting like a crazy man?  Well, it’s quite a story and in order to fully understand it we need to get some background which I Samuel gives us.

      When Israel begged God for a king so that they could be like other nations, He gave them their request, although the prophet Samuel warned them against this.  God spoke to Samuel in I Samuel 8:7, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. (KJV); and again in verse 22, Obey their voice and make them a king. (ESV)   Even though God had told the people through His prophets that He did not want them to have a king, they insisted, and God chose a young man named Saul.  Chapter 9:1 & 2 reads, There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish…a man of wealth. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man.  There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he.  From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. (ESV)

      If you want to read the full story, begin in I Samuel 8 and read through chapter 10.  In I Samuel 10:24 we read, And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen?  There is none like him among the people.” And all the people  shouted, “Long live the king!” (ESV)  or as the King James puts it, “God save the king.”  They were really happy about this, and the story of how Saul was supernaturally directed by God to Samuel, chosen and anointed,  is an amazing story you should read for yourself in I Samuel 10!  The spirit of the Lord came upon Saul; it says in verses 9 & 10, .…God gave him (Saul) another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.  When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him and he prophesied among them.”  (ESV)  The people were amazed and knew that God’s Hand and Spirit were truly upon this handsome young man who was now King of Israel!

      Wow, what a happy ending!  End of story?  Hardly!! Actually it was just the beginning and this is where the harp comes into play.  Please read on!

      I Samuel 12 and 13:1-7 detail some of the battles and conquests that Saul presided over in the strength of the Lord.  The first verse of chapter 13 states that Saul reigned one year, then two, and all seemed to be going well.  Then two incidents occurred in which Saul sinned and did not fully obey God’s instructions.  Sound familiar?  God wanted complete obedience from his king and Saul did not give him this.  The first incident is recorded in chapter 13:8-14.  Saul decided he was tired of waiting seven days for the prophet Samuel to come, as he had said he would.  Instead of being patient, he, in verse 9, decided to take matters into his own hands.

      We read, He (Saul) waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel.  But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.  So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.”

       And he offered the burnt offering.  As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.  And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.  Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’  So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly.  You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you.  For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  But now your kingdom shall not continue.  The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”  (ESV)

      A couple of things stand out here.  First of all,  Saul had disobeyed the commandment of God that only priests were to offer burnt offerings!  Saul obviously knew this, but took matters into his own hands anyway and disobeyed God.  How often do we do the same thing in our own lives?  Saul’s actions displeased God and He through Samuel reprimanded him.  Secondly, Saul was not repentant about his actions.  He could have torn his robe, thrown himself to the ground begging for forgiveness or sat in sackcloth and ashes.  Instead he made up some excuse and told Samuel “he forced himself to offer the burnt offering!”  Remember, God always looks on the heart.  He knows everything before we tell Him and He does not look favorably upon deception and half-truths.  This is the reason he told Saul through the prophet Samuel that as of that day, his kingdom would not continue but He would give it to another, a man after His own heart.  Of course, as we all know, that man was David!

      In my next blog tomorrow I will tell you about the second sin Saul committed and how a man with a harp helped him get through this time of mental illness and a tormenting evil spirit!

      David playing harp #2