Tag: comfort

Who needs a moment of music therapy today? This is for you:

Before Covid, to help my own healing, I would walk into the nursing home and on occasion, the infusion room with the guitar and simply start to sing and recite scripture. There was nothing amazing about any of it, except the Lord would show up and His Spirit would revive us all.

This is for you, in need of comfort through the pain: (Cover The Joy of the Lord is my Strength by Twila Paris).

Music Therapy cover: The Joy of the Lord by Twila Paris

There is someone crying out to the Lord for mercy today.

Someone is hurting physically, feeling alone, and not sure about what to do next.

Someone has been harmed by others and is left in pain, isolated, and presently feels abandoned.

Are you far from home and feel displaced?

I share music therapy today with you in hopes the vibration of strings lifts your heart and mind to praise God and draw near to Him, as He then promises to be near to you (James 4:8).

Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father and has “put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, a guarantee” when we open our hearts to Him (2 Corinthian 1:22).

In this world of perfect sound and production, we don’t have the opportunity to experience the simplicity of six strings and a moment of therapy with raw vocals with the sole purpose to comfort and refresh.

May you experience the “joy of the Lord” as your strength today.

– Toni

If you have received comfort from the Lord today, let me or someone know. If today is the day you opened your heart to receive the love of Jesus and accept His free gift of salvation that He gave on the cross, tell your whole world. Tell everyone, the angels in heaven are celebrating today your new-birth-day!

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing” Zephaniah 3:17.

Help Me Remember You, LORD

Jesus told us in His Word we would face trouble in the last days. He told us beforehand so we won’t be caught off guard.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” John 16:33.

Do we remember what else the Lord told us? Three hundred sixty-five times in the Bible, God says, “Don’t be afraid!”

God’s Word is living. It speaks to our souls when we open our hearts to the Lord to speak to us personally. Listen to His voice:

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
 For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; Isaiah 43:1-3

God doesn’t condemn us, He gave us a Redeemer. He gave us His only Son, Jesus who stretched out His arms wide on the cross to take our failures of sin.

He offers His salvation to anyone who will believe. He is God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . . ?

Yes? Let today be the day of salvation for you. You then will hear Him say, “You are Mine, I have called you by your name.”

And, today, even with great trial and sorrow, you can sing:

“Lord, I’m in Your hand. Lord, I’m in Your heart. In Your thoughts, in Your plans, never on my own.

Lord, I’m in Your hands. Lord, I’m in Your heart. In Your thoughts, in Your plans, never left alone.

When the darkness closes in and fear begins to rise, help me to remember You’re always by my side.

When the darkness closes in and fear begins to rise, help me to remember, You’re always by my side.”

Thank you Ella & Irelyn and Tim Weeks for your awesome song!

Be Still

“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth” Psalm 57:11.

God, the Creator of heaven and earth, our holy Father says to those who have ears to hear His voice today: “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10.

 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously”Psalm 96:10.

For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” Psalm 96:4,5,6.

Active worship brings victory over anxiety.

We will lift our eyes vertical instead of horizontal. We will seek His face. We cry out for mercy, justice, truth, provision, and protection. And we worship Him:

 “Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth” Psalm 96:7-9.

“Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; . . .

For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.

He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth” Psalm 96:11-13.

Amen! We will be still. God is faithful. Speak aloud

 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise . . .

I will awaken the dawn” Psalm 57:7,8.

Amen. We will worship while we wait.

We will overcome, because Jesus has overcome.

In His name we pray, Amen.

I choose health over anxiety. Where's my hymnal?

Got health? Real wealth? Worthwhile things are worth the fight.
The struggle to balance. The work to think straight. The temptations surrounding. The need to put off, put away, to breathe, to wait.
I’ll let go of blame and fret. I’ll look up, not out. If it pleases God, that’s my final answer. His way, not mine, or the popular opinion of the time.
I choose to follow the direction that God leads. Even though He knows, I will fail Him over and over as He watches me.
So I take hold  of some old trust-worthy words, and recite them aloud like a song of a bird,
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms
Oh, there are ten thousand charms. Yes, riches, true riches are being near to God. Being full of peace and comfort, not fearing nor having alarm.
But alarm I have, and in fear I dive. But God is a help, and old hymns remind:

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome
God’s free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry ’til you’re better
You will never come at all

 
God is love. We are not. He is gracious in His being. He is compassionate.  His heart is gentle and kind. He doesn’t parade Himself. He is truthful, all of the time.
He knows our thoughts.
He is able to make a hard heart soft. He is powerful and willing. So often, we are not.
Are we are tired of being sick? Are willing to change our direction.
God the Father through Jesus His Son, and the power of His Spirit can bring change to our whole story.
He can give us wealth of health with freedom and forgiveness.
And He gives us victory to bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving.
No longer dwelling on the failures of the past. No longer projecting of a future unknown. Living in the present on this earth making my house a dwelling place for the Lord.
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms.

Hymn by Joseph Hart:
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms
Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome
God’s free bounty glorify
True belief and true repentance
Every grace that brings you nigh
Come, ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall
If you tarry ’til you’re better
You will never come at all
I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh, there are ten thousand charms

"O God, how we need an 'oil of joy for mourning…"

Only God can speak, as all must remain silent…only God can speak, Words only from our Suffering Servant.
Breathed out by God Himself, are words no longer just sitting on the shelf. Not today, with great affliction and sorrow, with mourning and sadness, today our ears are open as we’ve been ‘made to lie down’ (Psalm 23). Please ‘lead us beside the still waters,’ Please restore our souls! In this silence, may Your gentle Voice be the only sound.”
“Jesus, You are not only abiding in the distant stars, You’re also abiding in our broken hearts, it’s true – as we have no breath to give You praise, but You can see our hearts and they’re clinging to You.”
“We only want to hear from You, Jesus. We only want to hear Your voice. These are confusing days, so much noise and so many opinions – we need Your Voice above the noise! We need comfort, we need Comfort, please speak… we offer a sacrifice of praise. Please speak to us that we might remember Your ways:”
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified Me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor and afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty tot he [physical and spiritual] captives, and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound; (Isaiah 61:1).
I AM Jesus, I have beautiful feet. Hear My words in your brokenness and ‘suffer’ Me to  speak:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, …To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord – the year of His favor – and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;” (Isaiah 61:2).
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.””(Romans 12:19).
Remember the story. It is written for you…take comfort, the greatest prophet of men, John (the Baptist) asked these words when he was in prison:
“Are You He Who was to come, or should we keep on expecting a different one? And Jesus replied to them, (the messengers sent by John), “Go and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing), and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news (the Gospel) preached to them. And blessed – happy, fortunate and to be envied – is he who takes no offense at Me, and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me, and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.” (Matthew 11:4-6).
“Hearken to Me…look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole in the quarry from which you were dug…” ( ‘this is My word to you, I AM able to see you through!)
Hear now My words, let them saturate your dry and brittle bones, ‘I AM your Rock, your fortress, your deliverer, I AM God, a firm strength in which you can trust and take refuge. I AM your shield, the horn of your salvation, I AM your High Tower.’ (Psalm 18:2). ‘Call to Me, I will save you from your enemies, I AM worthy of your praise.” (Psalm 18:3).
Remember Me, see what is written, hear with your ears – My Bride, my precious one, my Word was written with blood, sweat, and tears: “…and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (trustworthy, loyal, incorruptible, steady) and True, and He passes judgement and wages war in righteousness – holiness, justice and uprightness.”(Revelation 19:11).
“(My) eyes [blaze] like a flame of fire, and on My head are many crowns; and I have a title inscribed which I alone know or understand.” (Rev. 19:12).
“I AM dressed in a robe dyed by dipping in blood, and the title by which I AM called is the Word of God.” (Revelation 19:13).
“From My mouth goes forth a sharp sword with which I can smite (afflict, strike) the nations, and I will shepherd and control them with a staff (scepter, rod) of iron.” (Revelation 19:15).
“I will tread thew wine press of the fierceness of the wrath and indignation of God the All-Ruler – the Almighty, the Omnipotent.” (Revelation 19: 15).
“And on My garment (robe) and on My thigh I have a name inscribed, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Revelation 19:16).
My word is true. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts… (and) My word be that goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void – without producing any effect, – but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”(Isaiah 55:9-11).
Open My word. It is My letter of love to you: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness, I have drawn you and have continue My faithfulness to you…” (Jeremiah 31:3).
“Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know – do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand. ” ( Jeremiah 33:3), and yes, all the Word I have for you today is Amplified.
“Call to Me.” I hear your cry,”
Jesus.
 
 
 
 

Kinda like visiting Owl at Pooh's Corner…

I often feel, when I open my little book ‘Beside Still Waters’ by CH Spurgeon, as if I am Christopher Robin from Pooh Corner visiting Owl. Oh yes,
He makes me think and ask questions to myself… “No Smell of Fire.” (Daniel 3:27), the title leads, then he writes, “When you cherish Christ, the things of the world are of little value, and their loss is not heavily felt.”
Then I think, ‘cherish?’, that is a word that puts me at a wedding,at the moment of the vows: “to love and to cherish”. Spurgeon starts his thought with, “When you cherish Christ…” and he spurs me to ask myself,
“Do I cherish Christ?” for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer? Can I? Do I…cherish Christ?… as long as I live? But then it hits me – Death will never part us, the Lord and myself. He is mine – today, tomorrow and forever. So, ‘Owl’, I mean “Spurgeon continues:
“When you cherish Christ, the things of the world are of little value, and their loss is not heavily felt. If you feel your losses and if your trials are so ponderous that Christ’s love cannot lift you from the dust, then you have made too much of the world and too little of Him.”
I never really thought of an ‘owl’ with a tough ‘kick’ but Spurgeon shows me otherwise! But, it is a gentle kick, so I keep reading, “I see a pair of balances. I see on one scale the loss…, but I perceive on the other scale the great love of Christ. Now we will see which weighs the most. If Jesus lifts the light affliction, all is well, but if the trouble outweighs Jesus, then it is indeed ill for us.” (Spurgeon, beside Still Waters, pg. 161).

OK, the owl can kick: “If you are so depressed by your trials that you cannot rejoice, even though your name is written in heaven, then I think you do not love Jesus as you should.”

“Get delightful thoughts of Him, and you will feel as if you lost a pebble but preserved a diamond. If you have a high sense of your Master’s preciousness, you will rejoice in the deepest distress. The sweet love of Christ, when placed on the deepest wound the soul can ever know, heals at once.”

Some words are simply worth writing again: “The sweet love of Christ, when placed on the deepest wound the soul can ever know, heals at once.”
God uses people, by filling them with His spirit, giving them spiritual wisdom, thus ‘opening their mouth with good things’ to be ‘a present help in times of trouble- just as Owl was to Christopher Robin, Spurgeon is to me. So God, gave this man, this ‘owl on Pooh’s corner’ so to speak, a prayer of healing written many years ago. Printed in some small book, that God would have me open on this particular day- Oh the wisdom of God!…shall we pray a prayer that heals?
Do we desire healing? Or do we want to continue with our hands hanging down? May we choose this day to not lose heart but to pray: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Be within us, and we will make no choice of situations. Put us in Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace (Daniel 3:20); if Jesus walks the glowing coals as a companion, the fire will have no power, the hairs of our heads will not be singed, our garments will not be affected, and even the smell of fire will not be on them ” (Dan. 3:27).

I will choose to pray and not to lose heart. I will choose to remember that Jesus ‘walks the glowing coals’ of the fire that God has allowed us to be put in. That He is a companion, a very present help and that ‘the fire has no power and the hairs of our heads will not be singed…’you and I can rejoice’ even ‘in the deepest distress’ when we choose to take hold of faith.
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-39).

“Do you take this Man to love and to cherish, for all of eternity?
“I do! I do! I cherish my Lord. His love makes me sing:
“Jesus Only You. Jesus only You! That is where I find my joy – Jesus only You.
You say You love me. You never change. Say You won’t leave me, You’re always the same.
You say You see me, and You hear all my prayers… Jesus Only You!” (Song by Toni Rypkema)(And if I had any tech sense I would know how to share it with you on some ukelele strings! Until then,… Jesus Only You!)
So in conclusion: I left Pooh’s corner with my visit with Owl – changed and turned around from when I came! Thank you Jesus for your word and for wise old ‘owls’ who wrote poems and comforting words so many years ago, just for me…just for me!