Tag: hope

When in doubt, pray. When you can’t, praise. Wings as eagles will lift your weary soul to faith, hope, and love.

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” Luke 18:1.

Billy Graham. PRAY.

Perhaps, this is one of the greatest teachings of Billy Graham for this dark hour we live. This old picture speaks to me to “be still.” To hear God’s voice immediately changes me from fret and fear to faith.

He says, “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.

The surrender to agree, at such a time as this, yields hope in me. This picture speaks the glory of surrender in me.

tonirypkema.com

Yes, I will be still. I will pray and cry aloud. I will hope in God who is able, I will seek His face. Join me to read aloud the transforming hope and light of God’s Word:

One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.


Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.


Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord Psalm 27:4-14.

Our eyes look up, our ears are eager to HEAR Your voice.

Speak Lord, your servants hear. As Habakkuk in his day with questions, “Where are You, Lord,” we will pray and hear:

“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected” Habakkuk 2:1, NKJV.

Then the Lord answered me and said:

“Write the vision
And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.

 “Behold the proud,
His soul is not upright in him;
But the just shall live by his faith Habakkuk 2:2-4.

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.
 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;
    there is no breath in it.”

 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him” Habakkuk 2:18-20.

picture by Pete Fierro


“But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:31.

Dear God, help us walk in a manner that fully pleases You. Keep us praising You in the spirit. This is where we find You close by, in a heart of praise.

This is my Bible song of encouragement today, as I ask the Lord to fill me with His great love and grace in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation:

“Being confident of this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it . . . Philippians 1:6. For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world 1 John 4:4.

Watercolor by G of Legacy Studio & Co.

Just keep praying and singing. God’s in control.

If you are encouraged today, let me know!

Rain Down on us Good Words for some Son-shine!

Art by G of Legacy Studio & Co

Art by G of Legacy Studio & Co

“Anxiety in a person’s heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad” Proverbs 12:25.

Oh yeah, good words make a person’s heart glad.

God knows best. His Word is a rock. His Word is a rose. His Word to those who believe and receive Him is as a Coach, coming alongside,

to give a high-five. To say, “Come on, you can do this with Me. Let’s go!”

And God’s Word to a kid’s song is “just” plain fun and can move us forward when we feel stuck!

I wrote this song with a special needs child I had the privilege to teach and work with for many years. A few strums of the ukulele and a few Bible verses to focus on would be our delight for many days together.

For this combination of Philippians 1:6 and 1 John 4:4 we were “changed.”

God’s Word is powerful and can be loads of fun with a ukulele or a guitar. And God gave every human being alive a set of “strings.” So, even if you’re not a kid, find one and start singing some Bible, to increase in faith,

or come to faith for the first time. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17.

There is only one answer to the dark day we live in, Jesus.

He alone is able to change a heart. His Word is powerful and opens a door of faith in us to hear and receive.

An open, soft heart, is suddenly changed to belief. There is hope as the sun shines through the clouds.

Because faith chases away fear. God loves you. God loves me.

He is there for any who calls on His name. God is able to accomplish all that concerns you today. He is God Almighty.

And, He is love, (1 John 4:7-21*)

He paid your debt in full on the cross. And mine, and the debt of sin of the entire human race.

We can’t save ourselves. (We all need saving.) (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23. )

Jesus came to save us and to finish the work He has for us. He gives us His Holy Spirit when we receive Him. He is our help. We can be confident in this.

I share this today with anyone who needs a song of truth and hope in Jesus to help chase the dark clouds away and bring a ray of Son-shine, (no matter what is going on!)

If you haven’t opened your heart to Jesus, do it today:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 

 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 
 
We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother 1 John 4: 7-21.

(My song words are slightly paraphrased,) “Being confident of this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it ’till the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.

Being confident in this.

“For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world.”

“For He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world” 1 John 4:4. (I’m just waiting to record some happy kids with this song.)

Let me know if you are blessed. And “like” the SoundCloud too if you do!

-Toni

News Alert: IT’s NOT Love to Applaud God’s Beloved Creation Who Walks on a Failed Bridge!

It is NOT love when a believer in the LORD applauds God’s beloved creation who walks on a failed bridge.

Love is to proclaim, “TURN AROUND!”

In a day where words are re-invented, God’s Word tells us what love is:

“This is LOVE. Not that we love God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to take away our sins” 1 John 4:10, (emphasis mine).

Noah, in his day, proclaimed “A storm is coming. You need to come in through this Door or destruction will come!”

NO ONE listened.

The Bible tells us, in the last days, it will be like Noah’s day.

Aren’t you glad Noah had faith in God and obeyed His Word?

The Book of Proverbs gives a warning: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death” Proverbs 14:12.

We should not be offended by warnings of danger. We receive them daily about germs, safety, and caution during a storm. It’s time we all turn around and agree with God. 

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. 
They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 
 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full"John 10: 7-10.

This is love: Jesus.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” John 10:11. 

"As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man" Matthew 24: 37-39.

Do you need to turn around?

The time is now. Jesus is coming soon!”

“Make me sing!” Kids can help!

As a children’s worship leader for many years, I’ve experienced the arms crossed, “Make me sing,” attitude at the start of a children’s church hour.

Oh, yeah. Children are our best teachers. They are a picture of our own hearts at times.

“It’s not a good time to sing,” we convince ourselves, “there’s too much to worry, I mean, be concerned about right now!”

God is good to keep me in a place to keep a song in the hearts of kids. He knows, this “older kid” needs to keep a “good song” on my mind at all times. I can go out of tune mighty quick.

The Lord tells us to pray and not lose heart. But there are times we would rather cross our arms in the front of our chest than pray!

Jesus helped us with our prayers by giving us, what we call, the Lord’s Prayer.

I wrote a Lord’s prayer with a bit of a Lalala of the struggle to keep praising in my Lalala Lord’s Prayer. Kids sing this and make my heart pray and hope and remember the “Lalala” through the “dum dum dum” of the day!

Who’s struggling to find the song today? Give these kids a 2-minute listen. To meditate on the deep truths in the Lord’s prayer brings healing and hope.

Let me know if you did. I hope you have a hope-filled prayer song on your heart for the day:

We are being fed our daily bread, singin’ “lalalalala la!”

“Stay Safe.”

“Stay safe!” Multiple urgent warnings, minute upon minute reporting, and hour upon hour projections come our way when satellite images prove a storm is near.

Plans are made to prepare.

Well, there’s a storm on the horizon. Haven’t you heard?

Are you in search of proof? A visual image?

The Bible recorded a “test” for Jesus when the religious leaders asked Him for a “sign from heaven.”

Jesus answered,
“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Jesus, not so “mild and meek,” continued,

 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” 

Jesus then left them and went away (Matthew 16:2-4).

The sign of Jonah? (Does this indicate the Bible account is actual and not a fairy tale. This is the only sign we get, according to Jesus.)

I see five pictures in this “sign of Jonah,”

Five Pictures:

  1. Jonah disobeys God and runs in the opposite direction. (We all have disobeyed God and run in the opposite direction, Romans 3:23).
  2. Jonah’s rescue: A great storm and realization. “Throw me overboard,” cried Jonah. (When we “see” our waywardness brought a storm.)
  3. God’s grace and salvation is given through a very large fish who swallows Jonah. (“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is . . . )
  4. Three days of revelation for Jonah to bring about repentance. God gave life to Jonah, undeserved, unearned favor. (“. . . the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord, Romans 6:23.)
  5. Regurgitated resurrection life in Jonah and a call to obey God for hope and peace!

We see 1. A storm. 2. A gracious whale. 3. Hot revelations and repentance. 4. A resurrected life.

This is all we get, minus the gracious whale. Instead, when we believe, we’re received and accepted by a gracious Lord Jesus.

He’s the only safe place for you and me and all the people of the world, today. Jesus, He’s the Rock we can stand on. He never changes.

To be saved, or un-saved, this is the “safe” question:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” Matthew 7:24-27, NIV.

There’s a storm coming. Make wise plans. God’s report is 100% accurate!

Children are Gifts from God for Strength and Courage. Let’s Agree with God Today

When human beings are in a dangerous place where a young child is present, most gather strength and courage to protect and do “whatever” has to happen to find a “safe place.”

Children are a gift to the human race.

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” Psalm 127:3.

Gifts.

I’ll speak for myself, my children helped show me I didn’t have patience on unending nights of crying when they were sick or huge messes too gross to write about.

And the hardest part of all, when siblings argued and fought! My children brought me closer to God than I could ever be before.

My children helped me mature and “act” as a grown-up because I had no choice, I was the grown-up!

Yes, children are our help to see our personal need for the Savior of our world. Children bring us to God, our Father, to see Jesus’ great sacrifice for us, and call out for the Holy Spirit to help us, guide us, to fill us with His love.

Children are our gift to realize, that without the Lord, there is no power to love!

Even with the Lord, I struggled at times to find love. I wasn’t a perfect parent, but I always tried to say, “I’m sorry. I was wrong.” And made effort to share–Jesus is perfect love.

God’s Word is our comfort and instruction guide. He never changes. He is faithful always.

“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ”Matthew 19:14.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to the little children. They are our gift to help bring back the “child” in us. We need the children.

God says, “suffer” the little children, or “let, allow” the little children.

Take a moment to “hear” this child sing God’s Word:

Created to Praise Him, by Toni Rypkema with Logan

Pray for children. They are every adult on this planet’s, gift. What the world needs now is to agree with God in our hearts about children.

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”Deuteronomy 5:29.

“Dear Lord, pour out Your Spirit upon this world and give all people ears to hear the children sing praises to You.

His Eye Is on the Sparrow, I Must Know

Today I share an old pizza note as comfort and hope to any who chooses to “bite into” its goodness:

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMG_6784-scaled.jpg
And, resting on His goodness, I lose my doubt and fears, (His Eye Is on the Sparrow, (Songwriters: Gene Bartlett / Charles Gabriel / C.D. Martin).

God sees. God knows.

We. Need. To know. The “One Who” can do all things, especially—to love me. Unconditionally. Right now!

Immediately.

When I think of the trials humans across the world face today, especially the children, . . . we need to remember “Love.”

Oh, how we forget and wander off from this love of God. We forget, “God doesn’t see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

God looks at my heart. But, my heart “ain’t pretty” on the inside, if I’m honest. God knows the thoughts I have and the words I think before I speak them! Psalm 139 tells me about this.

But God. Yes, He sees. He knows I need Him.

He knows we all need Him.

I’ve received His love for salvation. Many years ago, I received Jesus in my life, but I still live in this body of flesh. In this world, life is broken and the sharp edges of “flesh” HURT!

Jesus Himself told us we would face “tribulation,” but to be of “good cheer” because He has “overcome the world.” (John 16:33.)

God’s Word is a “present help in times of trouble” to those who believe, initially for salvation, and step by step through the thorns of life.

God’s Word, is breathed and inspired by “Love” Himself, (because God is love, 1 John 4:8). He never changes. He loves through the ages!

Do I trust in Christ?

My path may be cluttered with lots of directions, opinions, ideas, hurts, and rough edges. Everybody’s path is.

We must know Him more:

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heaven, heaven, and home,


When, when Jesus is my portion,
My constant Friend is He;
Oh, oh-oh, his eye is on the sparrow.

And I know, I know He watches over me.

This is how I can have inner joy. When I see His face and grace over me in each present moment:

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” Psalm 16:11.

God brings my song back! He’s with me, loves me, and won’t give up on me, no matter what:
I sing because I’m happy. I sing because I’m free (free free free)

For His eye, his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know, I know He watches over me.

When Jesus is my portion. My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. (Songwriters: Gene Bartlett / Charles Gabriel / C.D. Martin.)

Do I believe this? Am I His?

Has He sealed me with His Holy Spirit?

Yes, I believe!

Talk to God and let Him in, too.

But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
 For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; . . .

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west Isaiah 43:1-5.

Yes, I believe. His eye is on this sparrow.


I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me, no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me, there is no savior.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

This is how I “know” Love. By drawing near to Him and believing His eye is on me. On you. On all the children who cry out to Him.

Let the children who believe in Jesus sing:

I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!

When I doubt, “Where is God?” I turn to old hymns to remind me, “He’s right here.”

An old hymn at the bottom of my C.H. Spurgeon Devotional Bible caught my eye today,

When trouble like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood,
His loving-kindness, oh, how good!

Though num’rous hosts of mighty foes,
Though earth and hell my way oppose,
He safely leads my soul along,
His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song for me,
His loving-kindness, oh, how free!

In the late 1780s, Samuel Medley wrote this hymn originally called, Awake My Soul, to Joyful Lays in 1782, later titled Loving-Kindness.

Today I find these old phrases turn my gloomy thoughts to hope in God, without even knowing the melody.

The words speak faith. My heart is hungry to receive its truth. This is eternal life for the present moment, not some future day. Eternal life is to know Jesus and His present love here and now.

When we base all our hope and trust on what we can see, our hearts fail us and we become discouraged and in despair, but God . . .

He reminds us, not one time, not two, but four times: “The just shall live by faith.”

Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38 each remind us, “the just shall live by faith!”

Faith is believing God. Period. But how can we believe God if we don’t know Him or listen to His voice?

Where is truth today? Who can we trust?

The Bible tells us:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Numbers 23:19.

We have to know, today, what God has said. It’s no longer a day for “hear-say” about God. We’ve got to open the Bible for ourselves and discover Him.

A tiny letter, an epistle in the Bible inspired by the Holy Spirit written by Paul the Apostle called Titus, opens rich and loaded with substance to chew on concerning God, His Word, and faith:

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,

for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, 

which accords with godliness, 

in hope of eternal life,

which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began

and at the proper time manifested in his word

 through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior; Titus 1:1-3.

Do these words give me an appetite to read more of what God has to say in His Word? As the hymn that caught my eye?

To fix my eyes on God’s Word and a God song, I must! We must!

“For the sake of the faith . . . and their knowledge of the truth, . . . in the hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised!”(Exclamation point, mine).

The old hymn puts God’s promise in a summary of what Jesus did for us:

He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate,
His loving-kindness, oh, how great!

Jesus says in the gospels, “Follow me.”

Do I choose to follow Him? Today?

The Bible tells us, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be SAVED through Him” (John 3:17).

Do we receive Jesus’ love and forgiveness? Do I forgive myself? Can I speak back the hymn in praise to God:

He saw me ruined in the fall,
Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my lost estate,
His loving-kindness, oh, how great!

No matter what is going on around, can you and I look up and agree, “His loving-kindness, Oh, how great!”

And can we trust the “death of death” for you and me who believe?

Yes, let’s take comfort in the hymn, with understanding in the life we live, eternally:

Soon I shall pass the gloomy vale,
Soon all my mortal pow’rs must fail;
Oh, may my last expiring breath
His loving-kindness sing in death.

Then let me mount and soar away
To the bright world of endless day;
And sing with raptures and surprise,
His loving-kindness in the skies.
Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
His loving-kindness in the skies.

His loving-kindness is never-ending. I share Ella and Irelyn in “Lord, I’m in Your Hands,” by Tim Weeks:

Jesus never leaves us. No matter where we are, we can call His name.

Will Jesus Find Us Watching?

Fanny Crosby 1875 

Blind to the light of the day, Fanny Crosby couldn’t see, but crystal clear was her heart’s vision of spiritual truth.  

It’s told Fanny loved God’s Word and memorized five chapters each week, as well as the study of poetry and the writing of prose.  

Fanny wrote more than 9,000 hymns! 

Today, I want to bring to our heart’s focus, Fanny’s hymn, Will Jesus Find Us Watching?  

When Jesus comes to reward His servants, 

Whether it be noon or night, 

Faithful to Him will He find us watching, 

With our lamps all trimmed and bright? 

Refrain: 

O can we say we are ready, brother? 

Ready for the soul’s bright home? 

Say, will He find you and me still watching, 

Waiting, watching when the Lord shall come? 

“What will we be watching for?” The disciples asked in Matthew 24. 

Do we remember Jesus’ answer?  

  1. Don’t be lead astray. “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray’ (Matthew 24:5). 
  2. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed. 
  3. Nation will rise against nation.
  4. And kingdom against kingdom.
  5. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 
  6. All these are the beginning of the birth pains. (Matthew 24.) 

Will Jesus Find Us Watching? Are we watching for the kingdom of heaven? 

Jesus continued to tell us what we would see in Matthew 24:

7. You will be delivered up to trials and put to death.

8. You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 

9. Many will turn from following Me and betray one another . . .

10.  and hate one another.  

 11. False prophets will arise and lead many astray.  

12. Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  

Jesus told us before, so we would know. He gives His promise to those who believe:

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  

 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” Matthew 24: 9-14. 

If, at the dawn of the early morning, 

He shall call us one by one, 

When to the Lord we restore our talents, 

Will He answer you, “Well done?”  

Jesus told us in Matthew 25 of ten virgins who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five were ready with their lamps filled with oil, but as the bridegroom delayed,  

They all became tired and slept.  

But the call of His arrival came suddenly in the night. The wise virgins with their lamps filled with oil were unable to give to those who had no oil. Each had to receive oil for themselves.  

While the foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom came.  

“And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the 

the door was shut . . .

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour Matthew 25:10-13.  

Let us decide this day, to wake from our sleep! Let us together be ready for His coming. It’s as faithful as the morning.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching, 

In His glory they shall share; 

If He shall come at the dawn or midnight, 

Will He find us watching there?  

There is time to turn and call on the name of Jesus. He will answer our call. He will faithfully forgive all our sins. In our emptiness, we must ask Him to fill us overflowing with the oil of His Holy Spirit.

I’m thankful Fanny Crosby, wrote with ink her heart visions so many years ago to open our eyes to God’s truth.

Jesus is coming again, . . . soon, and very soon.

O can we say we are ready, brother? 

Ready for the soul’s bright home? 

Say, will He find you and me still watching, 

Waiting, watching when the Lord shall come? 

TODAY is the day of Salvation. The invitation from Jesus is for all of mankind:

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price . . . Revelation 22:16,17.

TODAY, we will be ready.

 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” Revelation 22:20, 21.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching, 

In His glory they shall share; 

If He shall come at the dawn or midnight, 

Will He find us watching there?  

“Yes, Oh yes, He will find us watching there!”

She Watched. She Cried Out. She Worshiped. Jesus Healed.

 A woman in the Bible whose child was sick must have been following Jesus and watching Him for some time.

She was a Gentile woman but when she called out to Jesus she spoke with the Jewish dialect, unlike her own,

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”

But He answered her not a word.

“And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us” Matthew 15:22,23.

Jesus was silent, and the followers of Jesus were cold-hearted,  impatient, and more. But the desperate woman knew something, deep down—Jesus was her only hope.  

Then, Jesus spoke, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Are these sharp words of Jesus worse than silence?

Jesus broke His silence, but the words for this desperate woman seem far from compassionate: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  

My eyes read on as I prayed for understanding . . .

 “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” Matthew 15:25.

This Gentile woman was not offended by His words.  

She most likely had watched Jesus previously when he was in the presence of the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the house of Israel.

Jesus spoke sternly to the Pharisees:  “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” Matthew 15:7-9.  

This desperate, gentile woman sought Jesus, not with the right words, but with her whole heart, and she worshiped Him.  

 “But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26).   

Israel is God’s chosen nation, but Israel means, “one who strives with God.” This woman, with all her heart, believed Him to be her only hope. She believed Him to heal her daughter and she worshiped Him. She asked for help—as a lost sheep striving with God:

  “True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table” Matthew 15:27. 

 In other words, “Lord, I know I’m a Gentile, but even the crumbs from Your table will be enough for me.”  

Jesus wasn’t silent to be cold-hearted. Jesus didn’t reply to offend but He revealed her heart.

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”And her daughter was healed at that moment Matthew 15:28.  

I’ve heard it presented of whole-hearted worship to God brings healing to our souls. Do we praise God as this poor and needy woman? Do we believe Jesus is our only hope?

Together let’s speak or sing the words of this age-old hymn:

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy

Author: J. Hart (1759)

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power.

Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God’s free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
ev’ry grace that brings you nigh.

Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream;
all the fitness he requireth
is to feel your need of him.

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
lost and ruined by the fall;
if you tarry till you’re better,
you will never come at all.

I will arise and go to Jesus!
He will save me from my sin.
By the riches of his merit,
there is joy and life in him.


“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise” Jeremiah 17:14

“Help us Keep Focused Lord!” (Be Thou My Vision)

I have trouble with focus. I struggle with many directions of thought. Do you?

God is a gracious help when it comes to focusing. He basically says,

“Stop. Think of Me!”

In Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

There’s so much going on. “Outside there are conflicts, inside there are fears,” much like in Paul’s day as he wrote of his time in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 7:5.

“But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us,” Paul continues, and He comforts us today.

Where’s my focus? I need to remember to spend time with God.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7. 

God’s allowing trials in all our lives. He warned us in His Word we would have tribulation, but to rejoice because He has overcome, He is our victory, (John 16:33).

When words to our prayers feel weak, I speak the words of this favorite ancient 8th Century hymn:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

When we speak to one another in hymns and psalms, we put on the spiritual armor of faith and truth, to gird ourselves for battle.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

In Christ, “in Him,” we have salvation and security. He is our peace. In His presence is fullness of joy, the Bible tells us. And, ” . . . in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

The hymn reminds us of this. He is with us!

Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight;
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O power of my power.

Together, we must stay focused on the battle. The Word of God must be our sword of thought to overcome:

” . . . since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us

 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, 

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12: 1,2.

This is easy to read. Hard to do. But with God, all things are possible. His Word is a double-edged sword:

“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” Exodus 14:14.

To quiet the mind is a challenge. But to spend time with God is to be still.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.


Ancient Irish, 8th-century hymn

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Let’s be equipped for battle, focused on the Lord, in His Word, speaking the hymns. When we get our focus on Him we remember we are His and He is ours.

We pray, “Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, . . .

still be my vision, O ruler of all.”

(If you have trouble resting, listen to this hymn on my Music Therapy Souncloud and go from fretful to restful and assured sleep.)

The Day I Was Diagnosed With Cancer

After my cancer diagnosis, I began to write. This is from August 17, 2010. I’m thankful to be alive and give praise to the Lord today.

His Word helped keep me . . . this day . . . thankful. And He brought the help I needed with each and every moment, through my anger, my doubts, my fears, my sickness . . . He did.

On the day I found out I was to face a cancer battle, this was the Word of the Lord to me.

I hope this will be an encouragement to anyone going through some difficult times:

Bible Journal Along the way

Date: August 17, 2010

Today I was diagnosed with an invasive lobular, 5×7 cm- estrogen positive cancer tumor of the breast.

I have breast cancer.

In the evening, I opened my Bible to one of my favorite verses so I could see it on the page:

Jeremiah 33:3, Call unto Me and I will answer, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not of.

So, I decided to go off my Bible schedule and read Jeremiah today.

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time:

“This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name:

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” Jeremiah 33:1-3.

The Bible tells us that “the word of the LORD came to him a second time.” I’m encouraged. Jeremiah heard these words not once, but twice, from the Creator of the Universe, the Most High God, the LORD:

“Call to me and I will answer you. . .”

“I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

My ears are open. It seems in great affliction, the heart is ready to hear. I kept reading:

For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians . . .

“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security” Jeremiah 33:4-6.

This was the Word of God to Jeremiah concerning Judah and Israel, but on a day when you find out you have cancer and you open God’s Word . . .

it speaks of a tearing down against an enemy!

This is good news to my heart. My soul can breathe.

I can trust God. If He can do this for Judah and Israel, I can believe God to heal me.

I need faith for this battle. The Word of God will help increase my faith. 

“Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

“Dear Lord, I call to You. Show me great and mighty things through this trial. Give me understanding to Your Word. Help me believe! In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

“Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the LORD. 12

I am a survivor. The Lord has done great things for me, and I praise Him each day for life today.

Please let me know if you are going through a great trial so I can be praying for you.

Thanks,

Toni

Do Your Kids Need: To Learn the Lord’s Prayer?

Kids teach each other the Lord’s Prayer with song

Many adults have the Lord’s Prayer, (Matthew 6:9-13) memorized and through time developed a good understanding of each phrase, but what about the kids?

For me, in the course of a day, I’ll recite these Words of God many times. Kids today will benefit greatly to have this great treasure of Scripture hidden in their hearts and mind.

Give a listen. Commit to share it with the kids and grandkids and sing along with them.

To commune with God draws us near to Him. He draws near to us as we seek Him in spirit and in truth.

He meets us right where we are.

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” Jeremiah 29:13.

This is an excellent and essential use of our time. Spurgeon is quoted:

 “If there be anything I know, anything that I am quite assured of beyond all question, it is that praying breath is never spent in vain.”

Today, let’s take a moment and let a child’s voice speak Jesus’ model to talk to God. Let the melody and the Word stir up an attitude to speak with our Maker in an all-inclusive way, and not fret, worry, or lose heart over anything.

May the melody to the Lord’s Prayer with kids bring us refreshing and rescue, this day and every day.

“Just keep singin'” to Jesus and cast all our cares on Him. 

“For His is the kingdom, the power, and glory, forever. “

Amen. 

P.S. Let me know if your kids enjoy learning the Lord’s prayer with Kally, Graham, and Irelyn!

I’m working on a Bible Songs Alive Resource for Christian schools, churches, homeschools, and families to pull up kids singing wonderful Scripture memory songs. 

Please pray for the Lord’s leading and blessing in this project I’ve been working on for over 10 years! — Toni 

 

 

Don’t Forget Your Shoes!

We almost never forget to put on our shoes out the door, unless, well, we rush out without them:

Kids come bounding through my door for their music lesson, take off their shoes, and (hopefully) enjoy and learn something new on their instrument of choice, and walk right out to go home without their shoes!

When I put shoes on my bare feet, I think of the protection and freedom they give me as I head out the door.

“Dear Lord, today I take my right shoe and think of Your Word in Psalm 125:

“Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved but abides forever” Psalm 125:1.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever.

“Increase our faith to believe You today. To us who struggle to believe, ‘Help my unbelief! ‘

To trust You is to let go, surrender! It feels like a free fall. Help me understand what all this means.”

Those who trust in the LORD Are like Mount Zion, Which cannot be moved, but abides forever . . .

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land allotted to the righteous, Lest the righteous reach out their hands to iniquity.

Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, And to those who are upright in their hearts Psalm 125:3,4.

“You, Lord, don’t ‘see the same way people see’ (1 Samuel 16:7), people look at the outside of a person, but You see the heart.

You don’t see good people and bad people. What about the story about the housebuilders? You didn’t talk about good and bad, but about wise and foolish: The wise man built his house on the Rock, the foolish man, upon the sand.

Help us today to take heart in You and the wisdom of Your Word, even when we don’t understand everything in the full depth of meaning at times:

You see the heart, dear Lord. Not good or bad people, but the foundation each stands on. There are those who trust You on a foundation of Rock, and those who don’t . . . on a foundation of sand (Matthew 7:24,27).

The wise and the foolish.

How can we trust You if we don’t know You?

The left shoe is put on in remembrance of You, Your nature, ‘compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in mercy, forgiving . . . ‘ (Exodus 34:6,7).

Every house needs to be built on a good foundation.

Dear Jesus, if there’s anyone who understands to be misunderstood, Lord, it’s You.

Your Word is often twisted to hurt and deny . . . You. You don’t talk of “good” and “bad” people, . . . You created us all good, but then Genesis 3 affected all of humanity.

But to the broken, the hurting, the critical, the rude, the angry, the proud . . . this is all of us (!) (Romans 3).

You alone are Love. You alone never give up on anyone. You alone are Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer:

“For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest On the land of the righteous . . . “

Even though there are many deep layers to this verse, this thought comes to mind (to help me understand how this relates to me, broken, yet standing on You, the Rock as Mt. Zion):

“Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Those who are good? Upright in heart? “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

As for such as turn aside to their crooked ways, The LORD shall lead them away With the workers of iniquity.

Peace be upon Israel! Psalm 125.

You are Peace, Jesus. Come wash us clean and make us new. We’ve put on our shoes. One of trust in You, as to stand on the Rock which is You, and the other shoe to walk in grace through faith,

with each step:

“O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

We remember our hope:

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

(Nothing but the Blood of Jesus by Robert Lowry, 1876.)

So, today, moving forward through this advent season, I liken the act to put on my shoes, (which are a huge help to my activities,) as to the act to “put my trust in the LORD,” for one, and for two, to rejoice and marvel in His compassion and mercy on me and you.

There is no One like our Lord. He alone is the Rock of our Salvation. Amen!

Those who trust in the LORD are like mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever Psalm 125:1.

Conversation with the One Enthroned in the Heavens Who Lives in Our Heart

Our Advent Prayer Walk, 2021

In a day where news clips and billboards seem to scream in our every direction, the Lord speaks in the sunrise of the morning and the sunset of the night sky, 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.

“As we walk forward, slow with the challenge of keeping steady, we pray and cry aloud to You ‘who are enthroned in the heavens!'”

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To you, I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens.

“Psalm 123 is our prayer, word for word, dear Lord,

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.

Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.

“As empty gloves on the table become alive in our hands, help us put the promise of Your presence to give us strength now, for what comes today, to stand. Your Word is our comfort in our affliction,” (Psalm 119:50).

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go Joshua 1:9.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed Deuteronomy 31:8.

“Help us remember Lord, our weakness as in empty gloves. To agree with You is surrender, yet this is our hope for strength in the battles. We are nothing on our own without You. Your Spirit gives us life.

Your promise to be with us wherever we go is repeated more than 18 times. Obviously, You don’t want us to forget this foundational truth. Keep us looking up, not all-around at every voice that speaks.

Your voice is not heard unless we are willing to hear:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?‘ Hebrews 13:5,6.

Help us remember this. We are like sheep and forget the foundations of our faith.

Keep us faithful . . . to believe You . . . now, today!

…’ And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age‘ Matthew 28:20.

We know this, but we forget. Help us remember:

You were dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and Your name is the Word of God” Revelation 19:13.

If it had not been for the LORD who was on our side when men rose up against us, . . . Our help is in the Name of the LORD who made heaven and earth Psalm 124. (Calligraphy, tonirypkema.com)

“Our prayers are Your Word, dear Lord:

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, Let Israel now say – ‘If it had not been the LORD who was on our side when men rose up against us;

Then they would have swallowed us alive, When their wrath was kindled against us;

Then the waters would have overwhelmed us, The stream would have gone over our soul; Then the swollen waters Would have gone over our soul.‘

Blessed be the LORD, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers;

The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” Psalm 124.

And the hymns and spiritual songs are our meditations:

Why should I feel discouraged
Why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches over me

Cevilla D Martin, His Eye is on the Sparrow

Renew.

Restore.

We walk with ears to hear Your voice today. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.”