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Plea’s and Thank You

Walk

Just a closer walk with Thee,
 Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
 Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
 By: Anonymous

Listen as you read. This is a really nice gospel instrumental version.

We turn our attention back to Just a Closer Walk with Thee one last time. And as we do we come to the core prayer of this hymn, echoed even in the title. Oh, for a closer walk with Jesus. Let’s finish this out strong, settling into a strong stride with Jesus. Let’s tune our hearts.

Just

This is such a simple word, but it can be used and taken very differently. I have heard people use it in prayer almost like an apology that they are asking for anything. “Lord, just help me make it through the day.” Have mercy on us Lord!

That is not at all what the writer is saying here. Of all the things I could ask for Lord, I am going to ask for the best of all things, the thing which ushers in all the other good you have in mind for me. I will ask for nothing more than to walk closer to You.

That is not intended to be a “Lord, I guess I will only ask for a closer walk,” but rather “Please Lord let me at least walk closely to You, no matter what else may come.”

So when you get ready to put your feet in motion, is this the prayer that is on your lips? “Jesus, as I walk, let me walk close to You”. As you are walking along, do you keep praying this? “Jesus please help me walk close to You.” When you journey is over do you stop to thank Him for helping you walk closely?

Determine to make this a normal, regular prayer. When you are done reading, before you get up and into the next thing, simply ask Jesus to help you walk closely with Him. If you are walking and reading, first be careful, and then ask Jesus to help you walk closely with Him. Developing these little habits are one of the best way to tune our hearts routinely.

Plea’s

Plea

When we sing a line like this, it can be so calm, and the assumption can be that this is how we always ask to be closer. Should be regularly ask Jesus to help us walk closely with Him in the normal things of life? Absolutely! But sometimes abnormal things happen and we lose our calm demeanor and make an urgent, even emotional request of Jesus.

Is it ok to come to Jesus stressed and uncertain of where else to turn. Absolutely! Make no mistake, Jesus is not our easy button, or a get-out-of-jail free card, but we can, and even should come to him when we find ourselves in the midst of situations that are bigger than us.

Prayer is the access to the One who has the help and even is the answer. How often we have not availed ourselves of this access which Jesus makes available to us! Let’s determine to get better at that, and make it a habit to reach out to Jesus when challenging times come so we can develop a normal rhythm of asking.

What was the last urgent, emotional request you made of Jesus? Did crying out to Him immediately change the circumstance? Often times it does not. When it doesn’t, ask Jesus if part of what needs to change is you. It is a tough prayer, but one that we must learn to make a part of our walk with Jesus.

Thank You

Gratitude

And when He answers your plea, and He will, take some time to thank Him for responding. It may not seem like much, but that kind of response informs your next one, and so on. It is a small part of learning to walk closely with Jesus, a grateful heart, aware, alive, connected, and yes, Resonant!

Urgent Tuning!

Jesus, help me to make my walk with You a priority and something I regularly take time to develop by asking for Your help. Even on days when I don’t, and I suddenly become aware of my great need of You, help me to come quickly to You. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Video 7.4 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Just is an interesting word. I have often heard people use it in prayer to mean, at least or barely, for example, Lord, if you would just help me make it through this day, as if we are afraid to ask for much. Here I believe it means I will be satisfied if only I can be close to You. Is that what you want?

Plea means to make an urgent, even emotional request. What was the content of the last such prayer you cried out God? Was it just to be close to Him? This simple sung prayer is taking us to the woodshed. Jesus, help me make this my plea.

And here it is again: Daily walking close to Thee. Each of the stanzas ends with this simple prayer. Jesus, I want to follow You closely. Is there anything keeping you from praying that prayer, or from truly meaning it?

An appropriate ending to this refrain which concludes each stanza of the hymn. One way to interpret “Amen” is so be it, phrased here as “let it be”. Dear Lord, I want to walk closely with you. Make that your simple prayer right now, all day, and every day.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Walk - https://pixabay.com/vectors/footprints-footprint-feet-foot-42972/
Plea - https://pixabay.com/vectors/help-button-red-emergency-support-153094/

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Peace from the Fire of Prayer

Prayer Wheel Turning

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our trouble
 He will hear our faintest cry, He will answer by and by
And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’
And you will know a little fire is burnin’
 Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Just a Little Talk with Jesus
By: Cleavant Derricks (1909-1977)

Listen as you read. This is an updated version of this old hymn.

On Tuesday we continued our walking and talking journey with Jesus by rehearsing the advantages of taking all our troubles to Him. Today we consider the effect that such confidence can have on the intensity of our prayers. We find things made right as we let the practice of taking things to Jesus become the norm in our experience. Let’s think about this.

Prayer Wheel Turning

The second half of this chorus introduces a very unusual illustration. It is odd to see a reference to prayer wheels in a Christian hymn since they are very common in Buddhism, originating in Nepal or Tibet. What are they? Important prayers are written on metal or wooden wheels and it is believed that spinning the wheels has the same meritorious effect of orally reciting the prayers. I honestly wonder if the author was familiar with this Buddhist tradition.

What I imagine he is actually making reference to is the momentum that grows as we increase the fervency of our prayers. Think of it like this. You begin to talk with Jesus about your troubles. You are moved to tears as you speak about the burden you are carrying. Even as you are praying you begin to get a sense that the answer is on the way. That sense encourages you to pray even more fervently as a zeal not only for your answer but the glory of God in it begins to burn within you.

Momentum. Energy. Heat. These things can all build on each other. And so can prayer.

Have you ever had the experience of your heart burning within you as you waited in a group for the opportunity to pray? The Lord was putting things on your heart that you just had to express. Maybe your heart rate increased? It may have even effected your breathing.

A Little Fire is Burning

Fire Burning

Or maybe that has happened as you read the Bible and it begin to come alive to you, seemingly opening up before your very eyes. I like to read the Bible and then leave it open before me as I begin to pray. One of the ways Jesus speaks to us is through the Word of God. Never was that more true than on the Emmaus road after His resurrection as He walked along with two unaware disciples.

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Luke 24:32 ESV

It was not until Jesus blessed their meal and broke the bread that their eyes were opened to reality of who He really was. They asked Him a few questions and Jesus talked to them. Can you imagine what that must have been like?

This reminds us that prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue. When we have a little talk with Jesus, we need to be quiet and let Him do at least some of the talking, otherwise we are talking to Jesus and not with Him, like those disciples on the road to Emmaus. Take a few moments and try that right now. Have a little talk with Jesus.

A Little Talk With Jesus Makes It Right

Those disciples on the road were sad. They were talking as they walked along about all that had happened surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus entered into that conversation with them. That little talk with Jesus had a remarkable impact on them.

Peace Coming Like the Dawn

Though these words come from a different encounter, this is effectively what He was saying to them. It is effectively what He wants to say to all of us as we face troubles of many kinds. As you read them, know that Jesus is speaking them directly to You right now. Let them begin to give you a different perspective on all the things in your life are are going wrong.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV

Let peace begin to settle your mind. What are the tribulations that you facing? Talk with Jesus about them. Ask Him to cause His peace to well up within you. As it does, trust Him to cause a new day to dawn as He begins to make things right.

Jesus, thank You that I can talk with You. When I face trouble, help me to talk with You. Light a fire in my soul as the intensity of those prayers increase. Flood my soul with Your peace as I wait on You to make things right. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peaceful Thinking!

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Everyone enjoy this podcast and the transcript below!

Podcast 8.3 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our trouble

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

How do we cast our anxieties, cares and troubles on Jesus? We pray. We have a little talk with Him. What is causing you anxiety today? Take a few moments right now and tell Him all about it, or at least get started.

He will hear our faintest cry, He will answer by and by

Psalm 34:17 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

What an incredible promise! He hears and delivers out of all trouble. But did you catch to whom this incredible promise is made? The righteous. And what makes someone righteous? Rightly responding to Jesus’ offer of grace for deliverance from sin, and then relating rightly to all He has commanded us. Determine to walk in righteousness today.

And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’
And you will know a little fire is burnin’

Luke 24:32 ESV

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”

These words are spoken by the disciples on the Emmaus road when Jesus appeared to them after His resurrection. It reminds us that prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue. When we have a little talk with Jesus, we need to be quiet and let Him do at least some of the talking, otherwise we are talking to Jesus and not with Him. Try that right now.

Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

John 16:33 ESV

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Listening to Jesus gives us peace even in the midst of tribulation. Maybe as you listened above, you began to get a sense of what Jesus is saying to you. If this is a new experience for you, I want to encourage you to open your Bible when you are listening because what Jesus says will always be in line with it. Take heart, and listen again.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our trouble
 He will hear our faintest cry, He will answer by and by
And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’
And you will know a little fire is burnin’
 Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Prayer Wheel Turning - https://pixabay.com/photos/kathmandu-nepal-old-cylinder-3205674/
A Little Fire is Burning - https://pixabay.com/photos/christmas-love-romance-heart-red-2141493/
Peace Coming Like the Dawn - https://pixabay.com/photos/nature-landscape-kaçkars-mountains-3048299/

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I Talk, You Hear

Wednesday Wanderings with Dr. Sherri is a time we set aside to wander in the Presence of Jesus and ponder His truths. When you are ready, prepare your mind, body, and soul to have a transformational conversation with Jesus.

Watch the Wednesday Wanderings Welcome for this week.

Now that we have cleared our minds of the clutter, we can wander on the journey of examining what it means to Have a little talk with Jesus and tell him all about our troubles.

PREPARATION: In our last Wandering we explored Mind Talk. This week we will investigate what we can expect when we tell Jesus about the troubles we battle in our feelings, thoughts, sensations, and memories. When you are ready, you may begin the dialogue of having a little talk with Jesus by stating:

“Jesus, I invite you to help me to wander aimlessly into your Presence where my troubled mind, body, and soul can be transfigured. Illuminate my spiritual senses to encounter you. Prepare me to talk and then to be still and listen.

PROMISE: Jeremiah 29: 12 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear (your voice) and I will listen to you. (Amplified). When we choose to pray to Jesus we can be assured that He will hear us with His heart. Psalm 34:18 promises us that Jesus is near us when we have troubles. When our thoughts, feelings, and actions are troubled, we can have a transformational talk with Jesus.

PSALM: The song writer of Just a Little Talk with Jesus invites us to join him in having a transformational conversation with Jesus.

Chorus:

(Now let us) have a little talk with Jesus
(Let us) tell Him all about our troubles
(He will) hear our fainted cry
(He will) answer by and by
(When you) feel a little prayer wheel turning
(And you) will know a little fire is burnin’
(You will) find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

The songwriter begins the chorus with NOW because he knows that when we are in the midst of trouble, there is an urgency to talk and to be heard. Jesus is an active listener. Jesus listens with his heart. When our heart bellows for help, His heart is actively listening to learn, evaluate and analyze, and to understand our troubles. In response, His love translates our troubled cries, interprets our incommunicable moans, and deciphers our distressed tears.

PARABLE: The songwriter instructs us to have a little talk with Jesus and tell Him all about our troubles because he has been a recipient of the scriptural outcome. Psalm 46:1 promises us that God is our refuge and strength (mighty and impenetrable), A very present and well-proved help in trouble.

We learn from this psalm that there are three immediate benefits we receive when we share our troubles with Jesus.

  1. We receive refuge because God is our shelter in distress (Psalm 27:5).
  2. We receive strength because God is our security and power in despair (Psalm 138:3).
  3. We receive help because God is our remedy in difficulty (Psalm 54:4).

When we have a little transformational talk with Jesus, our thoughts that are guided by our feelings are HEARD because Jesus is an empathetic listener. He is attuned to our sound, our feelings, and our emotions. Jesus is a responsive listener. Not only does Jesus detect the faintest whisper, discern the slightest groan, and perceive the softest sigh but He responds and intentionally delivers us from our troubled thoughts, feelings, memories, and sensations (Psalm 34:17). Jesus is a proactive listener. Jesus implements a safety rescue plan. Jeremiah 29:11 affirms that God knows the plans He has for us and that even trouble result in a bright, hopeful, prosperous, and non-harmful future.

Transformational conversations are about t.a.l.k.ing and h.e.a.r.ing. When in prayer we Tell Jesus about our troubles, Acknowledge our sin, he will Listen and guide us, and He will Keep His word. When we cry out, He will Hear and discern our need, with Empathy he will feel our emotions, Answer by responding according to His plan, and Rescue and deliver us from our troubles.

PONDER and WANDER:

In Psalm 116, David declares that because God is an empathetic, attentive, and proactive listener, he will pray as long as he has breath. Are prayer and breathing connected? Yes. Breath is essential to our mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Therefore, it seems natural that it be intentionally included in our wanderings and transformational conversations with Jesus. Breath prayers are a contemplative practice. Normally the practice is done by selecting a scripture and breathing in the first portion of scripture and breathing out with the next, and repeating this pattern over an extended period of time.

Today we will practice breath prayers slightly differently as we accept the invitation to wander with Jesus and ponder what we are in need of right now. For example, I need help in this moment. As I breath in I am visualizing the research article that I need to complete, as I exhale I am crying out to Jesus the word help.

When you are ready, take a moment and breath in and out inviting your spiritual senses to activate. Next, allow the Holy Spirit to help you identify right NOW which promise you need to receive. Do you need refuge? Do you desire strength? Do you want help? After you are aware of what you will focus your attention on today, practice doing a breath prayer. Breath in and as you exhale, say the word that is the focus of your intention several times until you experience the peace of God’s promise.

Continue to practice this breath prayer and to create new breath prayers in the days to come. Know that whatever your trouble, Jesus is waiting to listen, hear, and answer you if you will take the time to Have a Little Talk With Jesus.

PRAYER: Father, thank you that you are our Avenger and will defend those who cry out to you. Help me in the midst of trouble to come to you. I know that You are for me but sometimes my doubts and fears and emotions grab hold of me. Translate and interpret my silent cries and transform them to shouts of praise as I focus on the promise that even trouble MUST work out for my good. In the name of Jesus my Savior I pray, Amen.

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to offer God your gratitude. Let the work of your wandering fill you with hope and the assurance that Jehovah Shammah our Lord will be there listening in your times of trouble.

Then take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

PERSONAL BONUS: If you would like, you may Listen to the three minute prayer as I share my experience with the Resonant 7 Community.

To wander and ponder is a part of my personal life. Wherever I go, I look for opportunities to encounter God. During my visit to Old Jerusalem this spring, I visited the Western Wall a.k.a. the Wailing Wall, and considered to be the most sacred place in the world. Regardless of the beliefs, there is a unified understanding of all who gather at the wall that the prayers they offer will be prayers heard. The prayers of a Christian believer are like a run on sentence that God never grows tired of hearing. We can pick up the conversation at any time.

 

 

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Talking to One with a Much Bigger Perspective

A Little Talk

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our trouble
 He will hear our faintest cry, He will answer by and by
And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’
And you will know a little fire is burnin’
 Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Just a Little Talk with Jesus
By: Cleavant Derricks (1909-1977)

Listen as you read. This is an updated version of this old hymn.

This week we wrap up the talking portion of our walking/talking journey, I hope you will take a little time today to tune your heart, and tomorrow as Dr. Sherri Woods returns with her third Wednesday Wanderings, a different look at the text we will use to tune today. You can be certain of getting it if you are on our list, since it will come directly to your email. If you are not on our list, sign-up today in the box to the right.

Let’s tune our hearts!

A Little Talk with Jesus

We need to learn to bring our bumps and bruises to Jesus. That’s what the image above reminds me. We have a tendency to try to handle things on our own, or rationalize that we should not bother Jesus with the small stuff.

The little boy has a skinned up knee, maybe he fell down. One corner of His mouth is bruised, maybe he said something someone thought he should not. His eye is black and blue, maybe he saw something that got him in trouble. I can relate to the possible causes of his pain, and I am certain you can too.

Some of our trouble we bring on ourselves, and some comes through others. Either way it hurts. You can see he is discouraged, and you know what that feels like.

The dove perched there and the face on the bench remind me that God is near to the brokenhearted, but I am not convinced the boy knows it. How often have we been guilty of not taking advantage of the access we have to God? Like a little child, we can come to our Jesus, and…

Tell Him All About Our Trouble

Tell Him All About Our Trouble

The look on this little boys face could be taken many ways. Maybe he knows He has brought some trouble on Himself. “Dad, there is something I have to tell you.” Maybe someone else is giving Him the trouble. “Dad, someone at school is being mean to me.” Either way, going to his Dad to talk is a great idea.

They will be likely be able to sort out the problem, get to the root cause of it and maybe even figure out a way to deal with it in that one little talk. Maybe they will only be able to begin to plot the course out of the trouble, but even that is better tan dealing with it on his own.

What trouble are you dealing with today? Have you had a little talk with Jesus about it? Have you told Jesus all about it? If so, do you have s sense of what He is saying to you? If not, why not? Either way, take a minute right now before reading any further to have a little talk with Jesus.

He Will Hear our Humble Cry

Though there are many reasons we do not talk to Jesus about our troubles, I have often said one of the most basic reasons is we simply lack the faith that He actually hear us. Even if we have resolved that crucial issue, many wrestle to find rest in a certainty that He cares enough to do anything.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalm 34:17 ESV

That is pretty straightforward. When we cry for help the Lord hears us. Maybe you dismiss this verse because you feel you are not righteous. If you have determined to put your confidence in Christ’s work to make you right with God, the Father does not determine your righteousness based on what you done, but on what Christ has done. Simply resolve to trust Christ, and believe He hears you.

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 ESV

He Will Hear

This Scripture encourages us to tell Him all about our troubles and the anxiety they create as a response to His care for us. Because He cares for us, we should cast our cares on Him. Are you convinced God cares for you? Think about your life, and all the good things. God is the source of all of them. Ask Him to help you accept this foundational truth.

He is reaching out to you even now. Even as you read this. Trace His finger reaching out to you and respond by reaching to Him. He will hear because He cares for you.

He Will Answer

The last part of Psalm 34:17 puts God on the hook to do something. It says He will “deliver them out of all their troubles.” For me this is the hardest of the equation, as if this were a formula at all. But there is a promise element to these words, a stronger element than just a principle at work when God intervenes.

When the righteous cry for help, He will deliver. If you have cried out for help before, trusting in the finished work of Christ to impart His righteousness on you, you may have been left wondering when the deliverance would come. You may have been let waiting for it for a long time. You may still be waiting for it today.

By and By

Our song text contextualizes God’s answer with a copious timeframe. By and by. Not in common usage today, this poetic phrase means simply, “before long” or “eventually”. Those two definitions seem very different, although they are one and the same.

To One who is eternal, before long comes much more quickly than it seems to one bound by time. The song is reminding us that God will answer eventually. The problem with that promise is that it came seem like a long time coming, but that is simply our limited and frankly very small perspective.

He will answer. It may not be until by and by. But He will answer.

Take a few moments and have a little talk with Jesus about the troubles you are experiencing today or this season. Tell Him you are confident He will answer, and ask Him for the patience to wait until the before long or eventually happens. He will hear even your faintest cry because He cares for you.

We will continue to warm our hearts with these truths as we consider our conversations with Jesus on Thursday and subsequent weeks, but be sure to take a few minutes and cultivate that heart to converse with Jesus through the video log and/or transcript below the prayer. The video is available only to our Subscribers, but the transcript is available to everyone. Become a Subscriber today. Simply click here.

Restful Tuning!

Jesus, teach me the value of having little talks with You throughout this day. Help me to practice the discipline of telling You about my troubles, confident You hear me and will answer. Give me the patience to wait until You do. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Below is content available only to Subscribers. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the Subscribers content, click here.

Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone, the transcript below.

Video 8.3 Transcript

Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our trouble
 He will hear our faintest cry, He will answer by and by
And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin’
And you will know a little fire is burnin’
 Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Make little talks with Jesus a habit. Work at just normal conversation. Share your heart, but make sure you spend time listening as well, because God gave you one mouth and two ears for a reason. Ask Jesus to help you grow in your ability to talk with Him.

He hears even our faintest cry, so don’t worry if you are having trouble finding the energy or courage to pray with passion, just let it out. He will answer, it may be soon, or after a little while, but rest knowing His response is coming.

I believe the prayer wheel symbolizes praying without ceasing. That does not mean constant talking, but always praying, and especially when something is burning inside that you just have to share with Jesus. Ask Jesus to stoke that fire.

Though talking with Jesus may not immediately change your circumstances, it can immediately change you. Whether just telling HIm about it, or actually sensing His response, it changes things. Talk to Jesus right now for a few moments right now.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.

Sing

Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
A Little Talk - https://pixabay.com/photos/outdoors-grass-summer-field-sunset-3202494/
Tell Him All About Our Trouble - https://pixabay.com/photos/sad-child-boy-kid-crying-tears-219721/
He Will Hear - https://pixabay.com/photos/michelangelo-abstract-boy-child-71282/
By and By - https://pixabay.com/illustrations/acient-planet-astronomy-astrology-1841699/

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Steered Safely To Heaven’s Shores

Guide Me

When my feeble life is o’er,
 Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
 To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
 By: Anonymous

Listen as you read. This is a really nice gospel instrumental version.

As we established in our Tunings on Tuesday (find it here), we all have an expiration date, yet will also live on beyond time as we know it. When all these moments end, and the rest of eternity begins, we will be just as secure in God’s care as we are today. Let’s think about this.

Guide Me

Having acknowledged out weakness and our mortality, we now turn our attention to God’s direction and sovereignty. We begin with the simple prayer for Him to guide us. This is important because it allows us to admit our need for His help in this most crucial moment, the one when we step beyond time.

Jesus promised in John 14 that He was going to prepare a place for us and would return to take us to be with Him. Thomas spoke what all the disciples where probably thinking.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” John 14:5 ESV

Jesus answered the question with one of the most profound and powerful phrases in Scripture.

“I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” John 14:6 ESV

Jesus is the Way to the Father, and He faithfully leads us through every step of our journey, including that last leg that brings us to our eternal home. Our need for Jesus to guide us will possibly more evident in those moments that every before, but it is no less real for every other moment we will live until then. Prepare yourself to rest in His guiding influence then by practicing it now.

Ask Jesus to teach you how to walk His Way, so you may know the Truth and in it find real life. Then keep your mind open for opportunities to practice it today. They will most assuredly come.

Gently, Safely O’er

Gently, Safely O’er

Let’s begin to develop our understanding of the end of this life and the beginning of the next as another part of our great journey with Jesus. He is our Captain. Imagine you are on a ship. As the sun sets on your life as you know it, like in this image, you will have the opportunity to trust Jesus to guide you through the coming night to a brighter day.

We can face death, which can threaten to swallow us up in its darkness, with a confidence that the One who is Life can lead us through it gently, and safely. Though we do not know exactly what to expect, we can trust that the One who led us the rest of the Way will lead us then as well into the Truth of all He has promised us.

Think of some of the things Jesus has led you safely through. Remember how gentle He was with you, even though the circumstances seemed to want to tear you apart. Decide you can and will trust Him to lead you to the very end of your journey.

To Thy Kingdom Shore

Our destination. The shores of His Heavenly Kingdom. What a beautiful image to create for people well aware they are on a journey! On the other side of the ocean of life is a certain harbor or haven.

I am reminded again of some words shared at my dad’s funeral service. A woman I did not know stood and read poem. It was powerful and gave symbolic expression to exactly what I believe had happened for my father. These are those words, from the poem entitled “Gone from my Sight”.

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze,
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch her until she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: “There! She’s gone!”
Gone where? Gone from my sight – that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side,
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of her destination.
Her diminished size is in me, and not in her.

To Thy Kingdom Shore

And just at the moment
when someone at my side says: “There! She’s gone!”
there are other eyes that are watching for her coming;
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout:
“There she comes!”

What a powerful illustration! This picture captures some sense of that. Jesus led my dad, gently, safely over to that kingdom shore. Jesus will lead each of us gently, safely over to that same shore.

Are you trusting Jesus for that last final part of your journey? Is there anything that is keeping you from trusting Him completely? Tell Jesus you will trust Him to lead you all the way to His Kingdom shore.

To Thy Shore

To Thy Shore

So have you even imagined what your arrival there will be like? Who will greet you? What you will see? When we arrive there we will be just as real and alive as we are now, and so will that place be as the place where you are reading this.

This idea of a shore is helpful because it makes a place that seems almost too good to be true just a bit easier to fathom, though I am certain in its grandeur it is truly unfathomable. I have remarked for years that if God made all we see in 6 days, but it has taken Jesus 2,000 years to “prepare a place for” us, then how much better must that place be than even the grandest vistas this creation affords. Even if shores are not your favorite places to find rest and rejuvenate, I am certain you will love that one.

Jesus, thank You for the confidence Your care in the past gives us as we face otherwise uncertain futures, including our own demise, of the demise of those we love. Teach us to trust Your guidance, knowing it is gentle and safe, like You. Take us at the end of our days to that Kingdom shore. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Careful Thinking!

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Podcast 7.3 Transcript

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.

When my feeble life is o’er,

1 Corinthians 15:53 ESV

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

There will be an end to this life. The songwriter says feeble, the Scripture says perishable and mortal, all three make clear it will not last forever. Though painful, this is an important reality to acknowledge because it forces us to deal with our mortality. Thank Jesus for the courage to face death.

Time for me will be no more;

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Time versus eternity. We are so constrained to the construct of time that it is difficult for us to even fathom what eternity is. He put it in our hearts, yet we still can not truly understand it. Ask the Holy Spirit to deepen your understanding of forever.

Guide me gently, safely o’er

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate us from His love, not even death. That hope gives us the courage to trust that He will gently, safely take us to our eternal home with Him. Give Him praise!

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Hebrews 12:28 ESV

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

An eternal kingdom awaits us. Like the passengers on a ship, our Captain will get us to our final destination, no matter what storms may come.. We will arrive there safely as certainly as we can leave here peacefully. Thank the Father for all that awaits us beyond this life.

Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.

When my feeble life is o’er,
 Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
 To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Guide Me - https://pixabay.com/illustrations/navigation-points-of-the-compass-272178/
Gently, Safely O’er - https://pixabay.com/photos/mast-rigging-ship-sailboat-983904/
To Thy Kingdom Shore - https://pixabay.com/photos/sail-sunset-sea-water-ocean-3585674/
To Thy Shore - https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-sky-water-waves-ocean-sea-2575958/

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