Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and nature sing
And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing

Joy to the World 1719
By: Isaac Watts (1674 – 1748)

Listen to this modern acapella version of this carol as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we begin our journey through this carol in which we call the whole earth to worship, let’s make certain we are diligent about doing that as well. Let’s think about this.

Every Heart Prepare Him Room

No room in the inn. Jerusalem was crowded because of the census so it makes sense on one level. But to think that the King of Kings had no place to rest His head other than a manger seems inconceivable.

Of course, part of the plan of the Father was to demonstrate that He was willing to go to extreme measures to show us He had made a way for His presence to come to all, even those of the humblest, lowest state. That is good news for us because we all come to that very place, the end of ourselves, before we are in a position to make the room necessary for Him to enter. Even still that entrance must not be the only time we make room.

We must continue to make room for Him. It requires a conscious effort because there are so many things that compete with that affection. We make room in our hearts for Him, and then we must keep making room.

Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 ESV

No room in the inn meant the King slept in a manger. No room for Him in our lives means we are the ones not finding the rest He has made available. How will you make room in this busy season to welcome Jesus into your heart? It will require some space, and some time.

Welcoming a King with a parade or banquet is common. Welcoming a King by yielding your entire life including eternity is not. This is however exactly how our King must be received, offering Him not just room in our heart, but its throne. Our heart must become His throne room.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments think about what might be crowding Jesus from His rightful place in Your heart. Determine to make the room for Him to demonstrate He is indeed your King. Make this your simple prayer “Jesus, make my heart Your throne.” 

Heaven and Nature Sing

There is coming a day when the heavens, the earth, the sea, the field and even all the trees of the forest will offer praise. It is hard to imagine what that will be like, and exactly what our place will be in that. All the more reason why we should practice now every chance we get so when those moments come we will be ready.

And heav’n and heav’n and nature sing

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:11-12 ESV

Heaven and nature will be certain to sing, rejoice, roar, and exult. Will you join in, participating in the praise, or will you be found simply spectating instead? We offer a call to worship when we sing the carol, but make sure you are continuing the praise through the season, and beyond.

When our heart becomes His throne room, joining all heaven and nature singing His praises becomes the only appropriate response, and one we long to do. Do you love to sing to your King? If not, ask the Spirit to reveal why. Maybe there is an issue in the throne room.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and consider how you will sing. Of course, part of that is in this season, but even that song can be empowered with that thought that one day you will be a part of the symphony of creation in praise to the Lord. Is there anything keeping you from offering that worship now? Ask Him, “Spirit, is there an issue in my throne room?”

Jesus, thank You for reminding me that I need to make room for You and offer my praise to You. Both require awareness and diligence. Help me through this season and beyond to practice these disciplines. In Jesus name. Amen.

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Image Attribution
All I Have Needed Thy Hand Hath Provided – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-hand-resurrection-4676641/
Great Is Thy Faithfuness Lord Unto Me – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-hand-together-prayer-5216585/

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning
New mercies I see
All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (1923)
By: Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960)

Listen to this version in a gospel style as you prepare to ponder this hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We conclude our journey through this popular hymn which declares the faithfulness of our God, true in every season, experienced by hearts of faith. Let’s think about this.

From God

How much better off would we be if we would look to God’s hand more often and trust His provision? On a day that will long live in the memories of a nation that desperately needs some peace I would offer we will only find it as we each look to His hand, and then work to become expressions of the same. Lord have mercy on us!

That hand.

It reminds me that God is a person. A person with a body. A body which bears scars that make available everything I need.

He is my portion and my provision. He is everything I need. He provides everything I need.

What do you need today? Think of it personally. There are likely things no one else knows you need, and even things you do not know you need. How personal is that? God wants to and does provide everything you need, even the things you do not even realize you need.

All I have needed
Thy hand hath provided

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:24 ESV

When we look to the Lord as our portion we find that He provides everything we need. We often realize this only after striving too long to attempt to provide for ourselves. Determine today to look to the Lord and find your hope squarely in Him and His complete provision for you.

There are many things we want and God does not provide all those. There are far fewer things we need and He does provide every one of those, which is and of itself a demonstration of His great faithfulness. Thank Him for providing all we need, and then some.

RESONATE!
As you determine to look to the Lord, how will you practice that? How will you find your hope in Him? It really is a determination that is aided by discipline. When you realize you need something, ask Him how to trust Him to provide even as you do your part. This working and waiting balance is essential to the life of faith. Part of that working is thanking Him in advance for how He has provided before and will provide in the future. Thank Him for providing all you need.

To Me

His hand is reaching out to provide for me, and I must open my hand to receive it. There is a mutual willingness on each end to do their part. God is certainly will to provide, but we must be willing to receive.

How has God positioned you to be ready to receive today? Make no mistake if you are reading this He has orchestrated some circumstance to give you the opportunity to trust His provision, and even be overwhelmed by His personal provision for you.

He wants to give you the opportunity to say and sing this final line, but creating that willingness and awareness may rove a bit uncomfortable. Even still, it will be worth it. Often our most valuable lessons feel costly at the time, but looking back are worth every bit of anguish they illicit. Trust that God is giving you a testimony of His faithfulness, and open your hand to receive it. I know I am.

Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto me

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25 ESV

Waiting. It is never easy. Seeking the Lord can be arduous endeavor as well, but oh the goodness that is ready to be unleashed on the soul who does.

His faithfulness is personal. He not only does all these remarkable things for the souls of all who look to Him, but He does so in unique ways for each one.

RESONATE!
Think of specific ways He has been faithful to you, some of which not one other person may even know. Trust that He will continue to be faithful. Decide today that every day in 2023 will be marked in some way by your soul actively seeking and waiting on God.

Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. Help me open my heart and my hands to receive all you have in store for me. I will gladly earn the right to declare Your personal provision for me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Image Attribution
All I Have Needed Thy Hand Hath Provided – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-hand-resurrection-4676641/
Great Is Thy Faithfuness Lord Unto Me – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-hand-together-prayer-5216585/

Summer and winter
And springtime and harvest
Sun moon and stars
In their courses above
Join with all nature
In manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness
Mercy and love 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness (1923)
By: Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960)

Listen to this version in a gospel style as you prepare to ponder this hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

We begin our journey through this popular hymn which declares the faithfulness of our God, true in every season, experienced by hearts of faith. Let’s think about this.

Many and Various

So what part will you play in the great drama of worship that is unfolding across all creation?

In the opening portion of this stanza the writer lists cyclical seasons and celestial spheres as some of the things that bear witness to God’s faithfulness. Then he continues by expanding on that list with the many and various different witnesses that nature as a whole offers in praise of God. What a beautiful explanation of the activity of creation as a response to and declaration of the faithfulness of God.

Join with all nature
In manifold witness

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24 ESV

Not only do seasons and stars declare His glory, but also all nature. Every created thing proclaims the handiwork of God, in many and various ways. You are a part of that creation, so these lines also become an invitation and even an exhortation for you to find your place in the praise.

Maybe you are not a singer or an instrumentalist. Maybe you can not preach a sermon. Maybe you falter when you try to read or pray publicly. No matter. Those are just some of the expressions of worship of the church gathered. There are many more that allow the church dispersed to declare God’s faithfulness.

What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? How might you be able to use that skill, gift, or talent in a way that blesses others and points them to God?

The seasons cycle along and reveal God’s glory. The stars shine and planets spin to the same end. Birds sings, and oceans roar. Tress grow and plants produce. You are not they, so their role is not yours. What part were you made to play? What were you made to do?

RESONATE!
Your life is a part of the witness of God’s creation. You have your own role to play in declaring God’s faithfulness on whatever stage He has given you. He has equipped you with everything you need to do, though you may need to develop it to use it well. Determine right now how you will exercise that opportunity to enter into the praise today. You are a unique expression of that witness. How will you exercise that privilege today? Ask Jesus to help you.Jesus, please show me how to join all nature and use my life as a witness.

For God’s Glory and Others Good

All these different, beautiful expressions of praise to God for His faithfulness come together in a grand crescendo for those who have ears to hear. Yet to some the silence is deafening. Many might walk through the forest and not hear what the trees and the leaves are bearing witness to: God’s faithfulness and mercy. How many fail to see the love in the center of it all?

This should challenge us to find the words and ways to reflect the reality of God to everyone around us. Not all will stop to consider our claims, but some will. And when they do, they will have the opportunity to discover the wonderful invitation to join the worship and find their place in the praise.

To Thy great faithfulness
Mercy and love 

To him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; Psalm 136:5 ESV

His love is steadfast. His mercy is unmerited. His faithfulness is great. This final phrase is a short litany of why we should give thanks to the Lord for His goodness. All around there are constant expressions of these truths but we often fail to recognize them, which leaves us incapable of declaring them.

RESONATE!
As you consider how you will join the worship today and invite others to do the same, take a moment to consider a few of the many reasons why you should. That consideration should provide you with ample inspiration. Ask the Father to help you see them all around you today, then find your place in the praise.

Father, thank You for using all of creation, including me, to put your faithfulness, mercy and love on display for all to see. Help me find my part in the great drama of worship today and may someone find some encouragement in how I live it out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Join with All Nature in Manifold Witness – https://pixabay.com/photos/autumn-landscape-nature-golden-219972/
To Thy Great Faithfulness, Mercy and Love – https://pixabay.com/photos/heart-sweetheart-leaf-autumn-maple-1776746/

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life in death O Lord abide with me

Abide with Me 1847
By: Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)

Listen to this lovely version of this hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below. 

Below is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you Be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!! We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we conclude our journey through this hymn which encourages us to be amazed at God’s love for us prepare to respond and give Him praise. Let’s think about this.

Morning

Morning brings with it the promise of fresh beginnings, starting over, another chance to get things right. Morning also points us to an even greater dawning, the one where the darkness and troubles of this age come to their end in the eternal light of Jesus Christ. The longing for that day gives us hope to face the challenges of this life, even as it gives us a reason to long for more.

What are the shadows in your life? What are you waiting for heaven’s morning to chase away? In the light of that morning all the shadows that have plagued us here will effectively evaporate. Until then though they cast a darkness over our lives. Look to heaven and the coming light of that day.

Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 2 Peter 1:19 ESV

We long for the day when Heaven’s morning breaks chasing away earth’s vain shadows. Until then we immerse ourselves in His word which in some ways is His presence to us, shining light in dark places. What shadows need chased away in your life today? Look to Jesus.

That upward gaze helps us to anticipate the dawning of Heaven’s morning and see through the fleeting vanity of the shadows of earth. We must cultivate this upward gaze. Is there anything that is discouraging yours? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you lift your eyes.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about the shadows in your life. Now think of the light that is coming, and is available even now in Christ. We make His presence applicable as it becomes real through His word. Pray the simple prayer, “Spirit, help me lift my eyes.“

Abiding

We long for the abiding presence of Jesus that will be ours in heaven. The awareness of His nearness then will be so clear. He is just as present with us now, but in some different mystical sense that is more elusive.

Honoring Him there will not be a problem because sin and the grave will be dealt with completely. Even still, we long to honor Him here and now. It takes perseverance and courage but He will supply it if we will simply ask.

In life in death O Lord abide with me

As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 ESV

The next verse continues, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Whether living or dying our ambition must be to honor Christ in our bodies. We can only do this as we cultivate an ever-increasing awareness of His presence in our lives. How will you do that today?

Certainly we need God to abide with us in life because that is when we develop the confidence that He will also be with us in death. Do you need help developing that? Ask God to help you abide with Him now by learning to live in His presence moment by moment.

RESONATE!

Take a few moments and thank God for His presence. It is what makes the difference in every circumstance and assists us to honor Him in every moment. Pray this simple prayer, “God, help me abide with You moment by moment.“

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Heavn’s morning breaks – https://pixabay.com/photos/mountains-sunrise-morning-travel-6073948/
In life in death – https://pixabay.com/photos/autumn-cemetery-cross-death-fall-2182010/

I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight and tears no bitterness
Where is death’s sting where grave thy victory
I triumph still if Thou abide with me

Abide with Me 1847
By: Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)

Listen to this lovely version of this hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below. 

Below is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you Be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!! We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today!!

Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below!  It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.

Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.

As we continue our journey through this hymn which encourages us to be amazed at God’s love for us prepare to respond and give Him praise. Let’s think about this.

Tombstones

As we near the end of October each year tombstones become a normal sight as decorations for the season of Halloween. Even with this common symbol of death and the grave most people give little if any thought of how to prepare for their eventualities. There is a tombstone, or at least a grave, in each of our futures unless Jesus returns first.

Not only have we considered death and the grave, but we have overcome them in Christ. When we choose to abide in Him, to find our hope beyond the grave in Jesus alone, the sting and victory death evaporates like the mist over the graveyard in the morning light. The gravestone did not mark the end for Jesus, and our tombstones will not mark our end either, but simply serve as a placeholder until we rise again like Jesus.

Where is death’s sting where grave thy victory

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

These are incredible rhetorical questions. Only the presence and power of God gives us any confidence when facing the end of life and the grave itself. Death may seem victorious, but in light of the resurrection it is not. We overcome, even in death, if we abide with God.

The Holy Spirit allows us to see beyond the painful sting of death and the fleeting victory of the grave as He reveals to us the breathless wonder of the resurrection. Though we may even die, we will live again as the Breath of God breathes life into our souls. Thank Him for that.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about what your tombstone may look like. Unless Christ returns first, we will each have a grave, but that will not be the end. Pray the simple prayer, “Spirit, thank You for life.“

Triumph

In order to experience the joy of victory, a runner must endure agony of training. No one just shows up and wins the race. We prepare for our ultimate victory by enduring many things along our journey, culminating in the end of our temporal lives. That is not the ultimate end for us though because we have an eternal glory that is ours in Christ.

In Christ.

That is the key. We will triumph, even in death, if we are in Christ. If you have been called endure your suffering knowing it will last only a little while compared with the  eternity of victorious bliss that awaits you in Christ.

I triumph still if Thou abide with me

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV

And we will suffer. We all have and do. Yet we have this confidence. The God of all grace who has called us to His eternal glory will transform all those apparent set-backs into set-ups as He turns us into conquerors. Rest in Him to restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us, Romans 8:37. There is no better expression of that love than giving us the presence that allows us to overcome all things, even death. This is the ultimate, eternal victory. Give praise to Jesus for His overcoming presence.

RESONATE!

Take a few moments and thank God you are more than a conqueror. We are able to conquer because we are loved and welcomed into His presence. Pray this simple prayer, “Jesus, I praise You for Your overcoming presence.“

Are these thoughts helping you to develop greater spiritual awareness?  Sign-up in the form to the right above to get updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Image Attributions
Where grave Thy victory? – https://pixabay.com/vectors/tombstones-cross-graveyard-cemetery-151263/
I triumph still if… – https://pixabay.com/vectors/triumph-victory-win-conquest-3169602/