Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)
By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone.  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 complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

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

We conclude our journey of resonance through this great hymn this week.  The Lord of heaven is the crown we consider this week.  We will offer eternal praise for His sacrifice for our souls.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Crown Him

And here is the greatest crown of them all.  The Lord of heaven!  He is the Lord God Almighty, eternally one with the Father on high.  He rules and reigns over all, the Lamb, the Lord of love and life!  For all eternity we will give Him praise for His obedience to the Father’s will.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! One with the Father known,

Jesus is the Lord of heaven. Undoubtedly that brings great joy to the Father and to Jesus as well. Having the authority to lay down HIs life and take it up again, He did just that, according to His Father’s plan.

Two things of note in this opening line of our closing stanza.  First, He is one with the Father, the first mystery of the Trinity. Second, He is known with the Father.  Though they are distinct in person they are known connected, as with Jesus teaching here.

My Father…is greater than all…I and the Father are one.” John 10:29a, 30 ESV

Aren’t you glad that Jesus has made the Father known to us? Can you imagine an eternity without this knowledge? Separated from the presence and love of our Creator? Thanks to Jesus, the Lord of heaven, you do not have to.

RESONATE!
Give Him praise that we can know Him! Jesus makes the Father’s love known to us, and our perfection in Him known to the Father. Take a moment to consider the privilege of knowing God. Can you remember when you did not know Him? Either way, thank Him for the privilege of knowing Him now as Lord of your life, and forever as the Lord of heaven. 

The Spirit, Through Him Given

One with the Spirit through Him giv’n From yonder glorious throne,

Here is the second mystery of the Trinity. Jesus is also one with the Spirit Whom He promised to send and did send to be our Comforter, Counselor and Keeper. He also promised the Spirit would be the Living Water to quench the spiritual thirst of all who believe. That same Spirit flows from the throne of God on high and is God.

Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39 ESV

And glorified He was. He is the Lord of heaven, and has given us the Spirit.

There is something mysterious about the fact that Jesus could not send the Spirit until He was glorified, but that is more than we can ponder here. We must simply thank Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit once He was glorified.

RESONATE!
Take a moment and try to imagine Jesus glorified and the Holy Spirit flowing from that heavenly throne.  Is there anything in your life today that would impair your ability to welcome the flow of the Holy Spirit? Quiet yourself for a moment and ask God to reveal any thought, word or deed that may be blocking that flow.  Cry out for forgiveness to the One seated on the throne and ask Him to give you the Spirit that you may find your soul quenched in His cleansing and powerful flow.

Jesus, thank You for becoming the Lord of heaven, one with the Father and the Spirit. We have been made right with Father and know the power of the Spirit because of Your work.  We humble ourselves before You again today as we crown You with many crowns. In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Reverent Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 38.4 Transcript (16.4 Reframed)

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.

Crown Him the Lord of heav’n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit through Him giv’n
From yonder glorious throne,
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died;
Be Thou, O Lord, through endless days
Adored and magnified.

And here is the greatest crown of them all.  The Lord of heaven!  He is the Lord God Almighty, eternally one with the Father on high.  He rules and reigns over all, the Lamb, the Lord of love and life!  Give Him praise for His obedience to the Father’s will.

Jesus, I praise You for obeying the Father.

He is also one with the Spirit Whom He promised to send and did send to be our Comforter, Counselor and Keeper.  That same Spirit flows from the throne of God on high and is God.  Give thanks to Jesus for sending us the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, I thank You for sending us the Holy Spirit.

We praise him eternally for dying for our sins.  We could and will praise Him for so much more across the span of forever, but our salvation is the foundation that allows us to offer our first praise and enables an eternity of the same.  Give Him praise now, and forever!

Jesus, thank You for enabling my eternal praise.

We adore Him now.  And we will always adore Him.  We magnify Him, not making Him any larger, but seeing ever more clearly the magnitude of His might.  Ask Him to empower Your praise today, and every day, for the rest of eternity.

Jesus, empower my praise 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.

The post When does One + One + One = ONE? appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Lord of Heaven – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/447545281701944841/
Yonder Glorious Throne – https://www.pinterest.at/pin/534872893217182133/

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available to Subscribers, sometimes to Free Members, and occasionally to everyone.  Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library? Click here.  Or check out some other samples at our Free Member Content Library.  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.

We continue our journey crowning Jesus the Lord of love. In the first half of this stanza, we considered the fact that Jesus still bears the wounds from the crucifixion.  In this second half, we ponder the weight of that glorious mystery which causes all the angels to bend their eyes downward.

Angels Overwhelmed

No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,

Scriptures seems to indicate there are a few distinctions among angels.  In Isaiah 6 we find the seraphim.  Ezekiel 10 describes the cherubim. I Thessalonians 4 foretells the call of the archangel. And then of course you have your ordinary angels which are most often referenced like here.

I heard…the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain…” Revelation 5:11-12a ESV

Though our words say “No angel” and most often this would evoke the idea that not one of the angels could bear the sight, it is interesting to also consider the fact that no kinds or types of angels could.  Though not even the most important thought it remains an interesting one.

All that said, so great is the sight that no angel can fully bear it.  Like the image above, maybe they covered their eyes with their hands, or the seraphim from Isaiah 6, on set of wings, or simply looked down, none of them could fully bear the sight.

What sight? The sight of the Lamb that was slain.  Jesus still bearing the wounds He took to purchase our redemption.  That is a truly remarkable thought. It fills the angels with wonder.  They existed eternally in the glory of God, but could not even take in the this mystery.

RESONATE!
If these heavenly beings can not take in this sight, imagine what our reaction will be like. We will have just arrived at our glorious eternal home and we set our eyes on the One who died to declare His love for us. Though there are times when that love amazes us now, that will certainly be true when we finally see Him face-to-face.  How do you imagine you will respond in that moment? Take a minute to ponder that heavenly seen and how you might respond.

Mysteries Bright

They is no doubt what the mystery is.  It is the display of love that our Savior will bear eternally.  The mystery is simply that He would love us that much.

But downward bends His wond’ring eye At mysteries so bright.

Bright mysteries. Seems like a contradiction as mysteries tend to be shrouded in darkness and mist, but not so with these wounds.  Angels bend their eyes downward in wonder, and we may as well, but all the same we look forward to crowning Him the Lord of love eternally with heartfelt praise.

That nail-scarred hand.  What an incredible symbol of love! I like this image because it acknowledges the pain, but fills it with the brightness of His glory and helps me to understand in a miniscule way the wonder of the angels.

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isaiah 6:2 ESV

RESONATE!
So what ideas come to mind as you imagine the flight of the seraphim? Does the thought of it fill you with wonder? Take a few moments and consider what leaves the angels looking down, and ask Him to fill you with wonder.  Then approach the Lord of love with wonder as often as His scars come to mind throughout this day.

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
No Angel…Can Fully Bear that Sight – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258253359870905142/
Mysteries So Bright – https://www.freeimages.com/search/nail-scarred-hand

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone.  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 complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

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

We continue our journey of resonance on this side of Easter considering His wounds this week.  Though we will be spotless eternally, He will bear the scars that will serve to remind us of the price He paid.  May those remembrances inform our praise now and eternally.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Believing

If we are going to crown Him the Lord of love, we must be willing to consider the wounds He bore to accomplish the work that entitles Him to the crown.  Jesus taught that there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for your friends [John 15:13], then He did just that.  Jesus is the Lord of love, and we will crown Him as such in our Tunings today, and, Lord wiling, our lives eternally.

Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side—

The wounds He bore are now scars.  They are healed but not removed.  This is clear from His encounters after His resurrection with His disciples, like this one.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27 ESV

When Jesus appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, He obviously still had the crucifixion wounds.  Thomas was not there during that first visit, so He did not believe. For this reason Thomas gets a bad wrap, often referred to as Doubting Thomas, but truth be told, how often have each of us failed to believe on someone else’s testimony. It is not until we have our own encounter with the living Christ that we believe.

Jesus does not judge Thomas, but instead shows up to Him.  When Jesus appeared again He offered Thomas the opportunity to believe. And He did.  For that reason, for the rest of his life and eternity I believe He has the right to called Believing Thomas.  Wouldn’t you prefer to be remembered for the times you believed rather than when you doubted?

RESONATE!
We find ourselves again on this side of the resurrection account.  We have once again considered the claims of Christ and found them to be worthy of believing.  What will you do today to allow your faith to be put on display? Jesus still bears those scars for you.  How will you bear His name today? It may look different for each of us, but I pray it has the similar quality of belief.  Take a few moments and ask Jesus to show you how to put your faith in His finished work on display today.

Glorified

Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified.

What an interesting way to describe wounds, rich.  Oh, but they are.  They are the wounds that purchased our redemption, and He will bear them eternally.

It is hard for us to imagine what wounds must look in glory, especially since He will be the only One who has any. He will not be nailed to a cross, but will still bear those wounds.  He will not be a lamb slain and lying across an altar, but He will bear some resemblance to one.

It is difficult to conceive what John is attempting to describe when said this.

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…Revelation 5:6a ESV

Jesus, the Lamb of God, is described as appearing as though He/It had been slain.  Though it is not clear why, obviously something about His appearance evokes this description leading us to believe His wounds are still visible. Why do you think that is?  

Why is it that His wounds will still be visible, albeit glorified, eternally? I suppose it is for two reasons. First, to remind us of His sacrifice of love. Second, to evoke a continual, eternal response of worship.

How kind of Jesus not only to suffer those wounds, but to bear them eternally for the glory of God and our good. You will praise Him then, but why not put in some practice today.  Praise the Lamb that was slain for bearing the wounds that brought you life.

RESONATE!
Take a moment and try to imagine that scene before the throne.  Close your eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a sense of what John describes.  See the Lamb that was slain and His wounds for you. Give Him praise!

Jesus, thank You for offering the perfect sacrifice so that I could be redeemed. Your love for me is greater than I can fathom.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to remember and give you praise with my life today, and around Your throne on another day.  Hallelujah!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Reflective Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 38.3 Transcript (16.3 Reframed)

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.

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His wond’ring eye
At mysteries so bright.

The second crown we bestow on Jesus is the One He earned when He sacrificed His life to purchase our redemption.  It was the greatest act of love in history.  As we look to Him we see the marks of the crucifixion.  May that vision ever move us to tears, and praise!

Jesus, move my eyes to tears.

Yes, He will forever bear those wounds, and when we see them we will always be reminded of His love for us.  Somehow they are still visible, but glorified.   Imagine what that must be like.  He chooses to retain the reminder of His suffering for us.  Thank Jesus for those wounds.

Jesus, I thank You for Your wounds.

Angels who have forever circled the throne and eternally lifted their praise to the Lord God Almighty can not fully bear the sight of His glorified wounds.  They cover their eyes with two wings, but still they can not take it in.  Ponder what that sight must be like?

Spirit, help me ponder what the angels see.

Bright mysteries. Seems like a contradiction as mysteries tend to be shrouded in darkness and mist, but not so with these wounds.  Angels bend their eyes downward in wonder, and we may as well, but we look forward to crowning Him the Lord of love eternally with heartfelt praise.

Jesus, I crown You the Lord of love!

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.

The post Remembering His Rich Wounds REPOST appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Behold His Hands – https://downloadwallpaper.org/pt/passion-of-the-christ-wallpaper-2/2/
The Lamb That Was Slain – https://psalmistpetegardner.com/2019/09/25/the-glory-of-the-lamb

Crown Him the Lord of life!
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
Who rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone.  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 complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

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

We continue our journey of resonance on this side of Easter considering this week His wounds.  Though we will be spotless eternally, He will bear the scars that will serve to remind us of the price He paid.  May those remembrances inform our praise now and eternally.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Lord of Life

Crown Him the Lord of life! Who triumphed o’er the grave,

Jesus earned the right to be crowned the Lord of life, because He overcame death by laying down His life and then taking it up again.  The stone was rolled away, and the tomb is empty.  Turns out He only needed to borrow it!  Who borrows a tomb? The Lord of life.

My father died on March 23 of 2019.  Recently, I visited his gravesite with my mom where his tombstone had been placed not long before.  It was a sobering reminder of the reality of death, as I reflected on the last time I had stood in that place during his committal service.

My father’s remains are still in the ground there, waiting to rise at Jesus command as clearly stated in I Thessalonians 4:16. Jesus has the authority to call my father and all the others who are dead in Christ out from their graves.  He has that authority because He is the Lord of life, and can extend life as He wishes.  He is the Lord of life because He died, but is alive forevermore!

…I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.  Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV

Have you placed your faith in the Lord of life? There is no need to fear death if you have, because He holds those keys in His powerful hands. Affirm your trust in Him today and His authority over death.

RESONATE!
Tell Jesus you are resting in Him, and that He is Lord of your life. Maybe someone has come to mind who does not yet know Him in this way.  Pray for them that they may come to see Jesus as the Lord of life, and surrender theirs to Him, then purpose to walk before them and everyone else in a way that reveals the authority of Jesus in your life.

Victorious in Strife

I would definitely call death strife.  All of us face some strife from time to time, but few of us to the extent Jesus did, and even fewer find it costing us our lives.  To be clear, strife is angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues.

When it came to the religious leaders, strife describes perfectly what Jesus was facing.  It was those religious leaders who plotted and carried out Jesus being handed over to the Romans, and ultimately made certain He was crucified.  Strife, indeed.

But He rose victorious.  Not only over the interpersonal strife, but also that which He faced concerning Death.  You see Death does not normally release its captives, but it had no choice with Jesus.

Who rose victorious in the strife For those He came to save.

He walked out of the tomb on His own, even though He had been carried in. Why? Because He had come to save us, and He could not do that if He were still lying on His back.  So He got up and walked out.

Because He did, we can have confidence we will do the same.  Like my father, it may be some time before He calls us out, but that should not stop us from giving thanks to God for the victory He has given us in Christ. So whatever strife you may face, be it interpersonal or ultimately death, know you can face it victoriously with Jesus.

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV

RESONATE!
So how will you give thanks to God today.  Will you pray? Will you sing? What other creative forms might that take? Whatever you do, make certain that today, and everyday, you walk in this victory because of His victory. The resurrected Christ is resurrecting you, and it is only a matter of time before that work is complete!

Jesus, thank You for Your triumph over the grave.  Thank You for facing the strife and rising above it.  Your victory clears the path for me to be able to walk in triumph every day.  Forgive me for the days I do not, and give me strength today to make it one where my life is filled with thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Thankful Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Like what you’re finding here?  Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.

Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.

Video 16.2 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.

Crown Him the Lord of life!
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
Who rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing,
Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

This is the crown upon which all our hopes hang.  If it were not for the resurrection, we are to be pitied, for our hope is in vain.  But thanks be to God, it is not.  He only borrowed that tomb. Jesus is the Lord of life!  The grave could not keep HIm from rising again.  Hallelujah!

Jesus, I praise You for Your resurrection.

His victory over sin, death and the grave makes Him the firstborn from among the dead and we too like Him shall rise.  He came to seek and save the lost and He did just that.  Thank Jesus that you are among those who have accepted the gift of life He freely offers to all!

Jesus, thank You for the gift of life.

We crown Him the Lord of Life with our praise.  We sing the glories of our Resurrected King, who is resurrecting us.  He died, but then He rose again, and rose on high.  He is seated at the right hand of the Father.  Give Him praise! Lift your voice and sing!

Jesus, help me lift my voice to sing Your praise.

Wow!  He lives that death may die.  What a powerful line! He died to bring eternal life, and He lives to defeat death.  This is Jesus.  Our King and the Lord of life.  Crown Him with your worship, with your living, now and forevermore.

Jesus, I crown You with my life.

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.

The post The Lord of Life Showed Us How to Face Strife REPOST appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Triumphed Over the Grave – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-god-bible-gospel-3279901/
Rose Victorious – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/jesus-christ-god-holy-spirit-4779543/

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul and sing
Of Him Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

Crown Him with Many Crowns (1852)

By: Matthew Bridges, v. 3 by Godfrey Thring, pub.1874

Listen to this modern arrangement as you prepare to ponder this old hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone.  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 complete Subscribers content, click here.

Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.

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

We begin our journey to the old rugged cross this week as we consider this heavenly anthem.  Will you commit to offer al that you are to sing and live this great anthem of praise? Let’s tune our hearts.

Crown Jesus

Let us be clear from these opening words.  The Him we are referring to here is Jesus.  Unequivocally Jesus!  Only ever Jesus.

Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne;

If you have come to know Jesus, this seems like a very reasonable thing to do, not only in the throne room of heaven, but here on earth as well.  In our praises, in our thoughts, in our convictions, to esteem or laud Him above all others. Most believers would offer a hearty “Amen!”

Consider any number of the accounts of who He is in the Scriptures, even just the book of Revelation.  The Lamb upon His Throne [Revelation 7:17]. The Alpha and the Omega [Revelation 22:13]. The faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and he ruler of the kings of earth [Revelation 1:5]. Consider how He is described in the this passage.

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. Revelation 19:12 ESV

The larger context of this passage describes Jesus, called Faithful and True and The Word if God, riding His white Horse.  This is the One we are admonishing one another to crown.  Before we do that, though, we must be willing to do it ourselves.  But it is sometimes not as easy as it may seem when reading these passages.  Let us provide a little context.

You watch the news.  You see the realities of this pandemic broadcast near and far.  Most of the stories told create a bleak picture.  You have a conversation with family members, maybe through Zoom or some other forum, and they are visibly worried and shaken by the startling realties of  COVID-19.  

Now, crown Him with many crowns. Before you exhort them to do so, you must have made the choice to do so yourself.  Ready?

RESONATE!
If you have clicked through to this post, watched the video, or at least read this far, I am certain you are ready to crown Him.  I applaud you for that commitment.  You can not do it in your own strength, but here is the good news, you do not have to.  Ask the One, whose eyes are like a flame of fire, to help you, and do so with the confidence that He will.  He wants you to welcome others into crowning Him King of the corona virus and EVERYTHING else, and He will certainly help you to crown Him King of your own life on a continuing basis if you simply ask.  “Jesus, help me crown You King of my life!”

But First, Listen

Yes, listen.  That is what “hark” means.  What a great example of a word from our hymns that we do not readily use today, which has a clear and compelling meaning and usage.

You probably are most familiar singing this word in the Christmas carol, “Hark! The Hearld Angels Sing”.  Interesting to note, both in that title and in this line, “hark” is followed by an exclamation point!  Listen!

Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns All music but its own!

How often do we fail to do that, though?  We sing that word, and then do not do it.  I like to take words literally, so at times when leading worship, I have had people stop singing and do what we have just instructed each other to so.  Some examples include kneeling down, lifting hands, or being silent.  I do not recall ever doing something like that with “hark”, but that is exactly what I am going to invite you to do.

First, I want you to read this passage which includes a quote of some of that “heavenly anthem”. Pay special attention to those words and prepare to listen.

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:11-12 ESV

So here is your exercise.  Before you can resonate, you have to let the song come to you.  Resonance is a passive activity in some ways, but we can take an active part in it by getting quiet and still enough to let it happen.  In this unusual season, I pray you can find some time to…listen.

RESONATE!
I want to ask you to get as quiet as you can. I want to encourage you to listen with your heart. You know there is praise being offered to Jesus around His throne right now.  Ask Him to help you hear that.  Will you hear it with your ears? Probably not. But I pray you will be able to hear it with your heart.  He is worthy!

Jesus, thank You for living a life that made You worthy of being crowned with every crown we could ever bring. Even now that is happening. Give us the ability in our hearts to listen to that praise, and enable us to join it.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Attentive Tuning!

Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

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Video 38.1 Transcript, 16.1 Reframed

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.

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! How the heav’nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul and sing
Of Him Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so He is worthy of every crown we could give Him.  Here we begin by crowning Him as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.  An appropriate place for us to start, declaring His forgiveness.  Thank Him for being the Lamb.

Jesus, thank you for being the Lamb.

I am a lover of music.  It is such a powerful tool God has given us to declare His praise.  Here we are invited to consider how the anthem of heaven, offered to the Lamb, drowns out all other music.  Oh that we would have ears to hear the praises being offered even now.  Listen.

Father, help me hear the heavenly anthem.

And not just listen, but once you can make it out, join it.  Our heart cries to our soul to wake up from its slumber and sing to the One who has died for us.  What a wonderful reminder to not only be alert to hear the praise but enter into it.  Are you awake?  Sing from your soul.

Spirit, help me awaken and sing from my soul.

And not just sing but declare Him with your lips and your life as Your matchless King now and throughout all eternity.  There is truly no one like Jesus.  Will you commit again today to give Him the praise that only He deserves?  Crown Him with all the praise you can muster.

Jesus, help me crown You with all the praise I can muster.

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.

The post Can I Hear the Heavenly Anthem? REPOST appeared first on Resonant 7.

Image Attributions
Many Crowns – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/seamless-tile-repeat-pattern-1082986/
Heavenly Anthem – https://pixabay.com/photos/figure-art-angel-sculpture-metal-749713/