When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
  And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
  And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Listen to this trumpet version as you read.  Please check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza, often only available to Subscribers and Free Members.

If His work in creation and His re-creation of life on the cross were not enough to convince one of His greatness, our author turns the consummation of the ages in Christ’s return to make His final appeal.  Are you ready for it?  Take a few minutes today to prepare yourself for eternity, ushered in by the second coming of Jesus.  Tune your heart to be ready to join the song of praise that will ring across all time and space.

When Christ Shall Come

We are His people between His advent’s.  He came once.  He will come again.  And when He does He will take us to be with Him forever, never to be separated again.  That after all is the definition of heaven, eternal bliss in the very presence of our Lord.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV

There is an interesting trinity here.

1. A Cry of Command
2. The Voice of An Archangel
3. The Sound of the Trumpet

The latter two are more straightforward.  An archangel will lift a voice to declare His return.  The angel is not named but what a privilege that will be.  Angel voices are often compared to trumpets in the Scripture.  I believe this is because there are so powerful and unearthly, that the writers struggle to adequately describe them.  This will be a heavenly trumpet blast announcing Christ’s return.  Again every trumpeter of faith would love to have the privilege to sound that call.

This leaves “a cry of command”. I think it may be tied to the last part of the verse.  Maybe it is Jesus’ call for the dead in Christ to rise, similar to the authority He demonstrated with Lazarus.  After all, the old quip was that if Jesus had not said, “Lazarus, come out” that all the faithful who died in faith would have been resurrected then and there.

No matter how you look at it He is coming back.  The writer says “When”, not”If”.  Our confidence declares He is coming back.

Are you convinced He is coming back?  Do you live like you are convinced, or is it just an idea?  Take a few moments and ponder if you are truly ready to hear the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet blast.  Ask Jesus to help you prepare for His cry of command.

With Shout of Acclamation

I think this is a great reference to the voice of the archangel.  Actually I was fascinated as I was searching the Scriptures at how well these first two lines parallel these two verses from I Thessalonians 4.  He is coming back, announced by the archangel voice, and we will be with Him forever.  What joy!

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  1 Thessalonians 4:17 ESV

Acclamation is an unusual word.  Here it means loud and enthusiastic approval, welcoming and honoring Jesus.  You probably knew that.  What you may not have know, and I will be honest I did not, was that it can also mean “an overwhelming affirmative vote by cheers, shouts, or applause rather than by ballot.”

What struck me about that was the fact that there was no ballot.  Though I understand that means that the approval is so significant a counting of ballots is unnecessary, I first read it to mean simply that there was no ballot.  This made sense because it is not as if earth get a vote.  While we long for His return since it will be such a wonderful day for people of faith, it will be a dreadful day for the faithless.

All the same, they do not get a vote.

We have the incredible privilege of being among those who will be joining that acclamation, but not because of anything we have done.  It is a gift of grace.  Thank Jesus that you can look forward to His return because it will be a joyful occasion for you.

Take Me Home

I think believers often imagine that when we get to our eternal home, heaven, we will sit around on clouds singing and and playing harps forever.  That is actually not a very Biblical view.  Though the Thessalonian passage says we will be caught up in the clouds and meet Him in the air, it does not say we will stay there.

It is clear in revelation there will be a wedding celebration, with feasting.  We know that God will create a new heaven and new earth.  I would contend why would we need a new earth if we are going to reside in heaven alone?

Do you see my point?

When Jesus takes us “home” I imagine there will be earthly qualities to that place, albeit perfect.  That is why I chose the image which portrays heaven and earth because both will be a part of that existence.  I have my own little, personal take that.

I am from West Virginia and we have a song that expresses what it feels like to have been away from home and be returning.  If you are not familiar with it, it is called Take Me Home, Country Roads, by John Denver.  Of course my capacity to understand heaven is limited by my experience of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia”, but it is also informed by it.

What I mean by that is as much as God will create a new earth, I believe the best of this one will be somehow present there.  Or to say it another way, the very best of this life is a shadow of what it to come.  You can not completely describe something if you have only seen its shadow, but you have some idea at the very least.

I am not encouraging you to fashion heaven entirely in your own mind, but use your sanctified imagination and let the Spirit lead you.  I believe that is part of the joy that will fill our hearts, the fulfillment of our deepest longings, in terms of the place of our home, not to mention the company we will keep, which is ultimately what make it heaven in the first place.

Your sin has been taken away, but do you chase after it sometimes?  You can die to sin and live righteousness, but you will need the help of the Holy Spirit to do so consistently.  Ask Him for that help right now.

Jesus, thank You the promise that You will one day return and take us to be with You.  Help me to long for that coming today.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Joyful Tuning!

Keep coming back and we will work 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 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.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, but here 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 transcript below!

Video 10.3 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.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
  And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
  And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

He is coming back.  Just as certainly as He came as the babe in the manger, He will come back as the Lord of all.  And it will not only be angels expressing loud and enthusiastic approval, but all of creation. Will you tune your heart today in preparation for that day?

He is coming back, not to make His home in us, but to take us to our eternal home with Him.  The joy that will fill our hearts that day as we realize in full the hope we have today is impossible to imagine.  Ask Jesus to help you long for that day.

I like to imagine what that will be like when I am finally in the presence of my Savior and my God, including what my response will be.  Bowing in humble adoration seems like an appropriate one. Humble yourself before Him today, so you are ready for that one.

But I will not only bow, I will also declare “My God how great You are!” amid many other expressions of praise and worship.  I am so thankful I can practice for those moments by choosing to worship now. Are you regularly practicing your praise?

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
When Christ Shall Come – https://stephensizer.com/2016/01/speeding-christs-return/
With Shout of Acclamation – https://escapetoreality.org/2016/11/24/when-is-the-second-coming/
Take My Home – https://pixabay.com/photos/cliff-adventure-above-hiking-1822484/
What Joy Shall FIll My Heart – https://pixabay.com/photos/country-road-forest-road-country-1149667/

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
  Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
  He bled and died to take away my sin.

How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Listen to this awesome electric guitar version as you read.  Subscribers and Free Members make sure to check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza.  Everyone else check out the transcript at the end.

This week we look to the cross where God put His greatness on display through the sacrifice of His Son.  Not sure how the Father sending His only Son to the cross displays His greatness?  Read on.  It is truly a remarkable demonstration.  Since the first part of the stanza focuses more on the reflective thinking aspect we will save those lines and the pondering they welcome for Thursday.  Let’s turn our eyes to the cross and tune our hearts.

The Cross

The cross has become such a familiar symbol of our faith I fear we often fail to realize the significance of it.  When you think of the cross of Christ, what comes to mind?  Sacrifice?  Obedience? Cruelty?  It is difficult to see the cross with fresh eyes, but we need to try just the same.  Look to Jesus…

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2 ESV

What an expansive perspective!  He founded and perfected our faith.  Joy was before Him, but it required Him to go through the cross to reach it.  He went there even though He possessed a deep disdain for the humiliation He would endure.  And then at the end we see what exactly that joy is which was mentioned at the start, the glory and honor of being seated in a place of honor at the right hand of God.

Let me offer you some other words that have helped to shape my view of the cross.  They are taken from the song “All I Have is Christ”.  I have always felt that even the title elicits a strong response.  From the believer a hearty “Amen!” with the full knowledge that He is all I need.  From the unbeliever an awkward “I’m sorry” fueled by an ignorant pity for us thinking we have lack.

And I beheld God’s love displayed,
You suffered in my place.
You bore the wrath reserved for me,
now all I know is grace.

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ.

You may listen to “All I Have is Christ” here.

Jesus, thank You for going to the cross.  Your obedience on it not only changed the course of history, it transformed my eternal destiny.  You are all I have, and that is all I need.

My Burden Gladly Bearing

The sin of the world.  What a burden!

My sin.  What a Savior!

Carried, but undeserved.  How unfair!

Gladly?  How can it be!?!

While each word of this short phrase is rightfully worship-inducing, the use of the word gladly is truly remarkable.  That Jesus would bear my burden is unfathomable without the work of the Spirit convincing me of such.  But gladly?  That is just too much!

It reminds me of the word joy from Hebrews 12:2 above and points to another layer of the honor received when He takes that seat beside God.  Certainly there is joy in having fulfilled His Father’s will, but what exactly was that? Redeeming a people from the penalty of their sin, by taking it upon Himself.  His joy includes the fact that He bore my burden and in so doing freed me from it.

He was glad to do so because He knew I never could.

Praise Jesus for the gladness He modeled in laying down His life.  Consider how you might reflect that today.  You will likely not be crucified, but can you choose to die to self and let Christ live in you today.  Can you do so gladly?

To Take Away My Sins

Twice in this short stanza we declare that Jesus died.  First that the Father sent Him to die, and later that He bled and died.  And His death, commanded by the the Father and endured by the Son, accomplished this.  It took away my sin.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He died so we would not have to.  But He also died so that we could choose to, and then really live.  We die to sin, and live to righteousness.  We make this choice, and make it over and over again, and yet there is a sense of finality in what Christ has done in to taking away my sin.

It is an interesting concept espoused here, my sin being taken away.  It is a Scriptural one though.

That whole section of the Psalm eludes to God’s grace demonstrated in the removing of sin.  But interestingly it never clarifies how that is accomplished.  Jesus work on the cross satisfies the wrath of God toward our sin and His justice in dealing with it through His shed blood.

Your sin has been taken away, but do you chase after it sometimes?  You can die to sin and live righteousness, but you will need the help of the Holy Spirit to do so consistently.  Ask Him for that help right now.

Keep coming back and we will work help you remove the things that may hinder your living in righteousness 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.

Glad Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for going to the cross, bearing my burden, and taking away my sin.  Cause Your cross to stimulate my praise afresh today that I may die to sin and walk in righteousness.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Like what you 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.

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.

Subscribers and Free Members enjoy this video! Everyone else the transcript below!

Video 10.3 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.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
  Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
  He bled and died to take away my sin.

I am a dad. The thought of offering the life of one of my boys for someone else is incomprehensible, let alone if that someone is a sinner.  Think about what that decision must’ve been like for our Father.

But to think the father sent his son to die.  Wow! I can easily echo the words of the writer, barely able to even fathom this sacrifice.  Can you imagine this transaction?

But Jesus had to die for me, because only he could bear my burden on that cross.  And He did so gladly, honoring the Father and giving His life for me. Though I honestly lack the capacity to fathom His selflessness, or express my gratitude, I must try.  Join me in praise.

He bled and died.  He took away my sins, your sins, and the sins of the world.  Is there a better expression of His greatness? I think not. Thank Jesus for laying aside His greatness for you and simultaneously demonstrating His greatness to you.  

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
That on the Cross – https://pixabay.com/photos/cross-christ-faith-god-jesus-2713353/
My Burden Gladly Bearing – https://pixabay.com/photos/christ-cross-faith-jesus-passion-3484141/
He Bled and Died – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-cross-jesus-christ-christ-1478454/

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
   And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
   And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Listen to this awesome electric guitar version as you read.  Subscribers make sure to check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza.  Everyone else check out the transcript at the end.

We continue to game into God’s greatness by shifting our focus from the heavens to the earth.  I love spending a couple weeks on the way God reveals Himself through creation, working from the cosmos to the this sphere on which we live.  We will look at redemption and consummation in the coming weeks, but for now, let’s consider God’s glory as revealed in trees and birds.  Let’s tune our hearts.

The Woods

So what do the woods in your minds eye look like?  Close your eyes and allow that image to become clear.  Do you have it?  Hold on to it for a moment.

They are not all the same.  There are many different kinds of woods.  Some are so thick you can barely walk through them.  Some so dense that you can hardly see the ground.  Some foreboding and mysterious, others bright and inviting.

And there are different seasons as well.  The same woods are not the same across all of them.  In the fall, they are crisp and crunchy with the changing and freshly fallen leaves.  In the winter, stark and barren.  In the spring, new life bursts forth everywhere and in the summer the growth is often lush and thick.

So when you think of the woods, what kind of image comes to mind?  Recall that image you created above.  There will be as many different variations of woods as there are readers.  The remarkable thing is that God reveals His greatness not only in the variety, but in the way each of us perceives each nuance.  You are as unique as each vista of every patch of woods across this creation, and God made it all to declare His greatness.  Wow!

Praise God for the wonder of the woods!  The way that you can see Him in each view is a gift.  Cherish it every chance you get.

Forest Glades

Through the first section we considered the variety of woods, but in this section I would like to ponder our journey through them.  The first image above shows a clear path.  The image here does not.  This is a reflection of life.

Sometimes our wandering through creation is very deliberate and we can clearly see where to plant our foot next.  It seems obvious where we are going.  Almost as if a path had been clearly marked out for us.  Those times are comforting and simpler.

Sometimes, often even, our wandering is slightly less deliberate and we lack confidence that we are going “right” way.  The path is hidden and uncertainty creeps in.  Those times can be disconcerting.  Maybe there is another perspective to be gleaned from the pathless forest glades.

Rather than there being one best way to go, we are given the freedom to carve out our own path.  This can be intimidating, but also exhilarating.  In these moments it is truly more about the journey than the destination.  We are truly able to wander, to leisurely move through the environment where God is showing off His greatness to us.  What a blessing!

How does your path ahead look?  Clear or unclear.  Certain or uncertain.  God is in them both, in the woods and the forest glades.   Embrace the opportunity to wander along with Him.

The Birds

In the first stanza we heard rolling thunder.  We swing the pendulum here to the other extreme, the silence of the woods broken by the occasional song of slight winged creatures.  What a stark contrast, and simultaneously a continuation of the progression started in that first stanza.  From silent stars and rolling thunder, to mighty tress and tiny birds, all displaying God’s greatness.  But there is another aspect of the introduction of the birds I want to use to tune our hearts.

They choose to sing.  God gave them this ability, but they choose to use it.  And use it they do.

Can you conjure one of their songs?  Or at least the feeling it evoked in you?  They tend to be light and simple tunes, startling in their simplicity, beautiful in their tonality.  Each bird is a marvel and each song a gift, but did you know that not all birds sing?  Even if they do not sing, they still have calls that serve different purposes, like the Cedar Waxwing.  Song and call alike they make known the greatness of God.

How about you? Do you sing? You can.  And you certainly have something worth singing about, ie. the greatness of God.  Determine to join the song of these small feathered creatures, and echo the greatness of our God.

Keep coming back and we will work to help you remove the things that may dampen your praise.   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.

Tune-ful Tuning!

Jesus, thank You being with me when my path is clear and when it is not.  I choose to walk with You wherever You lead.  Thank You for giving me songs to sing to praise Your greatness.  I will sing them all my days.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Like what you 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.

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.

Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone else the transcript below!

Video 10.2 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.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
   And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
   And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Now our attention turns to seeing God in the greatness of nature within our grasp, all which points us to Him.  Whether walking along through wood or forest He stirs our hearts with praise. Recall such a stroll and thank Him for His goodness to you in those moments.

How often I have been struck by the sweet song of a bird!  Have you ever noticed their songs are often louder, livelier and more frequent in the morning?  But why not, their Creator has brought them through another night! Join their song of praise today in some way.

This is one of my favorite lines because mountains are such a part of who I am.  I am so thankful for the moments I have stood on mountains and praised His name. Thank Him for the times you have found yourself seemingly, and figuratively, on top of the world.

There are also valleys, but God is there as well.   You can not hear the ripple of the brook from the mountaintop, and sometimes God’s voice is difficult to identify in the valley. Though the  topography reminds us there are hills and valleys in life ask the One who made the literal ones to carry you through the figurative ones as well. 

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
Woods – https://pixabay.com/photos/road-forest-season-autumn-fall-1072823/
Forest Glades – https://pixabay.com/photos/green-park-season-nature-outdoor-1072828/
Birds Sing Sweetly – https://pixabay.com/photos/bird-singer-singing-chirp-tweet-2119874/

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
  Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
  Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Listen to this awesome electric guitar version as you read.  And make sure to check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza.

So today we begin our five week journey through one of the greatest of all hymnody.  So much has been said about this great hymn that even pondering adding to that body of work is daunting, but I was reminded today of the purpose of Resonant 7.  It is not to be the last word on these wonderful songs of faith, but to use them to create an atmosphere to help you, our readers, cultivate and awareness of God’s presence.  We pray that happens again today.   Let’s tune our hearts.

When I Consider

Nature is a go-to for me when I want to commune with God.  It is just natural for me to sense the supernatural in the beauty of the created world around me, so this hymn has always been a favorite of mine.  For this reason, I want to take you on a little journey with me.

I had walked with Jesus a little over the year and had the opportunity to be visit the Rockies.  While at a camp high in the mountains I recommended to my friends that we awake before dawn to catch the sunrise from one of the ridges surrounding us.  We underestimated the magnitude of those ridges and so were not able to make it to the top before the sun began to peek over the peak we were climbing to west.

I remember stopping to take in the view as it slowly began to illuminate the opposite ridge to the east of us.  The four of us just soaked in that moment, fully aware of the greatness of our God.  It was a moment of awesome wonder to be sure.

I have had several others over the years, but that one certainly stands out in my mind as one of the most breathtaking.  I want to invite you to take a few moments and remember a time when your encounter with your creation and the way it pointed to your Creator simply took your breath away.

Recall those moments of inspiration.  Where were you?  Was anyone with you?  What did you see?  How did you respond?  Take a moment and express your gratitude to God for those moments of wonder.  And then ask Him for more.

The Worlds

We a blessed to live in a very beautiful world.  What is your favorite place on it?  Maybe where you grew up, or where you are loving now, or hope to visit someday.  Now consider for a moment that this is but one of countless other worlds across all of creation.

We simply lack the capacity to understand the magnitude of all that God has made.  I could spout some numbers that would try to demonstrate our smallness in the vastness of the cosmos, but they would only begin to demonstrate it.  Can you imagine the unique beauty of your favorite place replicated billions of times over and over again?  I can not.

The sense of the insignificance of my tiny being set against the expanse of all the created worlds is humbling to say the least.  My perspective of our world fills me with awesome wonder.  When I consider all the worlds His hands have made, I am overwhelmed.

Big Daddy Weave wrote a song with that title a few years ago.  Want to take a few moments and ponder another perspective of being overwhelmed by our God?  Listen to it here.

Thy Hands

We will consider later in this hymns some of the other work His hands did, namely purchasing our redemption as they were nailed to a cross, but here we are reminded that those hands that made my re-creation possible where the same ones that created everything in the first place.  He spoke it all into being, but I like image His fingers forming rivers and valleys, planets and stars.

He is the Creator God.  He made it all, so He has the power to remake it.  A friend once said, “If a man made it, a man can fix it.”  This is true.  How much more-so is that the case with our God?

We will spend time acknowledging His power to re-make things later, but for today, marvel at His creative force involved in everything He has made.  On this little ball where we exist is your minute life.  Give Him praise for all His handiwork!

Keep coming back and we will work to assist you in offering God praise with your entire life.   We will help you tune your heart to live out your praise by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.

Awe-ful Tuning!

Jesus, thank You being Creator and my Lord.  I acknowledge Your creative power at work in all thy worlds Your hands have made.  I am filled with awe and pray You will help me stay so throughout this day, and every day.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Like what you 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.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, and sometimes to Free Members, but to everyone here.  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.

Enjoy this video and the transcript below!

Video 10.1 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.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
  Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
  Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

From the very first line one thing is clear, the writer esteems God with a great deal of reverence.  It is marked by awe and wonder, but it is also personal. This mingling of friendship and fear is an unusual characteristic of Christianity.  Praise God for that reality.

And what fills him with reverence, a careful consideration of all the worlds our Creator God has made with His hands.  Remember the most beautiful vista you have ever seen. Are you recalling it? Give God glory for how He puts His work on display on the earth.

Not only on the earth, but in the heavens above as well. Whether the immediate skies above  filled with thunder and lighting, or all the starry host beyond, the magnitude of His grandeur is truly awe-inspiring.  Ask Him to open your eyes today to see it afresh.

Throughout our universe, and all the multi-universes beyond, the sheer size of space is mind-boggling, let alone the power on exhibit.  All the while, we have access to speak directly to the One who has made it all. Hallelujah! Thank Him for revealing His greatness!

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
Awesome Wonder – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfUBnNez72w
The Worlds – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/background-space-sky-planets-stars-1475670/
Thy Hands – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfUBnNez72w

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
  I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
  If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

My Jesus, I Love Thee
By: William Ralph Featherston (1848–1875)

Listen to this simple piano arrangement as you read.  And make sure to check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza.

As we close out our look into different moments when we love Jesus we consider the ones that will go on forever.  It is the last great “ever”, and like every now before it, this one will also be filled with our response of love to Jesus.  We will consider two aspects: the place, and the promise, today looking into the place and some of what we will do there.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Mansions of Glory

We simply do not have the capacity to fathom the place Jesus has in store for us.  He spoke words that make sense.  He described things that we have a context to understand.  But they pointed to reality that surpasses what even our sanctified imagining can concur.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  John 14:2 ESV

We spend so much time thinking about the realities of this existence, and so little time setting our minds on things above.  When was the last time you just let your mind wander along the streets of gold?  It is our inheritance because of what Jesus has accomplished and is preparing for us.

There is a room for you.  Do you believe that?  Have you ever wondered what might be in that room?  What it may look like?  What is the view from your window?  It is a real place and one that is waiting for us.

Take a few moments and imagine what the mansions may look like.  Imagine what your room or rooms may look like.  Now thank Jesus for preparing that place for you.

Endless Delight

A cursory look at this line might lead one to believe that the the mansions of glory are reason for the endless delight.  But the saint knows better.  The endless delight is the supernatural consequence of the environment of heaven.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:4 ESV 

That sounds like endless delight to me.  Obviously Jesus is the He described in that passage, and the One who makes all that possible through His sacrifice.  It also frames the context for our response to this atmosphere which affords endless delight even as it defines the last, great “ever” of the hymn.  Forever.

Ever

We have considered several other “ever’s” as we have walked through the hymn.

• The ever of salvation.
• The ever when Jesus took me deeper into His sacrifice.
• The ever of life and death,
• And now this final one, on the other side of death, for-“ever”.

We have made the statement poetically, “if ever I love Thee, Jesus ’tis now.”  In this final one we acknowledge the enduring response we will offer.  “I’ll ever adore Thee”, or “I will adore You forever”.

We have confessed and committed to loving Jesus at the moment of salvation, when we went deeper in our understanding of His sacrifice, in life and death.  There are two ways to look at this last statement.

1. It is an acknowledgment of what we will do.
2. It is a commitment to what we will do.

It should be both simultaneously.  The first one alone is not enough.

Have you resolved and committed to that eternal adoration?  Doing so influences your ability to look forward to it because it informs your perspective.  Commit right now to adore Him forever.  Just say it, “I will adore You forever!”

Heaven So Bright

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Revelation 21:23 ESV

Here is another aspect of our eternal adoration that is hard for us to fathom, the enduring glory of God, in the form of eternal light.  No sun or moon, yet there is never an absence of light.  What will that be like?

In our modern minds this seems like no big deal because we have become accustomed to artificial light.  We have so much ambient light in the sky at night it effects our ability to see the stars clearly.  This makes me wonder how much more significant the truth of this Scripture may have been in the eyes of the ancients.

We have already established there will be no more pain, now we acknowledge there will be no darkness.  Indeed, the former things will have passed away and this new reality provides the scenario for and the impetus to our unending praise.   I can hardly wait.  How about you?

Keep coming back and we will work to assist you in making and practicing that commitment.   We will help you tune your heart to sing such praise by providing resources like this to help you love Jesus, and become Resonant, 7 days a week.

Eternal Tuning!

Jesus, thank You for preparing a place for me to offer my eternal adoration.  Not only the rooms themselves, but also the entire environment.  For these reasons, and so many more, I will adore You forever.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

Like what you 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.

Below is content always available to Subscribers, and sometimes to Free Members, but to everyone here.  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.

Enjoy this video and the transcript below!

Video 9.4 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.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
  I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
  If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Of course, our loving Jesus does not end in death.  Death is the beginning of the rest of our destiny for everyone who loves Jesus.  This stanza draws from Scripture and speaks of two realities of the beyond: a place to belong, and an inheritance to enjoy.  Ask the Spirit to show the wonder of both.

Forever.  That’s the other variation of ever we have not considered.  In bright heaven we will always adore Jesus. The “ever” in each of the last lines indicates different moments when we love Jesus.  This “ever” declares we will spend the balance of eternity loving Him. Are you ready for that? 

You get a crown.  You not only get to dwell in heaven, the very presence of God, eternally, but you get to do so with honor.  You go from death-dew to a crown on your brow in a moment, because Jesus wore the thorns on His. Thank Him for purchasing that privilege for you.

And the culmination of all the “nows” when we have or will ever love Jesus, find us doing the same.  Don’t wait until you get there. Determine to praise Him in every now He gives you, no matter the circumstances for He is worthy of all your praise, adoration, and 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.

Image Attributions
Mansion – https://pixabay.com/photos/castle-hluboká-heaven-south-bohemia-852714/
Ever Adore – https://pixabay.com/photos/ascension-celestial-planet-heaven-1568162/
Heaven So Bright – https://pixabay.com/photos/clouds-landscape-beyond-sky-rays-2709662/