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

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous

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

We turn our attention back to Just a Closer Walk with Thee and consider the implications of doing so when we come to the end of our lives.  When you can see the end clearly, it helps you determine which steps to take, and tuning our hearts to the reality of eternity is a part of that exercise.  This week let’s spend some time thinking about what it will be like to live beyond time.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Feeble

Now there’s a word not in common use today.  The phrase that comes to mind for me when I think of feeble is from another great hymn, “O Worship the King”. It describes us this way, “Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail.”

The older I get the more I understand the truth of that poetic expression.  We are made of dust, and it is impossible to escape that reality.  Existing simultaneously with it is another reality expressed in the wisdom of Solomon.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

Though we are increasingly mindful of our mortality, even it causes us to be more helpful of our eternal state.  God is there from the beginning to the end.  We were not there at the beginning, but will be at the end.

Our advancing years reveal the frailty of our physical bodies.  We get stronger for a time, then begin the long, slow descent to our eventual demise.

How are you mindful of that today?  Are you trusting Jesus in spite of that limitation, and maybe even mores because of it?  Thank Jesus for His strength, made perfect in your weakness.

Over

We will come to our end.  That is well established.  There is no good argument against this encroaching reality.

There is a plot in the ground waiting for each of us, unless of course we choose cremation instead, but you get the point.  I routinely face this as I have the privilege of serving families at the funerals and memorials for their departed loved ones, but it came painfully close this spring when my father died.

I had watched his painful decline over the last couple of years in particular as his body became increasingly feeble, no longer able to do the things he had previously.  Then on a day back in March I heard what was still the somewhat surprising news that he had taken a turn for the worse and within a short period of time had come to his end.  Though I could see it approaching, his final demise was still difficult to fathom, only comforted by the confidence I have that He is with the Lord.

He was gone from this life.  His journey here was over.  Never more was this more clear than at the graveside when we said our final goodbyes, for now.  There in the cemetery it is clear what eventually happens to us all, which we are inclined to try to ignore.

If your life to be over today, are you prepared?  Do you have a peace about what is in store for you beyond the grave?  Does that confidence rest in Jesus?  If so, you can face the end of your time here assured of what is to come.  Thank Jesus for the confidence.

Time

As we tune our hearts against the impeding reality of the the passing of time, are you conscious that as each second ticks away you are nearing your final ones. It is hard for us to imagine it, but we all have expiration dates.  They are not printed on a label somewhere, but that makes them no less definite.

It is wise to embrace this truth.  One of the ways we acquire such wisdom is actually in the numbering of our days, or as the old adage puts it, to acknowledge our days are numbered.  Not only is there an incredible order in that, but an awareness that we can then translate into the decisions we make.  For some people act as though they will live forever, when all of us know that is not the case.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:12 ESV

Though it is wise to number your days, the promised wisdom actually emerges from doing so.  To put it another way, wisdom is not in counting the grains of sand, but acquired by the discipline of doing so.  When we are willing to face our mortality, only then are we truly ready to embrace the promise of immortality which our walk with Jesus affords.

No More

Time has run out.  Strange to think of it in the past tense?  That will be true of each of us at some point.  We will look back at a life lived, like the last grains of sand having passed through the hourglass.

We can do so with hope.  Now, simply hope.  Then, hope fulfilled.  We can approach the end of our feeble lives, the end of time as we know it, with peace.  At rest with our frailty and our mortality.

Do you have the hope, that peace, that rest?  You can.  Then the confidence that Jesus will guide you safely to heavenly shores will flood your soul.  More on that in our Thursday Thoughts.  

I hope you will come back and tune with us again, but for today make certain to enjoy the resources below which are companions to these Tunings.

Honest Tuning!

Jesus, make me mindful of how feeble this life is so I may escape the temptation to put my hope it in.  Instead, teach me to number my days, and gain wisdom from resting in You.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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

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

Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 7.3 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 my feeble life is o’er,
  Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
  To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

We live our lives at times with little awareness internal or otherwise that this life is but a vapor.  We become increasingly aware as we grow older how frial our lives are becoming. Have you determined to trust God through all your days, whether many or few?

There are two realities of time in play here.  First, our time is running out, for we are mortal, we each have an expiration date.  Second, it is difficult to imagine what it will be like to be beyond time, living eternally.  Ask Jesus for an eternal perspective.

If Jesus answers our prayer and teaches us how to walk closely with Him, it will be much easier for us to trust Him with the last leg of our journey here, even as the rest commences.  Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to teach you to trust His gentle leading in these days.

That way, we those moments come for you to step beyond time and into eternity it will be as peaceful as slowly coming to rest on the calm shores of a placid lake.  That is what awaits all those who walk closely with Jesus. Determine to walk one step behind Him today.

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
Feeble Life – https://pixabay.com/photos/born-died-life-lifespan-cradle-1264699/
Over – https://pixabay.com/photos/cemetery-grave-graves-tombstone-989920/
Sands of Time – https://pixabay.com/photos/pocket-watch-time-of-sand-time-3156771/
No More – https://pixabay.com/photos/time-clock-hourglass-hour-1817726/

I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears,
  But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night.
I go to Him in prayer, He knows my every care,
  And just a little talk with my Jesus makes it right.

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

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

Last week a little walk, this week a little talk.  Walking and talking with Jesus, spending time with Him, changes us and our perspective.  I hope you will take a little time today to tune your heart, and tomorrow as Dr. Sherri Woods returns with her second Wednesday Wanderings, a different look at the text we will use to tune today.  You can be certain of getting if you are on our list, since it will come directly to your email.  If you are not on our list, sign-up today in the box to the right.

Let’s tune our hearts!

I May Have…?

Our text today starts with those words.  “I may have doubts and fears”.  May have?  Will have!  Oh yes, I will have doubts and fears, but they will not have me.

It is important not to take things out of context.  These first two lines which we will use to tune today are really one thought.  I understand the writer is saying that though I may have doubts and fears, I also have Jesus, and that awareness changes everything.  We will be examine this more thoroughly, but I think it is valuable to consider the difference between having something and it having you.

We all have doubts.  We doubt others.  We doubt ourselves.  We even doubt God.  There is a difference between having doubts and doubts having you, and it is a very important distinction.  You see, to have a doubt means simply that you lack certainty in something that may actually be worthy of it.  This can be overcome as we allow God to replace our doubt with faith.

It is another matter altogether for doubt to have you.  By this I mean that rather than simply possessing some doubt, doubt possesses you.  It takes you captive.  It overwhelms and controls you, influencing you in ways of which you are not even fully aware.  It is possible to overcome even when doubt has you, but it is much more complicated and challenging.

The same is true of fear.

Like doubt, fear comes in a variety of packages and from a myriad of sources.  Those listed in the image here are not an exhaustive list, but you quickly get the gist of the different kinds of ways fear manifests in our lives, often masking itself in other feelings.  So what are the most prevalent feelings for you which show the underlying root of fear?  Helpless, worthless, powerless, inadequate, lost, shameful, etc.

Before we move on to consider the tears they cause, take just a few moments to recount some of the doubts and fear you have, and evaluate if any of them have you.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal them and help you see them clearly.

Tears

We all have doubts.  We all have fears.  And those doubts and fears fill our eyes with tears on more than one occasion.  This is true not only for us, but all others who have professed our faith.  The Psalmist indicates as much on numerous occasions.  Here is one of the most common.

My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”  Psalm 42:3 ESV

See, you are in good company with the very ones who experienced the inspiration of the Scripture.  Even they shed tears from doubts and fears.  Though it may not feel like much of a consolation now, as you reflect on this reality you will quickly see the universal condition of the human soul.  

Life has many challenges.  Many of them leave us feeling very powerless and small.  But we are never without hope.  We will examine why that is true as we tune our hearts to the truth of the next phrase, but first…

Take a few moments and have a little talk with Jesus about the tears you are shedding today or this season.  I am certain you do not have to think long and hard for these things tend to be near the surface, but ask Him to reveal anything that might be below the surface so you can deal with that pain and its’ causes. 

But Jesus…

So you have done a little inventory or the doubts and fears that are causing the tears in your life.  Let’s bring them to the One who cares for you.  Your friend.  Your shepherd.  Jesus.

I do not live in a society that is intimately familiar with shepherding so I do not have a deep experiential understanding of this illustration as used in the Scripture.  I can appreciate that Jesus watches over me not like one who is doing a job, but as one who has taken a personal interest in me, in you.

Over the years however I have learned some things about shepherding which have aided my understanding of this powerful image.  The most powerful one says a shepherd is willing to go to extreme measures to exercise his care for his sheep.  A lamb prone to wander must be taught stay near the shepherd to avoid danger.

If a lamb continues to wander, a good shepherd is willing to break the leg of the lamb and then carry it until it heals, so the lamb gets so used to the shepherds voice it will no longer wander.  That seems like going too far, but when you realize if could be the difference between life and death for the lamb, it seems less so.

The same is true for us.  I imagine there are some tears the Lord could spare us, but they are worthwhile if through the shedding of them, and the nearness to our Good Shepherd they foster, are are sparred much greater harm.  That possibility may give you a much better perspective on the things that have been the source of your tears.

Thank Jesus for being such a good shepherd that He would allow some pain to spare you far more.

Day and Night

Allow me to leave you with one final thought.

Jesus is eternally, continually vigilant in His care for you.  Even when you are sleeping, He never is.  Not only is He a good shepherd, but He is one who NEVER stops shepherding, even when you are asleep, or in many other ways unaware of His care.

That is hard for me to fathom, but I believe it is true.  Like that statue looking down upon Rio de Janeiro depicts, Jesus is watching us.   He never closes His eyes to us.  He never quits.  So I can always talk with Him since He is ever inclined to hear from me.  Hallelujah!

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

Restful Tuning!

Jesus, I have my share of doubts and fears, and they cause me many tears, but You are always watching over me.  I believe this, but I pray you will help me walk with a greater awareness of that, especially in those moments when I may be tempted to act like it is not true. In Jesus name.  Amen.

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

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

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

Video 8.2 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.

I may have doubts and fears, my eyes be filled with tears,
  But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night.
I go to Him in prayer, He knows my every care,
  And just a little talk with my Jesus makes it right.

I love the honesty of the opening line.  We all have doubts and fears and things that bring us to tears.  What sets the believer apart is that we can take all those things to Jesus.  What do you need to bring to Jesus today?

There is no friend like Jesus. This reminds me of His suffering in the Garden of Gethsamane when He asked His disciples to watch and pray but they kept falling asleep.  Thank Jesus that He is always watching over you. 

Because He is always watching over you, He knows your every care, even the ones you have trouble articulating.  Fortunately, the Spirit helps you even when you do not have the words to speak. Maybe you need some help like that right now?

I love the idea of a “little” talk.  Many words are not needful. Like sitting with a friend who knows you so well that few words get the job done.  Some of the together time is spent just being. Spend a few moments right now with Jesus.

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
Doubts – https://pixabay.com/photos/depression-sadness-man-2912424/
Fears – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/fear-emotion-anxiety-vulnerability-2083651/
Eyes Filled with Tears – https://pixabay.com/photos/eye-tear-cry-sadness-pain-emotion-609987/
Jesus is a Freind – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/angst-anxiety-anguish-apprehension-802639/
Day and Night – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-redeemer-231724/

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
   If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
   None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous

Listen as you read.  This is a great gospel guitar version.

We swing the pendulum back to Just a Closer Walk with Thee and turn our focus to cultivating an awareness of God’s presence with us through all the different circumstances of life.  Because this stanza asks two huge questions which are both answered in the closing line, I want to begin with the latter half so we answer the question today and not allow it to linger from Tuesday to Thursday unanswered.  Let’s tune our hearts.

Burdens

First let us establish that we all have burdens.  They vary at different points in our lives, different stages, and change in their intensity and duration, but burdens are universal.  We all have them.

So the hymn strikes a chord with every honest soul.  We have all wondered what the answer to this question is at times.  There are seasons when we are confident that at least a few of the people closest to us would rally to our aid, but there are also times when each of us feels like the figure above.  At least a little hopeless.  Weary from the struggle of carrying our burden, we drop it to the ground and take a seat to rest and ask the question again.  Who will share this burden with me?

• 

  What does your burden look like today?

I imagine you do not have to think long or hard.  It probably is plain and simple.

• How are you managing that burden today?

Maybe you are muddling through.  Maybe you are handling it, sort of.  Maybe you are completely overwhelmed.

Jesus will help you.  Do you know that?  If you do, do you practice it?  That is to say, do you take your burdens to Jesus and ask for help?  If so, good.  If not, why not?

Maybe it is because you are not fully convinced that Jesus will actually help you with your burden.  Oh sure, you have faith enough to believe He would help others, but you remain unconvinced that He would help you.  So let’s take a few moments and put that to rest.  And there really is the key.  Rest.

Shared

You are not alone.  Jesus is with you and wants to help you with your burden.   Consider a couple Scriptures.

 Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.  Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

So your responsibility is simply to cast your burden on the Lord.  What does He do in return?  Sustains you.  Did you notice how the focus shifted first from the burden to the Lord, then to His work in you, not so much with the burden?  That is a very important realization.

Take a few moments and ask the Holy Spirit to help you cast your burden on Him.

Now get ready.  An incredible exchange is about to take place as we take Jesus at His word.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Jesus invites all the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest.  Sounds good so far right.  But wait, He then encourages us to take His burden, in the form of a yoke which represents His teaching, and encourages a life which reflects His, resulting in, yep, rest.

How does that work exactly? Well, most burdens look a lot like the ones the person is carrying here.   Even the ones we craft for ourselves are often unwieldy.  And when we let others add to them the situation quickly becomes unmanageable, even for he strongest among us.  His burden actually ushers in rest.  How so? His burden is light, as opposed to all others which are not.

And what does His burden look like?  Probably a whole lot like a cross.  Why do I say that?  Because that is how Jesus described the burden we should carry.

And he (Jesus) said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.   Luke 9:23 (ESV)

And He carried it first.  He set the example for us.  He carried the weight the Father had marked out for Him.  So we can with confidence do the same.

None But Thee

Who will share your burden? None but Thee.

Emphatic repetition.  None but Thee.

While this at first may seem like a bit of a downer. it is simply the honest truth of God’s faithfulness as it compares to the faithfulness of any and every other entity, well-intentioned or not.  God will help us bear our burden, and lift us when we falter, but more on the latter on Thursday.   I hope you will come back and tune with us again, but for today make certain to enjoy the resources below which are companions to these Tunings.

Restful Tuning!

Jesus, I know You will help me bear my burdens.  You have done it before and I am confident you will do it again.  You are faithful and so I entrust my life, burdens and all into your gracious care.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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

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

Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 7.2 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.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
   If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
   None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

What an apt description of this weary word through which we wander.  What difficulties and traps are you facing today? Ask Jesus to reveal them, and help you through each one. 

I have a friend who likes to quip “Nobody cares”  when people ask “How are you doing?” While I generally take issue with him on this, the hymn writer seems to be agreeing with that sad assessment.  Ask God to help you be honest, especially when you are crying out to Him.

God can handle even the toughest questions.  He may not make His answer quick or obvious, but even asking Him the questions is a demonstration of your faith in action.  What tough questions do you need to ask God today?

We can cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us.  He will never turn us away. Even when we are not faithful, He is.  Give your burdens to Him right now and be confident He will share them with 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
Burdens – https://pixabay.com/photos/holzfigur-stones-hopeless-stranded-980802/
What’s Inside? – https://pixabay.com/vectors/bag-sack-jute-brown-goods-156120/
Weary – https://pixabay.com/photos/boxes-cardboard-carrying-overload-2624231/
Take Up Your Cross – https://pixabay.com/photos/jesus-christ-cross-cross-carry-1248835/

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
   And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and He wrote my name above
   And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole.

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

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

As promised we begin being to explore the second of our two alternating hymns this week, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, and Just a Little Talk with Jesus.  As we begin that journey today looking into the heart of the matter with the first two lines of the latter, I am excited to announce that Wednesday Wanderings begins tomorrow with a different look into this text under the guidance of Dr. Sherri Woods.  If you are on our list, watch your email tomorrow for that first installment.  If you are not on our list, sign-up today in the box to the right.

Let’s tune our hearts!

A Different Path

Last week our opening image was of two people walking and talking along a colorful path enjoying each other.  Today’s image is meant to evoke a very different feeling.  It looks like a few individuals walking alone on a dark street.  It looks a little dangerous, even mysterious.  What thoughts come to mind as you look at that image?

Maybe the caption I added gives it away, but there is trouble lurking on that path.  In the shadows all sorts of mischief are brewing, things which one the one hard may seem intriguing even temping, but cause us a world of pain.  We all know that path because we have walked it far too many times.  It is way that quickly takes us far from a life of honoring God.  What sins dot your path?  Doesn’t take much introspection to recall the difficulties into which we wandered, does it?

Take just a few moments to recount some of the things which demonstrated just how lost you were.  You will need that mental list in a minute.

But Jesus

Fortunately for us, Jesus knew we could not find our way back to the light, so He came looking for us.  That is what He did on the cross.  He made a way for us to come back to our Father, the One from whom our sins had separated us, causing us to be swept along a powerful stream of self-indulgence.

Can you remember that moment when you accepted the grace of Jesus?  I can.  It felt very much like what this image depicts.  I realized that I was far from God, but that Jesus not only had made a way back, He was the Way.

There is quite a contrast between these two images, just like there is between the first and second part of that first line. Lost, accepted.  Alone, together. Darkness, light.  Jesus has done all that for us, but I fear we are too quick to forget.  That little talk we have with Jesus at the beginning of our relationship changes everything, eternally.  Hallelujah!  But we need to keep talking to Him.  At a loss for what to say, start here.

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”  Luke 7:47

Have a little talk with to Jesus right now.  I asked you to recount some of the ways your life demonstrated how lost you were.  Thank Jesus for delivering you from each of them.

Can You Still See It?

The light that is.  You saw it when you took Jesus up on His offer of forgiveness.  You have seen it in those moments you chose to love Him, and others, much.  Maybe you saw it just now as you expressed your gratitude once again for the deliverance Christ has brought into your life.  You can see it, that light from heaven that filled your soul, every time you remember how Jesus took you in, drawing you away from that life of sin.

And what a beautiful, inspiring light it is.  We face all kinds of darkness in our lives, every day.  But that light from heaven still illuminates our path even when, especially when, the darkness closes in on us.

You invite that light every time you have a little talk with Jesus.  Does it leave entirely?  Sometimes yes.  Sometimes no.  Like the image here, sometimes it is pushed to the side, still present, but not overwhelming.

So remember to welcome the light.  Remember to talk to Jesus.  There will be times when you simply sit and enjoy His presence.  Other times, you will pour your heart our in tears.  But sometimes, many times, throughout the course of every day, just have a little talk with Jesus.  Why?  Because those talk make you whole.

Invite Jesus right now to flood your soul with the light of heaven.  Look to the cross.  Welcome His embrace.  Revel in His love.

We will continue to warm our hearts with these truths as we step deeper into this old hymn on Thursday and subsequent weeks, but be sure to take a few minutes and cultivate that heart to converse with Jesus through the video log and transcript below the prayer.  The video is available only to our Subscribers and Free Members, but the transcript is available to everyone.  Become a Free Member today.  Simply click here.

Bright Tuning!

Jesus, I was lost in sin.  But that did not stop You from demonstrating Your love for me, on the contrary in motivated You to do so, out of obedience to the Father.  When I surrendered to Your love, light filled my soul.  Help me to surrender today and every day, and to walk in that light. In Jesus name.  Amen.

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

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

Subscribers and Free Members enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 8.1 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.

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
   And then a little light from heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and He wrote my name above
   And just a little talk with Jesus makes me whole.

It all begins here, with a heart of repentance, turning away from sin and into the loving arms of Jesus.  Do you remember when you first realized He willingly accepts as we are? Reflect on that and thank Him for leading you to repentance and taking you in.

I remember exactly where I was that moment the light of heaven filled my soul.  I remember what that felt like to turn from the darkness of doubt. Do you? Thank Jesus for the work He has down in your soul.

I felt His love for me and embraced the wonder of it with my whole heart.  I was overcome with emotion, my eyes filled with tears. Still my mind had little idea of the wonder that had just occurred, my name written in the book of life.  Bless His name!

Each of the sections of this old song ends with the powerful declaration I first realized that night, a little talk with Jesus changes things.  It changes me, my perspective, my circumstances. Sometimes all three. Thank Jesus for the difference a little talk with Him makes.

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
Lost in Sin – https://pixabay.com/photos/lost-hell-limbo-night-dark-forest-474124/
Jesus Took Me In – http://onayemiinspiration.blogspot.com/2015/08/jesus.html
Light from Heaven Filled Me Soul – https://pixabay.com/photos/inspiration-heaven-spirituality-2706594/

I am weak but Thou art strong;
  Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
  As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Just a Closer Walk with Thee
By: Anonymous

Listen as you read.  This is a great old dixie jazz version.  Don’t be startled when it picks up around 2:49.

Over the next seven weeks we are going to alternate between two different hymns, Just a Closer Walk with Thee, and Just a Little Talk with Jesus.  We will explore these ideas of walking and talking with Jesus and how essential there are to our journey toward greater spiritual resonance.  Learning to live with a greater awareness of God’s presence with us is what we at Resonant 7 want to help you do.

Along the way, we will also be welcoming a dear friend of mine to join us on that journey.  Dr. Sherri Woods will begin contributing to Resonant 7 with a new series of blogs and companions under the heading Wednesday Wanderings beginning next week.  I have experienced a taste of these offerings and I know you will be blessed as you spend time walking along with her as I have been.  Welcome Sherri!

Weak/Strong

As we begin this part of the journey of walking along with Jesus, the writer starts with an interesting acknowledgement, our weakness and God’s strength.  Both are important foundational concepts to our faith that few followers would deny, yet we too often live like the opposite is true on both counts.  We act like we are stronger than we really are, and God is weaker than He actually is.

This acknowledgement allows us to begin our journey with a measure of honesty that will help us along the way.  We are talking of course about a lot more than just physical strength, though even that is a part of it.  I like this image because it represents how we often think of ourselves, with an overestimation of our strength.  But I think it also can convey the reality that we can tap into a strength much greater than what it appears on the surface we may possess when we rely on the strength of God.

And we desperately need that strength as we consider the journey before us.  Walking along with Jesus is not easy, as anyone who has done it for any length of time will be able to identify.  Honestly, it would be impossible if it were not for the strength of Christ in us helping us at every single step in the road.

There is a marvelous song that addresses this truth.  All I Have is Christ makes the statement that Jesus is everything.  He is all I have, but it goes on to paint an incredible story of why that is a good thing.  At the point of commitment and surrender the song says in the third stanza, “Now Lord I would be Yours alone, and live so all might see the strength to follow Your commands could never come from me.”

We do not begin this journey without the help of the Holy Spirit revealing to us our need for a Savior, and Christ’s willingness to be that, but we also can not even follow through with our commitment to live for Him unless He gives us the strength to do so.  But praise His Name, He does so, and gladly!

Keep Me From All Wrong

There is a great movement implied in this.  Not just let me stay safe in one place, but as I walk along keep me from all wrong.  That which I might bring on myself as well as that which others might invite me to join.  And I suppose there are two aspects of this prayer.

1. Deliver me from evil
2. Keep me from it in the first place

The first is an important prayer which Jesus taught His disciples to pray (Matthew 6:14).  When we find ourselves in a wrong place, doing a wrong thing, we cry out to be delivered from that place and activity.  But I like this prayer because it is proactive.  Keep me from that wrong place and thing so I do not even go there.

It is a further acknowledgement of our weakness as well as this truth in James.

“each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  James 1:14-15

When we see it this plainly, making the choice for right which leads to life, seems simple, but it does not always present itself so clearly.  That is then compounded by the fact that we are longing to be satisfied, and that pursuit sometimes leads us astray, but we will look into that on Thursday.

Think of it this way.  We can make much better music, be more resonant, when we are in tune.  We acknowledge we are weak, prone to get out of tune, and that we need to routinely tune our hearts.  We come to the One who is strong, evidenced by the fact that He is always in tune.  We ask Him to keep us in tune, from all wrongs, and that puts us in a position to allow His song to resonate in us.  Here’s to getting, and staying, in tune.

Happy Tuning!

Jesus, I am weak.  Though I would rather not admit that at times, I revel in it here and now as I simultaneously declare You are not.  On the contrary, You are strong.  Your strength can keep me from all wrong, and so I ask You right now to do just that, all to the glory of Your name, that I may walk closer to You today. In Jesus name.  Amen.

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

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Subscribers enjoy this podcast! Everyone else, the transcript below.

Video 7.1 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.

I am weak but Thou art strong;
  Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
  As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

This is a great place to begin, acknowledging our weakness and His strength.  Are you familiar with your weakness. That’s a start? Admit it to God, then thank Him for His strength.

Here is the ancient prayer Jesus taught His disciples, “Deliver us from evil.”  In addition to the wrong without, this is also a prayer that we would be kept from the wrong within.  Ask Jesus to keep you from all wrong.  

Satisfaction.  So elusive. Think of one thing that you want today.  You imagine you will be satisfied when you receive it, but if you have longed for anything before and received it, you know our longing often turns to the next thing.  Ask God to show you what you are longing for today, then surrender it?

When we long for God, instead of trying to satisfy that longing with something else, we can be truly satisfied.  Why? Because He is the One for whom we were created to long. When we learn how to walk along daily close to Jesus we find the secret to satisfaction.  Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to walk with Jesus.

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
Walking and Talking – https://pixabay.com/photos/human-friends-men-portrait-forest-3729591/
Weak/Strong – https://pixabay.com/photos/man-board-drawing-muscles-strong-2037255/
Keep Me From All Wrong – https://pixabay.com/photos/ethics-right-wrong-ethical-moral-2991600/