I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I Need Thee Every Hour
By: Annie S. Hawks, 1836-1911 (1872)

Listen to this beautiful piano version as you read, or watch the video then read.

We begin a six week journey of exploring and expressing our constant need of God. This must be a concept we become very comfortable practicing, for doing so takes us to a much deeper intimacy with God. I pray you develop the habit of routinely telling our Lord how much you need Him during this journey. Let’s tune our hearts.

I Need You

It is not easy to admit we need anything, until of course we are at the end of ourselves. This reality alienates us from God, and others, in direct correlation with how self-sufficient we pretend to be. And it can be a very subtle sufficiency, cloaked in the guise of not wanting to be a burden to others, or asking God for help, but let’s call it what it really is, sin.

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! Psalm 40:17 ESV

When we need deliverance from situations too big for us and help with circumstances too great, we have no trouble crying out for quick relief. That’s good, but there is another kind of need with which we use reacquaint ourselves. It is the continual awareness of our need for God, particularly in the mundane, that takes our relationship with Him to that deeper level.

In that moment we first realized we needed a Savior and that Jesus was willing to be ours, we easily declared, “I need You!” Do you remember that moment? “The hour (you) first believed” in God’s amazing grace? It is just as amazing every other hour after that, and you certainly continue to need it, but something happens to all of us.

Over time we slowly become callous to our need of God all the time.

Can you recall the last ordinary moment you told Him you needed Him? That might be a little tricky because ordinary moments are simply not very, well, extraordinary, so they are easy to forget. Even still, is it a habit of yours to confess your need of God?

Tell Him right now. God, I need You. In this hour, I need You.

Every Hour

Our need for God never changes, but our awareness of it does.

I am not even going to try to convince you of this one. You are poor and needy, just embrace it, and the incredible truth that Jesus wants to help you. You are on His mind. Now, to develop your ability to keep yours on Him.

So what are you going to do about that? May I make a suggestion.

Begin to develop this habit with one of these simple reminders today.

1. Every time you pass through a doorway tell Him you need Him. It is a good reminder that as you transition from one place to the next you need to confess your need of Him.
2. Set an alarm for an hour from now. When it goes off simply tell Him you need Him, and you are open to His care. Then restart the alarm for an hour again, and repeat.

These are simple things but they can help cultivate an awareness of your need for God’s presence.

Which one will you do today? Commit to one right now before this concept slips away, and with it several more hours when you could have been confessing your need for God.

Most Gracious Lord

What perspective of Jesus comes to mind in those moments when you are telling Him you need Him?

Consider this verse.

…the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. Isaiah 30:18 ESV

That first phrase really struck me. Jesus is waiting to be gracious to you. I think that means He is longing to do it, more than looking for the right circumstance.

Join that concept of longing with this image and I think that makes sense. Jesus wants to be gracious to You, and actually is being gracious always, but we are unaware so His grace is effectively lost on us. How sad that is, and how sad that must make Him.

I believe it makes Him sad for two reasons.

1. He wants to be gracious to us because He loves us. When we are unaware of it, I believes is saddens Him.
2. He is exalted when He shows mercy to us, and since He is more aware than we are of just how worthy He is to be exalted, not doing so saddens Him.

Easy fix. Make Jesus glad today and engage in exalting Him by telling Him how much you need Him. Nothing makes Him happier.

You may just be surprised to learn that nothing will make you happier than that either.

Tell Him how much you need His grace. Thank Him for it and receive it in this hour. Then repeat it again in 60 minutes or less.

Jesus, I need You continually, and I want to remember that at least hourly. Help me to practice that today, and find myself reveling in the wonder of Your grace to me in my need. In Jesus name. Amen.

Needful 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 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 members enjoy this video and transcript! Everyone else just transcript below!

Video 11.1 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 need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

This is a beautiful place to begin, admitting to God you need Him. Of course, that was easy to confess as you began the journey with Jesus, but often our self-sufficiency kicks in. Tell Jesus you need Him in this hour. Then embrace of life of repeating that hourly.

The grace of our Lord makes it easy to admit our need. But we often feel guilty about a thought, or word, or deed and let that keep us from coming. Begin to develop the discipline of coming often to God, by asking Him right now to help you receive His grace.

Our gracious and gentle Shepherd said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” We must learn to tune our ears to hear His voice, and then follow wherever He leads. Ask the Holy Spirit to tune you heart to identify Jesus’ tender voice.

We must learn to follow because doing so leads us to inner peace, even in the hours when things are not peaceful externally. Have you experienced the peace of Jesus? Either way, ask Him right now to help you listen and learn the way.

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
I Need Thee - https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-hand-fold-woman-finger-work-2274255/
Every Hour - https://pixabay.com/photos/clock-alarm-clock-watch-time-old-1274699/
Most gracious Lord - https://pixabay.com/illustrations/painting-artwork-art-russian-art-1023419/

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

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

Listen to this orchestral 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.

This week we close our consideration of this beloved hymn by looking into the refrain that comes as a response to each of the stanzas we have meticulously meandered through over the last four weeks. Check out all those blogs and their media content in the Blogs tab at the top. Take a few minutes today to ready your soul for your song of praise to our Savior and God. Let’s tune our hearts.

Then Sings My Soul

We have all had them. Those moments when God revealed Himself and we are left with a soul full of praise. Sometimes it is in creation, other times in the beauty of daily living. He certainly showed His greatness on the cross, and will when He returns. Our souls sing in those moments, and sometimes our voices do as well. The Psalmist said it like this.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty…Psalm 104:1 ESV

The clear instruction in Scripture is for us to direct our souls to bless the Lord because He is great! The soul can bless the Lord with or without the voice. I am a singer so many times as I was praising my soul has become overwhelmed with a sense of God’s greatness, but an even more normal and regular occurrence is my soul responding to God’s greatness which leads to a song. My soul leads the way, and my song becomes just one expression, albeit a very valuable and Biblical one.

You see, our praise more often does not need a microphone because our voice is not even involved. We are called to live lives that declare the greatness of God, with or without a microphone. I have had the opportunity to stand at a microphone in a studio an offer my praise to God. It is thrilling and exciting, but mostly because I have had something great to sing about, my Savior God.

Far more often, there has been no microphone and no studio. No one standing around to hear and no device to capture the sound. And it didn’t matter because there was no sound to capture. I simply poured out my praise from my soul to the heart of God.

Can you manufacture those moments? I don’t believe so. I do believe you can prepare for them, even though sometimes God just shows up and leaves your jaw-dropped on the ground.

We prepare by removing the hindrances which might impair our ability to observe His greatness, and cultivating the heart that easily acknowledge it. But it is not a two-step process as much as an on-going discipline.

So I wonder what hindrances might need removing today? Maybe you see them as distractions, but beware they may be hindrances masquerading as such. If you are good in that area, what are you actively doing to cultivate a greatness-declaring soul? Spend a few moments ask the Holy Spirit to disciple you in your praise-making.

My Savior God to Thee

But sometimes you do need a microphone, and a guitar too! You find yourself moments after the latest “then” and you MUST offer your praise to God. Maybe you felt it in your soul, saw it with your eyes, heard it with your ears, etc., and you simply have to respond.

…you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:22 ESV

I think of this as the spontaneous praise of a heart that has been made aware of Who God is. You can not cultivate this. It just happens. But it is more conducive in the heart that is free from hindrances.

How many people look at the grand vista of a sunset and either lack the capacity or are hindered to acknowledge the Maker of it? How many feel the kindness of another and fail to see the One who is the Source of it? How many wake to a new day and can not appreciate the new mercies it holds, each gifts from the Creator of them all?

We are all guilty of allowing these moments to slip by without entering into a rightful and appropriate “then”. There are a cacophony of noises and distractions that fill our hearts with other responses. Keep finding moments like this in your day to recalibrate. We are here to help anytime.

I pray you will have many more “then” moments like the ones this great hymn deliniates. I hope we can help you routinely remove hindrances to such expressions and be a source of encouragement as you cultivate a heart that anticipates them. Ask Jesus to surprise you today with some revelation of His greatness. Then sing from your soul.

Jesus, my soul sings of your greatness. Help me remove the hindrances and distractions that might dampen my praise and cultivate the environments and perspectives that will allow it to resonate. Then sings my soul. In Jesus name. Amen.

Great-ful 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 10.5 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.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

In every one of those moments described in every preceding stanza, and so many more, my soul will sing to Him of His greatness. When I consider His work in creation, my soul sings His greatness. Think on that work and give Him praise.

When I consider how He reveals Himself to me in the simple daily things and the significant momentous times my soul sings. As I journey through the varying experiences of life, the highs and lows, and realize He presence ever with me, I am determined to give Him glory. Will you?

As I reflect on His laying down His life to pay for my sins, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and worship. Though I move along from His cross taking up my own, I want to routinely come back to the foot of it and give Him praise. Look up, visualize His cross and thank Him for it.

All other moments of praise point to the last, eternal ones when finally in His glorious, heavenly presence we will offer Him praise as never before possible. Ask Jesus to stir a longing for those moments, even as you make the most of every one of these.

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
Then Sings My Soul - https://pixabay.com/photos/worship-singing-inspiration-church-4088561/
No Microphone Necessary - https://pixabay.com/photos/music-studio-music-studio-sound-1290097/
How Great Thou Art - https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sunset-web-banner-music-guitar-1012477/

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.

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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/