Can You Hear Your Song & Redemption In The River

The following is a devotional thought I wrote a couple of years ago and I would like to repost it today once more believing God to speak to someone through this short writing! Hope you enjoy as we read some of those early thoughts of my Christian life with today’s thought entitled, “Can You Hear Your Song” & The Wife’s Note: Redemption In The River.

“Ever made a mistake? It’s like you know better than what you’ve done, but somehow you slipped into a sin. Maybe one that returned from your past. Or maybe just simply something that you have never had happen before. I know I have. I have fallen in both areas in my two and a half years. I don’t like to fall, but sometimes I do. Whenever I make a mistake, I often think about that great king in the bible, who wrote most of the book of Psalms. King David. What a awesome man of God he was. But as we all know, he had failed many times in his life with God.  He had made many mistakes over the course of his life. And yes… he had to pay for some of those mistakes. We cannot live in sin forever, we will have to pay. But today I have a message for someone who loves the Father, is even walking with Christ and being led by the Holy Ghost, but has slipped up into a mistake. The first thing I want to say is… get up fast. When you fall don’t lay in your mess of flesh. Get up swiftly, and call ask for the mercy of Christ. But the second thing I want to say is… don’t think that your Heavenly Father is mad at you. Although He is deeply sorrowful, He isn’t mad.

Psalm 32:7 was written by a man that had fallen into sin, and found forgiveness. King David writes, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Now when you study this verse out a little deeper, you soon realize that this hiding place is a place away from the enemy. But it means so much more. It is a place of safety from the consequences of sin. David is literally saying, “you Lord, are my safe place from my sin. Even though I have failed you! Even though I have hurt you, and deserve the punishment of my sin, you are that place I can hide within and be safe. For the punishment for my sin, weather it be great or large, big or small, is death. But you Lord, have hide me in your greatness. Where death finds me not. You are my protection… even though it is you I have sinned against.”

This love we see is great & truly unexplainable. “Why would He? How could He? Why does He?” I don’t understand how our Lord does it either, beloved. But there is another wonderful side to this verse that we have yet to cover. The second half says “thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah” That word compass means simply to surround. So we could easily say this… “Lord… even though I have messed up, and have asked your forgiveness, you not only take me to a safe place in you, but also surround me (or totally engulf me) with songs of deliverance. Songs that proclaim my freedom from sin to me! Such a beautiful sound!! I hear it in the sweet songs of the birds! I hear it in the gently whistle of the wind. I hear it in the low roar of the ocean tide. I hear it in a slow trickling creek. Everywhere I go I hear it!! It says… “be glad!!!! For your Father has set you free!!!” Selah! (which means to pause and calmly think and understand that)”

Beloved, although you may have made many mistakes… try and grasp this verse deeply. If you have truly repented and asked for forgiveness for your mistake, your Father has surrounded you in lovely songs of deliverance. So don’t get weary! Don’t give up!!! Soon you will hear your song!”

Beloved, He is not mad at you! He loves you with an everlasting and unfailing love. Listen in prayer and in seeking for your song in which God is singing personally to you this today.


The Wife’s Note: Redemption in the River

We were at a church a few weeks ago and I noticed on the back wall, behind the pulpit, a picture of river rapids. I thought about that picture for a few weeks and I feel God wants me to write about it in this devotional.
When I picture river rapids I imagine the roughest part of the water right before the waterfall. I picture fast moving water. I picture the rocks underneath the water making it difficult to survive. I picture myself there and struggling to hold my head above the waters.
Christian friend…it can be this way in our Christian walk. There are places in our walk like the rapids of a river. We can go through some of the roughest and hardest times in our walk with Christ. Sometimes things come at us fast just like the water of the rapids. It can become overwhelming at times and we can feel as though we are about to go under, but remember he never promised it would be easy. He did promise however, that he would never leave you and never forsake you.
In a river there are rapids just like this life. But also in that same river is a peaceful place where the water moves slow and things seem to go just right. God did not place you in your rapid to leave you. He placed you there for his purpose.
There is Redemption in your River. That peaceful place in the river makes me think of that sweet redemption. And the overwhelming peace that we all receive.
So as we go through this river called life just remember that the rapids wont last too long and your redemption is on the way. Just trust him. He will keep you through it all.