My father-in-law, who was my pastor at the time, once told his church something that many of us had never thought of. He asked us how many times do we wake up in the morning with a song… or a portion of a song… running through our minds?
The answer for me was ‘almost every morning.’ Then he said, “Do you know that God put that song there as a personal message just for you, that morning?”
I had never thought about that! But ever since then, when I wake up in the morning, if I realize a song is going through my mind or echoing through my heart, I pay attention to see what the words are. And so very, very often they’re exactly what I need.
I have to admit that every once in a while it’s just a silly song that was stuck in my head the day before, and I wonder… I think that maybe it’s not a message from God this morning… unless it’s a pointer that I let something else fill my mind so much that He couldn’t get through. I don’t know.
But most of the time I find a reminder from God that is just what I need… even if it’s a secular song. God can speak through those, too.
Why am I writing this, this morning? Well… I’ve been literally fighting to retain my peace in regards to money issues this past week. Mentally, logically, I’m fine… I know that God is in control and He has promised to always provide… that even if the world’s worse financial problems hit us, He can still provide for our needs and give us peace and joy and hope through the whole thing. But that hasn’t stopped that “uh-oh” feeling from sinking right through me over and over again. When it does, I fight it by praying in my prayer language, making the biggest lists of all the things I have to thank and praise God for, and by singing worship songs.
Anyway… that’s what I was fighting again last night. Do you want to know what song filled my heart this morning when I woke up?
“Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord. We will wait upon the Lord…
Our God – You reign forever;
Our hope, Our strong deliverer…You are the everlasting God – The everlasting God.
You do not faint, You won’t grow weary.
You’re the defender of the weak. You comfort those in need.
You lift us up on wings like eagles…”
God is sooooo good! I don’t know why I sometimes have such a hard time trusting Him. I don’t know why I get down and out about money. God will care for us!!! I know that! What is money? It is nothing but a tool… something that God uses, something we use… something that the devil uses to distract us, attack us, get us down… when I get down about it, all I need to do is to keep waiting on the Lord!
You are the everlasting God – The everlasting God.
You do not faint, You won’t grow weary.
You’re the defender of the weak. You comfort those in need.
You lift us up on wings like eagles…”
Listen to “Everlasting God”:
(If you’re interested in reading my thoughts on other songs that have ministered to me, just click on the songs label, and the blog posts will be listed, from newest to oldest.)
You know, it amazes me how much of an effect songs can have on people. It is truly a blessing to wake up with an encouraging song in your head. I can relate to that. Sometimes if I am having a bad night or I’m stressed out or I am having trouble worshiping God for some other reason, I will ask Him to give me a song to sing in the morning. Most of the time He gives me one, and that gives me a good start. Usually they are just what I need; other times I don’t know why that particular song is in my head, but it’s usually good anyway. =P I pray that God will continue to bless and provide financially for your family, as well as give you peace and relieve your stress. Keep the faith!
Psalm 30:5 For His anger is but for a moment, HIS FAVOR IS FOR LIFE; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
Numbers 6:24 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Johanna =0)
Katie, that’s great. When I was a young teenager (13, 14) I read the Scripture in Psalms where it says, “You surround me with songs of deliverance.” I caught this – seeing these songs literally surrounding me in a moment when I needed deliverance – and asked God to do this for me. Well, He has. It’s a wonderful thing: to be stuck in a place where you’re having trouble seeing ‘out,’ and from somewhere deep in your spirit, irrepressibly, comes the perfect praise song to God that lifts you out and sets you on your feet again. I love our God.