When I was a tot, my mom used to teach me church hymnals on some Friday evenings when the Sabbath had started. When my cousins would come for sleep overs over the weekend, we would sometimes continue with this routine and have a little choir session. I definitely treasure those memories now as one of my cousins in this little choir is now waiting peacefully for the resurrection. High school is where I learnt even more songs. I was very jazzed when I saw one of my other cousins sing most if not all the hymnals off head, during our church services. She was only about 15 years old at the time. I figured she must have sung the songs a lot. I hoped to be like her one day and be able to sing songs without looking at the hymn book.
I don't know about other churches these days, but I find mine has changed a little, in that hymns are not sang as much as they used to. Maverick City type songs have taken over and it’s not a bad thing. I do like these and feel they are more my sound but there is something powerful I am discovering with hymns and their lyrics. It does make me worry sometimes that soon there might be a generation that doesn't know hymns at all. I don't think this is good. How can we praise God with limited songs. Let’s mix and gather them. Hymns, Maverick, Travis Greene, and all the other ones that will come along. There is definitely room.
I have noticed something interesting within the last year. Sometimes, and I don't know which times they are, whether they are good or bad times, and I'm going to start paying attention, a hymn will just come in my head. I’ll then begin to sing the song in my head because I have a euphonious voice that is best suited for eternal life, earth can't handle it just yet. There's a time for everything. These songs just come "suddenly”. I also haven't listened to them in yonks but somehow, I know the lyrics too! The first time I can remember when a song just came suddenly in my head was last year around November. I had just come from laying my cousin to rest peacefully as she waits patiently for the resurrection. I was still going through my health challenges and used to go for walks as part of my rehab. When I walk, I am either listening to music but mostly listening to a sermon. That day I was just listening to south African music (not gospel), which I love.
I was thinking of her which is now my new normal, as I think of her every day. I was thinking to myself, imagine that day when Jesus comes and imagine seeing all the truths in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 live! This song with this particular verse came to me "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, when we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory". I had not sung that song in yonks but let me tell you it soothed my spirit immensely. Now anytime I feel sad about my cousin, that song comes up quickly in my head and I find myself smiling as if the victory is here, because I know that day will come. Amen! As I know and believe it will come, my spirit doesn't then seem to go to that place where I was, when I first heard she was now patiently waiting for the resurrection. A few things and/or disclaimers here. It is only because of the K.P.M.G. (see K.PM.G. post) character and strength of God that I can have such moments. Other than that, the only explanation I can give is the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding. A truth that I know very well as it has sustained me since I was 6 years old, when my dad was brutally and barbarically murdered.
I can live with hope, not because of me and any will power of mine. It is all to do with God. Sometimes I may still feel sad when i think of my cousin, which is natural, and I know that I need to obey and submit to my tears when they want to come. I do not believe in suppressing tears and grief. I take example from Jesus and the story of Lazarus which will forever jazz me. Jesus KNEW! he was going to raise Lazi (as I call him) up in the next few seconds or minutes, yet when he saw people mourn, felt compassion for them, and didn't just cry, he wept! So, if the Great Son of God aka God the Son, can cry over someone he said was asleep, because he knew he is the resurrection and can wake him up EASILY! please tell me who am I not to cry when I feel emotional. I certainly can and I certainly will. Not because of all the psychological pro-crying reasons, but simply because Jesus said in his actions that I can and so it is ok. So, if I want to weep, I will weep, if I want to cry, I will cry, if I want to moisturise my cheeks when I'm watching a romcom, I will moisturise my cheeks.
The difference is and only by the K.P.M.G character of God, the Excellent Book says, that when I do mourn or grieve, not to do it like this world which lies to you with such words that "Death is final" but to do it with hope. There is hope in the resurrection. The resurrection is Jesus, so there is hope in Jesus. Full stop. No comma, no dash, no but. On that note, let me just say I really hate it and it really bugs and annoys me when people say death is so final. That's the father of lies spreading his lies to the point you believe it and keep reciting it. If Jesus didn't say it, I don't want to hear it.
Since November 2021, such moments have come where a song from "nowhere" comes into my head. Having posted my previous post last night, this morning I woke up and the song "In the cross... be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find, rest beyond the river" was in my head. That particular verse. I thought actually that is very fitting and it showed me how God truly knows. He is truly Listening. In counselling some of the core skills are the ability to paraphrase and summarise, using your own words to capture the essence of what the client has said. That song didn't just come to me for no reason. I mentioned in other posts, I do not believe in luck. I believe the Holy Spirit, having asked him to pray for me with his groans, gave me this song, to show me he was with me the whole time, he has prayed for me, and this song was proof of prayer. Not only that, but where I didn't even know which word to use to describe my feelings, he has come back to me, paraphrased and summarised it even better than I ever could.
Now I see why Jesus called him THE Counsellor who will help us. Aki God is Good! My encouragement is seek This Divine Counsellor first, then seek the mortal counsellors after. There's only so much they can do. With God nothing is Impossible. Since I've opened this up, yes I believe Christians can and should seek psychological counsellors/therapists. I love how an episode of Living Single said it. God created everyone including counsellors and therapists. For me, I believe he gives them some of his wisdom so they can help us as we go through life.
God can send help in many ways. Many times in the Bible he sent angels. Off course he can do it by himself but everyone has to fulfil the purpose He created them for. From angels to counsellors and therapists. My encouragement is not to attach your prayer to a specific outcome, because God can use anything and anyone because his ways are not our ways and he does NOT make mistakes. He did not make a mistake by giving people the purpose of being counsellors and therapists. Don't blame God for not helping you like I did, because you didn't seek help. Help is there and it comes in many ways. Ask God to show you which help you should seek because he knows what's best for you. If you ask him to show you, he truly will and he will absolutely help you.
God answered my prayer of comfort, and he has done it in such a beautiful way, that I can't even describe. All this after telling him how I was upset with him for leaving me, only to find, in the words of brother Shaggy, it WASN'T HIM! it was me! I didn't ask for help so I didn't get it! When I say God has a K.P.M.G character, I am not just saying it for decoration, it is true. I live in it every day (because of him not me) and especially now when I need it to settle my soul, he is making it even more potent and concentrated because that's the kind of Sweet God he is. The Excellent book doesn't lie when it says, "O taste and see that the Lord is Good".
The beautiful thing is he is making his K.P.M.G "Neat" when I have been nothing but raggedy in attitude and behaviour towards him. If you see me saying God is Good 50 million times, I do hope you join me. If you disagree, please let me be. I know where I've come from and what syllabuses I have gone through. If you're like me and you've seen first-hand what God has done for you not just in the times when you were "good", but especially the times when you haven't deserved it (which by the way is actually all the time) then you understand what I am saying. God has continued to bless me exceedingly and abundantly and has even added nyongesa (extra). If you haven't seen LIVE and for yourself the K.P.M.G. character of God, I pray that from this moment forward, God will open your eyes and heart so you can see clearly, all the exceedingly beautiful things that He has been planning for you even before you were born!
As I finish writing this "My Hallelujah, belongs to you...You deserve it" is playing in my head.
Related verses
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Psalms 150:1-5, Psalms 40:1-5, Ephesians 5:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 11:11, John 11:33-44, Daniel 12:2, John 14:1-3, John 5:28-29, John 14:16-21, Psalm 34:8, Ephesians 3:20, Psalm 139:13-18, Romans 8:28, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11.
#SouthAfrica #Victory #WillSingAndShoutForVictory #Believe #HolySpirit #KPMG #Comfort #Soothe #Weep #MournWithHope #ExcellentBook #AllGod #Counsellor #TasteAndSeeThatTheLordIsGood #Neat #Conc #GodIsGood #ExceedinglyAbundantly #Nyongesa #BeforeYouWereBorn #50MillionTimes
Next post: 27/11/2022
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