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5/30/2013 0 Comments It is well with my soul… How many of us have heard this hymn and found so much comfort in it. This hymn is a beautiful expression of worship. Each verse contains wonderful expressions of faith and truth. It is a ray of hope in spite of the horrible tragedy that we face. It is a comfort that comes from a strong faith in God that shines brightly through the gloom. This hymn echoes of pain and suffering but also of the eternal hope that all believers have. But how many of us know the story behind this hymn. Horatio G. Spafford, a 43-year-old Chicago businessman, had suffered a personal financial calamity in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He and his wife were still grieving over the death of their only son shortly before the fire. Spafford realized they the family needed to get away for a vacation. He decided to take his family on a trip to England, knowing that their friend and well-known evangelist Dwight L. Moody was going to be preaching in England that fall. However, urgent business delayed Mr. Spafford, so his wife Anna and his four daughters sailed on ahead and he made plans to set sail a few days later. The ship that his wife and four daughters were sailing on was struck by another ship and sank in 12 minutes in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Two hundred and twenty-six people lost their lives in this terrible accident. Mrs. Spafford amazingly survived, but all four of their daughters drowned at sea. On reaching the European mainland, Mrs. Spafford sent her husband a telegram with the sad message, “Saved alone.” Stories differ as to when the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” was written. Some believe it was written while Spafford was on a ship to rejoin his wife in Cardiff, Wales, when the captain informed him that they were passing over the scene of the accident, this bereaved, loving father longed for the day when he would see his four beautiful daughters and son again and penned these words. “And Lord haste the day when the faith will be sight, the clouds will be rolled back as a scroll; the trumpet shall sound and the Lord shall descend, even so, it is well with my soul.” The hope of being reunited with their beloved children gave these parents the courage to continue on by living in faith." Their hearts were comforted and strengthened by the truth of the resurrection. For more than a century, the tragic story of one man has given hope to countless thousands who have lifted their voices to sing, It Is Well With My Soul. When Spafford wrote the heart gripping words to the hymn, he was not insinuating that all things were going well in his life. In fact, Spafford's words were meant as a song of thanksgiving and praise to our God in the midst of deep grief and loss as a result of a series of tragedies that can only be imagined by most. Can you imagine the depth of pain and the grief that must have flooded over him. It could have been at that moment that the Holy Spirit inspired him to put in writing these words, “When sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.” Spafford, in spite of his anguish, could say along with the apostle Paul, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). Would you or I be content if we were faced with a similar situation? Can you praise God in the midst of what you have going on right now? Today on this Worship Wednesday, I wish you peace, the kind of peace that Horatio Spafford had that surpassed all understanding. The peace that only comes when we trust God with every fiber of our being. Knowing deep within us that, no matter where we are in this life, no matter what answers we don't have, no matter how difficult the path ahead may be, we can sing and truly believe "It is well, it is well with my soul." To discover more about Quentin Bethea visit qbetheamusic.com
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5/22/2013 0 Comments Time After Time Nehemiah 9:28: “And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.” As we read about how many times the children of Israel turned away from God and then suffered the consequences of their sins, we might be tempted to wonder how they could have been so stubborn and foolish. We might even think they were dumb. And yet we do the same thing. We cry out for help. God hears us and helps us turn our lives around. Then like the Israelites did, we get comfortable. We forget about God and live our own way. It’s amazing that a small nation like Israel survived and rebuilt the ruined temple in fifty-two days. We too can cry out to God, confess our sins, and rebuild our lives, our marriages, our families, our jobs, and our churches. Then we also can stand and praise the Lord for his compassion to us time after time. What a marvelous picture of the patience of God! He lets us taste the results of our wrongdoing, bad decisions and awful mistakes. He gets our attention sometimes by allowing things to happen. But it is only in order that we might hear what He is saying and be delivered. God delivers us time after time because He loves us. His love is everlasting and even when we're struggling, He is worthy of our praise. Let's praise the Lord for who He is, what He's done, and what He's capable of doing. Let's believe together that as we surround Him with praises, He will be near; and as we continue to trust in Him and He will deliver us "Time after Time"! Visit Colandra McDowell at www.colandramcdowell.com 5/15/2013 0 Comments New Season of Victory Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." Our lives and our world is governed by seasons. A new season, whether it is a calendar season or a different season of life, usually brings signs of change. There are observable differences between how things were and how things are, and our ability to have success in the newness depends on our ability to respond and adjust to such changes. This is a new season for The Sanctuary, for me and for those in The Sanctuary. Many of us that were in those WAVES are experiencing a new level of anointing and revelation that we have no choice but to walk into our "New Season". The Almighty says, “It’s a NEW SEASON! For those of you that have been waiting on the Lord, not just waiting, but waiting in expectancy and anticipation of the Lord, not waiting on man but the Lord, a shift has taken place in your spirit. Your position has changed. You are no longer waiting on the Lord but he is now waiting on you, to receive all He has for you. Now, that you are in the position of receiving from the Lord. You’re in a new season of unusual favor, notable miracles and power with contagious and abundant blessings that will ripple through generations. That which was stolen from you will be returned to you a hundred fold. There are some things God is going to do that you didn’t even ask Him for and He is doing it simply because it was on your heart and he loves you. Some of you may have been delayed but not denied and your new season is going to happen suddenly. That which has been blocked has just been unblocked, that which has been held up has just been released, and whatever or whomever has tried to get to you, has now come to you. So get ready and prepare your storehouse. God is about to do some things in your life that have never been done before. It’s a New Season you worship warriors….so take your step forward and begin to worship in your New Season! |
What is Worship?
The Apostle Paul described true worship perfectly in Romans 12:1:
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship." Worship is first of all an experience. It may express itself through certain forms, but it is not primarily a form. It is an experience. It is a consciousness of the presence of God and a response to that consciousness. Worship expresses itself as an outreach of the deepest emotions of the soul in adoration, reverence, homage, exaltation, and praise to the Almighty. We hope that our Worship Wednesday creates a deeper more meaningful worship experience for you. Visit our other inspirational blog
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