The One With Sunday Songs of Praise

        Hello again! Thanks for coming by...I know I have already held true to my word and it has been a few days since my first post, so if you're still following along, yay!  I wanted to share a few things that were on my heart...Sometimes I feel as though I get caught up in day to day life or sharing struggles with friends instead of praising the Lord for all He is and all He has done.  I want today to be different. And I want it to become a habit. God is good whether I choose to declare it or not, but oh, there is such joy in sharing it with others! There is no way that in one post I could share all that I am thankful for or all that God is.  There is no way that a million posts would give Him the glory He deserves. But I don't want that to stop me from sharing what specific things have stuck out during this past week that I want to praise Him for.  So if you're still with me, read along!  And feel free to comment at the end any praises that you also have from your week.  It will do my heart good to read them and be able to praise the Lord with you.  Here we go...

        I really just wanted to share a song we sang in church this morning...What it says really does sum up many things I am thankful for when looking back over this past week.  Every time we sing this song, my heart overflows.  It is called Cornerstone by Hillsong United.  You can watch the YouTube video of it here.  It isn't the official music video, but I love that you can read along with the words.  One of my favorite parts is the chorus:

Christ alone; Cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

        And then one of the verses especially stood out to me in light of some things I have personally experienced this week, as well as some things I have walked and talked through with friends:

When Darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil

Oh, what a beautiful reminder this song was to me this morning.   

Christ alone- He alone is sufficient.  

Cornerstone- defined in the dictionary as " a stone representing the nominal starting place in the construction of a monumental building (metaphorically could be the construction of the Church as a whole- the people, not the actual building); something that is essential, indispensable, or basic (Christ as the head of the Church); the chief foundation on which something (our faith) is constructed or developed."  What an already awe-inspiring depiction of Christ!   

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love- Such a reminder to me of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

"But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Praise the Lord!! I can't help but want to shout it! How amazing is it that in our weakness, He is strong.  His strength within us as believers is not dependent on us or how much strength we can offer on the front end. 

Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all- don't you just want to shout that word all? Not only is He Lord, but He is Lord of all.  Everything.   Storm is a word that is often used to describe difficult times we face throughout life...I am reminded of an example of Christ as Lord over an actual storm as described in Matthew 8:24-26...see what you can glean from this story of Jesus and his disciples-

"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep.  And they went and woke Him saying, 'Save us, Lord; we are perishing'  And He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?'  Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."

Did you catch that part towards the end? "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" I read that and feel as if I might as well raise my hand and just say "Me, that is me."  Why do we have such little faith?   Why is it that when God continues to show Himself faithful, time and time again, we still fall into fear in the midst of the storm we are facing?  If I'm honest, fear Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.  That is another way of saying He is sovereign- He reigns supremely over all.  Rest in Him.  I am speaking to myself here, but just in case any of you needed that reminder, there it is. 

When Darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. Through every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil...Have you ever been there?  Have you ever walked through something that made you feel like darkness and spiritual warfare were all around you and you couldn't see Christ anymore than a hand in front of your face in a blackened room?  Have you felt like "the boat was being swamped by the waves; but He was asleep" or thinking, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." Are you there right now?  I have been there.  I would say that there are probably not many who haven't been there.  But oh, isn't it good to know that that doesn't mean God isn't there??  He is.  If you know Christ personally and have accepted His free gift of salvation, then He is there because the Holy Spirit resides in you.  You can count on it.  You may not see it, you may not feel it, but He is there.  Cry out to Him.  I love what Psalms 107:14 says:

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.  He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart."

Wow...praise the Lord!  And I can't help but think...isn't that what Christ does when we accept salvation?  He frees us from the bonds and slavery of sin and darkness.  If you are a believer, even in the times when darkness seems to be all around, try take time to praise the Lord that He has rescued us from that darkness.  A sweet and dear friend reminded me of this verse this week, Ephesians 5:8:

"...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of the light..."

I also can't help but think of the truth of Job 12:2:

"He uncovers the deeps out of darkness and brings deep darkness to light."

        Praise the Lord for His sufficiency, for being my firm Foundation, my Strength, One who loves me always and no matter what, sovereign over all, my source of Light, unchanging, Giver of grace, my Anchor.