Notes on the Notes – February 28, 2021

Lent 2

To Trust, Even When it is Difficult

This week’s music:

“He’s Always Been Faithful to Me”

“Morning by morning, I wake up to find the power and comfort
Of God’s hand in mine.
Season by season I watch Him, amazed,
In awe of the myst’ry of His perfect ways.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.

I can’t remember a trial or a pain He did not recycle to bring me gain.
I can’t remember one single regret in serving God only
And trusting His hand.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not; Thy compassions, they fail not,
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Wondrous the portion Thy blessings provide.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

This is my anthem,
This is my song;
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long.
God has been faithful, He will be again.
His loving compassion, it know no end.
All I have need of His hand will provide.
He’s always been faithful to me.”

This song has words and music by Sara Groves. It is based on the hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas O. Chisholm and William M. Runyan. The arrangement is by Gary Rhodes.

Hear the song sung by Sara Groves at:  https://youtu.be/cTLfQ05Otk0

Hear the song sung by The Zoe Group (acapella) at:  https://youtu.be/1DOvGHB9qbc

To read more about the song, go to:  https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=2220

“For Those Tears I Died”

“You said you’d come and share all my sorrows,
You said you’d be there for all my tomorrows.
I came so close to sending you away.
But just like you promised,
You came there to stay
I just had to pray.

And Jesus said,
‘Come to the waters, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried;
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.’

Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul,
I know that without you I’d never be whole.
Saviour, you opened all the right doors.
And I thank you and praise you from earth’s humble shores.
Take me, I’m yours.

And Jesus said,
‘Come to the waters, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried;
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.’”

Marsha J. Stevens wrote this song in 1969 and it is often considered to be the first contemporary Christian song.   Hear her talk about the song at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUpQ_WoKWYI

“Trust in You”

“Letting go of ev’ry single dream,
I lay each one down at Your feet.
Ev’ry moment of my wondering
Never changes what You see.

I’ve tried to win this way, I confess.
My hands are weary; I need Your rest.
Mighty warrior, King of the fight,
No matter what I face, You’re by my side.

When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move,
When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through,
When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You,
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You.

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings.
There’s not a day ahead You have not seen.
So, in all things, be my life and breath;
I want what You want, Lord, and nothing less.

You are my strength and comfort;
You are my steady hand.
You are my firm foundation,
The Rock on which I stand.
Your ways are always higher;
Your plans are always good.
There’s not a place where I’ll go
You’ve not already stood…”

This song by Lauren Daigle speaks to trusting God through all the trials of life.  In an interview she said, “Even when God doesn’t move the mountains or things are different than my heart desires, He’s still as faithful. Thinking on the trials that Jesus walked through on earth, it’s not just us trying to wade the waters in life. We experience the same heartbreaks that Jesus experienced. A lot of times we can feel isolated, but reflecting on how His heart was broken in greater ways than we can imagine, we need to press in and know that Jesus has been there and has experienced the greatest amount of loss. By His steps, it affords us comfort in times of loss.”

To read the entire interview about the song, go to:  https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=1691

“God will Make a Way”

“God will make a way when there seems to be no way,
He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side,
With love and strength for each new day,
He will make a way.  He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness He’ll lead me.
Rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade,
But His word will still remain.
And He will do something new today…”

This song by Don Moen, born out of tragedy,  reminds us that, in times of trial, and especially in times of extreme trial, we need to be assured that we have a God who loves us and who will provide for our every need, whether it be physical, emotional, or spiritual.

To learn more about the story behind the song, go to:  http://www.staugustine.com/living/religion/2015-08-06/story-behind-song-god-will-make-way