The Importance of Praising God in Song, and Communicating to Others, His Wonderful Works to the Children of Men!

24 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 105:2.        Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of his wondrous works.

It’s no wonder that after the rain last night, that Wednesday has opened cloudy, damp and somewhat humid. And to tell the truth, the rain wasn’t so plentiful or powerful, but it’s accompaniment by the extravagant lightning and thunder show, with the heavenly rock drummer, Thor, putting on an especially rollicking performance made the show spectacular. Yes, I haven’t heard such cracking bouts of thunder in a long while. 

At one stage when the rain lightened, I went out on my porch to enjoy some peaceful moments out there, but within two minutes I was back inside after several lightning displays and a couple cracks of thunder chased me away. (smile) That brings us to today’s question: ‘Can You Sing in the Rain?’ It’s the title of an interesting story from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. 

So please read with me: ‘When I was a child I LOVED to take long walks with my tall, LOVING father. We trudged through the meadows, we climbed rolling hills, and often we walked through tree-lined parks. As we walked, Dad would tell me stories about his childhood, and I would ask countless questions about my grandparents. One day on a country road we walked under a gentle mist of rain. In the distance we saw a sparrow perched on a tree branch. The tiny bird was just singing away. 

My father asked a question: “Could you sing in the rain if nobody saw and nobody heard you but God?” Years have passed since that long-ago day. There have been wonderful days of joy. and there have been days of tears, too. Sometimes in the darkest night, during the most severe storm, God has enabled me to sing in the rain when nobody saw and nobody heard but God. Even through tears God has reminded me that the longest storm the world has ever known came to an end one sunny morning. And after the storm – a rainbow! God did it for Noah…and He does it for us!’ 

And that’s a wonderful fact that we should all be so very thankful for! Yes friends, even the longest and most powerful storm has to end sometime, and all the while it’s going on, our great God will hold and protect you in the shelter of His arms. It’s like Isaiah said of the Lord: ‘He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.’ (Is. 41:11) Now that’s what our great and wonderful God is about! Shepherding His people! Like Bruh David says so eloquently Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1) 

And that’s what shepherds do; provide for their sheep, in both food and safety. And that’s what our God has promised to do and has indeed done. Remember the story of Noah, (Gen. chap. 6-9) when the Lord decided to destroy the earth by water, for the wickedness of man was so great in the earth, and his thoughts and intentions of his heart were continually evil. And God was sorry that He had ever made man on the earth. It sickened him, or grieved him at his heart. (Gen. 6:5-6) 

‘But Noah found grace in his sight.’ (Gen 6:8) And He was instructed to build a great ark and take in his family and two of every of God’s creations, for the Lord was going to destroy the world by water And as the author of Hebrews tells us in the Heroes of Faith chapter: ‘By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (reverence), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.’ (Heb. 11:7) Another great man of faith friends! 

But yuh know what? As Jesus reminds us: ‘But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be….before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe (Noah) entered the ark.’ (Matt. 24:37-38) Yes sir! In those evil and dreadful times, it  was all about having a good time…just like it is now. That means the Lord will return when we least expect Him. Consequently, we need to be on constant alert, and have everything in readiness, as though He was coming back today. And we have to do our best to bring a lot of souls to Him before that awesome day. 

And to help us in doing so, Psalm 105 leads the way. From which our Bible Promise for the poem and Bit for today comes. It gently remind us: ‘O Give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth; O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen. He is the Lord our God: his judgements are in all the earth.’ (Ps. 105:1-7) 

Now, unfortunately, too many of us, don’t seem to remember or value the advice given in the psalm, but if we don’t wake up and get our act together very soon, like immediately, we’re likely to be caught unawares, and thus lose out on all the good things when Jesus returns unexpectedly. And that would certainly be a crying shame! So, let’s consider ourselves warned. 

Now, it’s time to go home declaring our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And it’s been promised that whoever endures with Jesus to the every end, will experience an even more glorious future than they can imagine or comprehend. So, let’s be wise and endure to the end nuh, so we can enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!

…Jesus is our Good Shepherd…but too many of us are disobedient sheep…and eventually…will pay the consequences of disobedience…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

FAITH: The Difference between Seeing and Believing and NOT Seeing, yet still Believing.

19 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hebrews 11:6a.        But without faith it is impossible to please him (God):

And as Monday morphs into Tuesday, and the life cycle continues to spin the way Almighty God, it’s creator intended, we created beings ought to be ramping up our spiritual maturity through Bible reading, meditation, prayer and thanksgiving, and not the ungodly and fleshly stuff that so many of us busy ourselves with. Now, here is an interesting prayer from the Prayers Through the Ages Pamphlet recently put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, that helps us to improve in our godly walk. This prayer was written by one Richard Foster, a theologian and author in the Quaker tradition. 

Please pray with me. ‘O Lord, my God. Form me more fully in your likeness. Use the circumstance and interactions of this day to form your will in me. From the frustrations of this day form peace. From the joy of this day form strength. From the struggles of this day form courage. From the beauties of this day form LOVE. In the name of Jesus Christ, who is all peace and strength and courage and LOVE. Amen.’ 

Oh friends, that’s indeed a marvellous prayer for handling the trials and tribulations of this world. And I like how the author lays it out so that the Lord can use the trials and frustrations of this world to enable us to end up with all that Jesus is; peace, strength, courage and LOVE. But it’s like Jesus said, we will have trials and tribulations in this world, but we can have His peace and be of good cheer, because He has already overcome the world. (John 16:33) 

problem though, is that we have to acknowledge and accept those promises in order for them to be of benefit to us. However, too many of us supposed believers ignore the promises, and simply look on the dark and negative side, so obviously the promises won’t work in our lives. Oh my people, the Christian life is all about FAITH; ‘that substance (realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (conviction) of things not seen.’ (Heb. 11:1) That basically means believing so strongly in the promises of God, that we believe for what we need without seeing it. In the world they talk about seeing is believing, but in God’s economy, it’s the other way around, believe it before you see it. 

Or as the scholars explain, re of things hoped for and of things not seen. ‘The first involves future hope; the second involves present realities that are unseen. The first includes the hope of the resurrection, the return of Christ, and the glorification of the saints. The second involves unseen realities, such as the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s sacrifice and the present intercession of Christ in heaven. Hope is faith relating to the future; conviction is faith relating to the present.’ 

That’s why the author of Hebrews also informs us: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) Yes friends, to enjoy the kingdom of God and all its benefits, one must believe that God exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. 

And that faith experience of not seeing and believing is fully brought out by this next verse from Hebrews. ‘By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (reverence), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.’ (Heb. 11:7) 

And believe me, that was no small faith on Noah’s part. For the Lord told him to build an ark because of an upcoming flood. But Noah had never seen rain, (Gen. 2:5) nor a flood, however, He listened to God, showed great faith, and did things that, as the scholars put it were; ‘incongruous with (contrary to) his former experience.’ 

Now that’s the kind of faith we believers need to exhibit in these disastrous, chaotic and ungodly times. Times when we should be rising up in faith and proclaiming the gospel of Christ, sincerely carrying out His Great Commission, being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, so that the ungodly can see the goodness, mercy, grace and LOVE of God shining in and through us, and thus decide to enter into His wonderful fold. 

That’s the only way we will ever truly win others to Christ my fellow believers. If we don’t show the fruit of His Spirit; (LOVE, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control) flourishing in us, then others won’t want to come to Him. Remember, we are His disciples, His ambassadors, and agents in the world, and He’s depending on our good conduct and behaviour to draw others to Him, otherwise His sacrifices down here on earth would have been a wasted effort. And we certainly cannot allow that to happen. 

So please, let’s wake up and see the dire state of our world nuh, because we are not doing a good enough job for Christ, and let’s take the bull by the horns and start turning things around to the way they ought to be. And for those of us who are willing to take up that challenge, let’s go home  declaring (ah Lord eh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. 

As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now obliged to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!

…to have true faith in Christ…one must be willing to believe things…one has not seen…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien