There was a request for the lyrics and chords for this song. So, I am putting up a new page for that. The old page without chords is located here. It is played to the key of D.
A BURDEN FOR SOULS
Words: Bill Butterworth
Album: Make It Clear
DF#mGA7
A burden for souls dear Lord, a burden to share
DF#mGA7
A love for the lost dear Lord, a genuine care
GF#mEmA7
A need to see this world as people dying each day
GF#mEmA7
An urge to speak with them, to do more than just pray
DF#mEmA7
A burden for souls dear Lord, a decision to make
DF#mEmA7
A goal to follow Christ, whatever it takes
GF#mEmA7
A life of sharing the gospel with whomever I can
GF#mEmA7
A need to take my eyes off myself, to see God’s plan
B7
To see God’s plan.
EG#mF#mB7
A burden for souls dear Lord, this will always be my prayer
EG#mF#mB7
Make this burden real to me, that I may always care
This is a powerful rendition of "What Grace is Mine." It is a great reminder of those who have committed ourselves to following Jesus, that our lives are not our own. Sung by Kristyn Getty in the Keith and Kristyn team, it is my favourite.
What grace is mine
That He who dwells in endless light
Called through the night
To find my distant soul
And from His scars
Poured mercy that would plead for me
That I might live, and in His name be known
So I will go wherever He is calling me
I lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain the hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him
What grace is mineTo know His breath alive in me
Beneath His wings
My waking soul may soar
All fear can flee for death dark night is overcome
My Saviour lives and reigns forever more
So I will go wherever He is calling meI lose my life to find my life in Him
I give my all to gain a hope that never dies
I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him
I bow my heart, take up my cross and follow Him
Joni Eareckson Tada continues to inspire, singing the theme song for the upcoming movie of the same name. The song, "Alone Yet Not Alone," has even been nominated for an Oscar. The words of the hymn support the major themes of comfort, faith and hope.
This song helps us to focus on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of the Faith. It is a beautiful rendition of
JESUS BE THE CENTRE
Jesus, be the centre
Be my source, be my light
Jesus
Jesus, be the centre
Be my hope, be my song
Jesus
(Chorus)
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus
Jesus, be my vision
Be my path, be my guide
Jesus
(Chorus)
Be the fire in my heart
Be the wind in these sails
Be the reason that I live
Jesus, Jesus
With Canadian Thanksgiving around the corner, it is an appropriate time to dedicate this week's "Midweek Meditation" with one of the most beautiful Thank You songs. Here it is:
LYRICS
Lord, I am thankful; Thankful for the Name of Jesus; Thankful for the Blood that cleans us. Lord, I'm thankful for You, each day. Each day I am thankful; Thankful for the Spirit's leading; Thankful that in You there's healing. Lord, I'm thankful for You.
Lord, I am thankful; Thankful for the Name of Jesus; Thankful for the Blood that cleans us. Lord, I'm thankful for You, each day. Each day I am thankful; Thankful for the Spirit's leading; Thankful that in You there's healing. Lord, I'm thankful for You. CHORUS: Oh let my spirit soar in worship to Your Name. My life is not the same by the power of Your Blood. And every moment that I breathe, Your Spirit leads and meets my every need of walking in the Light of You. Lord, I'm so thankful; Thankful for the Name of Jesus; Thankful for the Blood that cleans us. Lord, I'm thankful for You, each day. Each day I am thankful; Thankful for the Spirit's leading; Thankful that in You there's healing. Lord, I'm thankful for You.
Lord, I'm so thankful O Lord I'm thankful... For all you are to me...
Lord I'm so thankful, Very very thankful For you are to me..
I heard this on the radio today, and it brought back lots of memories about the powerful hymns I used to sing in a mainline Church. Uplifting and lively, it is about the joy of creation and the response back to God in pure worship. When we see the beauty of the earth, we get a glimpse of the beauty of the Kingdom. That is how worship ought to be. Our present chorus is a mere snapshot of the heavenly symphony of praise.
LET ALL THINGS NOW LIVING
Let all things now living a song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on to the end of our days.
God's banners are o'er us, His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished
As forward we travel from light into light.
His law he enforces, the stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!"
Each year, around late November, some radio stations will be playing Christmas carols and songs non-stop. I like the mood it creates. With the daylight getting shorter, and the dark getting longer, plus the shivering cold temperatures, having something warm to think and to feel about helps immensely. One of my favourite radio stations is Praise 106.5 FM that serves the Lynden, Bellingham, and Vancouver BC area. In the age of the Internet, anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection can listen in. This morning, this song captured my attention. It is one of the newer Christmas songs to be released. Indeed, Christmas is more than simply giving and receiving of gifts. It is about love that came down at Christmas. Written by Georgina Rossetti, it is sung by award winning Canadian song writer, Ali Matthews. Great song.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33, NAS)
This is one of the most popular memory verse. It highlights the kingdom focus of Jesus in the Sermon of the Mount. It gives people hope that whatever they are concerned about from day to day, need not distract them from the main thing. It has spurred a popular song, which is sung in many churches each Sunday throughout the world. The Maranatha Singers version remains my favourite rendition of this classic.
There are several things that we can learn from this verse. a) The Preposition (δὲ , de) 'but'
The preposition 'but' is critical. It ties in the two main needs of the human race. Firstly, there is a need for security like food, housing, clothes, our health, our daily concerns. I will call that daily provisions. Just like the sun by day and the moon by night, there are many events happening that we cannot totally be in control of. We cannot force the sun to come up sooner, or the moon to appear later. These simply happens without us having to worry about it. Secondly, the human psyche is one of restlessness. If one does not worry about Item A, his mind will start roaming around for items B and C, pulling in anxious thoughts like a long trailer, to even exceed Item Z. Such restlessness has caused much grief. (Remember, what good will it do to a man who gains the whole world but loses his soul?) Instead, we need to direct our attention to the front of the train. The driver. The author and finisher of our faith. The person leading our lives. Jesus is that person. He knows all of our needs. He wants people to avoid moving from one worry to another, but directs his hearers to focus on the kingdom of God. With the word 'but,' Jesus draws these two weaknesses of people, of worry about daily provisions, and the tendency of restlessness into one direct focus on the kingdom of God AND his righteousness.
b) The word (προστίθημι, prostithemi) 'add'
These things that people worry about, God will provide as an ADDITION. This small detail is significant. We cannot be too distracted by the provisions that we miss the loving hand of the Provider. We cannot allow the gift to hide the palm of the Giver. We cannot be so infatuated with things that we receive that we fail to give the person who loves us the attention he/she deserve. The word 'add' should conjure in us the question: "Add to what?" Jesus has taught the disciples to seek God's kingdom and his righteousness. That is the main thing. Along with this main thing, the hearers have been assured that whatever they need daily will be taken care of. These things will be "added unto you." Be careful not to think that the purpose of seeking God's kingdom is to receive provisions and daily necessities. No! God is our daily bread. God is our daily companion.
The verb 'prostithemi' (προστίθημι) is also used in several places in the New Testament.
In Acts 12:3, when King Herod saw that his arresting/killing of James, the brother of John, had pleased the Jews, he continued to try to (προστίθημι) 'add' to this 'pleasing-the-Jews' exercise by trying to arrest Peter too.
In Gal 2:6, Paul claims that the external facade of the false teachers will (προστίθημι) 'add' nothing to the gospel he is preaching.
In Rev 22:18, John warns us about the terrible consequences for anyone who (προστίθημι) 'adds' anything to the words of Scripture.
We need to ask ourselves, what are we adding to? Simply put, the main course of our holy meal is Christ. The entree is God's kingdom and his righteousness.
In these tough economic conditions, people are making increasingly desperate attempts to sustain their businesses. I saw a car workshop that is currently trying to promote their winter maintenance package. A banner screams: "Free MP3 player with every winter maintenance package." I ask myself, what has an MP3 player got to do with car maintenance? Absolutely nothing. It does not make the car go faster or smoother. It will not polish the car's exterior. Neither will it improve the fuel efficiency of the car engine. By using the MP3 player gimmick, car owners can easily get distracted from the main thing regarding car maintenance. Quality and reliability of the car mechanic. Location of the workshop. Type of equipment and the integrity of the workshop and so forth. If the car owner decides on the basis of the MP3 player, he is taking a huge risk, especially with an unknown car workshop.
Likewise, when we seek God's kingdom, we cannot be distracted by the 'mp3's of spirituality. Even our daily necessities can be MP3s of our spiritual life. Distracted people choose God simply because of his promises to deliver these human goodies. Far be from it. Remember that Jesus is saying that all these things will be 'added' unto you? But first seek ye first the kingdom and his righteousness!
c) Future Tense
The third observation is that προστίθημι is a future tense. It is not immediate according to our liking, but appropriate according to God's timing. The words 'will be added' should comfort us that the future is in God's hands. The very person who wants to give us his kingdom and his righteousness, surely, the goods promised are not going to be more important than the kingdom, isn't it? What God has promised, he will deliver, only wait in hope and persevere in faithfulness. That is what trusting God is all about.
Final Words
In the parable of the compassionate father (many refer to as prodigal son), the father who has given his younger son his inheritance, continues to long for his son to return from his willful ways. Thankfully the story ends with the return of the prodigal son. The father was overjoyed. He gives the unfaithful son clothes (the best robe). He puts a ring on his finger, and sandals on his feet. He feeds him with the best calf (food). Everyone in the household were asked to celebrate. What is important is that when the Father sees the return of the son, everything else does not matter anymore. God desires to have fellowship with us, so that he can shower his bountiful love on us. He knows we need a roof over our heads. He understands that we need daily provisions of food. He recognizes that we are human creatures with human needs. Yet, he is wise to continue to teach us patience, and not to give in to our desires prematurely. Knowing when to give us what we need, and how much to provide for us, requires not simply speed or efficiency. It needs love. It is from this gesture of love, that he tells us, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," then all these things will be 'added' unto you.
What we should desire is God himself. For the younger son, his eyes is no longer on the clothes or the food, or the house and inheritance. His desire is to come back to the warm embrace of the Father. Henri Nouwen puts it very eloquently that there are indeed more important things than food, clothes, lodging and our daily provisions:
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate now knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." (Henri Nouwen's "Out of Solitude")
I will end with the picture of Rembrandt's work, the portrait of the parable of the compassionate father. This picture alone inspired Henri Nouwen to write one of his best and most popular books: "The Return of the Prodigal Son."
This past week, I have been hearing depressing news one after another. In retrospect, since the nightmarish financial fallout in Wall Street on the middle of September 2008, the dominoes have fallen hard. From large corporations to small businesses; from unemployment hitting high-flying executives to the blue-collar worker; from the subprime mortgage crises in the US to the very doorsteps of our favourite grocery or coffee shops, many are rapidly throwing in the towel due to the unsustainable business models they run on. "Doing More With Less," a corporate maxim since the beginning of the Millennium is slowly creeping into the regular household. People simply need to get the most value out of their few bucks. As unemployment rises and sentiment falls, the financial meltdown will impact many families. Canadians have been told to be prepared for the worse. Due to sharply reduced overseas demand, factories in China, have laid off thousands, triggering widespread anger. Singapore, one of the four economic dragons of East Asia reports of a double whammy: slowing business dealings with both the US and China. Europe calls the slowdown a 'huge threat' to all their economies. Times are bad, making many people sad. Amid the tearful, lies many fearful and frefful of things worse to come. It is important during such times to remember that many worries in life never actually become reality. In fact, the old saying that 'no news is good news' remains largely true.
Ten+1 Tips When Living in These Tough Times
Some tips I have are as follows:
Watch less news (either on TV or Internet);
Spend less time talking with 'doom-and-gloom' people;
Spend MORE time speaking with words of encouragement and edification;
Practice sincere speaking and avoid doing things just to 'save' one's face. (See my article on sincerity.)
Read biographies. Many are inspiring;
Encourage those who are affected, by simply being with them, or provide simple practical helps;
Be responsible consumers. Do not simply save for the sake of saving. Help the smaller businesses where possible;
Pray often, and practice sharing and caring for one another;
Give your family a hug more frequently;
Meditate on Matthew 6:24-34 (listed below);
Sing. Christians are called not to be sinners but singers. (see below)
Mark Twain once said:
"I've had many problems in my life - most of which never happened."
Jesus, in his classic sermon on the Mount emphasizes that
24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:24-34)
Hard Times Make You Strong
I learned this song many years ago when I was an undergraduate. A brother in Christ (I'll call P.N) played and sang this on a guitar. During that time, when I was struggling as a young adult, complete with academic pressures and various challenges, the song ministered a lot to me. Pray that it will help you too.
HARD TIMES
1) Is the rain falling from the sky keeping you from singing?
Is the tear falling from your eye because the wind is stinging?
Refrain:        Now don't you fret now child, don't you worry        The rain's to help you grow, don't try to hurry the storm along        The hard times make you strong
2) Don't you know a seed will never grow if there are never showers
Though the rain may bring a little pain, just look at all the flowers
Refrain:        Now don't you fret now child, don't you worry        The rain's to help you grow, don't try to hurry the storm along        The hard times make you strong
I know how long the day can seem when storm clouds hide His face.
And if the rain dissolves your dreams, just remember His amazing grace!
3) Don't you know the sun is always there even when the rains fall?
Don't you know the Son will always care when he hears your voice call?
Refrain:        Now don't you fret now child, don't you worry        The rain's to help you grow, don't try to hurry the storm along        The hard times make you strong
If you do not know the tune to this song, click here. It is a song that uplifts a mother who lost her son some time ago, hence its rendition is more melancholic and solemn. If you like me to sing and record another version, email me.
I love this song. The lyrics are endearing. Isn't love more profound when communications between a husband and wife transcends words? This song is entitled: "When You Say Nothing At all" sung by Allison Krauss. Her angelic voice sprinkles the words into showers of beauty.
WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all
The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all.
