September Bible Journaling Hymns

 

SEPTEMBER BIBLE JOURNALING HYMNS

Week 1 9/14/24

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His loving kindness to a thousandth generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NASB)

Old hymns familiar to us as well as the stories that inspired the lyrics and scriptures that go along with the lyrics.

“GREAT IS THEY FAITHFULNESS” good reminder when things are tough, future seems uncertain.  “All I have needed the hand has provided, Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me – God does not change, He is faithful generation after generation.  At, the heart of the hymn is a simple but powerful truth God is faithful just as He says He is.  The Hymn opens with this powerful declaration, “GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS” no just a poetic line, but profound acknowledgement, a fundamental aspect of who God is.  His faithfulness isn’t just leading or occasional it is constant and unchanging.  That is the nature of the word FAITHFULNESS.  Even when life gets challenging, and our circumstances feel overwhelming Gods faithfulness remains.   TRUE OVER AND OVER IN EACH OF OUR LIVES.

This story begins in the 20^th century written by Charles Chisolm in 1856 in a log cabin in KY.  Chisolm was a teacher, preacher who had a deep appreciation for Gods faithfulness.   He struggled all his life with health issues through his struggles he found the strength, experienced first by the hand of God.  

In 1923 He wrote the hymn inspired by

*Lamentations 3:22- 23 ²² The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end,
For His compassions do not fail. ²³ They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

The lyrics reflected his personal journey and the unwavering trust in Gods reliability and grace.  In the 1950s the hymn grew in popularity by the Billy Graham Crusade, and it became a favorite because it is straight forward and has very a profound message about Gods unchanging faithfulness and love.  The Hymn complicity and depth make it relative.

*Think about the message in the hymn, your church service anytime you hear it.  Listen, with your heart and be encouraged be Gods truth.

SEPTEMBER BIBLE JOURNALING HYMNS

Week 2 Isaiah 12:2” Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD God is my strength and song, and He has become my Salvation.

Being able to experience Gods faithfulness over time, then developing a deep abiding trust in Him, such a valuable foundation for our faith in these difficult times an expression trust in God can be found in the hymn we sing often TIS SO SWEET TO TRUST IN JESUS

Louisa Stead in 1882 life was marked by her profound loss yet had unwavering faith – deeply influenced the inspiration of this hymn-that became familiar to so many.  In 1880 Louisa and her family were at a picnic by the sea, where a very tragic event happened, a young girl was drowning in the ocean, Louisa’s husband saw the struggling child and ran to rescue her in the process, he was swept away by the waves, where he drowned.  In the wake of her loss Louisa was left with a very young daughter, Louisa faced a future filled with uncertainties, grief.  Despite the tragedy she chose to cling to her faith in her profound personal struggle.

The day she lost her husband is when she penned the words to “Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” chorus Jesus, Jesus How I trust Him, How I’ve proved it o’er and o’er captures the essence of faith that has been tested by strength and through trials that happened in the past.  This hymn is a testament to faith and assurance that we can find in trusting God even when life’s way seems infralabial.  The fact that Louisa wrote the song so soon after her husband’s death, she already has a prone foundation of trust in God that had been built over time, The verse/hymn and recognize God as our salvation and our strength.

Circumstances may change, trials may come faithfulness remains constant.  Trusting Him means leaning on His promises rather than our own understanding – instead of the circumstances going on around us, as women we often juggle multiple rolls – significant life transition, empty nest syndrome, career shift, health issues, loss of loved ones, each of these challenges can stir feelings of uncertainty.  I, encourage you when you’re feeling anxiety, fear, depression, sadness remember the verse Isaiah 12:2*See top* Let Gods faithfulness be your foundation, trust His hand at work in your life, allow His strength to become your song.  Embrace the message of not only the verse but also the hymn as a reminder of the sweetness that comes from unwavering trust in God an incredible tool for our tool box encouragement for our hearts and strength over and over *God can be trusted* He is faithful every season, Joy, Hardship, trust His provision and guidance, His love, faithfulness will see you through and His strength will power us to face each day with confidence.

 

SEPTEMBER BIBLE JOURNALING HYMNS

Week 3 Isaiah 26:3 The steadfast of mind You will keep perfect in peace, because he trusts in You.

“It is Well With My Soul” grief/loss profound experiences can shake us to the core, challenge our since of peace and stability  that we are going to face challenges, loss of a loved one, health challenges, loss of income, other significant life changes even in the moments of uncertainty, whatever the circumstances may be, God promises a perfect peace that is available to us that transcends understanding todays verse “KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE whose mindset is on You because he trust in You.  This promise of peace is not just a comforting idea, but a profound reality, we can experience even in the darkest times.

This hymn “It is Well with My Soul” was written by Horatio Spafford in the late 19^th century.  This story beautifully demonstrates how God seems to detain us even through grief.  Horatio was a successful lawyer and devout Christian.  Chicago 1871 he experienced severe personal tragedy, when the fire of Chicago destroyed much of his real estate buildings causing severe financial set back, but despite this major setback Spafford remained steadfast to his faith, little did he know his tragedies weren’t over with yet.  In 1873 there was a family planned trip to Europe intended on his family to meet up with family friends who were vacationing there.   

 Due to last minute an urgent business matter Spafford couldn’t go on trip and decided to send his family on ahead and he would catch up with them in Europe.  While crossing the Atlantic the ship his family was on collided with another ship and sank.   All 4 daughters died in the disaster his wife Anna survived, she spent him a heart-breaking telegram that only had 2 words “SAVED ALONE” Spafford then got on a ship to join his mourning wife in Europe as the ship passed near where his daughters drowned, Spafford found himself contemplating the depths of his loss during this moment profound sorrow that he penned the words “It is Well with my Soul”  Peace like a river attended my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll.  Whatever my lot, through has taught me to say “It is well with my soul.  These words powerfully capture the essence of finding peace in God even in the middle of the most heart-breaking circumstances the hymn echoes todays verse ISAIAH 26:3 Peace comes from focusing our minds on God, trusting Him even when our minds are weary.   The availability of writing this in the tragedy of such a loss is a testament to Gods perfect peace that He provides & Spafford experienced it as we face our grief/loss now or future/past when we remember /relieving grief and other challenges.  Gods promise of peace is not contingent on the absence of suffering.  But His presence even in the middle of by keeping our minds focused on Him and trusting in His goodness we can experience a peace that surpasses all understanding.  Gods’ peace is not a pleading feeling but a deep seat of assurance that He is with His guiding/comforting us through whatever it is that we have and walk through.  Because of Him we can embrace His peace and let it be our anchor in the midst of life’s greatest challenges.

SEPTEMBER BIBLE JOURNALING HMNS

Week 4:   Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer.

What A Friend We Have in Jesus   sometimes in our lives we get to busy (in the demands) that life puts on us in our responsibilities. It is easy to overlook the most profound aspect of our Christian journey, our friendship with Christ, and the power of prayer.  All who are juggling careers, their families, personal health, everything.   We often find ourselves in need of steady encouragement the verse today is sort of a roadmap, reminder, embrace hope, practice patience, stay consistent in our prayer life, our friendship with Jesus is really the heart of this journey.

Christ invites us into this deep personal relationship, He is NOT just a distant figure, He is a TRUE friend who walks along beside us.  So much RICHNESS in that friendship.

Joseph Scriven was an Irish man who wrote “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” experienced profound personal loss and heartache that developed a true and personal relationship with Christ, and eventually wrote the hymn.   1844 after he completed college, he returned home to marry his sweetheart, as he was on his way to meet her, the day before their wedding he came across a horrible scene, his fiancé was laying covered in water in a creek bed, after falling off her horse.  Scriven later moved to Canada, where he eventually fell in love again, only to experience devastation all over again.  Scriven’s fiancé became ill suddenly and died just weeks before their wedding.  This was the second time he felt overwhelming grief and loss.  In, 1855 while still living in Ontario, Canada Scriven wrote the hymn “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” as a personal expression of his own faith and hope.   

The song was meant to be an encouragement to his mother who was still living in Ireland who was suffering a terminal illness and later died.  

Hymns, verses, speak of encouragement and the support we can find in Jesus, particularly through the work of prayer, “Oh What Peace We Often Forfeit, Oh What Needless Pain to bear, All Because We Do Not Carry Everything to God in Prayer” word reiterate the essence of finding comfort/strength in our friendship with Christ.  By bringing our request to Him in prayer.  The songs message aligns beautifully with Romans 12:12 to be constant in prayer is to engage constantly with Jesus, sharing His guidance, everything that we go through, personal suffering can lead to richer understanding of Christs friendship and the trans-formatted power of prayer, how faith grows through those instances, interactions with Him.  Our lives are often filled with demands/responsibilities that can sometimes push our spiritual practices that we know we should be doing into the background, and, yet maintain a constant relationship with Him!  *Bible journaling to me is reminding me of Gods faithfulness, nurturing this deep relationship with Jesus and being faithful in prayer, you make His peace and guidance into every aspect of your lives.