The Saturday Song – Almost Home

I don’t have to tell you we’ve all had a rough year. And for a lot of us that’s on top of a rough decade…life…you get the idea.

And the trials of this life don’t show any signs of letting up.  

But this life is not all there is. 

For those who have chosen Christ as our Savior, this world is just a temporary place where we grow closer to the Lord, let His character replace our own, where we let the Author and Finisher of our faith mature us and prepare us for the life He has planned for us – the real life – the life after this, where we’re more alive than ever. 

Right now, we live with our eyes on that prize. We live with a hope and a steadfast faith that seeks to be about our Father’s business, loving and drawing the people He’s given us into that most sacred of relationships so they, too, can live with hope, knowing this life is only temporary, and we’re almost home. 

 

 

Almost Home
by MercyMe
 
Are you disappointed
Are you desperate for help
You know what it’s like to be tired
And only a shell of yourself
Well you start to believe
You don’t have what it takes
‘Cause it’s all you can do
Just to move much less finish the race
But don’t forget what lies ahead
 
Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
 
Well this road will be hard
But we win in the end
Simply because of Jesus in us
It’s not if but when
So take joy in the journey
Even when it feels long
Oh find strength in each step
Knowing heaven is cheering you on
 
We are almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
 
I know that the cross has brought heaven to us
But make no mistake there’s still more to come
When our flesh and our bone are no longer between
Where we are right now and where we’re meant to be
When all that’s been lost has been made whole again
When these tears and this pain no longer exist
No more walking we’re running as fast as we can
Consider this our second wind
 
Almost home
Brother it won’t be long
Soon all your burdens will be gone
With all your strength
Sister run wild, run free
Hold up your head
Keep pressing on
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home
Almost home
Almost home
We are almost home

The Saturday Song – God’s Not Dead

It’s revival day! 

Today’s the day Franklin Graham is leading Prayer March 2020 in Washington D.C. for the healing of our nation, and the day Pastor and Rabbi Jonathan Cahn is leading his event, The Return, also seeking God’s forgiveness, repentance, revival, and healing of our nation. 

Heavenly Father, we come to you in humility and total dependence on You, praying that in Your mercy You would pour out the power of Your Holy Spirit throughout our country to soften hearts and open eyes to the truth of the destruction of sin, and the truth of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that paid for our sins, that many will turn to You with repentant hearts and that there will be a great awakening and revival of our nation in the name of Jesus Christ.  We pray you would send your warrior angels to bind the hand of the enemy from stopping or disrupting any of the prayer events going on today. We look to You, LORD, for help and hope and renewal. In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen. 

This is the song the Lord put on my heart to share today.

 

 

God’s Not Dead (Like a Lion)
Newsboys

Let love explode and bring the dead to life
A love so bold
To seek a revolution somehow

Let love explode and bring the dead to life
A love so bold
To bring a revolution somehow
Now I’m lost in Your freedom
In this world I’ll overcome

My God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Roaring, He’s roaring, He’s roaring like a lion

Let hope arise and make the darkness hide
My faith is dead I need resurrection somehow
Now I’m lost in Your freedom
In this world I’ll overcome

My God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Roaring, He’s roaring, He’s roaring like a lion
He’s roaring, He’s roaring

Let heaven roar and fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival
Let heaven roar and fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival
Let heaven roar (Let heaven roar) and fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sound of revival

He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion
God’s not dead
He’s surely alive
He’s living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

He’s roaring, He’s roaring, He’s roaring like a lion
He’s roaring, He’s roaring, He’s roaring like a lion (Roaring like a lion)

 

 

 

The Saturday Song – Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)

Happy Saturday, friends. You know, for the most part I feel called to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ, but every once in a while the Lord will put me in the path of an unbeliever, and that’s where I want to be today. 

In the path of those who have no idea what this Jesus thing is all about, and the path of those who once thought they knew, but they’ve been away for a hundred million different reasons. 

I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that God loves you more than you can ever know. Yes, He does. You might not feel it right now, but sometimes feelings lie. 

You might have been hurt and blame God. I understand.

You might have done something terrible and don’t think He could ever forgive you. I understand. 

You might be afraid to trust Him again. I understand. 

I’ve been there, done all that, bought the t-shirt and worn it until I didn’t think I could wear it anymore.

But the power of the blood of His Son paid for all of it. 

And thirty years down the road I also understand that if you let Him, God will heal your heart; that He not only can forgive you, He is waiting to forgive you; and that no matter what the future holds, He will be right beside you, hurting with you when you hurt, but through it He will give you His peace and strength to forgive, to heal, to grow in grace and love, into very the image of His own beautiful Son. 

And just like the story Jesus told the people who had gathered around him: “while {the prodigal son} was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him,” (Luke 15:20) so the Heavenly Father waits for you to take but a step toward Him, asking for forgiveness, and He will run to you with such compassion and all the love you ever wanted, throw His arms around you, and welcome you home. 

Today’s song is dedicated to you.

Father, let the chains fall…

 

 

Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)
David Crowder

Lift your head weary sinner, the river’s just ahead
Down the path of forgiveness, salvation’s waiting there
You built a mighty fortress 10,000 burdens high
Love is here to lift you up, here to lift you high
 
If you’re lost and wandering
Come stumbling in like a prodigal child
See the walls start crumbling
Let the gates of glory open wide
 
All who’ve strayed and walked away, unspeakable things you’ve done
Fix your eyes on the mountain, let the past be dead and gone
Come all saints and sinners, you can’t outrun God
Whatever you’ve done can’t overcome the power of the blood
 
If you’re lost and wandering
Come stumbling in like a prodigal child
See the walls start crumbling
Let the gates of glory open wide
 
If you’re lost and wrecked again
Come stumbling in like a prodigal child
See the walls start crumbling
Let the gates of glory be open wide
 
Let the chains fall…
Let the chains chains chains chains chains chains…
 
If you’re lost and wandering
Come stumbling in like a prodigal child
See the walls start crumbling
Let the gates of glory open wide
 
If you’re lost and wrecked again
Come stumbling in like a prodigal child
See the walls start crumbling
Let the gates of glory be open wide
Let the gates of glory be open wide
Let the gates of glory be open wide

 

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Our Leaders

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you. Thank you for the grace and mercy you continue to show us by giving us another day to prepare ourselves, another day to love others, another day to pray for those who have yet to come into a relationship with you.  

You know those who will be yours and we stand in the gap for them, praying you would bind the hand of the enemy, that your Holy Spirit and your truth would surround them, open their eyes, and with repentant hearts they would receive the forgiveness you gave your Son to die for. We pray they would receive your love and grace and mercy and that you would mold their hearts and character to be like yours. 

Father, we lift up all our leaders. No matter what political affiliation they’re with, no matter what their beliefs, we pray you would bless them according to your will.

For the good of our country and for your glory, we pray you would show them the right way. That even though they don’t understand it, they would move in ways according to your perfect will, to bring about the change you know we need. 

Lord, you blessed us with a land where we were free to worship you, to serve you, to work hard and make an honest living. We humbly ask for your forgiveness for using our freedoms to hurt one another, and worst of all, to push you out of our beliefs, our schools, out of every facet of life. 

Father we pray our leaders would see how much we need you, how vital your word is to us individually and as a nation if we expect to continue to be blessed by you. 

We pray for the salvation of our leaders, and for their boldness in prayer and in relying on the truth in your word to lead us as a nation as we move forward. 

We pray again for the pouring out of your Holy Spirit specifically on our leaders, that they might lead humbly and graciously according to all you still have for us. 

We give this country to you, merciful Father, and we wait for you. 

In Jesus’ holy and mighty name we pray, amen. 

Deep Calls to Deep

“Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
All your waves and breakers
Have swept over me.”
Psalm 42:7

 

 

There is something about an 80 foot swell that can get our attention. That’s how it can feel when the trials of life come over us, one, after another, after another.  We feel almost as if we could drown under the weight of it, so we stop, lift up our hands, and call on the Lord to save us.

He calls to us in the trial, and from the depths, we call back. Spirit calls to spirit, deep calls to deep. 

On this National Day of Prayer, let’s lift up our hands to worship in spirit and in truth. Let’s come boldly before the throne, lay our hearts bare, and call to Him to is able.

Let’s let the Holy Spirit speak to our hearts, reveal our sins for confession, and intercede on behalf of our country, our leaders, our neighbors, our business owners, our pastors, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and for those who are still lost. 

Let’s stop, and hear the calling of the Lord in the trial, in the waves of suffering, and let Him have His glorious way in and through us. 

 

Oh Heavenly Father, please forgive us for wandering so far from you and for our many sins. Thank you for sending your Son to the cross in our place to take the judgment we deserve. 

Lord, we lift up our country, and every country, and pray for your mercy. We pray you would bind the enemy, that you would allow spiritual eyes to be opened, repentance of sin granted, and that multitudes would believe on your Son as Lord and Savior for the conversion of their souls. 

We pray for revival, for salvation and the filling and power of your Holy Spirit, in and out of the church. We pray for your wisdom for our leaders, we pray for healing from this virus that has caused loss of life, inundated the healthcare system, and shut down the livelihood for so many.

We pray you would comfort those who are grieving, heal those who are sick, strengthen those who are working so hard, provide for those who are out of work, and we pray for every business to be open and fully functioning again.

We pray you would strengthen and speak through our pastors. We pray we would be mindful to be witnesses and examples of your love wherever we go, that the world would know we are your disciples by our love for one another, and that love would draw people who are thirsty for love to your fountain of grace.

We pray our trials are never wasted, Lord, and that your will is done through it all. In the midst of all the chaos that can so easily grab our attention, help us to focus on you and to be about your business, functioning in the gifts you’ve given each of us for the benefit of the Body and to bring you glory. In Jesus’ holy and precious name we pray, amen.