"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" 

• In 1741, a minor poet, Charles Jenners, wrote a libretto entitled "A Sacred Oratorio." The collection of biblical excerpts was sent to George Frederick Handel, with the reminder that "the Lord gave the Word." The package came at a time when Handel was going through a severe depression. He had been rebuffed by England's nobility, business misfortunes had left him deeply in debt, and at fifty-seven years of age, tired of working, he had retreated into seclusion.

• As the listless Handel leafed through the manuscript, his eyes fell upon the words: "He was despised and rejected of men... He looked for someone to have pity on Him, but there was no man; neither found He any to comfort Him." With a growing feeling of identity, Handel read on: "He trusted in God... God did not leave His soul in hell... He will give you rest." The words began to throb within his breast. "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace... I know that my Redeemer liveth... Rejoice... Hallelujah!"

Feeling the triumph of heavenly song, Handel grabbed a pen and started writing. Music for the words began to flow through his mind with such swiftness that he could scarcely write the notes fast enough.

For twenty-four days, the composer remained in his room on Hanover Street in London. His manservant would bring him food, but often it was left untouched. Sometimes he would take a piece of bread, start to eat, then let it drop from his hand, as some new inspiration called forth expression.

His servant watched in astonishment as his master's tears dropped on the page and mingled with the ink. At times he would jump up and run to the harpsichord, waving his arms in the air, singing aloud, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Later Handel confided, "I think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God Himself!"

It should not be surprising that the composition and rendition of The Messiah should lift people to nobler thoughts and actions. There is something elevating about the praise of God. When we magnify His name and celebrate His glory, our own souls take in greatness, for God inhabits the praises of His people!

Around the throne of God the celestial choirs sing and say praise to God, day and night. They do so at this very moment- They are singing and shouting PRAISE to Almighty God and to the LAMB! Should we not join them? [The above paragraphs are edited from SONGS OF HEAVEN, by Robert E. Coleman, pages 137-139]

__________________

Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven; To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever, Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Glorious in His faithfulness.

Fatherlike He tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame He knows. In His hands He gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes. Alleluia! Alleluia! Widely yet His mercy flows.

Frail as summer's flower we flourish, Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah Praise the High Eternal One!

Angels, help us to adore Him; Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him, Dwellers all in time and space. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise with us the God of grace.

[http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/r/a/praisems.htm

I pray your day and week will be blessed and filled with His goodness ~ and that all your problems me only minor glitches ~ and can be overcome with prayer.

Thank God for this Free Country ~ and our ability to pray freely ~ to speak freely ~ and to come together in spirit. Praise Him, Praise Him.

Saundra

**Please note: the above photo is from my own collection and one that I took on the day I was photographer for a friend's wedding. Please do not copy it without my sole permission. Thanks.

AS WE PRAY...

It is to expect an answer. Otherwise ~ it would be like pulling up to the window of a Fast-Food Place, placing an order at the first window ~ and not expecting the food to be there at the next.

To be honest with you ~ there have been times when I have prayed ~ simply going through the motions and yet remaining detached. Easier and less emotionally involved!

In the past months of my life ~ there has been devastating and emotional family upheaval. Without going into minute details ~ suffice it to say that it has been astoundingly hurtful and detrimental to my good health.

I began to pray ~ initially to be heard. Through tears and anguish ~ I prayed. While driving ~ I prayed. While crying ~ I prayed.

And, then, I began to pray in earnest. To better understand the "WHY" OF ALL THIS...which just was not making sense. Rather than be a whiner about all of it ~ I began to really see another side.

I then prayed in earnest ~ knowing that He would provide to me the answers I would need. I literally let go and Let God!! I decided this burden was just too much for me. It was too great a stone and albatross around my neck and I could do nothing about it. I had no control.

Instead, I prayed that those involved would not be able to rest ~ until their heart was changed. That they could not find peace ~ until their heart softened and broke. And, I continued to pray.

Through it all ~ suddenly, doors opened up to me ~ and the joy has been overwhelming to me. Flooding me with the spirit of the Lord ~ giving me the peace and direction I have needed in this ~ and coveting to my heart ~ this answer to prayer.

Things are not perfect, but they are increasingly better.

The peace that has come is tremendous.

The moral of this is to encourage you ~ no matter what ~ seek the prayers in your life and pray without ceasing. Prayer changes things.

And, in His time ~ not mine ~ He has given to me the answers to my prayers ~ and I am praising Him today.

Take the time to pray ~ take the time to give Him praises when you receive your answer.

God changes lives ~ and hearts.

Amen and AMEN!!

Live life to the fullest, sisters ~ and give THANKS to Him who blesses you every day....

Saundra

IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS!!

"Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving  let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:6-7)

GIVING THANKS IS A GIANT ACT OF FAITH! 

The ultimate objective of our Heavenly Father is to bring us to a place of unwavering trust and confidence in Him. A promise from God is reality.  It need not be visible or tangible. The promise need only to be from God to be real!  Giving Thanks is acting on the Word of God, in faith!    Giving Thanks is anchored in one or more of God's promises, appropriate for the situation, and then praising Him in advance for the coming fulfillment! Thanksgiving is Giving Thanks to God for the answer before it is received!  Giving Thanks is most powerful when we do it on the basis of God's promise rather than on the basis of the fulfillment of a petition.

GIVING THANKS IS AN ACT OF FAITH IN THE GOOD SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD!  

God in His good sovereignty has the total freedom to do all of His good pleasure. He does as He pleases and with whom He pleases and when He pleases. He ordains "sowing and reaping"; He even grants satan permission to "sift" us as he did Peter; or to torture us as he did Job.   Often we do not have any idea what is going on-- the deformity of a baby, the earthquake, the tornado, the hurricane and flood, the gunman and the drunk...and the list goes on and on.   BUT IN EVERYTHING WE Give Thanks, resting on God's good sovereignty.  SOVEREIGNTY enables us to Give Thanks to the One who has brought and/or allowed whatever it is that's the cause of our anxiety; and to know that He could have controlled or stopped it if He had so wished.  And since He did not stop "it".....or since He allowed "it"---We rest in the reality that
Infinite Wisdom and Unchanging Love conspired with Almighty Power to cause something that's for His great glory and our ultimate good!

PLEASE NOTE:
Giving Thanks is not "Praise God, the child is deformed....or Praise God, I have terminal cancer!".. BUT RATHER, "I Give Thanks, O Good and Sovereign God that all things have a divine reason; and are ordered by You to work for good."  Giving Thanks is not a psychological ploy or tool designed to lessen the impact of life's problems that may rush in like a flood in this fallen world... BUT RATHER, I Give Thanks, and I find my mind's focus put in order. "Shall the clay say to the Potter, ‘What doest Thou?"    Giving Thanks is not intended to change cir****tances nor to change other people! It's purpose is to transform my attitudes, keeping me free from resentment and bitterness and bringing me back to humility and to valuing the soul!  Giving Thanks is to be in everything; but not necessarily for everything.  For at the very least, I am humbled and moved to live by faith in the good, sovereign wisdom of God.  Giving Thanks lifts the gaze of my heart from self and cir****tances and people to Almighty God, so that now I cry out, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"  (Romans 11:33)

GIVING THANKS IS "STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF
GOD!"

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) Thus, Giving Thanks for the reality of these truths is faith in the forgiving grace of God.  In fact, how often I have confessed my sin and asked God to forgive me... but there was still a dark cloud of awareness of guilt and feelings of "God won't forgive me this time!"-- SO, IN SPITE OF THESE FEELINGS, I GAVE THANKS to God for forgiving me!   Such is the ongoing power of the blood of Jesus!  Such is the reality of Holy God's total satisfaction with what Christ accomplished on the Cross!  Giving Thanks causes the heavy burden of guilt to fall off!!!

NOTE:  There are an uncountable number of objective truths in the Word of God, which the Holy Spirit will bring before us...but we only experience them by active faith and trust. Giving Thanks is powerful, active trust in God and His Word!

GIVING THANKS... FOR THE UNKNOWN! 

Giving Thanks is an act of faith in God's ability to guide His children with supreme wisdom, unfailing love and unconquerable power. Giving Thanks empowers us to walk into the unknown and stand in the presence of the unfamiliar, because Giving Thanks is faith that God is capable of showing His children what He wants us to do and where He wants us to go; and that He has the power to make sure that we get home safe!  "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with My eye" (Ps. 32:8).

Giving Thanks is thanking God in the midst of the problem-- not for the problem, but for the outcome! (Heb. 12:11)  Giving Thanks says, "Thank you, Father, that even though all discipline seems not to be joyful but sorrowful, yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."    Giving Thanks focuses on what we know to be true based on God's Holy Word, in spite of what we may see or feel; it is Giving Thanks to God for triumph even though present cir****tances suggest defeat!

GIVING THANKS AND ANXIETY ABOUT GOD'S PROVISION!

Giving Thanks is not a means of getting what we want; rather, it rests in the promise of God to provide us with what we need. It is not a plea for provision; it's a response to a promise.  Giving Thanks is not only for what God has given; but also for what God is going to give!    Giving Thanks is relaxing in the promises of the sustaining grace of God and enjoying His peace as we trust in His good providential care!  Giving Thanks is most powerful when focused on expressing gratitude over the incredible attributes of Almighty God!  Faith is fueled!

GIVING THANKS and OVERCOMING ANXIETY ABOUT GOD'S TIMING!

Giving Thanks is not designed to change God's timetable or speed up the divine program. Rather, it helps me adjust myself and my schedule to His!  Giving Thanks does not get my wishes granted quicker...it helps me to patiently wait...to Thank Him for His infinite wisdom that controls all His decisions and His perfect timing.

GIVING THANKS and OVERCOMING ANXIETY ABOUT
PRAYER!

Giving Thanks  and Praise to God is the primary form of prayer in Scripture! Giving Thanks to God for who He is focuses our confidence, not in the act of prayer, but in the Living God who solicits prayer, hears prayer and answers prayer.  We do not always know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit enables and empowers our Thanks Giving.

GIVING THANKS and OVERCOMING ANXIETY ABOUT
DEATH! 

THANK YOU, FATHER, for the promise of the resurrection...that I will be with You forever!  (1 Thess. 4:13-18)    THANK YOU, FATHER, that you have already prepared a place for me (John 14:1-2); that You designed it (Heb. 11:10); that You have even described it and that it will be my eternal home (Rev. 21-22). 
  {This article edited from Thank-You Therapy: The Cure For Anxiety,
by Don Baker}

THANK YOU, FATHER for plentiful mercy, plentiful pardon, plentiful peace, plentiful redemption, plentiful forgiveness, plentiful grace and abundant love!