About five years ago, I began praying to the Lord that the first thought I had upon waking, would be of Him. \u00a0The Lord blessed this prayer by providing a Worship song in my head every morning. \u00a0It might be a whole song, a chorus, a line or two, or a verse of scripture to music. \u00a0This is how I wake up and meditate on the lyrics first thing.<\/p>\n
While worshiping at the retreat a week ago, I became aware of the Biblical truth embedded in songs. \u00a0Of course it’s something I have always known, but to really hear the message behind the message is not something I have pursued deeply.<\/p>\n
So, I decided to explore the Biblical truth in the song I woke to this morning. \u00a0I pray that the Holy Spirit guide my steps in navigating the precious Word of God, and lead me to His Truth that He wants me to learn through the song He provided. \u00a0This is by no means a reflection of the song writing process by the artist and the verses they may have drawn upon while writing the song. \u00a0This is simply my way of drawing nearer to God through song and scripture.<\/p>\n
Hosanna in the Highest I see the king of glory (Isaiah 30: 26-28:<\/strong> “See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, \u00a0with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke;\u00a0his lips are full of wrath,\u00a0and his tongue is a consuming fire. \u00a0His breath is like a rushing torrent,\u00a0rising up to the neck. \u00a0\u00a0He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction;\u00a0he places in the jaws of the peoples\u00a0a bit that leads them astray.”<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em>Personal Application:<\/strong> In context of the whole chapter, this is a lesson that God corrects His children, and He binds up His children’s enemies. \u00a0I need to listen for His voice of correction and obey. \u00a0Trust that He goes before me to handle my “enemies” (issues, complications, worries). \u00a0Trust in His timing, not my own.)<\/p>\n Yeeeah<\/span><\/p>\n I see his love and mercy Personal Application:<\/strong> “The people sing…” Psalms are songs of praise to God. \u00a0They \u00a0focus our thoughts on God and help remind us that He is our Creator, Sustainer, Protector. \u00a0Whether I read the Psalms or listen to contemporary Christian music, I am reminded of God’s great love and provision for me.<\/p>\n David wrote Psalm 51 after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his affair with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband. \u00a0This is David’s plea to God for mercy and forgiveness. \u00a0He asks that his heart be made right and cleansed of sin.<\/p>\n There is nothing, nothing<\/em>, that I can not bring before my Father for repentance and forgiveness. \u00a0There may be natural consequences of \u00a0my sin, but I can rest in the promise that no sin is too great for forgiveness if I bring it before God with a repentant heart.) Hosanna (Matthew 21:8-9: \u00a0“A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.\u00a0The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,\u00a0\u0093Hosanna<\/em> <\/em><\/span>to the Son of David!\u0094\u00a0\u0093Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!\u0094\u00a0\u0093Hosanna\u00a0in the highest heaven!\u0094<\/em><\/p>\n Personal Application: <\/strong>The word Hosanna is a Hebrew expression that means “Save Now!” \u00a0As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd spread their cloaks and placed palm branches on the ground. \u00a0This is significant because this records where the people saw Jesus as one who would deliver them from the oppression of Rome.<\/p>\n This also serves as a warning, because many in the crowd shouting in adoration and praise, also later shouted for crucification. \u00a0Matthew Henry’s commentary states, “Multitudes often seem to approve the gospel, but few become consistent disciples..” \u00a0I question myself, “am I one of the multitudes, or a consistent disciple?”)<\/p>\n I see a generation (Psalm 78:5-7<\/strong>: “He decreed statutes for Jacob\u00a0and established the law in Israel,\u00a0which he commanded our ancestors\u00a0to teach their children,\u00a0so the next generation would know them,\u00a0even the children yet to be born,\u00a0and they in turn would tell their children.\u00a0Then they would put their trust in God\u00a0and would not forget his deeds\u00a0but would keep his commands.”<\/em><\/p>\n Personal Application: <\/strong>Psalm 78, authored by Asaph, retells the history of of the Jewish nation. \u00a0It is a reminder to tell the story over and over to each generation so they would not forget God and make the same mistakes their ancestors made. \u00a0I need to discern Biblical truth from which my faith stands, teach my children from this worldview so that they know their Creator and Savior personally and intimately.)<\/p>\n I see a near revival (Psalm 80:18-19<\/strong>: \u00a0“<\/em><\/span>Then we will not turn away from you;\u00a0revive us, and we will call on your name. \u00a0Restore us, LORD God Almighty;\u00a0make your face shine on us,\u00a0that we may be saved.<\/em>”<\/p>\n Personal Application: <\/strong>To be on my knees before my Lord…to pray and seek…to trust in His restoration and revival of myself to uniting with the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n [Chorus]<\/p>\n Heal my heart and make it clean (See Psalm 51 again)<\/span> (Matthew 13:16-17: <\/strong> “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.<\/em><\/span> “<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em>I pray that the Holy Spirit continue to open my eyes and ears to see and hear those things unseen…<\/span><\/p>\n (Ephesians 2:4-5<\/strong>: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, <\/em>made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions\u0097it is by grace you have been saved.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n John 3:16:<\/strong> “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”<\/em><\/p>\n We are currently studying the book of John. \u00a0Understanding the depth of God’s love for us collectively, and me individually, is humbling and hard to fully handle.)<\/p>\n Break my heart from what breaks yours (This is interesting…I always thought the lyric was, “Break my heart FOR<\/strong> what breaks yours”, and would concentrate and pray for a compassionate heart over different social issues, like homelessness, trafficking, etc. \u00a0But, it’s “break my heart FROM<\/strong> what breaks yours”…WOW! \u00a0Totally different focus. \u00a0Now, I shift to the temptations of my heart that cause me to sin, and break God’s heart. \u00a0To break my heart from what keeps it in bondage…<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n (Matthew 6:13<\/strong> “And lead us not into temptation,<\/em> <\/em><\/span>but deliver us from the evil one.”<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/em><\/span><\/span>1 Corinthians 10:12-14:<\/strong> “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don\u0092t fall!\u00a0No temptation<\/em> <\/em><\/span>has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted<\/em> <\/em><\/span>beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,<\/em> <\/em><\/span>he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”<\/em><\/p>\n James 1:2-4:<\/strong> “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, <\/span><\/span> whenever you face trials of many kinds,\u00a0because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.\u00a0\u00a0Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”<\/em><\/p>\n 1 Chronicles 29:10-11:<\/strong> “Praise be to you, LORD,\u00a0the God of our father Israel,\u00a0from everlasting to everlasting. \u00a0Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power\u00a0and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,\u00a0for everything in heaven and earth is yours. \u00a0Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; \u00a0you are exalted as head over all.”<\/em><\/p>\n [Chorus x2]<\/p>\n Hosanna in the highest<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About five years ago, I began praying to the Lord that the first thought I had upon waking, would be of Him. \u00a0The Lord blessed this prayer by providing a Worship song in my head every morning. \u00a0It might be a whole song, a chorus, a line or two, or a verse of scripture to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-783476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783476"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783476\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":784217,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783476\/revisions\/784217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBy Hillsong United <\/strong><\/p>\n
\nComing on the clouds with fire
\nThe whole earth shakes
\nThe whole earth shakes<\/span><\/p>\n
\nWashing over all our sin
\nThe people sing
\nThe people sing<\/span>
\n(Psalm 51:1-2:<\/strong> “Have mercy on me, O God,\u00a0according to your unfailing love;\u00a0according to your great compassion\u00a0blot out my transgressions.\u00a0Wash away all my iniquity \u00a0and cleanse me from my sin.”<\/em><\/p>\n
\n
\n[Chorus]<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHosanna
\nHosanna in the highest [x2]<\/span><\/p>\n
\nRising up to take their place
\nWith selfless faith
\nWith selfless faith<\/span><\/p>\n
\nStirring as we pray and seek
\nWe’re on our knees
\nWe’re on our knees<\/span><\/p>\n
\nOpen up my eyes to the things unseen
\nShow me how to love like you have loved me<\/span><\/p>\n
\nEverything I am for your kingdoms cause
\nAs I go from nothing to
\nEternity<\/span><\/p>\n