Tuesday, October 13, 2009

from this view

I stand on the platform , looking out over all these attentive faces. Folks from the city. Folks from the country. Rich folk, poor folks. Black folks, white folks. All different kinds of people. They're here to hear from heaven, and we are the privileged ones charged with delivering the goods.

The piano begins to play, and Mom starts in on the first verse:

He moves among us; all that he does,

In all of his mercy, all of his love.

10 year old Lydia joins in harmony...

If the pen of a writer could write every day;
Even this world could never contain How I've been blessed.

You can see the stir, people sitting up, paying attention, nodding their heads with understanding as God begins to speak to their hearts.

and all of us sing...

Warmth in the winter, flowers in spring

Laughter of summer, the changing of leaves
Food on my table, a good place to sleep,
Clothes on my back, shoes on my feet,
I have been blessed.

A hand is raised in praise as we begin the chorus:

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.

No way I could count them, there's not enough time,

So I'll just thank him for being so kind,

God has been good, so good,

I have been blessed.

It's Sunday morning in Richmond, Virginia. Community Bainbridge Baptist Church. Standing where I am, I can see the sin-hardened faces of depleted down-and-outers as the begin to realize how good God has been to them. The mission that the church runs had brought in over half a hundred of them. Young and old.

They came wanting a hand out; but in desperate need of Jesus.

Arms that will raise, a voice that can talk,

hands that can touch, legs that can walk,
ears that can listen, eyes that can see,
I've got to praise him as long as I breathe,
I have been blessed.

A broken man makes his way down to the old-fashioned alter to pour out his soul to the Lord.

A father and mother, who nurture and raise,
sisters and brothers, memories made,

Our pastor to lead us, this alter to pray,

stripes that can heal, the blood that still saves,
I have been blessed.

How can you tell me that God no longer moves in peoples lives? I see it happening as we sing a simple love song to God.

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.

No way I could count them, there's not enough time,

So I'll just thank him for being so kind,

God has been good, so good,

I have been blessed.

The beauty of holiness is in changed lives! I wonder how people can live life without seeing it up close and personal. Or even at all.

We live in a country, the greatest on earth,
where the flag stands for freedom, and what it is worth,
She stands in the harbor, Miss Liberty calls,
all gave some, but some gave it all,
so we could be blessed.

He's my shoulder to lean on when I am down,
that rock where he leads me, when I'm overwhelmed,
the place where he hides me, under his wings,
he's not just a song, he's the reason I sing!

We've been blessed! God's sooooooo good to us! Our song's just a period at the end of this sentence compared to the UNIVERSE of praise that he deserves.

I have been blessed, God's so good to me,
precious are his thoughts of you and me.

No way I could count them, there's not enough time,

So I'll just thank him for being so kind,

God has been good, so good,

I have been blessed.

The final chorus. We take our seats, in awe of what God just did. It makes you want to spend forever and ever recounting His goodness in your life.

Isn't it great to know that we will in heaven?

***




4 comments:

Lydia said...

That's right!

Lisa said...

What a blessing to be used of God, and to see God work in hearts. May God get the glory!

Or, as you say, Let God Be Magnified! LGBM!

Sandy said...

My family sings this song. It always touches me to hear the words. God is so good to us.

Susanna said...

Hey, this is Susanna, from Pine Grove Baptist. I had to find Sharon's blog to ask her something, and it led me here, so I started looking at yours too. (I think I've seen it before a while back via the Millers' and Sharon's, and I may have actually commented...who knows.) But anyways, I just wanted to say that your blog is very Godly and encouraging! I haven't read many posts, but I randomly clicked on the archives, and a few caught my eye. This one was very well written, and I love that song! I really like the pictures you post as well; do you create all of those yourself? Just thought I'd ask, cause I really like some of them. Keep up the good work, writing about the Lord!

Susanna

 
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