“I have a song in my heart.” I have heard people say that, maybe even said it myself. Today, the meaning became more clear. As I stood on the back porch watching the rain splatter on the patio furniture, I noticed there was a song playing in my head. At first, I disregarded it. Have you ever gotten a song in your head and you only know a few lines of it, so it’s like it’s on repeat? I normally get frustrated and want to make my mind shut it off.
But, today, my heart is heavy. My mind has been swirling with fear, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. I was thinking about all of these things while looking at the rain. Then, I heard that song in my head again. What is that song? I could hear the tune, but I was struggling to hear the words. “Remember the lilies” is that a song? I grabbed my phone to search for it. No, not “remember the lilies” but “Consider the Lilies.” The only parts that I could recall were, “We have a Heavenly Father above…” and “Consider the lilies.” Hmmm. Why is that in my head? It’s an old song that I haven’t heard in a long time.
Sometimes, I think I am slow on the uptake. I have been praying about a lot of things that have me troubled, things out of my control, things that have kept me up at night. “Lord, please give me peace.” “Lord, please let me know that you are hearing me.” Have you ever been there? I believe God still speaks to us through His Word, His people, a whisper and even through a song in my heart. “We have a Heavenly Father above….” Hmmm the song is still on repeat.
So, I found the lyrics to the song.
Consider the lilies, they don’t toil nor spin
But there’s not a king with more splendor than them
Consider the sparrows, they don’t plant nor sow
But they’re fed by the Master
Who watches them grow
We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know
May I introduce you
To this Friend of mine
Who hangs out the stars
And tells the sun when to shine
And kisses the flowers
Each morning with dew
But He’s not too busy to care about you!
We have a heavenly Father above
With eyes full of mercy
And a heart full of love
He really cares when your head is bowed low
Consider the lilies and then you will know
God loves us. God loves me. God loves me. Say that outloud. God loves me. He knows me. He created me and part of His creating me was giving me a love of music. Today, He spoke to me by putting an old song in my heart. He only let me remember a few lines so that I would go and look it up. God knew in His infinite wisdom that I needed a reminder that He loves me. Me. In spite of my flaws, in spite of my sin, He loves me and is with me even when I feel alone. As the song says, “He really cares when your head is bowed low.” Mine has been bowed low a lot lately.
I have a strong tendency to reach for the phone to combat loneliness, depression, or anxiety. Reaching for the Father is the only real solution to those feelings. God sent His son here to experience all the feelings, trials, and troubles that we feel. He knows. The Bible says in Luke 9:58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” There is no person here on this earth that can give you the peace that passes all understanding. The only real peace (another fabulous song that my sweet Sister in Christ Mary Heffner sings at our church) is in the Lord.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 It is so easy to get caught up in the world. We put our faith in our jobs, in our spouses, our family, our friends. Our faith has to be in Jesus. Life and people will disappoint you. There’s nothing like needing a friend and your “friend” only wants to be there for the happy times and not the sad times. God wants to hear from us constantly, happy or sad. He never tires of us calling on Him. Yet, we still reach for some earthly thing to try and solve our problems. In His graciousness this morning, He slipped a song in my heart. I believe He does these things more often than we notice. We are too busy to listen. The busyness creates more stress and we creep further from Him.
Today, I am listening. Today, I am singing “Consider the Lilies”. Today, I am grateful that He spoke through an old song. Today, I am thankful for the opportunity to have a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Today, I will praise him in this storm.
If you want to listen to this old song, here’s the version that I loved this morning. https://youtu.be/GEHMS-rFLzs
Beth
#proofthatgodcanuseanybody
Grace Time Ministries 