Psalm 92: 1-4; “It is good to give thanks to the Lord; to sing praises to Your Name, O Most Holy High; to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night; to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your work; at the works of Your hands I sing for Joy!” (any emphasis mine)
Psalm 59: 16-17; “But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a “Fortress” and a “Refuge” in the day of my distress. O My Strength, I will sing praises to You, for You, O God, are my fortress; the God who shows me steadfast love.”
Psalm 143:8; “Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You, I lift up my soul.”
There are many more verses in the Psalms and throughout the entire Bible that give praise, honor and glory to the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
This leads me to a song that is simple in nature but is all about worship of our Lord and Savior. The writer is unknown, but it was published in “Slave Songs of the U.S.” in 1867. Even though many slaves were oppressed, they came up with some of the most beautiful songs of worship for their true Lord and Master, Jesus the Christ. Consider: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Wade in the Water,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” “Let Us Break Bread Together,” “Down to the River to Pray,” and many others. Though not all slaves were treated severely, they did a lot of manual labor, and spiritual songs helped them get through their trials.
The apostle Paul gives us words to encourage us during the present evil times. Philippians 3:7-11; “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
Paul is saying there’s nothing on this earth that can compare to what we true believers have waiting for us. Matthew 16:25-26; “For whoever would save his/her life will lose it, but whoever loses his/her life for My sake, will find it. For what will it profit a man/woman, if he/she gains the whole world, and forfeits his/her soul? Or, what shall a man/woman give in return for his/her soul.”
There will come a day on this earth when everyone will be required to take a mark on their right hand or forehead in order to buy, sell, and even to live (Revelation 13:16). At that time, there will be no middle of the road, as their choice will either be Jesus or Satan. Today, for those who have received and accepted the gift that Jesus bought for us, this will take away that ordeal from our future. When the call comes for all true believers to rise up to meet Jesus in the air, we will be kept from the coming tribulation, just as God promised. We may have some trials and persecutions before that, but nowhere near the severity of what is coming.
Please consider the simple, but very deep meaning of the words of this song.
(1) In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise – Give Me Jesus.
(ref) Give me Jesus; Give me Jesus; you can have all this world; just Give me Jesus.
(2) When I am alone, When I am alone, When I am alone – Give Me Jesus. (ref)
(3) When I come to die, When I come to die, When I come to die – Give Me Jesus.
Give me Jesus; Give Me Jesus; You can have all this world; You can have all this world; You can have all this world – Just Give Me Jesus.
There are several versions of “Give Me Jesus” on YouTube, with Jeremy Camp and Fernando Ortega leading them all. Personally, I am inspired by both of their versions.
During the difficult times of this world that are daily fulfilling end-time prophecy, showing we are very near to the end of this age, we need to focus on songs such as this “Spiritual” to help keep our perspective. Please do not fall into a trap believing the existing evil will go away and the situation will get better. All the events given by Jesus, and the attitudes given by Paul about the end time are here right now. Peter talks about the “scoffers,” and today they are active against anything that pertains to Jesus. Its more prevalent than ever before.
John tells about false prophets and antichrists in his day that would only grow stronger, especially at the end. The ultimate evil antichrist is just waiting to be introduced to the world, whether or not the specific person knows he is the one. He cannot be revealed until the restrainer (Holy Spirit) is removed, as given in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8.
Those whom God knows have committed their lives and souls to the evil one will be given a “strong delusion” to make them believe their pleasures in unrighteousness are honored by Satan (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Some may say no one would knowingly accept Satan as their leader; yet, over the past decade, there have been “churches of Satan” established in various cities around the country. Groups such as “Freedom From Religion” are active in taking down anything Christian, and Christian business owners are being singled out for persecution.
Believers are looking for our true “Deliverer,” remembering that Jesus is more beautiful and believable than any so-called manmade god of this world. We should remember Jesus in everything we do, from the first waking moments, throughout our day, all the way to the midnight cry. When we are finally free from the bonds of this earth, either through death or by Rapture, we will have just begun to live.
If you haven’t asked Jesus to be your Savior, right now wouldn’t be too early to do so. Go to Romans 10:9-13 for the details. In Romans 6:23, Paul tells us we are all guilty of sin and deserve condemnation. However, through God’s mercy, we can be saved through His Son, Jesus.
Call out, sing out, just ask Jesus to forgive and save you. This can be done totally in your mind by concentrating on the Savior. God can read our minds the same as if we are speaking out loud.
Jesus is coming soon, morning, night or noon, just as was in a song by the Oakridge Boys. The entire process will be over in the “twinkling of an eye,” so calling out before He comes is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, you will be in for the worst 7-year period of time ever, if you are able to survive.
Hope to see you there when we get Home.
Maranatha!