Scripture in Songs

When I was in elementary school, the curriculum used music to help with Scripture memory.  To this day, I still find myself singing those songs in my head when I read certain verses.  Music is a wonderful way to learn Scripture.  There are many songs written that may not be exactly Scripture but that radiate Scripture throughout the verses.  This is true of the song I want to share today.

A few weeks back I was driving and a new-to-me song came on Spotify.  As I listened I was wishing that I wasn't driving because every line of this song had me thinking of different Scripture verses.  Later that week I printed out the lyrics to the song and today I took a bit of time and matched each line to a Bible verse (sometimes two).  The beauty of this song is that it is ALL about Jesus and Who He is.  I'll post a lyric video for the song at the end but here are the lyrics written along with the corresponding Bible verse(s).  

Can you think of any other Scriptures that this song references?  I'd love for you to share. 

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer

By: Sovereign Grace Music

 

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer

"Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture."~ Psalm 100:3

Greatest treasure of my longing soul 

"For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things." ~ Psalm 107:9

"As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."

~Psalm 42:1

My God, like You there is no other 

"remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, 

and there is none like me." ~ Isaiah 46:9

True delight is found in You alone 

"Praise the LORD!  Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, 

who greatly delights in his commandments." ~ Psalm 112:1

"I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God," ~Isaiah 61:10

Your grace, a well too deep to fathom 

"and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 

~ 1 Timothy 1:14

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8

Your love exceeds the heaven's reach 

"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, 

your faithfulness to the clouds." ~ Psalm 36:5

Your truth, a fount of perfect wisdom

 "For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth 

come knowledge and understanding;" ~ Proverbs 2:6

My highest good and my unending need 

"As for me I am poor and needy, but the LORD takes thought for me. 

You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!" ~ Psalm 40:17

"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, 

he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ~ John 15:5

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer 

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, 

in whom I take refuge, my shield, and 

the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." ~ Psalm 18:2

Strong Defender of my weary heart 

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" ~ Psalm 27:1

My sword to fight the cruel deceiver 

"Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the 

wicked by your sword," ~ Psalm 17:13

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, 

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and 

discerning the thoughts and intentions  of the heart." ~ Hebrews 4:12

And my shield against his hateful darts 

"Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." 

~ Proverbs 30:5

"In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish 

all the flaming darts of the evil one;" ~ Ephesians 6:16

My song, when enemies surround me 

 "The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; 

this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, 

and I will exult him." ~ Exodus 15:2

My hope, when tides of sorrow rise 

"Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off." ~ Proverbs 23:18

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD 

never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness." ~ Lamentations 3:21-23

My joy, when trials are abounding 

"Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and

 send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our LORD. 

And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." ~ Nehemiah 8:10

Your faithfulness my refuge in the night 

"He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; 

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, 

nor the arrow that flies by day," ~ Psalm 91:4-5

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer 

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will 

stand upon the earth." ~ Job 19:25

Gracious Savior of my ruined life 

"who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because 

of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 

and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, 

who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through 

the gospel," ~ 2 Timothy 1:9-10

My guilt and cross laid on Your shoulders 

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 

By his wounds you have been healed." ~ 1 Peter 2:24

In my place You suffered bled and died 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him 

should not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16

You rose, the grave and death are conquered 

"We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer

 has dominion over him." ~ Romans 6:9

You broke my bonds of sin and shame 

"He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, 

and burst their bonds apart." ~ Psalm 107:14

You rose, the grave and death are conquered 

"God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible 

for him to be held by it." ~ Acts 2:24

You broke my bonds of sin and shame 

"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus

 from the law of sin and death." ~ Romans 8:2

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer 

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, 

according to the riches of his grace," ~ Ephesians 1:7

May all my days bring glory to Your Name 

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the 

sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness."~ Psalm 115:1

"I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him 

with thanksgiving." ~ Psalm 69:30

May all my days bring glory to Your Name

"Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!" ~ Psalm 34:3

"I give thanks to you, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and I will 

glorify your name forever." ~ Psalm 86:12 

Four thoughts on Comfort

 After deciding on the word Comfort for 2023 I had jotted down a few thoughts and some verses; when I posted about choosing the word I actually had forgotten that I had written down those thoughts.  So, today I'm going to share four thoughts on the idea of comfort.  I certainly don't have this all figured out but these came to mind.

The verse God gave me to meditate on for this idea of comfort is Psalm 119:76

The word for comfort in this verse transliterated to English is nacham; which means console oneself.  When life is hard, when we are grieved or disappointed,  we can take comfort in the promises God has spoken in Scripture. God never changes. Hebrews 13:8 Says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." The promises He spoke are still true today. 

Four Thoughts on Comfort:

1) Jesus calls us to take rest in Him.  He is the source of True rest. (Matthew 11:28-29)

  

Image from bible.com

2) We receive comfort so that we can comfort others. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

 

3) We are to use our words to comfort others. (Proverbs 25:11 & Romans 12:15)

 

4) Our comfort in Christ gives us victory over the fears and troubles of this world. (John 16:33)

     **I found this explanation on BibleHub.com's lexicon to be interesting.  The transliterated word for "take heart" or "be of good courage", "be of good cheer" is the word tharseo; this "refers to "God bolstering the believer, empowering them with a bold inner attitude. For the believer, tharseo ("showing boldness") is the result of the Lord infusing His strength by His inworking of faith." 

When life is hard we can be comforted that God is the One working in us.  We don't have to try and work up our own strength and courage to face this world.  God empowers us through His strength; and we can take comfort because He has already overcome anything we face in this world.  God already has won the victory!

Word of the year - 2023

 For the past several years I have chosen a "word of the year".  A word to focus on throughout the year.  Typically I find a Scripture, or Scriptures, through the year to study and better understand the word I have chosen.  This year I wasn't sure if I was going to choose a word.  A couple weeks ago one of my kids asked me if I had chosen one for this year.  When I told her I hadn't decided yet she proceeded to list the last several words I have done and asked if I had any ideas for this year (a great reminder that even when you don't think your kids are paying attention; they most certainly are).  

 

 

I had been praying about if I should have a word for 2023 but hadn't settled on anything.  After that conversation I continued to pray and the next morning God gave me a word.  It "just so happened" (but as we know nothing is a coincidence) later that day a friend sent a group text sharing her word and asking if any of us did or were going to do a word for the year.  It was a neat confirmation that yes, I would have a word and yes, the one I had landed on that morning was the right one.  

Now, before I share what my word is this year I wanted to share another sweet interaction with another one of my kids.  Two recent conversations had highlighted the importance of both home and family.  In those conversations she had expressed how she loves coming home on Mondays because she knows that's my bread baking day and she looks forward to the house smelling like freshly baked bread.  In a separate conversation she shared how that as she gets older she's starting to understand what her dad and I have always said about siblings one day being very important; if not your best friends.  These ideas of home and family lead me to my word.....comfort. 

The verse God gave me for this word is Psalm 119:76 "Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant."  We find much comfort in home and family; in the familiarity, safety and belonging of those things.  As believers we fully have those things in Christ.  We have an eternal home, secured for us by Jesus' sacrifice and we have a family, linked by One Spirit.   All of that comfort is found in the love of God.  His love is sure, His promises are true and we can take comfort in them.  No matter how uncomfortable this world can get we can find comfort in the truth of God's love and His promises.

As mentioned in this previous post, I am once again reading through the Bible in a year.  I'm planning to look for God's promises as I read.  Below are just a few of these promises:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, 

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order 

that the world might be saved through him."

John 3:16-17 

 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life

in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23

"fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my

righteous right hand....For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; 

it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

Isaiah 41:10 & 13

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to 

his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance 

that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you."

I Peter 1:3-4

What other promises can you think of?  

What promises of God are comforts that you return to over and over?  

Do you have a "word" for 2023?  If so, how did you see God working to bring that word to you?

New Year - 4 New things

As we begin a new year often we reflect on the past year and look forward to what this new year will bring.  As I've mentioned in the past; I'm not really one for resolutions but I do have a couple goals for this year and have already done a couple new things.  So here are the 4 new things I have for you today:

1) New (to me) Recipe - For those that like to just get right to baking;  the new recipe I'm sharing today is for these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins.  With prices of pretty much everything on the rise, I've been looking for ways to once again cut costs yet still provide yummy, nutritious meals and snacks for our family.  Eggs are outrageously expensive right now; in our area an 18 pack that was $2.99 a year ago was $8.19 last week.  The reason for this extreme spike in cost is due to a major bird flu that necessitated millions of chickens being culled.  Added to this is the fact that chickens just don't lay as many eggs in the winter due to decreased daylight and temperatures.  So, this had me on the hunt for an eggless muffin recipe.  I had a lot of pumpkin puree in the freezer and liked that this recipe uses regular pantry items.  I doubled the recipe for our family.  We all really liked these.  They came out fluffy and had good flavor.  The only thing I would change is that I would reduce the chocolate chips next time. I used about 3/4 bag of mini-chocolate chips which, even with doubling the batch seemed like too many. 

2) A New Crochet Project - As many of you know, I love a good excuse to crochet things...especially baby things.  These smaller projects work up quickly and are great gifts.  One of the ladies in the neighborhood had a new baby girl just before Christmas.  I had been waiting to find out if the baby was a girl or boy before deciding what to make.  I found this adorable pattern for a Bobble Ripple Baby Blanket and knew it was the perfect project.  I already had several partial skeins of 100% cotton yarn in lovely colors that would work well.  I love how this blanket came out.  I did not double up the strands as my yarn was a worsted weight already.  The only other change I made was that I did two rows of single crochet as the border.  

3) New Books to Read - A couple of these books I've already begun but look forward to finishing them in the new year.  I set a goal last year of reading 15 books I ended up reading 20 books.  I set the same goal of 15 books for this year.  We'll see how I do.  Here are the 4 non-fiction books that I'm planning to work through for the beginning of this year.  I'll be reading fiction books also; right now I'm reading the 2nd in a fantasy series through the Kindle Unlimited app. 

The picture is a bit hard to read so here are the books listed (along with the Goodreads links with more information):

- To Rescue The Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, The Fragile Union and the Crisis of 1876 

- When Faith is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians

- Raising Worry-Free Girls

- Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today's Culture

4) A New (2022) Song: Gratitude, a great song to start the new year.  Gratitude for all God has done and all He will do this year.

 

Reading Through the Bible in 2023

 I'm not really one to set New Year's Resolutions but for the past few years (since 2019) I have read through the Bible each year.  I wrote about the different plans I've used in last year's post titled Reading Through the Bible in 2022 .  

This year I will once again be reading through the Bible with a group of others through the YouVersion Bible App.  I love reading with a group as we can keep each other accountable and also share thoughts and questions.  

Eden to Eternity: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace Chronological Plan - The Bible tells one big story of redemption. But have you ever thought about what order the events in Scripture occurred? As we read the Bible we quickly notice that the books are grouped by genre, such as law, historical narrative, poetry, wisdom literature, and prophecy. But the events of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther actually occurred at the end of the Old Testament period. And some of the minor prophets prophesied before, during, or after the major prophets. By taking the time to study Scripture as the events unfolded, our knowledge and appreciation for God’s great plan of redemption throughout history deepens. This chronological plan walks through a few chapters a day to help you read through the entire Bible in one year as the events occurred. This plan corresponds with A Year in the Bible With Daily Grace podcast, where we explore how each chapter and event within the Bible points to Jesus, where it fits into the story of Scripture, and how God’s Word impacts us. We are so excited for you to join us on this journey!

I'd love to have you join in as we read through this plan together.  If you'd like to join, drop a comment and I will send you an invitation link.