Saturday, February 25, 2017

Psalm 56 - Afraid? Whistle

 What do you do when you're afraid?
Whistling a happy tune helps.

But then, I'm a whistler. I usually whistle anytime I'm walking somewhere.

Psalm 56 tells us what David did when he was afraid. It's still good advice. (and better than whistling!)

3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 
4 In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? NIV

 I remember learning it as a child in the KJV.

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

The Apostle John gave us good reason to not be afraid. The One who is in us is greater! (What can mere mortals do? Or what can Satan do?)

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Satan wants us to live defeated lives; lives where we are afraid to trust God, afraid to share our faith, afraid to step out in faith and do great things for the Kingdom, afraid to mend broken relationships.... the list is endless.

What are you afraid of? Will you, instead of living in fear, trust in God? That's the bottom line.

Bonus Material
Notice the heading.
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David.
People have been mixing and matching texts and hymn tunes for - well, apparently since the days of David. Early hymnals had the tunes collected together at the front of the hymnal and the texts together at the back. The music leader would say something like "We're going to sing "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name" to the tune of CORONATION.
So the tunes have names and the texts have names. In modern hymnals (and I mean since the early 1900s or maybe earlier) the texts and tunes are printed together with the text name as the title of the hymn. but at the bottom you'll see IN ALL CAPS the name of the tune. The Baptist hymnal has three different tunes that have been paired with the text "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." CORONATION, DIADEM, and MILES LANE.



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