"Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."
James 4:8
Through the years, I have found so much encouragement in listening to the music of Keith and Kristyn Getty. One of my favorite songs they sing and Keith co-wrote is "Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer." I remember when the Lord brought it across my path several years ago and the measure of comfort the lyrics brought to me—then and each time I have heard it since.
The other night, I took out my guitar and sang and recorded it. The sound quality isn't great, and neither, by far, is the performer, but I hope you can overlook all the discrepancies, and I pray it is a blessing to you.
I don't know what you are going through, but I am praying for each person who ever reads this post. I feel led to remind you that God is with you. Nothing happening in your life right now has taken Him by surprise. He is in control of your circumstances, no matter how much they seem to be reeling out of control. He sees your future, even though it now seems so mysterious to you.
Don't give up hope. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust Him. He will see you through. He will always love you and have your best interests at heart. No matter what crumbles around you, He is your Rock, your safe place, your security. No matter who compromises, lets down the standard, recants, or succumbs to evil, God will remain steadfast and sure. He will never change, nor will He ever go back on His Word. It is forever settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89) It will not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11)
Take comfort in His promises, & immerse yourself in verses like these.
"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."
Psalm 57:1
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
Isaiah 41:10
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
John 16:33
"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Saviour; Thou savest me from violence."
2 Samuel 2:22-23
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
John 14:1-3
"For Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall."
Isaiah 25:4
"The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?"
Psalm 118:6
"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you."
I Peter 5:7
"I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God: incline Thine ear unto me, and hear my speech. Shew Thy marvelous lovingkindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings, from the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about."
Psalm 17:6-9
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Jeremiah 29:11
I know things are discouraging and the darkest they've ever been. But, let me remind you that this world is not our home. We are in the world, but not of the world. (John 15:19, John 17:14-16) Stand firmly on His promises. Lean hard on Him, and hold on. Keep looking up, oh, trusting soul! Jesus is coming soon, and you will be so glad you were faithful to Him.
Revelation 3:11
Oh, Cheryl, this post was so beautifully written! While I find myself seeking the Lord in the midst of our trials, my anxious heart hinders my growth. I so appreciate your loving words to your readers and the comforting verses. Thank you, my dear friend, for sharing such heartfelt words and for the touching song. (I think the quality is great to me!) My prayers are with you as well! God bless,
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Dear Valentine, I was so grateful for your sweet visit and kind words. You are such a blessing to me. My heart goes out to you in the fiery trials you are walking through. I will surely continue to pray for you all. I so appreciate your prayers, too. God bless and meet your every need.🙏❤
DeleteThank you so much for this post!!! I needed to read this at such a time as this! For the past year, our family has been going through many trials and tribulations. It seems more so than any year before. The most frustrating part of it all is that our prayers to God have come back either as a "no" or what seems like silence, which could mean "just wait" or "not yet". I personally can say that it seems as if God has abandoned my family and I. However, it may be that God wants us to come to a point of being able to say what Jesus Himself said, "Not my will, but Thine." I needed these Scriptures that you posted here as reminders that God truly does love us, cares for us, never forsakes us... Thank you so much, and may God bless you abundantly, Cheryl! Much love, Martina
ReplyDeleteDear Martina, my heart goes out to you so much. I have been in those kinds of seasons when it felt as if the heavens were brass and my family and I also felt so Godforsaken. I completely agree that in those times, God surely wants us to fully surrender, take our hands off, & completely resign to whatever He wants. I am so thankful the Scriptures and this post were a blessing to you. I will surely be praying for you and your family. Sending much love back to you and hope that God will soon send breakthrough and miracles in your situation, in Jesus' name.🙏❤
DeleteThank you, Cheryl, for your continued prayers for our family! We are grateful for your fervent prayers! Much love, Martina
DeleteCheryl, I love the song and your sweet voice! The Getty’s are some of the best hymn writers of our day. The scriptures you shared are a lovely blessing on this Sunday morning. This world is not my home!
ReplyDeleteDear Pam, I am so grateful for your sweet visit and kind words. They truly meant so much to me. I agree with your comment about the Gettys. They have ministered to me so many times. May the Lord richly bless you.🙏❤
DeleteHi Dear Friend, The timing of this post was incredible! I woke up with the weight of some health concerns on my mind (a thyroid nodule biopsy tomorrow) and then I opened my email and saw your post. It was as if the Lord spoke to my heart right through your encouraging words, scripture verses and through the lyrics of that beautiful hymn sung by an equally beautiful soul. Thank you so much for always obeying the Lord's call to share. Sending you much love, Karen
ReplyDeleteDear Karen, how your words encouraged and blessed my heart! It was so wonderful to see that you had dropped by, and I am so thankful the words in this post were a blessing to you. Oh, I do pray that the biopsy results will be benign, in Jesus' name! I pray that God will dispel all doubt, fear, and unbelief, and give you victorious peace throughout the process. I send much love and many blessings back to you, dear friend.
DeleteWhat a beautiful recording, my friend! You always share such perfect verses that are needed. One thing that we need to remember is that even these are dark times, we were born for this. Thank you for your prayers and I pray for you and your family, too. God bless you.
ReplyDeleteYes, may we take God's Scripture to heart, may we find comfort in leaning into His grace, and courage to live out our faith one hour at a time. Thank you for your encouraging words, Cheryl. He is able, amen.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your inspiring and blessed sharing here dear Cheryl! Our Jesus is so faithful to us, through all the storms and dark times. Your singing brought such a gift to me too. May God keep lifting our eyes to Him!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Cheryl, you have touched many hearts with your sweet words and voice. Blessings my friend.
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