SingToTheLord | Kristi's Morning Devotional

November 10, 2023November 10, 2023

Learn to Sing

I’m not sure what goes on in your life on a daily basis, but I know that some days I face more challenges than others. Some days it’s easy to sing because all seems right with the world, but other days come with unexpected distractions and joy-robbing obstacles.

That’s where singing comes in – singing lifts the heart, it can make the heart skip and brings a lightness to our step.

Remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They had been beaten and were chained in the prison cell but at midnight they chose to sing. I don’t believe they were singing the blues either, “nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”. No, I’m sure it was something to give God glory and praise.

I was downloading some music the other night – songs of praise – and I came across this one that’s a favorite with me. It’s by Katy Nichole, In Jesus Name (God of Possible).

“I speak the name of Jesus over you
In your hurting, in your sorrow
I will ask my God to move
I speak the name ’cause it’s all that I can do
In desperation, I’ll seek Heaven
And pray this for you

[Chorus]
I pray for your healing, that circumstances would change
I pray that the fear inside would flee in Jesus’ name
I pray that a breakthrough would happen today
I pray miracles over your life in Jesus’ name
In Jesus’ name”

This is what I am praying for each one of you – right now. I’m praying and singing over you.

Sing songs of praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Savior of your soul. Sing songs of healing, songs of peace, songs of victory, songs of deliverance, songs of the matchless love of God.

“Sing joyful songs to the Lord! Praise the mighty rock where we are safe. 2 Come to worship him with thankful hearts and songs of praise. 3 The Lord is the greatest God,

king over all other gods. 4 He holds the deepest part of the earth in his hands, and the mountain peaks belong to him. 5 The ocean is the Lord’s because he made it, and with his own hands he formed the dry land. 6 Bow down and worship the Lord our Creator! 7 The Lord is our God, and we are his people, the sheep he takes care of in his own pasture.” Psalm 95:1-7 CEV

In the wee hours of the morning, I am singing over you. In the wee hours of this morning, I hear God’s songs of deliverance – He is singing over you also.

“ How happy he is whose wrong-doing is forgiven, and whose sin is covered! ²How happy is the man whose sin the Lord does not hold against him, and in whose spirit there is nothing false…You are my hiding place. You keep me safe from trouble. All around me are your songs of being made free. ⁸‘I will show you and teach you in the way you should go. I will tell you what to do with My eye upon you’…¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the sinful. But loving-kindness will be all around the man who trusts in the Lord. ¹¹Be glad in the Lord and be full of joy, you who are right with God! Sing for joy all you who are pure in heart!”. Psalm 32 NLV

Sing, for joy comes in the morning!

August 24, 2023August 24, 2023

Bad Dreams – Bad Day?

This morning I awoke from a very bad dream – I hate days that start like this. They can rattle my emotions and they try to destroy my peace!

Not the way I want to start my day. How do you regain control of your day, even when it’s only a few minutes old?

I picked up my Bible and with a prayer on my lips I said, “Father, this is the day You gave me and I will not give it over to disturbing thoughts”. I opened my Bible to Psalm 147, within the first few verses I knew what I needed to do.

“Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is pleasing and praise is right. ²The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers those of Israel who had been taken away. ³He heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows. ⁴He knows the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. ⁵Great is our Lord, and great in power. His understanding has no end. ⁶The Lord lifts up those who are suffering, and He brings the sinful down to the ground.⁷Sing to the Lord with thanks. Sing praises to our God on the harp.” Psalm 147:1-7 NLT

It was time to sing!

I sat and quietly sang a song from long ago:

“I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing, I will sing,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness,
With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness to all generations,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.”

My heart lifted with joy and my peace is returning. I know no better way to settle a disturbed heart than through prayer and worship.

“O Lord, the heavens will praise Your great works and how faithful You are in the meeting of the holy ones. ⁶For who in the heavens is like the Lord? Who among the sons of the powerful is like the Lord? ⁷God is honored with fear in the meeting of the holy ones. He is honored with fear more than all who are around Him. ⁸Lord God of all, powerful Lord, who is like You? All around You we see how faithful You are. ⁹You rule over the rising sea. When its waves rise, You quiet them. ” Psalm 89:5-9 NLV

The words from the song are the first three verses of Psalm 89 and then these are some of the following verses. It is wonderful what happens to a heart filled with praise!

So, now I will leave you and go back to praising. I have a feeling I will be singing in the shower this morning.

Bad dreams? What bad dreams? This is a day for praising the Lord!

December 20, 2021December 20, 2021

The First Noel

The last few days have been very busy; picking up our new RV and getting boxes unpacked and finding places for everything. Long and tiring days.

When I woke up later this morning, I sat quietly in front of the electric fireplace waiting patiently for the coffee to finish brewing and a song began to waft through my head.

The First Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay;
In fields as they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

We hear this song sung every year and this morning I finally asked Google what the definition of Noel is:

“Noël is “Christmas” in French. Noel can also mean good news, coming from the French phrase bonnes nouvelles (“good news”). Noel can even mean birthday. With this meaning understood, no wonder we sing Noel at Christmas to celebrate the good news of the birth of Jesus!” from Christianity author Kristi Walker

But that day when Christ was born, there was no such thing as “Christmas”. All of Jewish society had been waiting for the birth of the Messiah. It had been predicted for hundreds of years. So, the words of the song are a little inaccurate as far as the French meaning but spot on when you consider it also means good news.

There was no greater news than “But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. ¹¹This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. ¹²You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Luke 2:11-12 CEV

If that was the “First Noel” will there be a final Noel? For those of us who have received Christ as Savior there will never be a final Noel. We read in the book of Revelation that heaven will be a place of constant praise and adoration.

“And so they stand before the throne of God and worship him in his temple day and night.
The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. ¹⁶They will never hunger
or thirst again, and they won’t be troubled by the sun or any scorching heat.

¹⁷The Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to streams of life-giving water, and God will wipe all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15-17 CEV

Heaven will be a place of worship, day and night. As long as there is God in heaven, and there always will be, we will be singing His praise and remembering the time of the “First Noel”.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel – born is the king of Israel!