"All Things New" - Story Behind the Song

   I can tell you some of the story behind this song, but not all of it. The fact is, the story is not yet finished. I hope one day that I will be able to share the rest of the story with you and that it has a happy ending.

   This song was written many years ago in response to an ugly situation that I thought had been resolved, but I could not have been more wrong. It is yet to be resolved, but I have faith that one day what I believe in faith will one day be reality.

   I have continued singing it and believing that it is true and one day will be true for the original situation it was intended for.

   In the meantime, I find the words comforting and encouraging as I pass through other trials and hardships. I hope that it blesses you too.

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified."

Isaiah 61:3

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"You are the Lord" - Story Behind the Song

   Well, after some weighty stories and songs, I wanted to break things up a little with a worship song that focuses primarily on our Lord and Who He is as the Son and Savior, Father, Creator and King, and the Holy Spirit and Counselor.

   God as three distinct roles is quite a mystery to me. I will not even attempt to explain it with my incredibly small amount of understanding. And yes, while I am aware that the word "Trinity" is not in the Bible, the concept of God being three-in-one is not a foreign idea in the Bible. In addition, the word "Bible" is not in the Bible either...does that mean it's not real? Of course not.

   Now, I don't intend to write an essay on the Trinity, nor do I intend to argue the point. That isn't the purpose of this post. But I wanted to touch on the Trinity briefly for the sole purpose of the fact that this song is about God as the Son, the Father, and the Spirit. Each verse highlights different aspects of our Lord in these different roles.

I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

"In This Hour" - Story Behind the Song

   This song was written under the same circumstances of "Wait" back in 2006, which you can read about HERE.

   This time, though, I wanted to share some from the journal I kept during that time. Here is a journal entry from just a few days prior to the song being written down:

"'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice! Let your forebearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.'

Philippians 4:4-7

   I read these verses today, and even though I know they're true, I have a hard time holding on to them for myself.

   I need your help, Lord. To rest in You and embrace Your peace. I am beyond weary. My hope has to be in You, Lord. I ask for mercy. Have mercy on me...I have nothing left. I am so exhausted! Be gracious to me, Lord. Please, lighten this load. Your Word says that You do not give us more than we can bear...I don't know how much more I can bear. I am spent. Please bring some relief. Even just a small amount. I want to be fruitful to You. Show me how to please You even in the middle of this."

   And with that, I leave you with this humble video of "In This Hour".

  
   I promise the next song I share will be happier. This is just part of the journey. =)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel

Bummer to Blessing - "Wait"

   Waiting on God isn't the easiest for us as human beings. We like to fix problems, get out of uncomfortable situations as quickly as possible and we would rather run away from trials than face them. Fortunately, we have a Father who knows what is best for us, His children.

   I got my journal out from when "Wait" was written in 2006. I was facing health challenges, there were some serious situations that friends were facing, our times of prayer with the brethren felt like battles, we had some heartbreaking things occur in our extended family, and it was the year we had left our beloved church family that Gary and I had spent our entire married life, up to that point, with, Gary having spent a few years prior to our marriage there as well. It was a tough time. It was difficult.

   I'm not going to try to make this blog all pretty and sweet and pretend like my life is perfectly wonderful when it's really not. I used to be really concerned with how I appeared to other people. I prided myself on looking like I had it all together, even when inside I was completely feeling insane. I could pull it off pretty well. I was good at fooling people, which is bad. Let's just say I was pretty much forced to let all that go for a period of time and I discovered that being real and authentic was a much better way of living than pretending like all was well when it really wasn't. I've always admired people who were real, because they were so relatable. Of course, I could never bring myself to be that real...people would find out I wasn't perfect!! <gasp>

   Needless to say, my posts are going to be raw and real, some more so than others, and the fact is that the other day I faced feelings of despair in regard to my health. As I struggled with my soul - to be thankful, content, submissive to God's will - the Lord put this song on my heart again. It was almost as if He said, "Remember that song?" Yeah, I remembered that song. I went looking for it in my folder of songs. I never did find it...had to print a new copy.

   Funny how long it's been since I played that song...a really long time. And although it was void of chords, I could still remember how to play it. So I made a video for whoever out there who needs some encouragement to wait on God. I sure do and it speaks to my heart! What seemed like a bummer became a blessing. Isn't that so neat how God can do that? He's so amazing!

   
   By the way, I've seen different people stating what their word of the year is. After taking a little step back and looking at what God has been putting on my heart so far, I think it's safe to say that my word for this year is "WAIT".

   I wish I could say that I am thrilled. I'm not. My flesh says, "Not more waiting!" But I know God will get my heart to where He wants it to be. My prayer is that I learn to wait...without wandering and without doubting. That my faith would be strengthened as I wait. Hey, the Bible is full of promises for those who wait! And that's an encouragement to me. So with that in mind, here is one of my favorite scripture promises regarding waiting on the Lord:

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Waiting,

Adriel 

Numbering My Days...

That title sounds a bit morbid, I know. That was not my intention! In case the title alarmed you, NO, I have not received any news from a doctor telling me I have a certain amount of time to live or anything! =)

   This morning, my inbox contained an email from my brother with Psalm 90:12 as the subject. I found it to be rather providential, seeing that I was really wrestling with my soul today in regards to a "momentary, light affliction."

   I spent some time today looking through some old pictures and found this picture of a cemetery we had visited way back when. It kind of made everything hit home for me. The verse, the picture - they just went together.

   Takeaway point: Make every day count for the Lord! Even in our weak moments, there is the possibility and ability to bring Him glory.

   I can't say I made it through today with flying colors, but I will say that God is faithful and good. He gives us the strength to stand, the faith to believe, the hope to endure.

   I spent some time today making a couple of videos. I should be posting one of them, at least, this week. I thought that was better use of my time than moping around. haha! ;-)

All glory to Jesus,

Adriel