From Beginning to End

Written on August 12, 2024: I have been a little under the weather today and I am very tired. We had no plans for today, so I have been resting up a bit. When I was up for a little while, and my husband and I were talking, the subject somehow went to the songs that the Lord had given me to write, and I mentioned how I had listened to one today that I had totally forgotten existed, for I don’t take the time to go back and listen to them anymore. So he encouraged me that I should do that. So as I was resting, I began listening to those songs.

All of a sudden, I recognized that I was listening to the very first song that the Lord had given me to write on April 6, 2011. Now, before he gave me this song to write, I had not really written songs other than whatever I had to write in one of my music classes in high school and college, and other than me putting a tune to a poem that I had written back in the 1980s. Yet, my husband had been encouraging me for years to write my own songs, but I kept telling him that it was not my gift, which at that time it definitely was not. 

Then, on April 6, 2011, all of a sudden I had a tune in my head and I knew that I was to write it down, so I did. And then I asked the Lord for words, and he gave me the words to go with the tune, but just one verse. Later in the day I asked him if he had more words, and he gave me the second verse. Now it had been 40 years since I had last studied music, and I really had no clue what to do with this song or how to communicate it with others, or who I could get to sing it, for I had not really sung much at all for maybe 2 years.

Long story short, I ended up singing all but one of them, because I had no one else to sing them, and I needed to be able to share them, although my voice had certainly met better days. My husband sang with me in a few of them and our daughter sang one of them. But I had to learn how to write them in a format to where they could be recorded, and I had to learn how to record them and then how to share them with others, and that was a long process of learning all sorts of things I had no clue how to do previously. But with the help of my husband and some of my children and two in-law children I learned what I needed. And it was the Lord who strengthened and helped me all throughout this process or I would have never survived it all. 

Now, back to the beginning. I was listening to these songs today when the very first song the Lord had given me to write began to play, “Gracious Father.” And the day that he gave me that song I was thrilled beyond measure that he had given me just that one song, for that was a miracle of God! But now back to today, the song that came next I recognized as the very last song the Lord had me write, “When I Was Walking,” dated January 16, 2020.

And as I thought about that for a moment, I realized that he had just taken me “from beginning to end” with just those two songs (a total of 185). For he was showing me the first and the last, the beginning and the end, who is God. He was showing me God, in other words, because all of these songs which were written were not written by me, in reality, but by God, and then he just shared them with me for me to share with others for their encouragement. And he gave me all the tools I needed to do his work.

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:1-6 ESV)

And then I went to where I had left off last in my reading of 2 Corinthians, and the above passage of Scripture is what came next, perfectly in tune with what the Lord had just given me to share with all of you. For what the Lord was having me share with you, prior to me reading this passage, was that the ministry of song writing that he gave to me was from him and not from my human flesh, and I can definitely attest to that. Certainly I had to participate in the process, but it was all under the direction of the Lord.

And that is how it should be for all of us who are ministers for the Lord Jesus and for his gospel message. Not one of us should be operating in our own flesh, doing whatever we decide to do, but we should all be led of the Holy Spirit and we should speak or write or sing or whatever he has us doing as we are inspired and guided by the Spirit of God living within us so that we are giving out His messages and not our own. Again, we still have to do the work, and we still have to participate in the process, but by the Spirit of God.

And, yes, all of us who are doing the work of the ministry, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, will face criticism and false judgments from other people, some of whom may accuse us of operating in the flesh and/or of promoting our own flesh. But we can’t let the opinions of other people affect what we do in love response to our Lord Jesus and in obedience to his calling upon our lives. I have to write and publish each day whatever the Lord gives me to share, regardless of how others respond.

When I Was Walking

An Original Work / January 16, 2020

When I was walking along the way,

My Lord was with me, and He did say,

“My child I’m with you. I hear you pray,

‘Oh, help me, Lord! Need You today!’”

He is my friend, near to the end.

Gently leads me. His servant be.

He helps me pray – knows what to say.

He’s all I need. On Him I feed.

When I am wond’ring of what to do,

He gently leads me to what is truth.

He is my helper. He strengthens me.

When I’m in want, supplies my need.

He comforts me with all His love.

Gives me His grace from heav’n above.

I heed His call to watch and pray,

To guard my heart throughout each day.

When He is calling to come to Him,

To let Him lead you, trust Him within,

How will you answer to Him today?

Will you say, “Yes, Lord, have your way”?

Do not neglect to let Him in,

Cleanse you from sin, made new within.

Leave all your sin, obey your Lord,

Trust in His Word – His mighty Sword.

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