Be thou Near to Me

http://www.dizzler.com/music/Jim_Brickman/Be_Thou_Near_To_Me

BE THOU NEAR TO ME

O, Lord I come with heart here open

For in my hour of darkness, I may be

Seeking the joy unspoken

O Lord, be thou near to me


And the holy voices sing hallelu

Ever will thy reign be

As I wander through this life,

O Lord, Be thou near to me


Though in this burden of my making,

Yet in the shadows still a light I see

Maker, whose love is not forsaken,

O Lord, be thou near to me


And the holy voices sing hallelu

Ever will thy reign be

As I wander through this life,

O Lord, Be thou near to me

I gave my mother a Greatest Hymns CD from Selah for Christmas. This song is on it. I can't express the feelings of peace I felt as I listened to it while driving around in Texas. Though there seemed to dark clouds- as I listened to this song and the truths expressed- there was a break in the clouds and I heard the voice of God...

There is a reality to our lives...and we all come face to face with it at various times. Our life will have pain...and suffering...and joy...and peace.

Grief is like being dropped off a cliff. It is like you are walking along and then all of the sudden you are down, down, down...and all the faces peering over the edge seem so very far away. It can surprise you and overcome the sunniest day.

And yet...there is peace. Peace because God reigns- His reign is forever and He is near.

Psalm 146:1-2;10
Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...James 4:8a

And as you realize the truths of God- you step away from your darkness, from your wandering and from your grief...and you understand that the gift we have been given is for today. That though God is forever and the beginning and the end- we are to live today for Him. That is all I can do. I can get up today and get out of bed and live for God. I can draw near to him and allow Him to draw near to me. I can open myself up to His guidance today. Tomorrow is not here yet and worries or fears or anticipation will do no good.

We listen to some children's songs by Steve Green. They are scriptures set to music. One of the songs is Proverbs 18:24 "A man of too many friends comes to ruin,But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." And in the song it jokingly says, "A friend who stinks?" and then goes on to correct that with the right words.

One day recently, Raney was going around and repeating herself (which she does quite often) and she was repeating this song, dancing around and singing to herself, "There is a friend, There is a friend, a friend that sticks, a friend that stinks? No! A friend that sticks...closer than a brother!"

Again and again I heard her sing. What a gift! We have a friend in Jesus and He sticks to us like glue...

So again...while I sit with eyes closed and hands open on my lap...from the song I sing in my heart

O, Lord I come with heart here open
For in my hour of darkness, I may be
Seeking the joy unspoken
O Lord, be thou near to me


So if you are in the darkness, or wandering around in the wildnerness- sit and and allow God to be near to you...