Brown's Daily Word 3-4-11

Good morning,
The Lord blessed us with a beautiful day yesterday. I took a walk for over three miles. Sunita walks to her work every day in Washington, one mile each way. Our grand daughter Micah loves to walk and run.
Praise the Lord for Friday; Sunday is coming. We will gather for our Saturday evening worship tomorrow at 6 PM. On Sunday morning we will celebrate the Lord's Supper during the morning worship services. Weekends were created for worshipping the Lord and glorifying Him. Jesus Christ indeed is the Lord of the sabbath.
I love Psalm 71 because of its deep sorrow and trouble mixed with unbounded hope in the Lord. The Psalmist knew trouble and he knew heartache, but he refused to choose to turn his back on Almighty God.
Let us read the following passionate words from David's heart. "Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once again. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you-- I, whom you have redeemed. (Psalm 71:19-23 NIV)
The Psalmist said, " Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up." We can choose to know that because of God's untainted love for us He will restore our lives back to us again no matter what may come about. We are His people and He will never forsake us. We can choose, like so many other men and women of faith who have gone before us, to believe God and sing, "It is well with my soul."
One of the favorite hymns of our church is "It Is Well with My Soul". Many people have sung that familiar song, but few realize the depths of grief and the tears of sorrow that blotted the page on which it was written. The man who penned those famous words was Horatio Spafford. He was a man who had known both good times and bad. He had a very successful law practice in Chicago, and numerous real estate holdings. After suffering the loss of his son, the Chicago fire of 1871 took his land holdings.
Mr. Spafford, a man who loved Jesus with all of his heart, had planned a trip to Great Britain to join his friends, the evangelist D.L. Moody and an outstanding singer, Ira Sankey, in one of their revival campaigns, in 1873. As he and his family prepared for the trip, he had to remain behind for some last minute business arrangements. Mr. Spafford sent his wife and their four beautiful daughters ahead on the ship, planning to join them later in Europe. While Mr. Spafford's wife and four daughters were aboard the S.S. Ville du Havre a terrible accident occurred. The ship was struck by the Lochearn on November 22nd and sank in twelve minutes. Mrs. Spafford survived the accident, but her four children did not. When she reached the European mainland, she cabled her husband with the sad message, "Saved alone".
Mr. Spafford soon boarded a ship to go to meet his wife. While crossing the sea, near the place where the tragedy occurred and his four daughters drowned, Spafford penned the words to the well-known hymn -- "It Is Well With My Soul". The beginning phrase of this hymn echos the pain and suffering that the Spafford's felt from this accident.... "When peace like a river attendeth my way...when sorrows like sea billows roll..."
In spite of their horrible tragedy they chose to be comforted by the knowledge that God's deep love for His children shines brightly over the deepest tragedy. Mr. Spafford continued to write... "Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul."

In Christ,
Brown


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFjikyp7mQ
Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church. Endicott
53 McKinley Avenue, Endicott.
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott


Saturday February 26, 2011
6PM Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Laureen Naik
Speaker: Rev. Earle Cowden