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On page 143 of our current UCG hymn book there is a powerful hymn we sing to God. We have sung this hymn many times throughout the years and the words are: "Be not afraid; be not afraid, My people. I am your God who watches over you. I do not sleep, and neither will I slumber. Sons, be not afraid of man, be ye not afraid. What can man do to those whom I love so? What can man do to those who fear My name? I am the Lord, protecting you from danger; Though the mountains quake and roar, be ye not afraid. I will return, with Me ye shall be always. My steadfast love, shall not depart from you. I am the God of Abraham and Jacob; Lift your heads, redemption's near, be ye not afraid". Reading these words of great meaning automatically brings the distinct melody into mind and so it is sung rather than read. The beautiful comforting words bring tears of great hope, joy, and peace to my heart while living through turbulent times. For me, this hymn is the equivalent of a perfect love letter from God to us and acknowledged through human voices singing our part by declaring our love back to our Father and Brother, Jesus Christ. This exchange is reciprocated with faith, trust, and belief that we will be protected now until we are eternally joined forevermore.
Why do we sing hymns? The following excerpt has been taken from the online United Church of God hymnal "Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful, Psalm 147:1. Singing has been an integral part of Godly worship through the ages—from the angels singing at the creation of the earth (Job 38:7), to the children of Israel singing praise to God for deliverance from the Egyptian army (Exodus 15), to brethren in the New Testament being instructed to sing and make melody to God in their hearts (Ephesians 5:19). God wants us to delight in singing His praises. The book of Revelation reveals singing will continue to be a vital part of worship in the coming Kingdom of God. Revelation 14:3 and 15:3 describe the saints singing a new song, as well as the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb. Today this tradition of singing continues as we fulfill God’s instruction by devoting a significant portion of our services to collectively singing praise to Him. Inspiring lyrics remind us of the magnificent truths of His Word. Through singing hymns we have an opportunity to musically express our deepest emotions of grateful appreciation to God for His plan of salvation for us and all of humanity. Because of the magnitude of His wonderful work and incredible love, God deserves our deepest love, honour and respect through praise. Colossians 3:16 instructs us to sing 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs' to God with thankful hearts. As stated in the table of contents, this hymnal has been organized with this scripture in mind. We use this hymnal to fulfill God’s instruction: 'I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation' (Psalm 111:1) and 'I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being' (Psalm 104:33)". Bursting forth in song also has the added bonus of developing lung capacity and breathing techniques which are helpful for our health physiologically as well as mentally and emotionally.
God's people have this tremendously great hope of Christ's return to earth, but for the majority of the nations they doubt, scoff, and ridicule. They say 'For where is the proof of His coming?' We say 'In the Bible!' For 'Have you not heard, have you not seen?' They say 'Nonsense! Fairy stories, these are made up fables, they are not true!' And so it goes on and on down through the ages. Just think of Noah toiling away for many years building the ark (Genesis 6), think of Joshua and Caleb with those who went to spy out the land of the giants in Canaan (Numbers 13), think of all the faithful servants of God mentioned in Hebrews 11 who did not love their lives to the death. They resisted and overcame so much during their lifetimes, navigating deception, hardships, and trials by placing their complete faith in God rather than man. As we know, humankind falters, imperfect with carnal human nature. A single verse from Psalm 62:9 sums it up pretty well…"Surely men of low degree are a vapour, men of high degree are a lie; if they are weighed on the scales, they are altogether lighter than vapour". Psalm 62 is another scriptural gem, a veritable brilliant piece of penmanship from King David for us to glean complete assurance in God's protection, to be read in its entirety for our inspiration and learning. David tells us in Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, YOU PEOPLE (namely us); pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah". Yes, we should pause to meditate upon these inspired words so that we can fully embrace and rely on His protection. We naturally gravitate towards physical reliance but God's faithful know a better way where they place all their faith in the unseen spiritual realm rather than succumbing to having fear of the unknown. God's way enables us to move forward as He leads us through this life in the spiritual wilderness until we reach the promised land. Do we experience and cultivate fear in the world or should we place our confidence in God? Our lives are given for God's purpose, therefore live each day fearlessly with wisdom knowing God is with us and will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8, Isaiah 41:10-13, Romans 8:35-39).
Over the last year and a half there have been quite a few more deaths than expected. So many ill and placed on the prayer list needing our prayers for healing, comforting, and strengthening from our Master Healer. Listening to the last sermons presented by strong men has been incredibly valuable in gaining further wisdom. These men tell us to hold onto what we were once given and not to let anyone take our crown away from us. They speak of endurance, of great steadfast hope through righteous living while exhibiting patience as we place one foot in front of the other on our daily walk even though so many are tired, worn out, cannot attend Feast sites in person or even the weekly Sabbath gatherings for genuine reasons that prevent them from doing so. However, equally they provide their flocks with the message of never giving up -- "hang in there", for it won't be long now as we await God's Kingdom once Jesus Christ returns to establish His perfect form of rulership. Reflecting on the last words before their untimely death from inspirational and motivational individuals in the Holy Bible such as the church's first martyr after the crucifixion of Christ -- Stephen is mentioned in Acts 7:59-60 "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit'. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not charge them with this sin'. And when he had said this, he fell asleep". Then there is the example of Jesus Christ Himself where the last words and thoughts from our Saviour can be read in Luke 23:46 which says " 'Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit'. Having said this, He breathed His last".
Have you ever wondered what your last words might be before you die? Even before I began a real relationship with God, I did at various times. At best all I was able to do was imagine words or a word rather than any meaningful exchange. Early on in my conversion I thought I would repent as my last conscious thought, just in case sin was there -- known or unknown -- but now I tend to think it would be rather wonderful to say exactly as Christ said which indicates that God's timing is exactly right, for my life to be taken at His will as He sees all, knows all, is perfect and cannot be wrong in any way. Relying and trusting on God brings the deepest of peace and for this it is an amazing joy to have, to hold onto, and never let go. We are fed up with all the lies, corruption, deception and suffering that goes on in this troubled world led by satan and the fallen angels known as demons. Their brazen tactics seem to be more exposed recently as they influence world leaders and cause mayhem, indicating their time is short. God only allows this up to a certain point which we also hold onto with grateful hearts. This enemy of ours will be beaten, he will be vanquished and destroyed, and we will all look at the being who caused hatred and violence on a global scale. Consider Isaiah 14:16-17 "Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’". People will be astonished at seeing God's enemy look like nothing, powerless, destroyed, unable to cause any further damage and destruction after the thousands of years of his temporary reign of arrogant pride, lies and deceit which annihilated millions upon millions of people throughout history in brutal wars.
It will all be worth it in the end -- actually more than worth it. Keep looking at the big picture of the Kingdom of God as we go through the last days, weeks, months, and perhaps years of our physical lives knowing we serve our God who will never leave us (Matthew 28:20). God will always be with us as we know that we know God does not lie, He fully wants us to succeed (Philippians 1:6) and will do everything necessary to support, correct, encourage, and enable us to successfully navigate through this journey called life until we are always with Him. No matter what happens we can rely on God. So close your eyes to any fear and open those same eyes to all the promises God gives to us by reading His Word of peace, joy, and love, holding on tight to your Holy Bible each day as you digest and process Truth that nobody can take away from you. There is nothing to fear except fear itself. God tells us not to be afraid in Matthew 10:28 and in very many places throughout both the Old and New Testaments -- it is quite a repetitive theme for us to take note of and embrace. Notice Psalm 118:6 which states "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" and Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Faith and confidence in God is what we have been given and we will triumph because the power of God is with us. We simply cannot fail if we listen to God.