Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

This morning, one of our devotionals was based on the well-known Christmas hymn, "Hark! the Herald Angels".  As we read the words, I was amazed again at how rich the lyrics were, and how I almost absent-mindedly sing them, not really paying all that much attention to the meaning.

It was written by Charles Wesley, who apparently wrote more than 6,000 hymn texts, something like 2 every week.  This was one of his earliest, and one of his best known.  It is so full of powerful scriptural ideas;  one text says, "a month could be spent exploring these stanzas."  

"Hark" is not a word we commonly use in our English anymore.  The first line and the chorus say, in effect, "Listen!  The messenger angels are singing."  What are they singing?  "Glory to the newborn King."

Their message starts with "Peace on earth."  We know that in the natural, we are not seeing peace on the earth.  But God offers peace between Himself and us.  It has "God and sinners reconciled" or brought into  harmony.

Then there are 2 lines of joyous invitation for "all the nations" to rise, joyful, to "join the triumph of the skies" (which were filled with that heavenly host, probably with angels innumerable.  Can you imagine how stunning that would have been?  And what a chorus!  What a sound!)  "With the angelic hosts proclaim, 'Christ is born in Bethlehem!'"

"Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlasting Lord" now, at the appointed time, "late in time", born to a virgin.  The Godhead, "veiled in flesh,...the incarnate Deity" was "pleased as (a) man with men to dwell."  I believe it's impossible for our little human minds to get wrapped around the idea of the "everlasting Lord' to be "pleased" to come live, in human form, with mankind on this planet, to be our "Emmanuel"; that is, "God, with us."

"Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace!  Hail, the Sun of Righteousness!"  Again, "to hail" is not commonly used in modern English, but it means "to express acclaim, and praise".  When Pilate turned Jesus over to the soldiers to be flogged, they made Him a crown of thorns, and mocked Him with "Hail, King of the Jews!"  but we can sincerely hail Him, our "heaven-born Prince of Peace".  And where does this "Sun of Righteousness" come from?  It's in Malachi 4:2..."the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings."  He is both the Son, and the Sun, bringing life and light.  And what does healing in His wings mean? A few versions translate "wings" as "rays" emanating from this Sun. 

"Mild He lays His glory by..."  See Philippians 2 which describes how He did not need to hang onto His equality with God (verses 6-8).  He humbled Himself to come as a human for this threefold purpose:  "born that man no more may die (bringing us eternal life), born to raise the sons of earth (bringing us up to sit with Him in heavenly places - Ephesians 2:6), born to give them second birth (offering spiritual birth to those who were only naturally born in sin).

Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

As we ponder the reason for His coming, we too will hail Him and sing,  "Glory to God in the highest!"

It doesn't get old

 This week in our "One Year Book of Psalms", three days were taken up with Psalm 136.  Each of its 26 verses ends with "For His mercy endures forever."  In the Amplified Bible, it's His lovingkinness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) and other translations say it's His love, His faithful love, His steadfast love, His loving devotion, His faithfulness, His lovingkindness, or His kindness that endures forever, or is everlasting, or is for all time, or is eternal, or never fails. This apparently was one of the antiphonal psalms, where half the verse was sung by one singer or choir, and the other half was a response from a second singer, or, more likely, choir.  I wondered if the second choir would have become tired of singing the exact same refrain 26 times.  I think, if they thought about what they were singing, the answer to that would be "no".

I don't know how many times, when Karl and I start to pray together, that "For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever" comes into my mind.  I think we must never really get tired of that thought.  We who deserve nothing from our pure, perfect, holy, righteous God find ourselves the objects of His love, His mercy, His delight even! Such mercy!   And that never gets old.

From the psalm, my mind wandered over to the song in heaven where the four living creatures "do not rest day or night, saying:

     'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'"

And each time they say this, the 24 elders around the throne of God "fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

     'You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.'"

 There is this constant, never-ending chorus.  As they observe the One sitting on the throne, they are constantly filled with wonder, never able to stop themselves from exclaiming about His holiness and His worthiness in sincere, heartfelt adoration.

These are subjects that we need to forever and always remind ourselves of.  His mercy endures forever and He is completely holy and so worthy of all praise.  

This never gets old.

Shield and Defender

 Before I got out of bed this morning, I asked, "Lord, what specifically do You want to be for me today?"  And I asked that the answer would be something that wouldn't necessarily pop up out of my own store of likely suggestions.  The response that came to mind was "Your shield and defender."

Oh!  Yup, that was unexpected.  

So I immediately wondered if I would be facing something especially dangerous or challenging today.  Should I be worried?

It's true, there is this enemy of my soul who is constantly lurking around, looking for opportunities to take me down completely.  He is "as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  We are all at war, always.  That's why we have the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-18).

But I should definitely not worry if God Himself is my shield and defender.

I found a lot of verses to that effect but I'll give just a few here (all from the New American Standard Bible).

Psalm 28:7 says, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore, my heart triumphs, and with my song I shall thank Him.

Psalm 27:1…”The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the defence of my life; whom should I dread?

2 Samuel 22:3…My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Saviour, You save me from violence.”

Having grown up on hymns, they frequently come to mind, and with the verses I was reading, the grand anthem “O Worship the King” started singing itself in my head.  Here are just 2 of its stanzas:

O worship the King, all glorious above,

O gratefully sing His power and His love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail.

Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,

Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.

Here's hoping that this will be a bit of encouragement for you to lean back and rest in the love and power of the God who is our shield and defender.  Not just today.  Always.

Essential Oil

I have friends and family who are very knowledgeable about essential oils and their benefits.  You probably do too.

But there is one oil that isn't sold and that is truly essential.  Find it in Isaiah 61:3 where, included in the list of all Jesus was anointed for, is this:  "to console the mourners in Zion - to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.  So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD (Yahweh), that He may be glorified" (Berean Standard Version).

Nehemiah told the people, "...the joy of the Lord is your strength'" (Nehemiah 8:3,8-10). 

Plus, we all have the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy (Galatians 5:22).

So, Jesus was anointed to give the oil of joy instead of mourning, we know that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and we have the fruit of joy in our spirits.  

So then why do we go around as morose, worried, depressed and sour as the rest of the world?.  What can we do to experience the joy that is actually ours?

I have a few suggestions.

First, recognize that God actually enjoys you.  In the midst of all his troubles, David wrote, "Let the LORD (Yahweh) be magnified, who has pleasure in the well-being of His servant" (Psalm 35:27).  Some of our lack of joy could come from the impression that God is displeased with us, but He actually takes pleasure in His people (Psalm 149:4) and rejoices over us (Zephaniah 3:17).

Second, realize that we have much more control over our emotions than we may think we have.  When Paul says, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice," we may think, "That's impossible!"  But when I check in my concordance for verses that instruct us to rejoice, to be glad, to exult even, the list is long.  Does God require of us what is impossible for us to do?  He is, of course, not that unreasonable.  So, let's choose to be glad.  "This is the day that the Lord has made; We will (we choose to) rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).

Third, the Holy Spirit is our ever-present Helper.  So, ask for His help.  Ask for reminders about things to add to our thankfulness lists, and for the ability to see the beauty of God's creation and to notice His grace at work in whatever is happening around us.  Start the day with "Good morning, Father!  You are so good and faithful and lovely.  Thank You for this day."  And then end the day with a prayer of thankfulness for all that He has done, and all the ways He has protected and provided.  Of course, in the in-between hours, stop to send up expressions of gratitude as well.

May you make the decision to enjoy the God who enjoys you, and thus walk in that strength, and find yourself anointed with the precious essential oil of joy as you walk hand-in-hand with your God and your Saviour daily.

Goliath's End

In re-reading the story of David and Goliath, I noticed a few things that I had never paid attention to before and was reminded of several that had already been impressed upon me.  There is so much to learn here that I will just hit a few high spots.  As always, I will take liberties with adding capital H where I want to, using underlining, ad libbing at will, etc.

The first thing that hit me this time was in the very first verse of 1 Samuel 17 where we get the information that the Philistines were gathered in a particular area that belonged to Judah.  How many times has our enemy encroached where he doesn't belong, in the lives of people who belong to God?  We have all learned about the Holy Spirit being a gentleman, who doesn't force Himself on anyone but waits for an invitation.  Satan has no such manners; he pushes his way in wherever he can.

In verses 4-7, there is a description of the Philistines' champion, Goliath, a giant of a man at about 9 feet, 9 inches tall who wore a bronze coat of mail weighing about 125 pounds.  This enemy would shout the same message to the armies of Israel every day:  "Why do you even bother coming out to line up for battle?  You guys are nothing but the servants of Saul.  If there's anyone amongst you who can defeat me, you will have all the Philistines as your servants, but if I kill your champion, you will be our servants."

I also found it interesting that the Israelite army continued day after day "going out to the fight and shouting for the battle" (verse 20).  They were making all the right moves and the right noises.  But for the past 40 days, morning and evening, they had heard Goliath yell this same message, and "Saul and all Israel...were dismayed and greatly afraid" and no one made a move.  In our lives, we may be going through the motions that we think are required of us, but our enemy comes and yells derisively about our certain failure, our complete inadequacy, and we become "dismayed and greatly afraid" too.

Then David was sent by his father to check out how the battle was going, and he heard this challenge almost as soon as he arrived.  He had a completely different response than all the others.  He didn't see the men of Israel as just "servants of Saul" but they were "the armies of the living God" (verse 26).  And, yes, Goliath was a Philistine and a giant, but so what?  He was nothing more than an uncircumcised heathen who had no connection with, no promises from, no knowledge of and no covenant with this one true God.  David knew that he had all those, as we also do today.

When he was presented to King Saul as one who was willing to go face the giant, his confident words were, "Don't let anyone's heart fail for fear of him;  I'm your man;  I'll go fight him."  Saul's immediate reaction was discouraging:  "You are not able" (verses32, 33).  Again, how often do we hear that about ourselves...you are not able!

But David persisted.  In minding his father's sheep, David had had the experience of killing both a lion and a bear when they came to attack the flock.  He knew where his help had come from and where it would come from now:  "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."  It often builds our faith to look back and "see what the Lord has done" in our lives.

Saul's armour and sword didn't work for David, didn't fit him, and he wasn't used to them.  So he went with what he knew.  He took his familiar sling, and chose 5 smooth stones.  Those who attach significance to the numbers in the Bible will tell you that 5 is the number of grace.  So David went with the grace of God.  If you have Scriptures that have been your strength and foundation in the past, keep on using them.  They are your familiar weapons.  They don't get old and don't wear out.  They are your "two-edged sword" and you can keep adding to your stock of weapons.  And the grace of God is always sufficient for every day and every situation.

Again, David faced words of derision and discouragement as he ran out to meet the foe.  Goliath looked at him with disdain.  He promised to give David's flesh to "the birds of the air and the beasts of the field".  He cursed David by his gods, which, of course, meant nothing since his gods were totally powerless.  David knew that his God was the One who had power.  Notice that David ran to meet him.  No hesitation.

David's positive, confident words have always stirred me here.  He is so absolutely sure of victory!  "You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin.  But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.  And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  Then all the assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

We all know that David did indeed kill the giant.  There is such victory in speaking words of faith, words of confidence in the outcome even before it is evident.

So may I encourage you to stand up against the enemy who invades.  He roars like a lion and seeks whom he may devour.  Don't allow it.  Don't let the roar make you "dismayed and greatly afraid".  Recognize that you have a covenant with the ever-living, all-powerful God.  You have seen Him do good things for you in the past, and He isn't about to fail you now.  Though words of discouragement, derision and disdain reach your ears, don't let them into your heart.  Stand on the promises that have never failed and won't fail now.  And speak the end result you are believing for and not the mess you see right now.  Use your sling and your 5 smooth stones of the grace Jesus bought and paid for and expect the victory.  And your Goliath is definitely going to fall.

The Arms of God

 Another brother-in-law graduated into the presence of Jesus this weekend.  The day before he died, some of the family gathered in his hospital room and sang some hymns.  He gave little indication that he was aware, but when his wife asked if that was good, he gave a small nod.  He was one who knew that he was ready to die.  He had been on the mission field in Haiti and in the Congo, and when he and his family returned to Canada, he continued to be a missionary here.

One of the songs we sang was "Safe in the Arms of Jesus", and that is where he now is, I believe.  Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain," and he expressed a "desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better" (Philippians 1:21, 23b).

That song came back into my mind again today, plus another old hymn, "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", and I began to think about the arms of Jesus, and the arms of God.

We know that Jesus took up the little children into His arms:  "Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them....And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them" (Mark 10:13a, 16).  What a sweet picture!

Another lovely picture is in Isaiah 40:11..."He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young."  (My sister-in-law used to claim that she was the one in the Shepherd's arms, so I had to claim that I was on His shoulder.)

If we back up one verse, though, there is a different purpose of His arm..."Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him..."  He repeatedly reminded the people of Israel that He had brought them out of their condition of slavery in Egypt with "a mighty hand and an outstretched arm."  A few of those references are Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 2 Kings 17:36; Psalm 136:11,12 and there are many more.

We are also told that it was by His outstretched arm that He created everything.  Jeremiah 32:17:  "Ah, Lord God!  You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm.  There is nothing too hard for You."

Then there is a lovely blessing that Moses speaks over Jeshurun (Israel) in Deuteronomy 33:27a:  "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..." 

I don't know if I have mentioned this song by Brian Doerksen before, but the lyrics are so simply beautiful and uplifting.  It's called "Everlasting Arms".  His little bridge shows up just once, and fits in so sweetly.  Here are the lyrics:

[Verse 1]
We don't know when this storm is going to break
But underneath all things the everlasting arms
We don't know how much more our hearts can take
But underneath all things the everlasting arms

[Chorus]
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath all things, everlasting arms of grace
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath it all is love

[Verse 2]
We don't know when this fiery trial will pass
But underneath all things the everlasting arms
We don't know how long this pain will last
Underneath all things the everlasting arms

[Chorus]
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath all things, everlasting arms of grace
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath it all is love

[Bridge]
Just when I thought life was over
Just when I felt like love was gone

[Chorus]
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath all things, everlasting arms of grace
Underneath all things are the everlasting arms
Underneath it all is love

My prayer is that you will allow the good Shepherd to carry you in His everlasting arms of grace and power.  He is so willing to take you up as one of the little children in His arms by which He created everything and won victories on behalf of His people, and to lay His hands on you, and bless you. 

Unload

 Karl and I have pooled our various devotional booklets, and some mornings there is quite a wide range of topics.  I keep waiting for the day when all of them will have the same subject.  Wouldn’t that be a very clear indication that the Holy Spirit was really trying to get something through to us?

This morning, four of them had a similar theme, so I am going to share them with you.

We started off with a daily devotional in the book of Proverbs by Timothy and Kathy Keller.  The subject was that no one can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin” from chapter 20 verse 9.  The way that this tied in with the others was that we were reminded that (1) everyone is lost and (2) we can only be saved by God’s grace.  The point was that “the wise fuel their efforts for right living out of joy and gratitude for the free salvation they have in Christ.  They escape the drudgery and crushing motive of seeking righteousness in order to deserve it.”

Then Joyce Meyer shared about Psalm 28:7:  “The Lord is my Strength and my [impenetrable} Shield; my heart trusts in, relies on, and confidently leans on Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song will I praise Him.”  She talked about unloading our burdens on Jesus, about how she had over-scheduled herself, and was having to lean on Him to help her sort it out and work through it.  She used the quote “too busy not to pray”.  She also said, “The grace we need is always there when we need it, not before we need it.”

The Daily Bread started with Philippians 4:6:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  This author talked about the stress of her moving day, which she found not too stressful at all, and she realized that it was because she had been immersing herself in Scripture and prayer.  She says, “When we pray - and ‘rejoice in’ God (V. 4) - we refocus our mind from the problem to our Provider.”

And then my online daily devotional from Andrew Wommack used as its text Matthew 11:28-30:  “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  When we are sharing a yoke with Jesus, He is always pulling “more than His ‘share’ of the load; therefore, our burden is light.  The most loving father in the world cannot compare with the love our Heavenly Father has for us.  And yet, many times we find it easier to believe in the willingness of a father or mother or mate to help us than in the willingness of God to use His power on our behalf.  Relatively few people really doubt God’s ability, but rather, it is our doubt of His willingness to use His ability on our behalf that causes most people to do without.  Jesus assures us that God’s love, and His  willingness to demonstrate that love, is far greater than we can ever experience in any human relationship.”

To me, this was all a reminder about freedom: (1)  that I can completely trust what God’s grace has purchased, a free salvation not earned or deserved, which leaves me able to live right just because of gratitude to Him; (2) that I can lean on Him for grace to help in any situation, no matter how busy; (3) that I can sail through stressful situations when I fill myself with the Word and do a lot of communing with my dear Lord, presenting my needs to Him with thanksgiving, and (4) that He invites us to rest in Him, because He is not only able but also willing to give  us that rest for our souls.  Don’t ever think that you can overburden our God.  If He knows the number of hairs on your head, He is obviously interested in every tiny detail of our lives.  No matter that there are eight billion people living on this planet; He cares about you and anything you care about.  He considers it humility on our part when we lay it all down at His feet:  “Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6,7).

What a picture again of the love and provision we can receive from our dear, generous, compassionate, merciful, faithful, beautiful, loving heavenly Father!  If we just turn to Him in all our needs and give Him our burdens, He is so ready and willing to bear them.  And we are urged to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  Sit with Him today, and tell Him all that is in your heart.  He knows it already, but is delighted when we talk to Him about it.

Gathering

While on our somewhat delayed honeymoon, my husband and I attended a Friday evening service at Faith Life Church in Branson, MO.  They have acquired the concert hall built by Johnny Cash, in which he never sang.  It sat empty for about 10 years before it became their sanctuary.  One of the many friendly people there chatted with us for quite a while, and Karl asked how Covid had affected the attendance.  I forget the numbers, but it was a difference of hundreds and hundreds of people.

We all found out when churches were shut down how comfortable it is to stay in our pyjamas and watch an online service.  Many people have decided to stick with that pattern, believing that they can be fed at home without the bother of getting dressed and going out to be physically in a church service.

But what about all the "one another" instructions in the epistles:  love one another, bear one another's burdens, be devoted to one another in brotherly love, bear with one another, forgive one another, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, encourage and build one another up, etc.?  Those are hard to follow if we are not in contact with "one another".

And there is this clear instruction in Hebrew 10:24-25:  "...let's consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near."  

My father was a pastor in the Morden Bergthaler Mennonite Church all the years I was growing up.  He told this story:  A minister went to visit a church member who had been absent from church for some time.  The man explained that he was fine, he didn't need the church, he and the Lord were doing okay.  There was a fire burning in the man's fireplace.  The minister got up from his chair and used a poker to move one burning ember away from all the others.  The two of them sat in silence and watched as that lone ember stopped glowing, cooled off and turned black while the rest of the fire kept burning brightly and cheerfully.  Neither of them said anything, but the man was back in church the next Sunday.  We do need our fellow believers to love us, encourage us, exhort us...to help us keep on burning.

However, we also need to meet in order to be the givers of a prayer, of encouragement, of love and comfort and exhortation.  Go with the intention of being a blessing to as many people as you can.  Even a warm smile and a "So glad to see you!" can lift the spirit of some flagging, struggling soul.

There are many reasons people no longer show up in church; laziness, unforgiveness, dissatisfaction with all kinds of things, fear of viruses, even for a while government restrictions.  Let's not let anything keep us from gathering to give and receive the blessing of fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Praise

 This morning, I started out at the piano, playing some old choruses and a couple of hymns.  Then my new husband (what a blessing he is!  such a lovely man!) and I read our devotions together and one of them took us to Revelation chapters 4 and 5.  Here we have a scene of unimaginable worship, something beyond what we could possibly fathom.  

We ended up in heartfelt praise for our salvation, for the Lamb who overcame for us, who is so completely worthy of all our praise.

I would simply like to quote some of those choruses that came to mind this morning, and then visit the scenes in heaven, and invite you to turn your hearts in glad worship to the One who deserves it all.

The first one that came this morning is called "The Steadfast Love of the Lord".  

     The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.  

     His mercies never come to an end.

     They are new every morning, new every morning.  

     Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord!  Great is Thy faithfulness!

This led to the hymns "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and "Holy!  Holy!  Holy!"

followed by

     He is Lord, He is Lord.

     He is risen from the dead and He is Lord.

     Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess

     That Jesus Christ is Lord.

When we were praying together, this chorus floated up in my mind:

     He paid a debt He did not owe.  

     I owed a debt I could not pay.

     I needed someone to wash my sins away.

     And now I sing a brand new song, “Amazing Grace!”

     Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay.

Listen to some of the praise songs of heaven: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come!"  "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.'"  "Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth.'"

Then the praises swell and come from "the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.  In a loud voice they were saying, 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'"  Then John says he "heard every creature in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever!'"

We, the redeemed, will also be among that crowd of all the angels and living creatures who will be swept up in wonder and awe and praise.  Why not start practising now?  The Lamb and the Almighty are just as worthy of praise here and now as They will be when we get to heaven.  We may have little whispers of gratitude, hymns, little choruses, or grand rolling melodies.  Our God is worthy of all of them.