singing – Stirring The Pot

My wife and I really enjoy watching the old classic TV shows. We’re presently going through the old series, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., starring Jim Nabors as Gomer and Frank Sutton as Sgt. Carter.

Lots of laughs and corny situations; a VERY tame sitcom, which is why we like it.

The last episode we watched showed Gomer singing the song, The Impossible Dream, as he was accompanied by the real Marine Corps Band. I’m telling you, it was inspirational!

The song made me not only think, but actually believe there were still greater things to be done with my life. Though getting along in years, I haven’t outgrown the ability to dream and, with God, see the dreams fulfilled. And neither have you.

Here are the words to the song.

“The Impossible Dream” (The Quest)
Songwriters: Joe Darion & Mitch Leigh

To dream the impossible dream
To fight the unbeatable foe
To bear with unbearable sorrow
To run where the brave dare not go
To right the unrightable wrong
To love pure and chaste from afar
To try when your arms are too weary
To reach the unreachable star

This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far

To fight for the right
Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause

And I know if I’ll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I’m laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star

Out of 30,442 verses in the Bible, I can’t think of a one that has God telling someone, “That’s impossible.”

Now, there were a lot of impossible looking situations, but God did some very outstanding things; just to help out someone committed to fulfilling their God given dream.

And helping someone committed to HIS dreams.

Like Joshua battling the Amorites (Joshua 10). Running out of daylight, God made the sun stand still in the sky for almost 24 hours. It looked impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible.

Like the author of Hebrews wrote, “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…” (Hebrews 11:32-33 NKJV). So many miraculous things happened because God was involved with someone who trusted him.

But the greatest feat of all, the greatest victory, came on the day when the Son of God, Jesus Christ, fought for the right…

“Without question or pause
To be willing to march into Hell
For a heavenly cause”

To destroy the works and authority of the devil, taking the keys of death, hell, and the grave from him. Afterward Jesus told his disciples, “All power is given unto me in Heaven, earth, and under the earth!”

Just to capture his father’s dream, and release the captured “stars”. That’s you and I. After all, God told Abraham to “look at the stars”. Then he said, “So shall your family be.” Stars.

Jesus reached the unreachable stars!

“And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.”

Impossible? Not with God! He doesn’t have any impossible dreams.

And in him, neither do we.

Have you ever wondered why King David was, according to the Lord, “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22)?

I’ve heard many opinions throughout the last 38 years. And I’ve agreed with most of them.

Some ideas are: David’s passion for God, his love for worship, warrior mentality, honesty and integrity, he was quick to repent, and fearless.

Though David was all those things, most of the time anyway, there’s one more idea I’d like to add to the list: he kept on singing.

Psalm 69 is a beautiful example. Written by David, performed as a choir, the psalm covers the full gamut of human emotion.

Though deeply troubled, hated without knowing why, and humiliated; David kept on praying, and singing. I love to imagine what it would have been like to hear the choir sing the Psalm at church. Dressed in their choir robes, swaying a bit from side to side in rhythm with the music, they would certainly have brought the house down!

Please read the Psalm in its entirety. Don’t stop short and miss the grand finale. The song just isn’t the same.

And don’t stop singing when life becomes a little rough. Go ahead, sing and pour out your heart to God. But keep at it. Don’t quit too soon and miss the grand finale; the big finish!

Life just wouldn’t be the same.

“For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune “Lilies.”

Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me.

Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn’t steal. O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you.

Don’t let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel. For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face. Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.

Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. When I weep and fast, they scoff at me. When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me. I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.

But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mud; don’t let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters. Don’t let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me.

Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies.

You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing. Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually. Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt. Pile their sins up high, and don’t let them go free. Erase their names from the Book of Life; don’t let them be counted among the righteous.

I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged. For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people.

Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them. For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land. The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.” (Psalm 69 NLT)

Remember, KEEP ON SINGING!

Tag: singing

The Impossible Dream

Keep On Singing!

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