Over the last year, I found myself through the ups and downs, pains and joys in life, out of the flow of my heart, singing privately out loud to God, discovering that He is always here with us.
Knowing and understanding what I was singing was the key difference in singing a “good song” versus singing to the Lord. As I sang, I studied and meditated on the lyrics — and when I sing aloud in private to the Lord, it becomes a personal proclamation of those words.
Once I was deeply discouraged about a personal matter, and it felt like a spiritual attack took advantage of that weakness, filling my mind with negative, condemning thoughts. An invisible dark cloud over me that wouldn’t go away. I asked a few sisters in Christ to uphold me in prayer, asking the Lord to protect my mind. A few hours later I began editing the video above and found myself singing that song aloud again and again. Gradually the thoughts were completely extinguished, and His peace filled me. The cloud was gone.
“15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
– Colossians 3:15-16
“Before the Throne of God Above”
written by Charitie Lees Smith (1863), Public Domain.
Behold him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless Righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself I cannot die;
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea:
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.
When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see him there,
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
