Worship Song Sunday -- How He Loves Us, by David Crowder Band

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither the lower ranks of evil angels nor the higher, neither things present nor things future, nor the forces of nature nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which rests upon us in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~ Romans 8:38-39, Weymouth New Testament

I have been battling a depression of sorts, off and on lately.  More on than off.  With it comes feelings of emptiness, loneliness, doubt and anxiety. I've had a suggestion or two from some friends as to what might be the cause.  But much of it, I think, comes from the fact that deep down inside, I am still struggling to believe that God truly loves me. That I am worth something in His eyes. 

After all that God has done for me -- the healing of diseases and disorders; the provision I've experienced that I know could have ONLY come from Him; His protection of me when I was in danger (whether or not I was aware of the danger at the time); the gifts with which He has blessed me, tangible and intangible; the times God has revealed Himself to me in supernatural, mind boggling ways; and just the way He has restored my life from what it used to be  -- STILL I struggle.

So it sounds kind of ridiculous to question His love for me, doesn't it?  

Yet at times -- like now -- that's exactly what I do. My mind clicks into overdrive, and I begin to wonder WHY God would love someone like me, how can He still love me after I continue to make such a mess of my life? I allow the brash, loud, lying voice of Satan to drown out the still, small Voice of the Savior.  The Voice that patiently, persistently reminds me that His promises of love to His people of old are mine, too:

I have loved you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3, HCSB)

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken (Isaiah 54:10)


Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to Me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you (Isaiah 43:3-4, The Message)

See, I am NOT beyond my Creator's intervention. I am NOT beyond the reach of the power of my Father's transforming and amazing love.  No matter how dark it seems in the wilderness, in my pain, in my grief, in my struggle with temptation to sin -- in ALL  of that and more: I am not alone. 

And neither are you, dear one. Abba is there. And He loves you.  He loves me. 

Oh, how He loves us!!

Worship Song Sunday -- Abide With Me, by Indelible Grace (feat Matthew Perryman Jones)

"One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life...." ~ Psalm 27:4

This week proved to be yet another full scale, flurry of activity, which is turning out to be the new normal for me.  While my goal for this year is to simplify, I cannot say these activities complicate or clutter up my life. They just keep me busy, in a good way for the most part:  appointments that need to be kept, people that need my attention, tasks to which I need to attend as a wife, a mom and a homemaker.

I do find myself physically and emotionally exhausted by the time the end of the week rolls around, especially when my arch nemesis, Madame Depression, decides to make an unwelcome and unappreciated appearance in my life, as she did this week.  So my body, mind and soul could use some rest and comforting.  

I found this song, ‘Abide With Me,’ in a post on ‘One Thousand Gifts’ author Ann Voskamp's blog site.  It’s a remake of an old hymn with which I’m not familiar, but which instantly captured me and brought me into that place of peace, rest and holy worship that I so craved, even as I sat at my kitchen table, with a sink full of dishes waiting anxiously for me nearby. The lyrics are beautiful and provided on the video. They are a true cry of the heart to the Lord for Him to come and abide with the worshiper.

My hope is that as you listen to this song, the beauty of the words and music will become YOUR heart's cry and will help to bring you into a place of sweet and tender worship to our Lord God, in spite of any physical exhaustion, mental anguish, heart aches, brokenness of spirit, or dryness of soul that you may be experiencing in your life.

For the next few moments, ask our faithful and loving Lord to help you to empty yourself of all the clutter of life, so that there is room in your heart for Him to dwell…to abide… with you. 





I need Thy Presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's pow'r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.