Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Was that a song of love that I heard…

Filed in Devotions & Studies, General |

Journal,

It was February, 1975. We had left Lafayette, Louisiana, to pastor a small country church in Central Louisiana. Betty and me and our three children literally walked through a gate of faith that I’ve come to call, ‘our gate to miracle land.’

Yep, we ventured into a territory of faith that was totally new for us. It wasn’t as though we knew nothing about the faith walk. Only this time, it was very different. So many wonderful things happened to us. For one thing the small congregation was made up of the most delightful and loving people you would ever want to meet. It was exactly the kind of church we needed to prepare us for what lay ahead, the founding of Christian Challenge.

But over the past few days a memory keeps floating up in my mind about that little church. It is the memory of a tiny bird that would appear at our bathroom window each morning to sing a song to me. At least that is how I felt about it.

It has been my custom over the years that before I have my morning devotion, I first head to the shower to prepare myself for the day. I never did like to have an audience with the King without looking my best. And each morning when I would look out our bathroom window, there on a limb was this beautiful little bird, just singing her little heart out. Guess you can say that I fell in love with her.

Now here’s the tricky part. When it came time for us to resign from our pastorate there,  when I entered the shower, I did not see the tiny bird, but I heard a sound that was somewhat similar. That’s when I noticed that our pipes would make a sound almost like the song of the bird. So I wondered, was it the bird singing all that time?

Of course I had to dismiss that discouraging thought. And I came to a firm conclusion that the bird was sent to sing a love song to me from God Himself. The Lord wanted my life to be filled with music.

When everything is alive…

The one thing that stands out most to me about learning to live a life of faith is that everything seems so alive. It is as though God placed music in His creation. And if you learn to listen closely you can hear it. In fact it seems that music and singing and rejoicing are all the natural language in the world of faith. I find it a most exciting world to live in.

In fact, it is even possible that angels have their own music. Listen –   

“And I heard a voice out of heaven, the sound like a cataract, like the crash of thunder. And then I heard music, harp music.” (Rev14:2 Message)

Whether this speaks of angelic music or the music of the redeemed is not the issue at hand. There is no question that heaven is filled with music.  

Yes indeed. The walk of faith is a walk filled with life. It is a walk filled with love. And it is filled with laughter. Laughter you say? Oh yes indeed. Throughout the Bible you will find that a life of faith includes laughter.

Remember what Sarah said concerning the baby that God had promised her? Listen:

“Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” (Gen21:6)

In all this wonderment of the faith walk, I think I’ve discovered why some believers have such a struggle in learning to trust the Lord for all things in their life. Their real struggle is over the love of God. They are not fully convinced just how much God really loves them.

It is hard to trust someone if you aren’t sure that they love you…

This may seem strange but it is true nonetheless. The apostle Paul said,

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6 nasb)

We can take this ‘faith working through love’ in a number of directions. But the bottom line is that we learn to trust in God to the level that we believe in His love for us. We know that if God truly loves us, then He will truly take care of us. And this is why it is so crucial to our walk with the Lord, to come to know God as our very own Father. The Fatherhood of God is the single greatest revelation that a believer can acquire in this life.

And this reminds me of an incident that took place many, many years ago, between me and my youngest son, Andre. It was pitch dark when I arrived home. There were no outside lights. Andre was on the porch waiting for daddy. When I got near the porch, I knew that Andre could not see me. When I got near, I simply said, “Jump, Andre, daddy will catch you.”

Andre sailed off the porch right into my arms. Why did he do that? He did it for three  reasons. He knew that daddy loved him. He did it because he knew that he could trust me. And he did it because he knew my voice. It was daddy’s voice and not the voice of a stranger.

Do you remember ‘The Garden Song’? If there was ever a song that speaks to the heart of our walk with the Lord, this is it. I’ve always loved to listen to being sung by Elvis Presley.

Would you like to hear it? Go to:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-NH_is7VuCI&feature=related 

Ask God to speak to your heart…

I believe that the Lord longs to speak into each believer’s life. Listen to what the prophet wrote:

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” (Isa30:18)

Now, as for that song of love from the tiny bird – I will always believe the Lord sent that little bird with a melody from heaven. She is one of the hundreds of blessed memories that I’ve accumulated through the years. And every once in awhile I love to sit back and think on all the good things the Lord has brought into my life and into the life of my family.

So, let me leave this with you. Take courage. The Lord wants to talk with you.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy