Pour Out Your Hearts

Godafoss Waterfall, Iceland

 'Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.' Psalm 62:8

In our relationship with God, we are advised to pour out our hearts to Him. How do we do that? Sometimes we pour as in sprinkling just a little and intermittently. Sometimes we pour out our hearts as in steady streams of water. Rarely but especially in dark times, we pour out our hearts in torrents much like this waterfall in Iceland, a deluge of water, never ending. We come before the Lord our God, bearing all and emptying ourselves to find in God, our refuge and our solution.

Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, was one such person. Her outpouring to God is recorded in the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah, the other being Pininnah who had many children whilst Hannah was barren. As a result Hannah was constantly mocked by Pininnah until she could barely sleep. In anguish, Hannah poured out her heart, petitioning God for a son.

'In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.' 1 Samuel 1:10

'Hannah replied, "I am a woman deeply troubled. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord." 1 Samuel 1:15

When Hannah poured out her heart to the Lord, it was with such a torrent of prayer, so intense and with so much intent that Eli, the priest of the temple thought that she was drunk with wine.

God heard Hannah and gave her a son eventually, She named him, Samuel meaning 'heard by God.' We know that after raising Samuel to a young boy, she offered him up to serve God in the temple. (By the way the name, 'Hannah' means grace.) 

There is another 'pouring out of the heart to God'; this is the famous prayer in a cave cried out by David when he was relentlessly pursued by King Saul who wanted to kill him.

'I cry out loud for help from the Lord. I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord. I pour out my concerns before God; I announce my distress to Him.' Psalm 142:1-2 (CEB)  

It was a desperate cry for help. Saul, jealous of David and worried that he might usurp the throne decided to get rid of David. Hiding in the cave of Adullam, David felt utterly abandoned, all alone. 

'Look right beside me: See? No one pays attention to me. No one cares about my life.'  Psalms 142:4 (CEB)

There was no one to turn to but God. David invoked the grace and mercy of God and cried out to the Lord for help.

'I cry to you, Lord, for help. "You are my refuge," I say. "You are all I have in the land of the living." Psalms 142:5

Have you experienced dark times? Dark times are extremely difficult and painful periods in one’s life, for example, after the death of a loved one; the break-up of a marriage; or the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness. These dark times may be especially prolonged or especially severe such as the one recorded in Psalms 88; a prayer made out of sheer desperation.

'My whole being is filled with distress; my life is at the very brink of hell. I am considered as one of those plummeting into the pit. I am like those who are beyond help, drifting among the dead, lying in the grave like dead bodies.' Psalm 88:3-5 (CEB) 

What do we do at such times? We turn to God. The most remarkable aspect of Christianity is the honest, sincere and deep relationship established between Creator God and Believing Christians. We pour out our hearts before the Lord God, our creator with torrents of emotions, wholeheartedly,

'Lord, God of my salvation, by day I cry out, even at night, before You - let my prayer reach You! Turn Your ear to my outcry.' Psalms 88:1-2 (CEB) 

Francois Felenon wrote, “Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell God your troubles, that God may comfort you; tell God your joys, that God may sober them; tell God your longings, that God may purify them; tell God your dislikes, that God may help you conquer them; talk to God of your temptations, that God may shield you from them: show God the wounds of your heart, that God may heal them. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. Talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration say just what you think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved relationship with God.” 

Pour out our hearts and then we will experience the abundant grace of God and His bountiful mercy. There is a wonderful Psalm that gives us this great assurance,

'I will lift my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; 

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber or sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; 

the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul

The Lord shall preserve your going out and coming in

From this time forth and even forevermore.'

Psalm 121 (NKJV)

 

The Lord will not abandon us!

Lionel

Just As I Am

 

Hermitage Museum

'Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.' Psalms 51:1-2

On the 2nd March 2022, this past Wednesday, Christians observed Ash Wednesday as the beginning of 40 days of contemplative repentance of sins until we all celebrate Easter on Sunday 17 April 2022.

The season of Lent is a practice of the churches for many centuries and attempts to emulate the 40-day period of fasting and prayer of Jesus Christ in the wilderness. The Rt Revd Titus Chung, Bishop of the Anglican Church in Singapore wrote, "Lent, a period of of self-examination and penance leading up to our Easter Day celebration, when we celebrate Christ's resurrection. This is the season in which we can come to grips with our human conditions and emphasises our need for a Saviour." (Ref 1)

Someone from the Old testament went through a similar, personal Lent period, the great King David. The background is David's adultery with Bathsheba. At the height of his glory David fell into a grievious sin. He was idle in Jerusalem having sent his army to battle. It was not the usual experience for David, enjoying the comforts of his palaces while his kingdom was at war. In that idleness, he caught sight of Bathsheba bathing, coveted her and committed adultery. He tried to cover up his sin by recalling the husband Uriah back from battle to sleep with his wife. When this failed, Uriah was sent back to the very heat of battle, wherein he was killed.

The Lord castigated David through the prophet Nathan. David must have spent many days of regret and self-reflection which finally brought him to repent and make a sincere confession of sin.

'Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before me. Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.' Psalm  51:1-4a  

Emeritus Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore, Rev (Dr) Robert Solomon spoke on this passage at the Ash Wednesday combined service of Charis and Living Hope Methodist Churches. The Bishop described the Horrors of Sin using three words found in the passage:    

• Sin - which is an offense towards God's Laws. It may heinous act or any offensive behaviour, some even appearing innocuous. 
• Iniquity - which is an inner corruption in every human. Charles Wesley call this a 'bent to sinning' in his hymn, 'Love Divine All Love Excelling.'
• Transgression - which is a rebellion against God, breaking of a vital relationship with God.

The Bishop began his sermon by asking 'What is wrong with the World?' Some, thinking of what's happening in Ukraine these days may say Putin. Others may name equally evil men like Hitler. The Bishop's answer is all of us; all of us is what is wrong with the world. Since time immemorial we have corrupted the world with our sins, our iniquities and our transgressions.

However the Bishop also reminded that the Psalm 51 rendered Hope for Sinners as King David experienced and wrote in his confession.

'Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me.' Psalm 51:7,9,10

There is a solution for our sinful nature and a hope for sinners

• A cleansing of our sins  
• A creation of a clean heart - a regeneration from our iniquities
• A renewal of our spirits - a relationship that overcomes our transgressions   

You might asked, can David escape from such a heinous act? Can we escape from the clutches of sin? Jesus Saves! Yes, the answer is Jesus made the atonement for our sins as Saint Paul wrote matter-of-factly,

'For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6:23

In Jesus we will find

• Real Forgiveness
• Lasting Transformation
• Renewed Relationship

The season of Lent will lead us to reflect on repentance and restoration, the same that were found by King David. Eventually Lent will point us to Christ, His death and resurrection. I am reminded of a song sung at the close of every Billy Graham crusade inviting sinners to come forward with repentance and receive restoration, Just As I Am. That song has been updated by Travis Cottrell, I Come Broken - Just As I Am.  

Just as I am, without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot

O Lamb of God I come! I come!

I come broken to be mended

I come wounded to be healed

I come desperate to be rescued

I come empty to be filled

I come guilty to be pardoned

By the blood of Christ the Lamb

And I'm welcomed with open arms

Praise God, just as I am

Just as I am, I would be lost

But mercy and grace my freedom bought

And now to glory in Your cross

O Lamb of God I come! I come!

I thought we might also ponder over the original lyrics of Just As I Am

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot;

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt;

Fightings within, and fears without,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind;

Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

Just as I am, Thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down;

Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

The Prophet Joel wrote Joel wrote,

'That is why the Lord says, "Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping and mourning." Joel 2:12

Lionel

Ref 1: Bishop Titus Chung, in Forward, Up From the Ashes Hope Will Arise, Daily Devotions for Lent 2022, Sower Publications.

Inspired by the Sermon 'Dealing Decisive With Sin' by Bishop Dr Robert Solomon on Ash Wednesday 2 March 2022

La Vie En Rose

'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.' Psalms 34:18

This is a beautiful love song. La Vie En Rose literally means life in pink. It can be  translated as life in rosy hues and or life seen through happy lenses. I was drawn to its tune and lyrics but even more so to the French singer and composer of this song, Édith Piaf. 

Her life was very tragic. Edith was called la môme, the orphan sparrow, reflecting her difficult childhood of extreme poverty. Her mother, a café singer, abandoned her at birth, and she was taken in by her grandmother, who brought up the young girl in a brothel. Piaf became blind at age three, a complication of meningitis, but recovered her sight four years later. A few years after that she joined her father, a circus acrobat, accompanied him wherever he performed and sang in the streets of Paris eking a meagre living. 

Later in life Edith Piaf was involved in several serious car accidents. She suffered from failing health, due partly, to alcohol and drug abuse. She died young, aged  47 years, from lung cancer. 

Her death was mourned internationally and in France, thousands lined the route of her funeral procession. She was able to move audiences with her passionate rendition of songs of love and loss with her unadorned but unique sultry voice. 

Edith Piaf led a tragic life, yet this song of life seen in happy hues gave no hint of her unfortunate circumstances. Furthermore, this song was composed by her in the final years of World War 2. It was a statement refusing to acknowledge the ravages of war but instead expressing a hope for a better age. No wonder this song is far more than a hit; it is honoured by some as the unofficial national anthem of the French. 

Hold me close and hold me fast

The magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose

When you kiss me heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose

When you press me to your heart

I'm in a world apart

A world where roses bloom

And when you speak

Angels sing from above

Everyday words seem

To turn into love songs

Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be

La vie en rose

This song, its lyrics and the circumstances surrounding its composition, reminds us that life can be lived optimistically in spite of difficulties and tragedies. Such an attitude can help us through the most difficult times. Indeed it can help us journey the tough times of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same way, St Paul wrote to encourage Christians:

'We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.'

2 Corinthians 4:8,9. 

Similarly, King David was pursued relentlessly twice in his lifetime, at first by King Saul and then by his own son, Absalom. He wrote many Psalms of his plight but he never buckled under his circumstances; he always hoped in God to deliver him from his enemies.

'Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord'.' Psalm 31:24

'For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.' Psalm 71:5

Why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.'  Psalms 42:5

Instead of being downcast we can remain optimistic through bleak times. Remember the old Sunday School Song? 

Have faith hope and charity

That's the way to live successfully

How do I know?

The Bible tells me so.

Life is not always a bed of roses but it should always be seen through rosy hues, La Vie En Rose!

Lionel