Song Series: Always

Always
Read: Psalm 121

A Song of Ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber - Psalm 121:1-3


We are always confident because God is always in control.

My son, Matt, recently struggled with a section in his algebra class. I could tell he was getting pretty discouraged and suggested he stop by the student center at the college to meet with a tutor. However, he wanted to try and figure it out himself. So, he decided to take a couple of hours from his part time job to work through it during an extended lunch break. Well, he did teach himself to do the math, and the victory was evident; not only in the fact that he could now work the problem but also in his attitude. He became confident and ready for the next challenge.

The psalmist certainly understood challenge and discouragement, but he also understood that his hope and help were eternally secure and immeasurably abundant in the Living God. Psalm 121 is part of the so called songs of steps or pilgrim songs (120-134) that were intended to be sung by worshipers as they made their way up to the temple in Jerusalem for the three great festivals. They were songs of encouragement and joy that reminded the worshiper where his strength and hope were found.

There will always be challenges, and like my son’s math problem, they may cause our confidence to wax cold. But, God is the same today as He was yesterday and He will not change. He is no less of a help, hope, joy, strength, and eternal encouragement today than he was for the old testament pilgrim. Therefore, we should work hard in overcoming adversity; after all, God allows it in our lives. However, we must remember from Whom our strength comes and keep ourselves secure in the fact that God will ALWAYS see us through

ALWAYS

by Kristian Stanfill and Jason Ingram

O my God, He will not delay, my refuge and strength always

I will not fear, His promise is true,

My God will come through always, always..

Song Series: Always

ALWAYS

Read: Psalm 121:1-3

My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth – Psalm 121:2

“I rescued him, thinking I was doing a good thing. His masters abused him. They tied him to a tree and beat him,” recalled Achibra, a noble fiftyish man with a sturdy, youthful build and mature eyes that command attention. “But, after the police gave him to his parents, he was once again sold by his parents, this time to fishermen working on the Bay of Guinea near the Ivory Coast.” This is John’s story, a boy who was sold into slavery by his parents. It is one of many told by several thousand children who work 14-20 hours a day as slaves in Ghana's fishing industry. Children are being left to fend for themselves by the very people who most kids look to for help. However, a ray of hope shines through as strangers from a foreign land intervene  bringing hope by rescuing the helpless. Every Christian should be able to relate to this story.

We were desperate and helpless before Christ. No hope, no future, no one who cared; or so we thought. Then someone shared the good news of the God who loves us and gave Himself up for us. Jesus, a stranger from a foreign land, intervened on our behalf and brought us a future and a hope. Unlike Mr. Achibra, God rescued us and it was indeed a good thing. Now, we have an opportunity to participate in His helping the hopeless both pragmatically and eternally.

Father’s House International in Ghana is a Christian based outreach making a difference. Their mission statement reads: “Father's House International is dedicated to helping the desperate and exploited children without much hope all around the world”. Achibra was one man trying to help one child. He did the best he could, and helped for a time. If only he knew about Father’s House International, his story would have a much happier conclusion. So, you may be wondering, what’s all this have to do with the song “Always”?

As I researched Kristian Stanfill’s new song “Always” I came across his website and clicked on NEWS. I noticed that he and his band took part in GHANA ROCK, a benefit concert to support The Father’s House in Ghana. The really cool thing about this benefit concert is that it was organized by a small group of passionate teenagers. “So, God wants me to follow the lead of a bunch of kids”, I thought to myself? Well, why not. The bible says a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6) and God uses whomever He chooses. Therefore, I’m gonna suggest at my next practice that our worship team at The Palms Community take Father’s House on as a group ministry and outreach.

I want to help as many people as I can learn to look to the Lord for their help while seeing His love through the lives of His people as they reach out in His strength. God’s in the business of rescuing humans both great and small; and that’s a good thing…a really good thing, ALWAYS.

Here are some links that you may find useful:
Kristian Stanfill's chord charts (free!) http://www.kristianstanfill.com/chordcharts
Father's House International: http://www.fathershouseghana.com/
Big World Magazine for more related info: http://www.bigworldmagazine.com/slaves-of-lake-volta/
Youth Councils Leadership Page: http://leadershiplink.info/