Meditations for the Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals

Meditations for the Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals-is the thirtieth album of published music the Lord has given me to share since 2013.

The first album the Lord gave me was God’s Rainbow Promise. 

That first release was to be a harbinger of the three main types of music that the Lord would be producing through me for the next nine years: both original vocal prayer songs and instrumentals, and traditional Christian hymns.

We serve a risen Lord and Savior who desires very much to communicate with us. 

That is why He revealed to me that He gave me this music; He said that they are His musical conversations and that if people will take them into their prayer closets along with their Bibles and listen to them (or even just a clip) and read His Word, looking up the scripture reference the song title points to, by faith trusting He’ll speak to them, He will indeed speak to their hearts.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me...” John 10:27 KJV

The Lord asked me to become a musician for His glory. 

I was not a musician before He dropped this beautiful gift in my lap. 

I didn’t know why the Lord would take a soul who cared only about music as something to listen to while creating art, and would make her into someone whom He created music through for His glory. 

I look at all of the music He has made through me and am astonished. 

I know it is the Lord’s work and not mine. 

The other day He inspired me to sit down and listen to the songs on Meditations for the Journey and contemplate them during my quiet time. He had me concentrate on the music, then look up the scripture reference the song title pointed to while praying, and ask the Holy Spirit to teach me what I believed He was saying to my heart through the music and scriptures. I took my notebook and pen, got out my bible, and listened to the song, pausing as necessary. 

I chose to focus on the title track, “Jesus is the Author of Our Faith.” The scripture reference for this song is from the book of Hebrews 12.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed 

about with so great a cloud of witnesses, 

let us lay aside every weight, 

and the sin which doth so easily beset us, 

and let us run with patience 

the race that is set before us, 

Looking unto Jesus 

the author and finisher of our faith; 

who for the joy that was set before Him 

endured the cross, 

despising the shame, 

and is set down at the right hand 

of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-3- KJV

As I listened to the music I saw it in my mind as an organic triangular shape, its long perspective shooting wildly upward into an ever expanding light, which symbolized the high notes dancing on a steep mountain that kept appearing the more I listened to the song. I noticed a pronounced symmetry in the music as the lower tones kept resounding beneath the steep mountain. 

It seemed as if one had been ascending the summit of a great height,

 only to tumble down the keys into a dark valley where the echoes of the shadowy notes reiterated their voices in another layer of somber tones; after one had heard so distinctly the brighter notes chiming in the airy sunshine as if they would go on in their cheery triumphant echoes forever. 

Down the valley and up the mount…only to fall into the shadows again, but one day, the crown we will reach if we don’t give up for great joy lies up ahead just around the bend…

The music reminded me of the scripture;

 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5 

For to climb the heights of heaven and taste of its glories and joy and then fall into the depths of despair is indeed a kind of intense suffering that some of God’s children are appointed to in this world. 

However, Christ promises to be with His own no matter where they must go on their journey with Him in this life.

 For Christ, the Author of our faith, has paved the way for each of us. 

There is nowhere we can go that Jesus has not gone first. 

And He will go there again with us through the Holy Spirit He has put in our hearts to abide with us forever as we abide in Him, keeping our hands in His and our eyes on Him, and not focused on this world with all its distractions. 

One of the most comforting passages of scripture is Psalm 139:7-12: 

Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? 

Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?

 If I ascend up into heaven, 

Thou art there: 

If I make my bed in hell, 

behold, Thou art there. 

If I take the wings of the morning, 

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 

Even there shall Thy hand lead me, 

and Thy right hand shall hold me. 

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;

even the night shall be light about me. 

Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; 

but the night shineth as the day: 

the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee.

Psalm 139:7-12 - KJV

I couldn’t help but hear those scriptures resonating in this music as I listened to it and was comforted.

 For it sent me straight to those passages reminding me 

of the Author and Finisher of my faith who for the joy set 

before Him endured His cross, despising the shame, 

ever looking upward toward the Light ahead of Him by faith.  

And if He could endure, then He would help me persevere throughout my journey on this earth no matter what challenges I must face. 

For Jesus Christ is a living, risen Savior, and He ever dwells within me by His Spirit who will never leave or forsake me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

This song meditation illustrates the idea of how the Lord wants to speak to us through these songs.

 I pray that what I’ve written will inspire you to listen to the music for yourself and let the Lord speak through them to you personally, for He surely has a unique word for each soul who takes the time to listen to them, while meditating on His Word, and praying to Him. 

As I wrote, the songs are His divine conversation starters. 

The titles are to lead us into God’s Word, and as we listen to the songs, contemplate His Word, and pray, His Holy Spirit will guide us into the truth of what He wants to teach us. 

However, We must approach the Lord by faith.

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 - KJV

We must want to seek Him, want to believe that He will speak to us, and believe that He will speak to each of us, not just to some of us.

It is imperative that Christians read God’s Word for themselves, and not let people tell us what the Bible means.

Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, 

whom the Father will send in My name, 

He shall teach you all things, 

and bring all things to your remembrance, 

whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26 - KJV

John the Apostle wrote,

“But the anointing which ye have received of Him 

abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: 

but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, 

and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, 

ye shall abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27 - KJV

The Word of God is the most important Book we will ever read for it is God’s revelation of Himself. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, May You speak to our hearts through these songs that are gifts from Your heart as they point to Thy Holy Word when we meditate on Thy Scriptures and listen to Thy Holy Spirit teaching us what Your Word is saying to us, for You have promised to speak to Thy sheep and You keep every promise forever, In Jesus’ name, thank You, we love You, amen.

Below is the link to the songs from Meditations for the Journey~Original Keyboard Instrumentals. *This is a pre-release as the album has not been delivered to any streaming radio platforms yet.  

May you be blessed as you read God’s Word and Listen and meditate on the songs in your quiet time with the Lord on my Hear and Now Website at https://suzannedavisharden.hearnow.com/meditations-for-the-journey-original-keyboard-instrumentals

(*Remember this album is a pre-release and the only website where it is currently available. Please take this opportunity to meditate on the songs and use them to inspire your faith and draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless!)

Peaceangelsong Blog, Meditations for the Journey- Original Keyboard Instrumentals Album Cover, Suzanne Davis Harden, through the indwelling Risen Lord Jesus Christ, Inspired by His Holy Spirit, to the Glory of God the Father, In Jesus’ Holy name, Amen. 

Copyright © 2022 by Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Scripture References taken from the King James Bible (Public domain)

Faith is the Two A's

Faith is The Two A's

The following devotional "Faith is The Two A's" was written by  Reverend Donald Peters, the Pastor of our church. 
He'd preached a wonderful sermon on Faith and then included this excellent devotional from it in our bulletin last Sunday. He graciously gave me permission to share it on my blog.

Faith is the two A's: 
Accepting what God says and Acting upon it.
His Word is the Fact, and on that we Act.

Four Ways to grow our FAITH:

1. FOCUS primarily on God, rather than circumstances.
   When Peter focused on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. 

"You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 

 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth."~Colossians 3:1-2 (ERV)

"We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne."
 Hebrews 12:2 (ERV)

2. Read the Bible thoughtfully and unhurriedly, allowing it to sink into your soul.
Romans 10: 17 reminds us, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (KJV)

Psalm 1:1-3 (KJV) "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." 

3. Pray to the Lord from the heart, because the Christian has a personal relationship with Him.

Psalm 62:8 (KJV) "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

Romans 8:26 (KJV) "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

4. Act on what the Lord reveals to you through the Word and prayer, for faith is incomplete until we do.


James 1:22 (ERV) ^"Do what God’s teaching says; don’t just listen and do nothing. When you only sit and listen, you are fooling yourselves."

James 1:25 (NASB) "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."


“But My righteous one will live by faith." ~ Hebrews 10:38 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, Thy Son Jesus Christ said that if we had faith even as small as a mustard seed we could move a mountain. We ask You to give us more faith. Fill our hearts with faith, hope and rivers of peace; may we always remember that You are in control and have engraved each one of us on the palms of Your almighty hands. May You meet the needs of everyone praying this prayer, In Jesus' name we ask, we love You, Lord, amen.

"Faith is the Two A's" ©  2015 Rev. Donald Peters All Rights Reserved.  Photo Credits via Pinterest Scripture Quotations: Easy To Read Version Bible (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by World Bible Translation Center,
New American Standard Version Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960,
New International Version, NIV® Copyright ©1973,
King James Version (KJV) (Public Domain)
Prayer: S.D. Harden Unto The Least Of These © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Psalm 107:8 (KJV)

 Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart

Today is Thanksgiving, a day we remember to give thanks to our Creator for all of the blessings He has given to us.

If we are honest, each one of us, no matter what path we are on in our journey has only to look around us to see so many good things God has done for us. No matter what challenges we may be facing, there is always something to be thankful for.

Can we see? Thank God for our vision. Can we use our hands to pick something up or write or type with?

Thank God for the use of our hands even if we have pain.

Can we swallow food?

Thank God that we can swallow our food~ some people can’t even do this.

Can we hear the birds singing, children laughing? Thank God for our sense of hearing.

Can we smell the turkey cooking in the oven, the fresh rolls baking? Thank God for our sense of smell.

Can we walk? Thank God for this wonderful ability, even if we must use a walker to get around with-- at least we have mobility!

Do we have a job? Even if it is not what we had originally planned to do in life, at least it pays the bills, thank God for this job, and look for all the good things you can find that you like about it instead of what you don’t like about it. Then you will be happy.

Do we have a house, a roof over our heads? It may not be a mansion or even the house of our dreams, but it keeps us warm in the winter and shelters us from the storms.

It is a place where our family gathers and after all, what are fancy appearances but things to boast about and puff ourselves up with and make us proud?

Let us be grateful for our house no matter how humble, for our house is a very great blessing and a gift from our Heavenly Father. There are so many homeless.

Whatever gift we have been given, whether it be good health, or even a trial, yes—a trial can be a gift from heaven because it can lead us closer to God, we must look around and thank the Lord for all His blessings He’s given to us on our journey in this life, for there is always something to be thankful for, even in the midst of pain and suffering.

A defining characteristic of last days people is ingratitude.

St. Paul wrote these words to Timothy:

Remember this: There are some terrible times coming in the last days.  
²  People will love only themselves and money. They will be proud and boast about themselves. 
They will abuse others with insults. 
They will not obey their parents. 
They will be ungrateful and against all that is pleasing to God.  
³ They will have no love for others and will refuse to forgive anyone. 
They will talk about others to hurt them and will have no self-control. 
They will be cruel and hate what is good.  
⁴ People will turn against their friends. They will do foolish things without thinking and will be so proud of themselves. Instead of loving God, they will love pleasure.  
⁵ They will go on pretending to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ERV)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” ~Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)

One wonders how Jeremiah could write these words after meditating on his story in the book of Lamentations. He was in indeed as he wrote, “I am a man who has seen much trouble.” ~Lamentations 3:1(ERV)

He could write them because His focus was on His Creator and on all the good that God is and does.

Jesus Christ said that the lamp of the body is the eye, and that if our eye is evil then our whole body will be filled with darkness. In other words, if we keep looking for faults, we are going to constantly see them.

But if we rather look for the good, we will be walking in the light with God and we will be able to find peace, joy, and satisfaction no matter what our circumstances are.

“For God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. “~ 1 John 1:5

God is looking for the good in us and He wants us to make an effort to look for the good in ourselves, in each other, and in our circumstances every day and to be thankful. 

Keeping a thankful journal can help us do this.  If we are having difficulty being satisfied with our situation or someone, write down everything we can find that we like about that thing or that person. Consciously focus on the positives.

It is the enemy’s job to go looking for faults in people, to go around accusing and criticizing and find things wrong. The bible calls him “The accuser of the brethren.”

He wants us to always be dissatisfied. “...who accuses them before our God day and night.” ~ Revelation 12:10

St. Paul says instead to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

  Prayer

 Heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful Thanksgiving day. 

Please forgive me for not being grateful for all of the wonderful gifts that You have bestowed upon me, for not recognizing the blessings in the midst of the storms along my path. 

Forgive me for  so often focusing on the negatives instead of looking for what is true and noble and good and right in people and circumstances that I have found challenging. 

Lord, I pray for a grateful heart that looks for the good in every situation, even in the midst of pain; in every person You bring across my path; 

I pray for a thankful heart that sees Thy blessings every day and perceives Thy measureless love abounding in all things. 

Thank You for Thy greatest gift of all, Thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior, I love You, Lord,  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  

Unto The Least of These "Lord, Give Me a Thankful Heart" © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: BJU Press  https://www.bjupress.com

Scripture Verses: NLT Bible Translation, ERV Bible Translation, KJV Bible Translation

God Wants a Relationship Not Religion

Jesus prayed to His Heavenly Father on the Eve of His Crucifixion, 

"Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, 

and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." ~John 17:3 

Lord, fill me with Your Love today, Oh draw me close to You,

I long to know You more and more, Oh Holy God of Truth.

I long to walk close by Your side, like Enoch must have walked, 

Walking with You every day~ no other god he sought.  

Walking, ever walking, keeping stride with You,

Lord, let me walk like Enoch walked, in Spirit and in Truth.

Lord, fill me with Your light today, and let me know Thy voice,

Lord, let my heart not be deceived by those who are not Yours. 

Lord, let me know Thy voice that I might not be led astray:

Lord, let me not be blind or deaf: oh help me watch and pray.

Lord, let me walk as Enoch walked in humble trust and faith;

Lord, draw me closer to Thy heart, and let me sing Thy praise.

Lord, let me ever sing to You for all You've given me,

For sacrificing all You were that I could be redeemed.

Lord, let me live to honor You, my life a song of praise,

A gift to You, Lord Jesus Christ, like Enoch all my days.

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

A Prayer Poem: "Lord, Let Me Walk As Enoch Walked"

© 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. 

Unto The Least Of These, © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotation: NIV © 2011 Biblica, Inc / Photo Illustration via Pinterest