Simple Songs...

On Sunday, I went to see my mother-in-law at the assisted living facility. She had fallen the day before and was more of bruised feelings than of body (thankfully). When we saw her Christmas day, she wondered if I was going to play my guitar. At the last minute before leaving the house, I decided against it, thinking she would be more interested in her gift opening than me sputtering through some old hymns. Well, I was dead-wrong about that one! The first thing she asked me was, "Where's the guitar?" I had to laugh! I promised the next time I came over, I would bring it and play.

Now I must confess to you that learning these old hymns has not been of my choosing. Personally, I lean towards a more contemporary style of music when I'm listening. Lately, however, The Lord has really been working on my heart about "message". Do the songs I listen to point to Jesus or are they more of an entertainment to the ears? More often than not, it is the latter. :( I discovered recently that another description for the word "message" is "the messenger's mission". And I thought, WOW, that is really cool. Music always has a mission, whether we realize it (or want to admit it) or not.

So I began examining the content of the songs I listen to and found out a lot of popular Christian tunes talk more about how Jesus makes us feel rather than simply point to Christ Himself. I would not say God doesn't work through these songs but that He does stand alone quite well without needing our feelings to somehow justify the goodness of who He is. Doesn't scripture tell us through Jesus' own words "And, I, if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto myself." John 12:32? Kind of makes sense that when we point ourselves and others towards Jesus, He takes care of the rest. We don't have to do anything or help God out along the way.

OK, now enter the hymns...so here I am practicing these old songs, sounding quite bluegrassy I must say but geez, it just kinda comes out that way so I'm going along with the flow. I get on Rockin' with the Cross and start looking up chords that I can play and sing in. Amazingly, I find a bunch of these classics: Amazing Grace, Just as I am, Have Thine Own Way, Lord, I Surrender All and so on. I can transpose them with a mouse click (thank you, technology) into a key I can play decently and off to practice I go. Just reading the words to these songs, blesses my soul. In a flash, I am transported back in time to my days growing up the Baptist churches where they played these old hymns. God refreshes my spirit with the simplicity of Himself and I must wonder why folks have tried so hard to make Him complicated.

When I decided I needed to take these songs over to the nursing home, God was the one who reminded me about taking 'the church' to those in need. Let others see Jesus in you (another hymn but I can't play it yet) is the heart of what Christians are supposed to being, right? It wasn't going to be anything I would do myself but, if I allowed Him, God Himself would work through me in ministering to these folks. And skipping my usual church service to do this was honestly what I sensed that I needed to do.

When I arrived, my mother-in-law was in the hallway with two of her friends and they were solving all the worlds problems. I didn't mean to interrupt their important task but none of them seemed to mind once they realized I had my guitar to play for them. I played songs until my fingers felt like they were going to fall off! In fact, I played every song I had at least once and some of them twice. Two folks had 'requests' but I didn't know how to play "Onward Christian Soldiers" or "If I could only hear my mother pray again". I vowed I would learn these and would attempt to play them the next trip.

After we went through the songs once, I asked each person if they had a song they liked to sing. It brought tears to my eyes when Judy wanted me to play "Jesus Loves Me". I had not put that song in the first round. My thought had been it would be too childish for them to want to sing. Fortunately, this was one of the first songs my guitar instructor had me to learn and I did have the music with me. It was a grand chorus of the folks there and myself singing our hearts out to Jesus Loves Me! We sang all of the verses I had in my music and sang the first verse a couple more times. There was such a heart-felt simplicity in their song to the Lord! It was with some correction I received from the Lord how I was not to regard any song as childish, for He can work through anything and everything. I saw first-hand God working in this precious group of people. His word also came to me:

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. What's more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it's the same as receiving me. Matthew 18:3 (The Message)

Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and don't try to stop them! People who are like these children belong to God's kingdom." Matthew 19:14 (Contemporary English Version)

As I drove home, I thought about how much joy was revealed in their faces as they sang that song and how precious indeed those saints are to the Lord. Jesus' message of love, grace and mercy is so simple. My prayer today is that our hearts be made simple again, that we look to Him alone for answers and we learn to trust in Him rather than in ourselves. Oh Jesus, forgive us for being arrogant and proud, for thinking the modern ways or better than Your own; help us when we fail You, that we realize our desperate need for You - not just for salvation but for living the life You have given to us in following hard after You.

JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

LITTLE ONES TO HIM BELONG, THEY ARE WEAK BUT HE IS STRONG.

YES, JESUS LOVES ME. YES, JESUS LOVES ME.

YES, JESUS LOVES ME, THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.