A SONG OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Beloved, good songs have a soothing effect. Enjoy this beautiful Sunday feeling encouraged, no matter the situation.



Artist: Shupe Ryan
Song: Dream Big
Album: Dream Big
Ryan Shupe Sheet Music
Ryan Shupe CDs



When you cry be sure to dry your eyes
'Cause better days are sure to come
And when you smile be sure to smile wide
Don't let them know that they have won
And when you walk, walk with pride
Don't show the hurt inside
Because the pain will soon be gone

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

When you laugh be sure to laugh out loud
'Cause it will carry all your cares away
And when you see, see the beauty all around and in yourself
And it'll help you feel okay
And when you pray, pray for strength
To help you carry on
When the troubles come your way

And when you dream, dream big
As big as the ocean blue
'Cause when you dream it might come true
When you dream, dream big

YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!

David lived in the wilderness for a long time whilst running away from a green-eyed King Saul who sought to kill him. David hid in caves, and had to continually look over his shoulders, living in constant fear of death, and far from the comfort of his home and family.

He appeared destitute and abandoned by God. The irony of his situation being that he had been, prior to this time, anointed as King by Samuel, a prophet of God. God had in a spectacular way, and with a standing ovation from his family, chosen him from among seven other nominees (his brothers) to be anointed as King. This was after God had clearly spoken to Samuel the prophet saying –“Fill your horn with oil; and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehem. For I have provided myself a King among his sons.” 1Samuel 16: 1b. And on seeing David, God had spoken to Samuel saying – “ Arise, anoint him; for this is the one.” 1 Samuel 16:12

As David seemingly wasted away in the wilderness, had God forgotten all about him and about His promise to make him King? Was his palace meant to be the caves in the wilderness? Was Samuel simply ridiculing when he anointed him, or was Samuel misled? Was this all one bad dream David had to wake up from, or had God changed His mind?

Many of us find ourselves in similar situations where our very present state reeks of abandonment; and makes mockery of our very faith in God and in His promises. We may even rudely consider the absurd thought that God might have slipped into slumber, or that He might have taken His eyes off us, or worst still, could be angry with us and might be punishing us.

Now let us review the biography of Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob who dreamed of greatness – of reigning over his entire family and having them bow to him. The supposedly great man, not long after openly sharing his dreams with his family was sold into slavery by his brothers. I bet Joseph might have wondered during his many hours of toil as a slave, if he had eaten too much on the days he had those dreams. Was God mocking him, or had God simply betrayed him? These questions, I presume crowded his thoughts and could have easily clouded his sense of judgment and Godliness.

Even worst, was when Joseph was falsely accused by Potipher’s wife, and thrown into jail. Languishing in prison, Joseph interpreted the dream of the King’s chief butler who promised to help him by mentioning him to the King to get him out. However, two years passed, that is 730 days elapsed, and there was no sign of the butler’s help. Joseph’s release seemed very bleak now. At this point, it would not be surprising if Joseph had lost hope in both God and man. Having suffered betrayal at the hands of his own brothers, Potipher’s wife, and then by the King’s butler, Joseph probably was at the end of his tether.

Men had disappointed both David and Joseph. They were ill-pursued, forsaken, secluded, deserted and abandoned. But worse of all was God’s dubitable promise to make David King, and to cause Joseph to reign supreme over his family. God’s promise stared blankly at them, ironically and sheepishly smiling at their misfortunes. God’s promise seemed totally impossible; a complete fallacy; a pie in the sky! But had God lied to them? Did He mince words? Or had Heaven got her wires crossed ?

A great number of people can identify with David and Joseph. The Word of God emphatically says “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Ecclesiastes 7:8. In the end, David reigned as King after the demise of Saul. God’s promise was fulfilled, meaning God had at no time forgotten about His promise to David. There was an appointed time for its fulfillment, and when it was due, all roads led to the palace where David reigned in splendour.

Joseph's end was also beautiful. God mapped out a perfect plan to preserve His chosen nation Israel from dying of hunger. Using Joseph in Egypt,God provided food for Israel and Egypt during many years of famine. Joseph indeed reigned in a place of high esteem. He was a prime minister, and his family indeed bowed to him. The Word of the Lord tested Joseph, and in the long run, God's Word proved to be true.

Similarly,God has not forgotten about you. He is working amidst contrary winds to bring you to the shore of abundance; to his destined land of glory and promotion. So please, kindly keep your fingers crossed, and your faith revived as you are not forgotten.

*Key Scriptures: Genesis 37 - 47
1 Samuel 16 -31
2 Samuel 5

HIS FINISHING TOUCHES

Jeremiah 18:4-6 (New International Version)

But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.

Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV)

But now, O LORD,You are our Father;We are the clay, and You our potter;And all we are the work of Your hand.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....., and has since then been creating. The work of His hands are a wonder to behold. His ways are humanly far fetched, and His mysteries difficult to unfold. God works in ways that are not our ways. His methods of preparation may not necessarily be our preference, but His finishing touches are of sterling quality, and His actual finished products are exquisite.

Once upon a time, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.God promised to deliver them from slavery. Did He do that pronto? No,He rather hardened Pharaoh's heart and by this caused both the Israelites and eventually the Egyptians pain. And what exactly was God's intention? To show forth His Glory, which He was able to do in grand style, taking the Egyptians totally off-guard. In the long run, the fear of God did not only come upon Egypt, but fell on all their neighbouring countries.

Similarly, I sometimes wonder why God did not immediately give Abraham the child He promised him. Why did he have to wait for about twenty five more years for Abraham's body to be dead, and for Sarah to reach decades past menopause? Couldn't God have prevented Abraham from lying with Hagar, his wife's servant? In reality God allowed Abraham and Sarah's condition to reach impossible dimensions, even condoning their mistakes and miscalculations in the process. Thereafter, He(God) came on the scene and effortlessly performed a miracle - a ninety year old woman got impregnated by a hundred year old man, and delivered a healthy baby boy. God is wonderful!

Perusing the pages of the Bible, we come across events such as how God instructed the Israelites to walk around the walls of Jericho seven times amidst shouts.As the Israelites obeyed, the walls of Jericho fell down. This is unthinkable in the natural sense. But praise to God who performs wonders. The Lord God Almighty was at it again!

When Jesus Christ walked on earth, He had a friend named Lazarus who fell seriously ill. Jesus was informed about this, but did Jesus hurry to go and heal His friend Lazarus? No, He simply declared -"This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it - John 11:4." Jesus then stayed two days longer before He set off to go and wake His friend up. According to Jesus: "Lazarus is dead,and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him - John 11:14-15." Jesus knew that he was going to do a great miracle for the glory of God, therefore, he was not in a haste. In the end Jesus raised Lazarus who had died and had been buried for four days. This was a miraculous feat.

Sometimes God appears not to respond quickly to our cry. We often ponder and wonder why He delays and often times allows our situation to go from bad to worse physically. Beloved, God's eyes do see your plight, and His ears are open to your cry. He is planning a wondrous and magnificent miracle.His divine purpose and plan for your life is to use you to bring great glory to Himself. We are His instruments of Praise!

Rest assured, for the end of your story shall be awe-inspiring. Trust God even if He appears to be delaying. His works are never in vain. He weaves the different occurrences of our lives into a beautiful end piece. The finishing touches of God are spectacular, and His end product a miraculous spectacle.