I Will Praise Him

    Yesterday, my husband introduced our family to a hymn from the nineteenth century by Margaret J. Harris titled, “I Will Praise Him”.   Our life is to be full of praise to Jesus Christ for setting us free from sin, for cleansing our hearts within.   All praise to God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Three in One God.  My prayer is that our life be lived to the praise and honor of God.

    I am thankful for the life God has granted us in Christ Jesus.  I am thankful for the Father’s love as He gently leads us in ways of righteousness and truth.  I am thankful for the Holy Spirit that dwells within us, who counsels us and comforts us during our earthly sojourn.  Our life in Christ is full of God’s purpose, to shed the love of God to those God brings into our life.  What a privilege to be a vessel for God to work in and through to spread His love to people everywhere.  We can be vessels for honor if we stay connected to Christ, the King; God can make the soil of our heart fruitful as we abide in Christ.  Without Christ, we are empty and useless, but with Christ, our lives take on a noble purpose.  All praise be unto God!

    How do we daily praise God?  We praise Him through thanksgiving for all He gives us, which includes every breath He grants.  And even when our breathing ceases, we can go to God in confidence of His everlasting love and kindness.  We thank Him for the hope of life eternal with Him.  We thank Him for this earthly sojourn, and the work He grants to us.  We thank Him for the people He brings into our life to love and be loved.  We thank Him for the ability to share love through Jesus Christ working in our hearts.  We thank God for the lessons He teaches us as we walk in the Light of the Lord.  How can we ever stop thanking Him?  Every good thing we experience comes from the Father of Light.  Thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand.  So let us proceed to give God all praise from the depths of our hearts!

   I love the Psalms, and I also love the people from East Africa with whom we lived among for a year and a half.  So this month I thought of a way to combine these two loves by committing to memory some of the Psalms in Swahili and English.  By learning the Psalms in Swahili, I am enabled to remember the national language of our loved ones.  I am able to identify with our East African family by continuing to use their language in praising the Lord.   I started this endeavor with the most familiar and shorter Psalms – Psalms 113, 117, and 121.  I love these three Psalms.  The first two I learned are all about praise to God.  And Psalm 121 reminds us that God is our helper, our keeper; He shall preserve us from all evil.  We are safe in His hands.

Praise the Lord, all you nations; laud Him, all you peoples. For His His merciful kindness toward us is great, and the truth of the Lord endures forevermore. Psalm 117

Enyi mataifa yote, msifuni Bwana; enyi watu wote mhimidini. Maana fadhili zake kwetu sisi ni kuu,  na uaminifu wa Bwana ni wa milele.  Zaburi 117

                                          

Psalm 28: 6-7

Blessed be the Lord, blessed be the Lord,
For He has heard my supplications.
The Lord is my strength; the Lord is my shield.
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart rejoices in Him,
And with my song I will praise the Lord.

Blessed be the Lord, blessed be the Lord,
To Thee I cry, O Lord, my Rock.
Hear my voice when I cry to Thee.
My heart trusts in Thee, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart rejoices in Thee,
And with my song I will praise Thy name.

Psalm 136:1

O give thanks unto the Lord,
For He is good,
And His mercy endureth forever. (2 times)

Come, see the goodness of God,
He loves you.
Njoo, tazama Mungu wetu.  (2 times)

Mshukuruni Bwana,
Kwa kuwa ni mwema,
Kwa maana fadhili zake
ni za milele na milele.

Come, see the goodness of God,
He loves you.
Njoo, tazama Mungu wetu.  (2 times)

O give thanks unto the Lord,
For He is good,
For His mercy endureth forever. (2 times)

Note:  Last Saturday morning I asked the Lord for a song, and since I had been studying Psalm 136 in Swahili earlier that morning, the Lord gave me a tune to go with the first verse of this Psalm, incorporating both English and Swahili.  I found this encouraging to my spirit as I sing thanksgiving to God for His infinite goodness, blessing us on this journey to our heavenly home.  God has blessed us with family in East Africa and in rural Kentucky.  Our life in Tanzania is limited to only a few more months, and this limitation is a vivid reminder of the shortness of life here on earth.  Our days are numbered, and it is our heavenly home where there will be no more painful partings.  For now, our task is to love God with all of our being, and give Him our thanksgiving as the psalmist wrote in this psalm and many other psalms.  I love to hear the Africans sing choruses of thanksgiving to God.  They sing with so much energy and enthusiasm.  I thank the Lord for this time he has allowed us to join our brothers and sisters here in Mwanza, Tanzania.

Hilariter

The whole bright world rejoices now,
       Hilariter, Hilariter;
The birds do sing on every bough,
       Alleluya, Alleluya.

Then shout beneath the racing skies,
       Hilariter, Hilariter;
To Him who rose that we might rise,
       Alleluya, Alleluya.

And all ye living things make praise,
       Hilariter, Hilariter;
He guideth you on all your ways,
       Alleluya, Alleluya.

He, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost -
       Hilariter, Hilariter;
Our God most high, our joy and boast,
       Alleluya, Alleluya!

A German Carol - 1623
Oxford Book of Carols

The Servant King

Lord, you laid aside your Cloak of Glory,
   And wrapped Yourself in a towel of humility,
Placed the basin of Your love at our feet,
   Knelt before us on Your knees.

Lord, wash my feet.  Lord, wash my feet.
   Lord, wash my feet.
    I would be a part of Thee.
Let me wash Your feet.  Let me wash Your feet.
   Let me wash Your feet.
    I want to be like Thee.

Lord, You laid aside Your Throne of Glory,
   And took upon Yourself the form of a servant,
Walked the path of obedience to death,
   Even death upon the Cross.

Lord, wash my feet.  Lord, wash my feet.
   Lord, wash my feet.
   I would be a part of Thee.
Let me walk with Thee.  Let me walk with Thee.
   Let me walk with Thee.
   I want to be like Thee.

by Nathan Dunlap, 12-08-2000
John 13: 3-15, Phil. 2:5-11

Note:  Yesterday evening, we sang this song before our foot washing at the Maundy Thursday service.  Since there were only about a dozen people present, we all were encouraged to get our feet washed.  We all went forward and sat on two benches in the front of the church, and our priest and deacon knelt down to wash each of our feet. The deacon said a prayer for each individual as they were washing the person's feet.  I noticed that the water was getting browner with each person, illustrating why Jesus told Peter that if one has bathed, only the feet need to be washed.  We all had cleaned up before church, but just getting to church makes the feet dirty.  The roads are mostly dry and dusty, or muddy if we just had a rain.  So upon entering a house, our feet are always in a need of being washed.  Jesus gave an example for us to follow.  Here in Africa, my husband has washed my feet in the evening, and I have washed my son's feet.  Our feet are always in need of being washed.  Let us serve one another cheerfully!!!

Where Could I Go?

Living below in this old sinful world,
Hardly a comfort can afford;
Striving alone to face temptations sore,
Where could I go but to the Lord?

   Where could I go, O where could I go;
   Seeking a refuge for my soul?
   Needing a friend to help me in the end,
   Where could I go but to the Lord?

Neighbors are kind, I love them every one,
We get along in sweet accord;
But when my soul needs manna from above,
Where could I go but to the Lord?

Life here is grand with friends I love so dear,
Comfort I get from God's own Word;
Yet when I face the chilling hand of death,
Where could I go but to the Lord?


Note:  This is an old hymn which we have been singing a lot together as a family, and I find the words running through my head at different times in the night and day.  It is a reminder for us to look to the Lord for help and strength in this life.  He is always ready to take our hand and lead us through any trial we encounter on our earthly pilgrimage.

A Prayer for the Divine Indwelling

Lord Jesus, I am longing
   From sin to be set free:
To find my deep desiring
   Forever fixed on thee.
All hope I now abandon
   Myself to conquer sin;
Invade my willing nature
   And come and dwell within.

The passing years oppress me,
   My growth in grace so slow:
My wayward fickle cravings
   Have leagued me to the foe.
Myself to self disloyal,
   I loathe yet love my sin:
Now hear my heartfelt pleading
   And come and dwell within.

If Thou should'st stand close by me
   'Tis more than I deserve;
But, being still outside me,
   From virtue, yet, I swerve.
Come nearer, Lord, than near me,
   My succour to begin:
Usurp the heart that craves Thee!
   O come and dwell within.

By W.E. Sangster, found in The Secret of  Radiant Life, 1957