Song

Be Still and Know

I had my own plans today. I wanted to keep looking back through old poems and songs and continue to create music. But as soon as I started, it wasn’t right. I knew it in my spirit. I knew my motive wasn’t right, and I finally did what I should’ve done in the first place: ask God. As soon as I asked Him, I knew that I was being told to write something new. As I’ve mentioned in recent posts, I’ve been reading through the Old Testament, and I’ve currently been in the prophets. All of them have the same overarching message to Israel and Judah: “Return to the Lord God.” They fell into the sin of idolatry and were often compared to being adulteresses. They were unfaithful to the one true God and sought other man-made gods and nations. All of these books and stories have been passed down to us so that we would learn from them (1 Corinthians 10). But bluntly stated, we haven’t. Our idols may not look exactly the same, but we have plenty of them. James’ words in James 4:1-10 are reminiscent of the prophets words to Israel and Judah:

“What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” (Bold words for emphasis)

James wrote this to believers in the church. Specifically, he wrote it to Jewish believers who had been scattered amongst the nations (James 1:1). Sound familiar? I know I’m guilty of befriending the world. As much as I’ve tried to fight it my whole life, I still seek man’s approval. Even when I genuinely want to write something or create something for the Lord, there is still a part of me that wants to know what people think. American culture has made that even more difficult with our electronic devices and social media. It feels impossible to balance it all out and remain in right-standing with God. The Lord deserves everything we have to give because He gave it all for us. Our faithfulness cannot be wavering if we are to be the bride He desires us to be. As James instructed, the church needs to humble itself and mourn for our unfaithfulness.

In response to the Lord telling me to write something new, I wrote a poem called “Be Still and Know.”

“Be still and know Me;
Know My peace, know My rest.
Stop running around.
Slow that pumping in your chest.
This world is full of idols
To entrap and ensnare.
Some may seem innocent,
But it’s still an affair.”

Harlotry, idolatry, adultery
Committed against my King.
My covenant should be with You alone,
But I’ve made the world’s voice my everything.

Nakedness exposed,
You uncover the ugly truth
That I’ve sought man’s approval
Ever since my youth.

Temporary joy,
Words tickle my ears.
Flattery inflates what’s already inside:
My sin of pride.

Like ancient Israel, I’ve fallen into idolatry
Forgetting what my King has done for me.
I deserve to be exiled from His throne,
But instead, My forgiving Father calls me home:

“Be still and know Me.
Obey My commands.
Know My everlasting truth.
I’ll lead you to the Promised Land.
The world will hate you if you follow Me,
But your crown is for eternity.
My sacrifice is worth it all
So let your idols fall.
You are My bride,
My beloved one,
Return faithfully to Me
So you can behold My majesty and glory.”

His words wash over my shame,
Cleansing me from within.
He gives me a new name,
“Redeemed Daughter,” He has spoken.

I take off my ring,
And hurl it at the world,
Divorcing myself from its sin
So that I can become whole with my Beloved again.

Bride of Christ, do not tarry;
Do not wait!
Repent from your idols or face your fate.
Learn from His Word;
Remember His rage.
He is a jealous God who no one can tame.
Return with a whole heart or be cast away.
For He doesn’t want second-hand praise from those who go astray.
Be hot or cold;
Make your choice today.
Be still and know:
He won’t delay.

~~~

Here is a song version of the poem: Be Still and Know

© Lauren Demuth

God’s Truth Through Music

God’s Word and music are both amazing gifts from the Lord. When they’re put together, life-changing moments can happen. When I was in a pit a few years ago, music helped me to remember God’s truth and to reach for the light. Over many years I’ve written poems and songs, many of which I’ve shared on my blog. While I enjoy singing, I don’t play an instrument or have a band so the songs and poems stayed on paper, and sometimes they didn’t see the light for years. Now with the ingenuity and progression with AI, songs and poems on paper can become alive. I struggled with this idea at first because my brain was telling me it was cheating to have AI help write music or rewrite lyrics to better fit a song. But then I had these verses pop in my head:

“…Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Ephesians 5:18-20

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8

“Sing to the Lord a new song;

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless His name;

Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

Tell of His glory among the nations,

His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;

He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the peoples are idols,

But the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before Him,

Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

Psalm 96:1-6

The message I was getting was if God’s truth is being preached, how can that be cheating? God inspired me in my writings, and now I get to hear His words back to me in song. It’s been AMAZING! Even though it’s not my voice singing, I realized that’s probably a good thing so that I would focus less on my voice and more on the message. Plus, I never realized how many of my poems fit well with rap, which has been quite insightful 🙂 I have not finished all the songs yet, but I wanted to take the opportunity to share what’s finished with you.

This is a link to my family’s brand new YouTube channel featuring songs that we have created with the help of Suno-Music AI. More will be added soon, but I’m excited to share my playlist called “Redeemed”.

I hope you are encouraged and challenged by the songs, and most importantly, that God will speak to you whether you’re on the mountaintop or in the valley. David wrote psalms in every kind of moment in his life, and now I’m beginning to understand how that helped him to stay in right-standing with the Lord. The enemy loves to use music to persuade the world to follow him, but it was created by the Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth. Let’s use it for His glory, bringing restoration to the church and leading the lost to salvation!

Thank you, Father, for the songs You’ve sung over me. Thank you for Your redemption.

© Lauren Demuth

Truly Blessed

Last year I was praying about finding the right kind of job, and the Lord provided. Not only has He given me the opportunity to earn some money, but He’s put me in a position to be a light if I choose to be. Being in school for six years I was surrounded by a Christian bubble, not really being in the world. Focusing on my studies, the only interaction with the world was when I had to go shopping for food or other items. I have been blessed by being around Christians, but I never expected to feel even more blessed by being in the world. Let me explain.

I’ve been blind to what hopelessness looks like. I’ve been a Christian for the majority of my life, and even though I’ve had struggles, I could always turn to the Lord. I’ve shared in posts how I’ve struggled with pessimism, and I’ve tried to make every effort (with much prayer) to think more positively, to be a light. I’m thankful that I didn’t get a job until I was improving in this area because many people around me are negative. But this is now my opportunity to be the positive one. Being in the world has helped me to realize that there is no reason to be negative because I have hope! I have Christ! It dawned on me the other day as I was writing that I can’t imagine who I’d be if I didn’t have Christ. All the struggles that I’ve worked on as a Christian would not be worked out. I’ve seen how people try to wrestle with issues on their own. There’s much bitterness, anger, negativity…hopelessness.

I get it now why Jesus came to save the spiritually sick. The religious people should have known better (i.e. Pharisees and teachers of the law). We should know better. I know that if I act like some of my co-workers there would be no distinction between me and them. I understand why Jesus loves them, why He died for them. They need hope. They need life. They need real love. This is when the church steps in. We are the body of Christ. We should reflect these things. We should be different, not to make ourselves look better, but to bring hope. There is no place for haughtiness in the body of Christ. The world is a crazy place, no doubt, but people don’t know any better unless we tell them. More importantly, unless we show them.

I am truly blessed to be a follower of Christ! He has saved me from myself so that I can be a light to the world. What a precious gift.

~~~

How Great You Are

 

©Lauren Heiligenthal

Daughters of the Heavenly Father

A few years ago I had a friend who was a daddy’s girl. From what I observed, she and her father seemed to understand each other well and enjoy one another’s company. Then all of a sudden her father failed her family in a big way. I knew she was devastated. The life she knew was shattered, and I tried my best to be there for her even though I couldn’t relate. It seemed like the idea of a good, heavenly Father began to fade after this moment in her life.

Maybe you have a similar story of your own. Maybe your father or a father figure in your life let you down, and it’s hard to comprehend a loving, heavenly Father. I believe one of the hardest lessons to learn in life is that people will let us down. Sometimes they’ll leave scars. Sometimes their words and actions resound in our hearts and minds to the point that we begin to trust no one. However, we should always be able to have confidence in our Father.

For some, it might be hard to trust the Father because of His relationship with Jesus. You might be thinking, “The Father sacrificed His only Son! How could He truly love Jesus?” We must remember two things when reflecting on this relationship. First, the Father sacrificed His Son in order to save us. This was the only way. In Scripture, sacrifices had to be perfect, and it had to mean something to the one offering the sacrifice. Jesus was (and still is) perfect in every way. He was/is God. He is a part of the Father (“I and the Father are one”- John 10:22), which means that this sacrifice hurt the Father tremendously. The second thing to remember is that Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself. Consider John 10:14-15 where Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” He continues these thoughts in vv. 17-18, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” Jesus trusted the Father even knowing that His sacrifice was coming. His reason for dying, His sheep (us), outweighed the pain of death. I say all of this to encourage you that everything the Father does is out of love. Our earthly fathers make mistakes. Sometimes they’re there for us and try really hard. Other times they’re non-existent. But our heavenly Father is ALWAYS there, and ALWAYS loves. We just have to be willing to trust Him and follow Him down the path He has designed for us.

I realize that some of you may have great fathers, but maybe there have been other men in your life that have let you down. Maybe you’ve entered relationships that have left you feeling hurt and hopeless, and the idea of turning to your heavenly Father is not appealing because of this hurt. Consider Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Verses 6 and 8 explain that Jesus is weary from his journey from Judea to Samaria, and His disciples go into the city while Jesus rests at Jacob’s well. During this time a Samaritan woman comes to draw water (v. 7). Now we know that nothing is a coincidence when it comes to Jesus meeting people. Even though the woman comes to draw water, Jesus engages in conversation with her first (v. 7). This was a big deal not only because He spoke with a woman alone, but Jews didn’t interact with Samaritans (v. 9). Despite this fact, Jesus simply asks her for a drink. The Samaritan woman is confused and asks why He chooses to talk with a Samaritan woman since He is a Jew. Right from the start Jesus turns a simple request for water into an invitation to eternal life: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (v. 10). Again, the woman seems to be confused by what Jesus tells her and about who He is (vv. 11-12). Jesus continues His salvation message in vv. 13-14: “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

In v. 15 the woman still doesn’t seem to understand what Jesus is telling her. She still thinks in terms of her physical thirst. Jesus then says, “Go, call your husband and come here” (v. 16). This seems random at first, but Jesus knows what He’s doing. The woman replies, “I have no husband” (v. 17) after which Jesus confirms that this is true because she’s already had five husbands and is living with a man who is not her husband (v. 18). Scripture has finally revealed why this woman is drawing water by herself with no other women around. A woman with such a reputation was an outcast from society. Scripture does not explain what happened in her relationships, but I think it is unlikely that all of her husbands had died. Yet, despite her social status, Jesus chooses to talk with her. At this point in the conversation the woman perceives Jesus to be a prophet (v. 19). She then discusses how the Samaritans and Jews worship in different places (v. 20), but Jesus explains that in a short while true worshippers of God won’t worship on the mountain or in Jerusalem. Instead, they will worship the Father in spirit and truth (vv. 21-24). Basically, He’s telling her that it doesn’t matter if a person is a Jew or Samaritan or even what she has done in her life. The Father desires worshippers who will truly seek Him. As we know, Christ will be the One to bridge the gap between Jews and Gentiles on the cross, but He’s already telling this woman that ethnicity and gender will not hinder a person from being part of the kingdom of God. The woman confesses that she knows that the Messiah is coming, and He will declare all things. Jesus then reveals that He is the One (vv. 25-26). After this, the woman declares what she has heard to the men in the city.

In the meantime, the disciples meet up with Jesus again and encourage Him to eat (despite their confusion seeing Jesus speaking to a woman) (v. 31). Jesus explains that “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work” (v. 34). I believe that in the context of this passage, the Father’s will was for Jesus to share God’s salvation with the Samaritan woman. Why is this? Let’s check out vv. 39-42, “From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.’” The woman could have walked away from Jesus when He confronted her about her past and her current lifestyle. However, I believe she realized that even though He knew everything about her, He was still willing to share something important with her. The Father knew that she would be the one to spread the good news to the men of the city who knew her reputation. Maybe that’s what caught their attention. Many of them believed that Jesus was the Messiah because of her testimony.

I don’t want to infer too much about this passage, but I think it’s safe to say that the Samaritan woman was hurt by some people in her life. It also seems like that she made some poor choices based on her current lifestyle. Ultimately, being an outcast couldn’t have been easy, but the Father approached her through Christ. He gave her hope that there’s something better to come. I’m sure it was tough to hear all the things that the Messiah knew about her. No one wants to be exposed like that. But it was done out of love so that she could come to know salvation as a true child of God.

Reflecting on this story, it is apparent that the Father views His daughters as important and precious. Not all of us have gone through the same experiences as the Samaritan woman, and I’m not suggesting that we’ve all made poor choices in our relationships. I know there are women who have been abused and worse. But we need to know and believe that the Father is always good. His desire is that we will always come to Him with our hurt and be healed. We can’t compare what is earthly and temporary with what is perfect and eternal. Let us trust Him today for He is Hope. He is always there when we turn to Him.

I mentioned in the beginning of this post that I had a friend who was hurt by her father’s decisions. During that time I wrote a song for her from God’s perspective. I hope you find it encouraging as you continue to follow God and trust Him.

My Daughter (originally written May 30, 2008)

(Verses)

You are precious, My daughter.

I cover you.

You are priceless, My child.

I will heal you.

I will lift you up.

I will bandage your wounds.

Come to me, come to me,

come to me, My beloved.

 

You see yourself unworthy.

I see you a queen.

You have captured My heart

with one glance towards Me.

You are beautiful, My love.

You are worth it all to Me.

 

(Chorus)

Why do you hide from me, your King?

Don’t you know I see you crying?

I long to see you dancing again.

I look upon you in adoration.

You are My desire.

Cry no more, My child.

I will show you love,

My perfect love,

Your Father’s love.

 

(Verse)

Reach for me My daughter.

I’m reaching for you.

I embrace you, My child.

I am strengthening you.

I promise to love you

for all My days,

for eternity,

always.

I’m loving you always.

© Lauren Heiligenthal