Humility - the key to the Anointing

Isa 57:15  For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

 

Humility is total surrender and dependence upon God.  God created all things by His will and reveals Himself, His goodness, His Love and His wisdom in and through creation.  He created us to be partakers, to partner with Him to see Heaven invade earth.  Right from the Garden of Eden, God gave humankind purpose, and showed this truth when He brought all the animals He had created to Adam to name.  Mankind is to work with the Almighty God in maintaining, nurturing and tending to the work of His hands.

 

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

 

Php 2:13  for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

 

God intended mankind to be dependent upon Him, as He upholds all by the Word of His Power and He ordered systems to continue to produce and maintain life.  We only need to look and see how small we are in a storm to get a right perspective of this Almighty God who set this all in place. This total dependency upon God is the virtue of humility.  It is the virtue that knows that it is in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) and outside of that we are the most miserable of creatures.

 

Pride is the root of sin and evil and is what caused satan and his hordes to be thrown out of heaven.  When we try to exalt ourselves above God, even as Eve was deceived and desired to be like God, we find ourselves in disobedience and thrown outside of the Presence of God.  James teaches us that

"GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."   It is the humble person God can trust with His power and glory, as He will not share His Glory with another.

 

Jesus Christ humbled Himself by coming in the likeness of flesh, leaving the Glory of Heaven, where He was revered by angels, to be planted in the dark virgin womb of a young maidservant.  He further humbled Himself to be obedient to death on the cross where He became a curse for us and was made sin to redeem a wicked people.  Being equal with God, He never pushed His own agenda but only did the work the Father gave Him to accomplish and brought glory to God alone.  He took on a servant's garb to serve "especially wicked sinners" as His Grace and Mercy loved them to wholeness.

 

Without humility, we cannot fully abide in God's presence or experience His favour and power.  We are only the branches who must receive life and sustenance from the Vine.  Apart from God, we can do nothing.  He is the Potter and we are the clay and in humility we bow before Him, allowing Him to shape us, mould us and change us.  A truly humble person will allow the Divine Hand to bring discipline to shape us from one degree of glory to another as we work with the Holy Spirit to deny the flesh and take up our cross and become light to a needy world.  The humble stance says, "God I know you know me better than I know myself and I trust you in all circumstances."

 

The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years, not able to trust that God knew better as He tried to humble them to test them, "to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." (Deut 8:2)  God already knew what was in their hearts but we sometimes need His discipline in circumstances to show us what we have in our hearts so we can cry out for His help and surrender those things not pleasing to Him.  God went on to tell them that He tested them to "do you good in the end." (Deut 8:16)

 

Humility becomes fallen creatures and it is those who are humbled who receive and experience salvation.  Understanding that we need a Saviour softens our heart to bow and cry out from the depths of our being, Jesus I need you, and this is the posture we need to keep for the rest of our walk with God. 

 

Psa 149:4  For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.  

 

Isn't that a beautiful word picture!  He beautifies the humble with salvation.  This word salvation means deliverance; aid, victory, prosperity: - health and help.

 

We are promised by James 4:10 to "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."  This means "elevate and exalt".  What an incredible thing that God, our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the Universe, does to those who are truly humble by the Cross as He seats us in heavenly places with Jesus Christ His Son. 

 

God will move on  behalf of the humble heart who cries out even as He promised,

 

"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2Ch 7:14). 

 

Did you catch that?!  God hears, God forgives and God heals.  He works on behalf of the humble and restores not only them but those amongst whom they live.

 

Let us walk in humility before God and man, knowing that each and every one of us has a place in the Kingdom to do the works preordained by the Father in bringing His light and salt to the earth. 

 

For it is the humble with whom He teaches His ways. (Ps 25:9)

 

Let me leave you with this warning and promise.

 

Pro 29:23  A man's pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honour. 

Leaders - Shepherds of the Flock

1Pe 5:5  Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "GOD RESISTS THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

 

I was talking to someone the other day who has been so disappointed with leadership that they have left the church.  Their expectation was high and sometimes we feel rightly so.  God has given them a heart to pastor, yet in the seeming busyness of life and running a church, there does not seem to be much one-on-one pastoring.  Then again, churches grow, thankfully, and to get around to everyone on a personal visitation would leave them NO time at all to tend to preparing their sermons or the everyday running of the church.

 

So do we have too high an expectation for our leaders?  I think not but I do think perhaps we need to look at this with a different perspective.

I have taken a good look at this – having struggled personally being overwhelmed to the point of losing all my joy.  Apparently this was noticed by leadership, yet I did not have one call me in and sincerely ask, "How are you REALLY doing?"  In pondering this, I realised a few things that I feel the Holy Spirit was whispering to my heart.  Firstly, where was my focus?!  Planted fairly and squarely on myself!  No wonder I was in a bit of a bother!  I have access to the throne room, and I did visit frequently over this period of time, but why do I feel that others should go running to the throne room on my behalf.  Sure it would have been nice to have someone say they are concerned that I seem to be struggling with something, but as Joyce Meyer always says, we need to run to the throne and not to the phone.  God is the one with the answers and He faithfully brought me through this "valley of the shadow of death" teaching me a lesson or two about myself and Him.

Secondly, more than this, I realised that just because I felt like this with my feelings running high on "self", I now have NO excuse to sincerely ask those around me, "How are you REALLY doing.  Can I pray for you?  Do you need someone to talk to; shall we go out for a coffee?"  What if I asked my leaders these questions instead of waiting for them to ask me? We expect them to drop everything to run to our aid at our first call but do we run to their aid or the aid of someone else in the church?  This is a question that begs answering, for each of us to search our hearts.  If we did love our leaders and care for them in this way, how would it help them serve the church?  WOW! What a thought!

 

"...For the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"  Eph 4:12 

 

Thirdly, and please get this, "Judgement begins at the house of God".  That's not just judgement on the leadership (and they will have the harshest judgement) but that includes you and me.  Leaders, as the above scripture teaches, are to equip us for the work of ministry.  Are we ministering to fellow believers as well as those in the market place?  Are we doing, what we expect of our leaders, any better than they?  Have we laid aside ourselves to help our fellow brothers and sisters?  Do we give heaps of grace for our own short fallings but condemn our leaders and church family to judgement and criticism?  Have we stepped out in faith and obedience to plant a church and have to put up with a congregation like us?  Isn't it a bit two-faced for us to expect only the best Christian wisdom, behaviour and love from the leadership, yet, we can gossip about the way they run the church, and, criticise and judge our family in the church. We seem to have two standards – one for them and one for us.

 

There is no perfect church and certainly are no perfect people.  Do we go to church for the benefits or, do we go to meet with Almighty God and be filled with His Love so that we can pour this overflowing love onto others?  Let us do what the Apostle Paul urges us to do:-

 

"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith." Rom 12:3 

 

Let us give grace to each other, for when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ, we might be begging for God's grace upon us.

Tempering Righteousness with Love and Mercy

Psa 85:10  Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!

Psa 85:11  Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.

Psa 85:12  Yes, the LORD pours down His blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.

Psa 85:13  Righteousness goes as a herald before Him, preparing the way for His steps.

 

In contemplating God's righteousness vs man's, I thought about the elder brother of the prodigal son.  He was full of his own righteousness and so was condemning and judgemental towards his younger brother who had squandered his heritance on riotous living. (Luk 15:11-32) Angrily he looked at what he had done "right" as opposed to what the younger brother had done "wrong" and this comparison made him bitter, unloving and unforgiving.  He did not see, or understand that the self-centred younger brother left saying, "Father give me" and returned in a spirit of repentance, humbled and changed with a contrite heart that said, "Father make me". The older brother wanted judgement to be passed and did not consider giving mercy.

 

Psa 71:19  Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens. You have done such wonderful things. Who can compare with You, O God?

 

Isa 28:17  I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness

 

God is the only standard of Righteousness that we have and will be judged upon.  No wonder it is something we can't attain too, yet God is His great mercy "made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2Co 5:21  We appropriate this righteousness by faith and though we work out our salvation with "fear and trembling", we need always remember that it comes not of our own "works" but with the sanctifying help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us when we displease the Father and we heed His voice to repent and obey.  We have no basis for pride that would cause us to not give mercy or grace to others, when we have received mercy and grace in abundance by the Father.  As the old proverb goes, "There by the grace of God, go I."

 

We are purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ and brought into right relationship with Him and are given new life. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2Co 5:17 

If we have been a Christian for a long time, we must remember that the changes we see in ourselves is purely the work of the Holy Spirit in us and our obedience to His gentle conviction.  Let us not be like the elder brother who can tick off the list of right living like some badge and then use that as our standard by which to compare others.  We are all on a journey in Christ and at different stages of maturity.  Sure our obedience and faith play a role in our growth but we don't know the struggles and hurts that others harbour in their souls and the struggle towards glorious freedom in Christ.  I am convinced that all of us struggle in some area in our life in total surrender to Jesus Christ.  We cannot see what goes on in another person's heart and their heart cry to God the Father in their battle of surrender.

All of us desire mercy.  Let us extend mercy too, even if it means we may err on the side of mercy over judgement, knowing that God the Father will call each of us to account one day.  Let us rather cry out to Him on behalf of those we deem "less spiritual" and be an encourager in their faith rather than a stumbling block to their healing.  And let us constantly go to the Father to ask for His grace and mercy on our lives and on the lives of others.

Let us keep our eyes on Jesus so we don't have the time to look around and judge but ask Him to open our eyes instead to the one who needs a helping hand.  Let us not be too righteous in our own eyes to help and instead harden our hearts toward those God has called us to love.

 

And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. Isa 32:17 

 

Righteousness yields the fruit of peace; peace with God, peace with ourselves and peace with others.  I encourage all of us to pursue right and holy living and to keep short accounts with God and our neighbour, remembering......

 

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honour. Pro 21:21 

 

The Natural, The Spiritual

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him."  Col 1:16

I have just been thinking about creation (as I often do) and the vastness and variety of everything Jesus created, and realised afresh that all was created for us.  God's abundance is seen in creation.  Not only did He create on a practical level, for He gave man dominion over the work of His Hands, He also created it to be pleasing to our eyes, to surround us with beauty and to capture our inquisitiveness and imagination.

The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them. Psa 111:2 

When I see the blue skies, the canvas of God's Hand, on which He hung the sun and paints the most incredible and awesome sunsets, I'm reminded of His goodness, His glory and His incredible order of things. 

God gave Adam the job of tending His garden.  He created us to do.  We have a great sense of achievement when we accomplish something and bring order too.  Work is a God given gift which gives us a sense of self worth and success.  Our Father works and we are made in His image.  He runs the universe for us, upholding all by the power of His Word.  Jesus told us that He only did the works He saw the Father doing, and the works He does are good and benefit society.

Creation should lead us to God as the natural often gives us clues into the spiritual.  When we look into creation, we see God's amazing wisdom and power.  Even Job encouraged us to:-

"Just ask the animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you. Let the fish in the sea speak to you." Job 12:7 -8

When we study the how and why of creation, the order of the universe, the incredible information stored in the DNA, these things should point us back in reverence and awe to a Holy God from whom all good gifts flow.  When we see the rain bring a drought-dry landscape back to life, we should equally see how much we need the rain of the Spirit upon us, the presence of God, to stay "green" and alive, flourishing under His care.

Jesus often used the natural in parables to bring out a spiritual truth.  He is the vine, we the branches and even as a branch is cut away from the vine it perishes. So it is imperative that we remain in Him.  Yet if a branch is pruned it brings forth more fruit.  We need to allow Him to prune us and to cut out all the things that damage our relationship with Him.

He is the Shepherd, we the sheep.  If we go astray, He'll look for us, He'll tend to us and feed us.  Spiritually we need to cling to Him as the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, knowing that we can trust Him to take care of us through any and all situations.

I challenge you, when you gaze upon the nature around us, to think about God's abundant Hand and love for us that He would create such beauty and colour for our enjoyment and pleasure.  A gift from the Creator's Hand for us to unwrap each and every day!

 

 

Eternal Purpose

"...according to the eternal purpose He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" Eph 3:11

God has never had a short-sighted plan for humankind.  He has never had a short-sighted plan for any of us on a personal basis either.  He is from everlasting to everlasting and lives in the eternities of the eternities. (Ps 90:2)

Christ's death and resurrection had eternal consequences for us and for as many as God will call.  The act of the cross and His resurrection has lost no power in the time that has passed by.  The healing Christ paid for 2000 years ago,  the redemption and the forgiveness of our sins, are all recorded in the eternal realm of the Kingdom of God, and will facilitate healing and salvation as long as the sun shall rise and set on humanity.  The bible teaches us that Jesus Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

 

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8 

It blows my mind and is beyond my finite thinking that God planned things before He actually created them and the effectiveness of His plan will go on to the eternal realm. 

Amazingly, before the world was created, He knew us and He already had a plan and work for us to do. (Eph 2:10)  If any of us thought we were a mistake – we were wrong.  Ps 139 teaches us that all our days are already "fashioned" for us.  And God gave us gifts and talents so that we, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will complete all He has called us to do.  These works have eternal value and eternal consequences.   I wonder if we live our lives with the eternal purpose in mind.  Jesus was very clear in His teaching that the fruit we produce on earth will result in our eternal destiny as to whether we live with Him or have to depart from Him.

Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Mat 7:20 - 23

God's plan for us is two-fold.  We were created to love Him and we are to love others and so reach them for eternity.  Each and every one of us is a minister of reconciliation and this is the "will of the Father", the eternal work that will bring the most reward.

 
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.  So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 2Co 5:18-20

 Jesus lived His life with eternal purpose and focus.  And His focus was purely on people.  He went to the cross to give us eternal life and to reconcile us to Father to whom we now have access to the very throne room as children of God.  Let us live our lives with an eternity focus for His glory and bring as many as He will call through us into the eternal realm.

Stepping out - walking on water

There are many stories in the bible that inspire and challenge us, and none other greater than Peter walking on water in Matthew 14.  I was listening to a song by Casting Crowns called "The Voice of Truth" and the revelation from the Holy Spirit really got me chewing on this.

                "To step out of my comfort zone

                Into the realm of the unknown

                Where Jesus is and He is holding out His hand".

Wow, what faith Peter had, leaving the comfort and others in the boat to step out onto the waves.  Generally we are so self focused, and look out for our self comfort and self preservation.  Yet in that frightening experience, even for skilled fishermen, in the dark of night, Peter calls out to the Lord and on His invitation, sets his eyes on Jesus and steps over the side of the boat.

Faith steps out.  Faith conquers fear.  And faith is what pleases God.

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Yet faith is not a "leap in the dark" because faith is founded securely in Him.  Jesus is found and reigns in the supernatural realm where He is seated next to the throne of God.  This is where He is found, not on the avenue of doubt and unbelief.  His glory is found on the treacherous mountain pass of our faith.  Someone once said, "Faith begins where possibilities end. If it's possible, then there's no glory for God in it."  Jesus is found in the call and faith of His Bride and in every step of faith taken in obedience.  It never ceases to amaze me, when I have gone on mission trips and out of my comfort zone, God always meets me there, and every trip is a blessing beyond my expectations.

He is found in our giving.  Often people do not want to give their tithes or support the work of God because they are tied to money and possessions and lack the faith to give generously and with cheerful abandonment.  But if we don't give, we don't sow the seed, we don't get the harvest.  When we give, God is responsible for the harvest.  His laws of nature show us quite clearly that if you plant a seed, for example a tomato seed, you harvest much fruit from the one plant.  No matter what we sow, whether love, time or funds, harvest comes.  Ask anyone who faithfully gives and you will find out that God is true to His Word and as Jesus said:-

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luk 6:38 

God loves us and does meet us in the comfort zone but we won't see His glory there.  But so often, God forgive us, we have a fear of man and our own pride (what if God doesn't come through and I get egg on my face).  God's glory does not manifest in fear but in the faith that moves mountains.

So how do we get to this mountain moving faith?  Believe.  If God has said it, that should be enough for us.  Jesus said to Martha when she protested in the removal of the grave stone before Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb:-

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" Joh 11:40

   
Jesus commended those who had great faith and rebuked those who had little faith.  Therefore faith can grow from small to great. 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom 10:17 

We hear.  We actually hear the Word of God and we can only do this by studying and meditating upon the scriptures.  We mutter and consider the Word of the Lord and that seed will drop down into our hearts, become ours and produce a harvest.  We understand it and believe it and act upon it.  Hence our faith grows as we test the faithfulness of the Word and the faithfulness and love of our Father in Heaven and see His power contained within His Word to change our lives and the lives of others.

Let me leave you with this precious portion of scripture to hear and think upon and make yours:-

Eph 3:16  that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Eph 3:17  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph 3:18  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—

Eph 3:19  to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Eph 3:20  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

Eph 3:21  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Lord of the Dance

Psa 149:3  Let them praise His name with the dance; Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.

 

Having just returned from a missions trip to Fiji, I thought I would write down some of the thoughts I believe that the Holy Spirit gave me.  At one home church in Ba, the youth did a dance for us that really touched me.  I was brought to tears as the Holy Spirit was ushered in and the word I was given was "delight".  I could sense His delight in what the youth were doing, glorifying Him in the dance.

 

It really got me thinking.  Jesus is the Lord of the Dance and we are to follow, step by step, giving Him the lead in our lives.  In ballroom dancing, the man takes the lead and guides the woman in the dance.  This is a principle to adhere to with Christ our Lord and us, the church, His Bride. 

 

Jesus called all His disciples with "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". (Mat 4:19)  It is in following Him that we find our identity and destiny.  He makes us.  He leads us.  He tests us.  He gives us a choice.  When He calls, we either respond positively or we can respond negatively.  This tests our true commitment and our heart.  The disciples, on His invitation, immediately left all, laying down their careers instantly and went after him.

 

There is a cost in following the leading of Jesus.

 

Mat 8:19  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."

Mat 8:20  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Mat 8:21  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Mat 8:22  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

 

The scribe was making a declaration that he would follow Jesus but Jesus warned Him that in following Him, earthly comforts may have to be put aside if we truly prioritise Kingdom business.  We even need to be prepared to put our grief and emotions aside if Kingdom business calls first.

 

Mat 16:24  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

 

We need to be prepared to give up all we own if God calls us to; forsaking our pleasures, our needs, denying all of these earthly pursuits and coming against the "what about me?" for the sake of the Kingdom.

 

Jesus didn't promise that following Him would be a bed of roses which is why He told us to count the cost.  But the rewards in following Him are worth everything and the blessings that come in being obedient far outweigh anything that this world can offer.  His grace is sufficient for us and the Holy Spirit helps us to walk in righteousness when we lean on Him, trusting Him to overcome battles of temptation.  We will have an eternal reward too.

 

 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

Rev 19:8  And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Rev 19:9  Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

 

The "wife" has made herself ready!  How?  "...by the righteous acts".  These righteous acts are those that are spirit led and acted upon with the love of God.  The Word tells us that our righteous acts are as "filthy rags" (Is 64:6) because, especially pre-salvation, we have the wrong motive – to show how good we are.  All things we do, prompted by the Holy Spirit of God and done with the pure motive of bringing glory to God, will have its reward in heaven. 

 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Gal 5:18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 

It is being led by the Spirit that helps us grow up into the things of God because the Spirit may lead us where we really don't want to be taken.  Obedience to His voice always brings the blessing of God and spiritual change.

 

Mat 4:1  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

 

I can't image that Jesus was totally delighted to be led into the wilderness to be tempted and tested by the devil for 40 days and 40 nights but He was obedient to the call and after His time in the wilderness came out ready to minister, full of Holy Ghost power.  This is the power of obedience.

 

Jesus is ready to dance with you.  He wants to take the lead and tango you into an exciting and fulfilling ministry directed by His footsteps with you leaning on His arm.  There may be times He will waltz you onto the dance floor just to be intimate with you and gaze into your eyes.  When He directs, and we follow, there is safety and excitement in His arms as we move to the melody of His music.