Incomparable Music

The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10.
There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived.
“As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there.” “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord.” “For the Lord shall comfort Zion: … He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord: joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”
I have been shown the order, the perfect order, of heaven, and have been enraptured as I listened to the perfect music there. After coming out of vision, the singing here has sounded very harsh and discordant. I have seen companies of angels, who stood in a hollow square, everyone having a harp of gold. At the end of the harp was an instrument to turn to set the harp or change the tunes. Their fingers did not sweep over the strings carelessly, but they touched different strings to produce different sounds. There is one angel who always leads, who first touches the harp and strikes the note, then all join in the rich, perfect music of heaven. It cannot be described. It is melody, heavenly, divine, while from every countenance beams the image of Jesus, shining with glory unspeakable.
What a song that will be when the ransomed of the Lord meet …! All heaven is filled with rich music, and with songs of praise to the Lamb. Saved, everlastingly saved, in the kingdom of glory! To have a life that measures with the life of God—that is the reward.
Language is altogether too feeble to attempt a description of heaven. As the scene rises before me, I am lost in amazement. Carried away with the surpassing splendor and excellent glory, I lay down the pen, and exclaim, “Oh, what love! what wondrous love!” The most exalted language fails to describe the glory of heaven or the matchless depths of a Saviour’s love.
Maranatha p. 361
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Prayer Requests
—–Robbie may be getting another kidney offer tonight. If so traveling down to the hospital in the morning. I feel better prepared than last time. Requesting prayer for the family of the donor and also guidance if we should accept or decline the offer. Karen
——-Please pray for Ronnie Jay as he travels back home from his 1000 mile journey. Rose
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather, Edwin Harmon, worked as a bookbinder throughout his life. He did such beautiful work that he was given the job of binding all of the local government record books. There was always book-quality paper, pressure sensitive paper, scraps of leather, and even tiny bits of gold leaf left over at the bindery. This paper looked the right size for a book, but it’s measurements showed the lack. These he brought home for me to play with.
As a child, I took these little gifts for granted. He gave me more paper than I could possibly use, and I wasted much of it. It was only when I was ten and went to live with my mother that I didn’t have all of that paper to play with. My grandfather retired and moved to Florida, so he no longer had access to it. My mother bought some paper from the store, but it was not the same quality or quantity that I was used to. The pressure-sensitive paper and the gold leaf was not available at all. Although it seems like a little thing, I really missed that never-ending supply of paper. I really felt the lace.
How often we take God’s gifts for granted just as I took for granted my grandfather’s paper. How often we waste them selfishly without regard to the needs of others. James tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28 Think of it! Every breath that we take, every beat of our heart, is a gift from our Loving Creator. He gives us life and health and strength, yet how seldom do we think of these blessings until sickness or injury comes upon us. How often we misuse and abuse our bodies not realizing that we are accountable for what we do to ourselves. Paul tells us, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Cor 3:17
The greatest gift of all, is the gift of the Dear Son of God, Who gave His life for us that we might be saved. Our Dear Saviour “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2:7,8 How great is His love toward us! It is beyond our understanding! He, Whom all Heaven adored, stepped down from His Father’s throne, and became a tiny spark of life in Mary’s womb, born in a stable, enduring poverty, hardship, and all the hatred that the evil one could heap upon Him. He endured it all for us!
Moreover our Great Redeemer desires for us to “come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus said, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:11-13 Paul adds, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant….Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, To another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, To another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” 1 Cor 12:1-11 Notice, we cannot use the gift of the Holy Spirit, instead He uses us as He wills. These gifts the Holy Spirit gives us for the completion of His work. May we cooperate fully with Him that the work my soon be finished is my prayer.
Rose