Episode Transcript
You are listening to daily insights on the three ABN Radio Network. And here is your host, Kaysie Butler. Hello and welcome to the program.
It's a pleasure to have you join me today. I want to share with you some thoughts and songs that will bring hope in hard times. We all go through difficult experience us and often on a daily basis we may encounter things that try to pull us down.
What do we do to stay above all our troubles and maintain an attitude of courage and hope? Where can we turn to for a source of strength? How can we find encouragements in the midst of our discouragements? I read a quote recently that said the following if you're taking a beating, cheer up. God is just stirring you up to bring you a blessing. And that is the message of our first song, which is entitled Blessings and is sung by Marlita Fong.
We pray for peace, comfort, for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity, we pray for your mighty hand to ease out suffering and why you hear each spoken yet love is way too much to give us everything. What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know your need? What if trials of this life are your mercies in the sky wisdom your voice to hear? We cry in anger when we cannot feel you near.
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your and if every promise from your word is not enough, you hear each desperately and long that we have faith to believe. What if your blessings come through? What if your healing comes 13? What if a thousand sleep tonight? I want it to know your knee. What if trial are your mercies in when friends betray us? Darkness seems to when we know the pain reminds heart that this is not, this is not our home it's not our home close what if your blessings come through angel? What if your healing comes 13? What if a thousand sleepless night? Or what it takes to know your need? What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater dust this world can't satisfy? What if trials of this life the rain, the storms, the hardest night are your mercies in disguise? Thank you Malita Fong for that rendition of blessings.
Isn't it encouraging that God can take the worst things in our life and turn them into our best blessings? What a powerful God we serve that can do this. Another thing that can bring us a more hopeful spirit on a daily basis is to look for positive things in our lives and focus on them. I like how Dr.
Darren Morton expresses this idea because he says that feelings follow our focus and if we focus on the good we have in life, we will end up feeling better and our day will seem brighter. Listen as Daryl Sawyer and Laura Williams sing about this in the song gather the Roses. Gather the roses, the lilies, the pinks think of the joys in your life the briar will want you the thorns only breath so gather the roses the lily peace, the peace as I was walking the pathway of life trials were all I could see the joy and the peace I once knew with the Lord fiend like a faint memory I dream that I walked through a garden gathering of sweet flowers and sung by the storm as I straight from the pan I heard a voice be gather roses the lilies, the pink think of the joys in your life the bright wound you the fine don't we dream so gather the roses the lily don't gather the unpleasant times in your past don't mourn them and talk them all through remember the blessings God gives you each day listen, he fail you gather the roses the peace been said that the best way to live in the world is to live above it.
So let's live above the world's thorns and instead pick its roses, just like that Song said. I am also so encouraged by God's promises for us in the midst of hardship. You know, when David was struggling with troubles one day, he said he would have fainted except for the fact that he believed he would see God's goodness in the world.
He then said the following in Psalm 27, verse 14 wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. David recognized that in the midst of hardship, god has promised to give us strength.
Esther Mui will now share with us another promise of God's strength through a scripture she put to song. Then will you like a me or to whom shall I be equal? Says the Holy One lift up your eyes on high and see who has created this thing. Hope brings out their hope by number.
He them all by name, by the witness of his might and the strength of his heart. God, why do you say, oh, Jacob, and speak always right? My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is possible. By my God.
Have you not known? Have you not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth? Neither faints nor is we. He's understanding. He's unsuccable.
He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might. He increase the strength. Even though you shall think and be we, we as a young man shall utterly fall.
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. But those who wait on the Lord shall we need their strength. They shall mount up with wing like eagles they shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint. It will you liken me all to whom shall I be equal? Says the Holy One. Let the holy will you, like I be, lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number? He calls them all by, calls them all by witness of his might and the strength of his heart not one is missing.
Why do you say, oh, Jacob, and speak of Israel? My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God. Have you not known? Have you not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth? Neither faints, no is weary. He's understanding is unsuccessable.
He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increase the strength. Even though you shall face and be with me, and the young men shall I fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
But those who wait on the Lord shall we use their strength. They shall mount up with me like ego. They shall run and not be weary.
They shall walk and not faint on the wait of the Lord shall renew. They shall mount up with me like they shall run and not be shall walk and wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall love how we found out with me like they shall I we shall walk and not la that was Isaiah 40, verses 25 to 31 and sung by Esther Muy.
We are now going to listen to the story of Joseph Scriven as read by Kim Kaya. Joseph is the author of the fairly well known hymn called what a Friend We Have in Jesus, and it was his personal experience that led him to be able to write that song. Following the story, we'll enjoy a rendition of what a Friend We Have in Jesus by Laura Williams.
I want to share with you the story of a man a man who experienced such incredible sorrow yet remained unwavering in his faith and trust in God. It is also the story about the love of God and his sustaining grace. This testimony has been an inspiration and light to many through the decades.
His name was Joseph Scriven. Born in 1819 in Banbridge county Down, Ireland. He was known as an Irish poet.
Joseph was 25 years old, in love, and engaged to be married. The day before his wedding, his fiance died in a terrible drowning accident while on her way to meet him. He arrived just moments too late.
In his own words, he said, the bottom of my world seemed to disappear, and everywhere I looked after that in Ireland, I was always reminded of the wonderful day I looked forward to that did not occur. Heartbroken, Joseph left his homeland and traveled to Canada to start a new life. He settled in Port Hope next to Lake Ontario.
Each day he walked the roads of his new town, assisting widows, the sick and the poor. It is said that he never once denied the request for help from anyone, and his greatest desire was to reflect the love of God through his life. While working as a schoolteacher, he again fell in love with a young lady named Eliza Roche.
They were to be married in the spring of 1854. But only weeks before their wedding, his hopes and dreams were again shattered when Eliza became ill with pneumonia. She died at the age of 23.
Once more, Joseph Scriven was heartbroken yet again. He found his comfort and strength by turning to God, who he looked upon as his closest friend. About a year later, Joseph received word that his mother in Ireland was very ill.
He wrote a poem to her to help cheer and encourage her. The poem described a wonderful friendship that gives hope in the face of devastating pain. What a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to bear what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer oh, what peace we often forfeit oh, what needless pain we bear all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
It was simple, yet elegant and defined for us all the essence of a right relationship with God. He saw him not as an impersonal God, but as a friend who longs to carry our burdens and sorrows and to ease our pain. When Joseph was very ill, a friend came across his poems, including what a Friend We Have in Jesus.
As a result, almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to his mother, this poem and others were published, and music was written for it. For nearly 40 years, joseph Scriven was a living light of love and faith in his small Canadian town and became known as the Good Samaritan of Port Hope. He never married and spent the rest of his life giving all the time, money and even the clothes off his back to help those who were less fortunate and to spreading the love and compassion of Jesus wherever he went.
And still today, the words of his hymn encourage and uplift those who are weary and heavy laden with burdens our sins and griefs to bear what a privilege to carry everything to God in pray what peace we often pain we bear all because we do not care everything you got it. Pray we shall never feel discourage take it to the Lord and pray you know, I move to tears almost every time I hear the story of Joseph Scriven. He had such a tragic experience, and yet through it all, he developed such a sweet relationship with Jesus, which is so inspiring.
The song he wrote, what a Friend We Have in Jesus, is actually my brother's favorite song. And I think that's partly why it moves me so much, because my brother has actually suffered for more than half of his life with severe epilepsy. So the story of Joseph's hardships and his song actually links in close to home for me.
But let us all endeavor to do what the song says to take all our troubles to God in prayer and make Jesus our closest friend. Then we will experience the peace and hope that only he can give. In the book Mind, Character, and Personality, Volume One, page 32, it says that Satan's work is to discourage the soul.
Christ's work is to inspire the heart with faith and hope. So the closer we connect with Christ today, the more our own heart will be inspired with faith and hope. And this is my prayer for you that you will go today, in whatever your situation, to walk inspired with hope in Christ in what he can do for you.
I am Kaysie Butler. Thank you for joining me today, and I look forward to sharing with you next time on Daily Insights. Bye for now.
You've been listening to a production of three ABN Australia radio.
