I Sing Because I Am Free

  I sing because I am Free!

As I was pondering what will be the best fit for the article for the month of December as we are nearing Christmas time,  yet another year slips by. I wanted it to be felt, to be read and to be meditated upon. An impact that will bring the reader to our Lord Jesus Christ rather than “oh, great article”. Nope, that is not what I am seeking. It is passed that time to seek after acknowledgment or recognition. Jesus Christ has to be the very center of our lives. We should focus only on revolving around Him and His testmony.It is all that matters because it is for ever and ever a true loving relationship.

I wanted to write about distresses and strains, I also wanted to write about emotions and needs, but when I took up a blank page today, the thoughts just can't flow though it feels so close and almost at the top of my head. And that is the problem isn't it. From the head instead of from the heart. If God would want us to think from our head or brains, He would not have the inspired the wisest man ever born of a woman, King Solomon who wrote, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"!

(Pro 23:7)  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

So after service this evening coming home, I decided to hear the Gaithers timeless hymns. Timeless you say? Brother Henry Tham, a gifted musician, accomplished pianist and guitarist sometimes come over to our services and help out on our music. Most time he is busy and told me that he plays behind the scene when Pastor Joseph Prince wanted some backup music during his sermons. You don't see Henry in most of Pastor Prince's videos but you can feel the free flow of the piano music ripping through the key portion of the sermon, adding that extra nuances, that emphasis and the emotion as the music and the sermon blended into one.

Now I am not writing about Pastor Prince or Henry' music. But I am writing on what Brother Henry told me how God gave him a simple “revelation” , (now hear this and hear this well) : “That not one single pop song will be sung in heaven”!---

But the Hymns! They are timeless. Just as I am typing this, the Gaithers led the group singing “Rock of Ages. Cleft for me”! This then is the Christmas gift to my readers ….They sang :-

Little is much when God is in it

Labour not for wealth and fame

There is a crown and you can win it

If you go in Jesus Name.

When the conflict here has ended

And our reign on earth is run

He will say, If you have been faithful

Welcome home, my child, well done!

In my earlier article, which I titled it “simplify” I wanted to remind ourselves the Words Jesus said. Let not your heart be troubled..... If you know Him today in the reveletion of the Restored Word by the prophet, you will know His Word uttered will not return to Him VOID. It will accomplish what it was sent out to do. To bring the Elect into His kingdom. There is no strive, no stress nor strain in our Labours, because it will be a joy to do them when we go in Jesus Name.

He said :

Mat 6:31-33

(31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(32) (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

(33) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Is this enough for us ? To be that simple? Of course it is, because He said so and He will keep His Word to watch over us more thoughfully and carefully for our soul. Yes, seek ye first the kingdom of God and ALL THESE things shall be added unto you. Amen.

As we read and believe His Word, there is an air of expectation and not trepidation, because inside our hearts, not our heads, we know whatever the Master promised, He keeps. Yes, not a single pop song will be sung in heaven. Not so with the hymns such as Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Lily of the Valley, What a Friend. When the Saints go marching in, His Eye is on the Sparrow, evergreens such as Fanny Crossby's Pass me Not Oh, Gentle Saviour and the list goes on........

Every hymn tells a story of its beginning and evergreen hymns are inspired as much as the minister is inspired when he preches his sermon.

Let us take a peep into one of them, Mrs Martin wrote:-

Early in the spring of 1905, my hus­band and I were so­journ­ing in El­mi­ra, New York. We con­tract­ed a deep friend­ship for a cou­ple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doo­lit­tle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doo­lit­tle had been bed­rid­den for nigh twen­ty years. Her hus­band was an in­cur­a­ble crip­ple who had to pro­pel him­self to and from his bus­i­ness in a wheel chair. De­spite their af­flict­ions, they lived hap­py Christ­ian lives, bring­ing in­spir­a­tion and com­fort to all who knew them. One day while we were vi­sit­ing with the Doo­lit­tles, my hus­band com­ment­ed on their bright hope­ful­ness and asked them for the se­cret of it. Mrs. Doo­lit­tle’s re­ply was sim­ple: “His eye is on the spar­row, and I know He watch­es me.” The beau­ty of this sim­ple ex­press­ion of bound­less faith gripped the hearts and fired the imag­in­a­tion of Dr. Mar­tin and me. The hymn “His Eye Is on the Spar­row” was the out­come of that ex­per­i­ence.

Civilla Martin

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

And the song Leave it there. How appropriate for it this moment to some of us particularly when I just cross my 64 birthday a few days ago.

If the world from you withhold of its silver and its gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

If your body suffers pain and your health you can’t regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don’t forget that God in Heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you and will lead you safely through.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He’ll go with you to the end.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

These are what our prophet told us, the good old gospel hymns. He said he can't sing but when you get over there in heaven, you will hear him in a little cottage, singing Amazing Grace and you will exclaim, praise God, Brother Branham made it!

What a fellowship, what a joy divine
Leaning on the everlasting arms
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the everlasting arms

Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim's way
Leaning on the everlasting arms
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day
Leaning on the everlasting arms

Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning on the Jesus, leaning
I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

What have I to dread, what have I to fear
Leaning on the everlasting arms
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine
Leaning on the everlasting arms

Leaning, leaning
Safe and secure from all alarms
Leaning, leaning
Leaning on the everlasting arms

Yes, not jingle bells jingle bells, but Amazing Grace for the Saviour is born. the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world for you and me. What a gift, what a sacrifice and what salvation it wrought. When Abraham was 85 years old and still childless, He promised his seed shall be as the stars in the sky, and like the sands in the sea. No Santa Claus but we meet the Apsotle Peter and the others and also Paul, all  of Abraham's natural and Royal seed. We can spend endless time singing and talking about Jesus and what He had done for us. At this very moment, I just want to lift up my hands and praise God. Let every creature that has breath, praise Him.

Exactly 3 years ago, I was in a hospital bed admitted for severe water retention and I got the signs of heart failure. The private cardiologist threatened my wife to admit me under his personal management and he promised that I would recover within 3 days or else I would be dead. Well I was thinking, "if God wants to take me home, I am ready but first I need to get some personal things right" and He allowed that to happen. As it turned out, I went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital instead and the water retention was caused by an undetected Hypothyroid condition. Mine, you know on the first day of the new year in my hospital bed, there was the morning lively chirping of some sparrows outside my glass window. Nothing sounded sweeter and lovely that morning as I crossed the new year. Yes, three years now, I will certainly sing....

May you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.