What day that will be: We’ve a story to tell to the nations

The Verse of the Day for July 5, 2015 comes from Isaiah 12:4 (NLT)::

In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the Lord! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is!

In reflecting upon this verse, a couple of songs came to mind, as I looked at the first part of the verse and the last section of scripture.

The reference to “that wonderful day” brought to mind this familiar gospel song:

What a Day That Will Be

There is coming a day, when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye
All is peace forever more, on that happy golden shore
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon his face,
The One who saved me by his grace;
When he takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.
There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no more pain, no more parting over there,
But forever I will be with the one who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:
What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon his face, The One who saved me by his grace,
But when He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Oh I’ve got a longing, I’m homesick to go
To a land without heartache
No more sorrow or woe
There’s nothing that can hold me, in this world below
I’m homesick for Heaven, I’ve got a longing to go

Chorus:
What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see
When I look upon his face The One who saved me by his grace
But when he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Bill and Gloria Gaither and friends offer this moving rendition of “What a Day That Will be,” featuring Jim Hill, who wrote the music and lyrics.

Jeremy Camp offers a contemporary song expressing the same message: “There Will Come a Day.”

As I thought about the second part of Isaiah 12: 4, with its reference to “the nations,” this hymn came to mind:

We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

We’ve a story to tell to the nations
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.

Refrain

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
and the dawning to noonday bright;
And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
the kingdom of love and light.

We’ve a song to be sung to the nations,
That shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil
And shatter the spear and sword,
And shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

We’ve a message to give to the nations,
That the Lord who reigns up above
Has sent us His Son to save us,
And show us that God is love,
And show us that God is love.

Refrain

We’ve a Savior to show to the nations,
Who the path of sorrow has trod,
That all of the world’s great peoplesW
Might come to the truth of God,
Might come to the truth of God.

Refrain

Debbie Forrest provides another contemporary version of this classic hymn:

A living hope: Great expectations

The Verse of the Day for March 18, 2014 comes from Romans 15:13 in the King James Version:

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

While reflecting on this verse which focuses on hope, I thought of a previous blog entry that also examines hope more closely, and I am re-posting it here:

The times in which we are living can be so oppressive and troubling. As the Scriptures reveal, “perilous times” or “times difficult to deal with” shall come. Indeed, these dark and difficult days are here. As we confront the darkness and overwhelming despair, we must position ourselves to move in the opposite spirit or go in the opposite direction. To counter the toxic effects of the deadly element of despair, we must take a double dose of our antidote which is hope. The Verse of the Day for October 3, 2013 reminds us:

“A lively hope” is rendered “a living hope” in other translations, while the New Living Translation states that because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, “Now we live with great expectation.” Indeed, “the expectation of a future good” is one definition of hope. As Christian believers we go to the Word of God where we discover what God says about hope.

The Psalmist offers this marvelous reminder:

 Psalm 71:5

For you are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust from my youth and the source of my confidence.

Hope counteracts thoughts of despondency, when we recognize that hope is a joyful and confident expectation. Though we are confronted with challenges on every hand, even in the face of death itself, we still have hope:

2 Corinthians 1:9-10

Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,

Jesus Christ is described as our “blessed hope,” and because of Jesus Christ’s victory over sin, sickness and even death itself, we have hope that lives eternally.

As a child I have fond memories of singing in the Junior Choir, where I recall “leading” my first song at the age of eight or nine. Actually I did not “sing,” but I narrated the verses while the choir sang the lyrics to “On Christ, the Solid Rock,” a “vintage hymn,” which resounds with “hope.” The Maranatha Singers offer a moving rendition the timeless hymn that has come to mean even more to me over the years.

In the midst of difficult situations, we reflect upon the goodness of God who has been faithful in past instances, and the Word of God assures us of His steadfast love, as we rejoice in hope, so expressed in this poem:

Rejoice in Hope

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble,

and keep on praying.

Romans 12:12 (NLT)

 

And we now truly know God is able to do

Exceedingly and abundantly above all

That our finite minds can ask or could even think.

He uplifts and strengthens us each time that we fall.

Our paths lead to disaster, to the very brink.

Despite delays and setbacks, His Word is still true:

God is faithful to His promise; He will come through.

When life begins to unravel, we may ask why

The fulfillment of His will seems to be delayed.

All those who call on Him, He will never deny.

We are assured He will reward all who have obeyed.

Our faithful God is not a man that He should lie.

Through every trial, we are covered by the Blood,

We rejoice in hope, knowing that the Lord is good.

To close out this blog entry here is a contemporary Christian song expressing great hope, “There Will be a Day” performed by Jeremy Camp.