All my days are in Your hands

August 28, 2014 | My Jottings

My dear friend Sue asked me recently what I do to pass the time in the car on my hour-long drives to be with Michael. I pray and I take in the beautiful scenery of the north shore of Lake Superior, but I don’t pray the whole time. I’ve always listened to music in the car since I was a little girl, and that’s mostly what I do the three days a week I make the trip. When I think about it, that’s a minimum of six hours a week for an opportunity to fill my mind with things that will possibly make a lasting difference in my life, or not.

There are times when I’ve forgotten to bring a different CD along and I’ll listen to satellite radio. I still sing along to “Bad Moon Rising” by CCR, “Moon River” by Andy Williams, and “Tupelo Honey” by Van Morrison, but those songs just throw me back on memory’s lane and feel a bit like eating a rice cake.

Then there are times when I bring a CD or two from home, and as I listen to the whole album on the drive north, one or two songs will begin to stand out as what I desperately need to be feeding my soul these days. Then I listen to that one song, or two songs, over and over again for sometimes days at a time. I can’t explain what it feels like; it’s as if my languishing, ailing spirit gets a drink of fresh and pure, healing water, and sits up and throws off its bed clothes and begins to pour the whole bucketful down its throat.

This is the song that’s refreshing and strengthening me of late. It’s by Irishman Robin Mark, whose music I’ve long loved. It’s on his CD entitled “Robin Mark-Ultimate Collection,” and you can listen to it below. I’ve also included the lyrics.

Holy Is Our God — words and music by Robin Mark

Lift up His name
Within the sanctuary
Lift up His name
Among the people who are gathered here to sing His praise
Who are gathered here to sing His praise

Holy is our God
Holy is Your name
Mighty are Your works and deeds and
Wondrous are Your ways
All that You have made
Shall return and give You glory Lord

The earth the sky the sea and all within them
This universe beyond the sight of mortal men
All subject to His reign
All creation subject to His reign

The great I AM no end and no beginning
You were and are and evermore You shall be
All my days are in Your hands
All my days are in Your hands

Two phrases especially keep calling out to me as I drive north and listen: All creation subject to His reign, and All my days are in Your hands.

It’s profound to me how all of creation is subject to God’s reign. I see the towering pines in the Superior National Forest pointing to the sky, the white capping waves of massive Lake Superior coming only so far on the shore, the blinding rays of the sun coming up without fail as I drive along its shore, and every one of them are subject to God’s reign. They do what the King of the Universe says. Every part of creation, in its own way, points to its Maker and gives Him glory — makes Him look powerful and beautiful and detailed and awesome and trustworthy, because He is.

Except me.

Except humankind.

He gives me free will. He has set up His world so that His most precious creations (you and me and every other person) can choose to love and represent Him as they go about their days, or choose not to. I can point to my Maker and make Him look powerful and beautiful and detailed and awesome and trustworthy by the way I love and obey Him, or I can do my own raggedy thing and not make Him known at all. As I listen to this song repeatedly each week, I cry out to God and ask Him to help me love Him with my whole heart, obey Him and bring Him glory like the rest of His creation does. I truly need His help in this.

And then when I sing along with Robin Mark “all my days are in Your hands!” I remind myself of what this means for Michael and me. I so want to comfort Michael with the fact that he and I are both in our Father’s capable, loving hands, and we can trust Him even though this season in our lives feels lonely and dark. Michael’s mental capacities are dimming, but his spirit is not. The outward is fading away, as an old oak sheds its leaves and ceases to flourish, but the inner man, the spirit of my husband, is that same bright flame that has been there since he gave his life to Jesus when he was thirty years old. I know that somewhere deep inside, his spirit responds readily to God. I see evidence of that when we’re together and I can’t begin to say how priceless it is to me.

Friends, thank you for stopping by today. I’m grateful for those of you who comment and speak of your prayers for us.

May God bless you and yours, and may He help us all to love Him more with each passing day,

Comments

  1. ganeyda says:

    Still here, Still praying. Love you guys.

  2. Dorothy Sooter says:

    I want to say the right words to help you through this very difficult time and I usually give up. It sounds like you have found something with your CD’s that is giving you a little peace. This is a very dark time and I am so sorry that you have to go through it. Life can be so cruel. You know that Michael’s spirit is still with him and that has to be a blessing. I pray that each and every trip up the north shore will fill you with God’s Peace. Love you Julie

  3. Ember says:

    Thinking of you, my dear. There are times I set aside to pray for you and yours, and times when the Holy Spirit gives me a dig and says, “Pray for Julie, please.”
    For a variety of things, but always for His gift of peace. xx

  4. Just Julie says:

    Jeannie, Dorothy and Ember—I’m giving thanks to the Lord for you three. All dear ones far away, yet so close in my heart. xoxoxo

  5. Carey says:

    Thinking of you and bringing your needs before His throne of grace…today and every day. Dorothy was right…life can be cruel, but in the midst of it all I know that He is near and will get you through this dark time. You are so very dear to me. xoxoxo

  6. Just Julie says:

    Carey, thank you for your prayers — I’m very humbled and thankful for our long friendship and your loyalty to us… love you… xoxo

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