“Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
The United Methodist Hymnal Number 382
Text: Adelaide A. Pollard, 1862-1934
Music: George C. Stebbins, 1846-1945
Tune: ADELAIDE, Meter: 54.54 D
“1. Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.
2. Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Search me and try me, Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now,
as in thy presence humbly I bow.
3. Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
4. Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me! “
I grew up often hearing this hymn while attending church. It was always about myself. Or, those in our little church that may have been in a difficult spot at the moment. Today, I awoke with the words from this hymn springing up from within and singing the words for our nation, USA!
https://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh382.sht
*This photo was from a shared photo …we don’t know the photographer as it was shared with us to see ears of a Jack Rabbit. Congrats! It’s a beauty.
thedailylily.com 
Thank you so much Sara for “hearing” and then sharing God’s heart and will in what you “awoke with”.
So timely and needed for this hour!
I join you in “singing the words for our nation, USA!”
Welcome! And, thanks for joining in,
“ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
—Psalm 96:11-12 (NRSV)
I so believe Debi you do your part declaring God’s glory as you “farm/garden” throughout your community. When God created the earth in the beginning He placed the 🌍 not to distance or to close to the sun but perfectly placed to sustain life. He created humans, animals and plants and assigned order and life by making us gardeners.
If we take the footnotes Tammy fertilized us with from Mark 4:9 and assign Psalm 96 to believe, use, base just maybe winter will pass and spring will appear again.
God truly loves His world….
“Ditto” to Debi’s comments above. When I saw that beautiful picture above of the rabbit and his two ears sticking straight up, and saw the Scripture in Mark, below the picture, I had to get my Bible. I had to see if we had footnotes for this verse…….(NLT) “ The hearing Jesus wants from us is not the kind we use when we listen to background music or when someone starts to recount a long story we’ve already heard. To truly “hear” Jesus’ words is to believe them, to use them immediately in decisions and attitudes, and to base life on them—your recreation and work, family plans and money matters, praying and singing. To hear Jesus‘ words is to make Jesus your true Lord. What is Jesus saying to you?”
Footnotes ask, “what is Jesus saying to you?“ He speaks so clearly when ears of hearing are in place, He is saying;
“Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens!
O nations of the world, recognize the Lord; recognize that the Lord is glorious and strong. Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!” The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth.”
Psalms 96:1-5, 7-13 NLT
I also join in with praying the song of prayer, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord“ for Our nation the USA.
Sara you referenced Psalm 96: 10-12. In a daily devotional he said, “Look Forward: All creation will rejoice at God’s final coming to earth, when the long night of oppression, evil, and sin will be ended….where God is there is singing……..will you rejoice to see that day, knowing that in Christ there is no condemnation of you, only loving acceptance.“
On thinking of our Lord Jesus and His coming, I think 🤔 are we prepared for Jesus’s second coming..
which led me to the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25: 1-I3
1“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 6“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him! 7. “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’9.“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 11“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’12“But He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
In the scripture Sara quoted. “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:5
From research – Word study – lamps are a symbol of guidance, a person’s soul is God’s lamp, and Bible
Question I asked. What does trimming your their wicks mean? Findings: The skilled part of being a lamp trimmer was to trim a wick in such a way that it would burn evenly, without hotspots so that it would not need attention
again for sometime. A poorly trimmed wick creates a flame which is dim and smoky.
Oil – Filled up with Jesus.
Lampstand – made with pure gold – tested by fire – made of one piece as Christ is one with His church, six beaches meaning man so 1 + 6 = completion.
There is still time, maybe, for us to be prepared. Does the light of the Statue of Liberty shine before all nations? For the USA I’ve changed a children’s song – It’s the USA, it’s the USA, it’s the USA standing in the need of prayer! Thus Sara’s woke up with a prayer song, “Have Thine Own Way, Lord” We can sing both songs in this paragraph too.
Remember
In John 3:16 : For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only begotten Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. KJV
Keep on Praying song to keep on keeping on in 🙏
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning
Well mother don’t you stop prayin’
Father keep right on prayin’
Don’t you stop prayin’ for this old world is almost done
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
For this old world is almost done
Brother don’t you stop prayin’
Sister keep right on prayin’
Don’t you stop prayin’ for this old world is almost done
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
Keep your lamps trimmed and burning
For this old world is almost done
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
For this old world is almost done
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
Keep our lamps trimmed and burning
For our race is almost run
I thought about the focus of words in Rena’s song and the repeats trying to help with focus and not giving up in praying and faith.
Thinking let’s not lose presence in the moment and purpose or danger may ensue.
The reason a bird sitting on a hot wire is not electrocuted is because it does not touch the ground to give the electricity a pathway. Footnotes given above quote, “To truly “hear” Jesus’ words is to believe them, to use them immediately in decisions and attitudes, and to base life on them—your recreation and work, family plans and money matters, praying and singing.”
Let’s not ground our prayers by over thinking, critiquing God’s ability or focusing on the enemy of our souls. Fly high!
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
—John 6:51 (NRSV)
Such a thoughtful thought for me that Im trying to grasp the living life in this world by this bread given…as this table of fellowship gathers here to hear and understand Mark 4:9. I’v heard this living referred to as “robust living”.
Sara, I see that your comments above use the verb ‘assign/assigned’ (defined as “a task or piece of work that you are given to do, especially as part of your job or studies.”)
“He placed the 🌍 not to distance or to close to the sun but perfectly placed to sustain life. He created humans, animals and plants and assigned order and life by making us gardeners.”
“If we take the footnotes Tammy fertilized us with from Mark 4:9 and assign Psalm 96 to believe, use, base just maybe winter will pass and spring will appear again.”
It seems that understanding (“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Mark 4:9) and then doing our assignments well (following God’s pattern of “perfectly placed”) is essential if we want to see “spring appear again”.
A scripture that stood out to me in a devotional this am was “God inhabits the praises of His people.” This made me think of what you said, Sara, regarding the life-giving Bread of heaven, the “living life in this world by this bread given”. It seems tied in to Psalm 96 that you shared, which is filled with praise and singing to Him. Seems we are connected to this bread life-line by our praises. Praises being part of the doing (Tammy’s fertilizer, “to use them”; and Rena’s trimming of our lamps so that they each “burn evenly”) our assigned work and gifting which then keeps each of us in our “assigned order and life”. Jesus did break just a few loaves and they multiplied into life giving support for many.
It is wonderful to have “this table of fellowship “ here to help us understand and live out and “base life on them” (as Tammy’s footnotes said) and to spur us on do our part in the world. As Sara wrote, “God truly loves His world….”
I loved Debi’s overview of what each of us brought to the table of the Lord.
I read Streams in Desert devotional which read:
“God runs a costly school, for many lessons are learned through tears. Soon the school of our Heavenly Father will close for us, for the end of the school term is closer every day. May we never run from a difficult lesson or flinch from the rod of discipline. richer will be our crown, and sweeter will heaven be, if we cheerfully endure to the end. Then we graduate in glory.”Theodore L Cuyler
Sara, you said, “Let’s not ground our prayers by over thinking,”
I keep thinking about the Hymn above for our nation that the Lord gave you on the morning of August 28, along with the warning scripture from Rev 2.
It was prophetic; the prayer directive for now…“Thinking let’s not lose presence in the moment and purpose or danger may ensue.”
I was reminded of the account of Naaman, great commander of an army, who had leprosy and wanted healing. When the prophetic directive came for him to go wash seven times in the Jordan, he almost missed the healing…grounded…electrocuted (so to speak) because his mind didn’t like the directive. I guess it didn’t line up with his religious point of view. Thankfully, his servant straightened him out, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” (2 Kings 5:13)
Reminds me that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways not ours … (Isaiah 55:8)
Debi, We that turn on an instrument often hear religious and political debates daily on going for few minutes in between commercials. Buy, send etc When over often hard for some of us to take the debate or words to ourselves or others and watch a power beyond our thoughts of 💲💲💲 from our checkbook of plastic card to buy propaganda for a cause. Not sure when we walk away we have more than a feel good moment of entertainment and a 👏🏻 thinking we have changed lives.
Naaman, a great commander in the army as you state almost missed his healing because he with 💲💲💲 or yelling out a command, or taking up arms against leprosy didn’t have a chance in the world for healing without a Dip in great humility.
It’s interesting how this happening has changed much today. We read of one man healed for his humility. At times in today’s society we see happenings much like this. But, the story goes untold because once the healing, solution or help of any kind is received we often get up and try and forget the dip in humility that we received and robe ourselves in vivid colors of arrogance and dance to our mind tune. And, often curse the messenger and message by mind/word denial Isaiah, the prophet warns with the words you gives us from 55:8.
Our thoughts and ways just seem to drop below freezing in a Naaman story. Wonder why?
Footnotes for Isaiah 55:8-9 says: (NLT) “The people of Israel were foolish to act as if they knew what God was thinking and planning. His knowledge and wisdom are far greater than any human’s. We are foolish to try to fit God into our mold— To make his plans and purposes conform to ours. Instead, we must strive to fit into his plans.”
Tammy, seems your footnotes has a ditto for our hymn of invitation for this blog. “ Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.“
Yes, Sara, you are right. He is the potter, and Debi got it right too…we are “foolish to try to fit God into our mold…” God help us to sing and pray this often: “ “Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.”🙏
“Our thoughts and ways just seem to drop below freezing in a Naaman story. Wonder why?”
I think Tammy’s footnotes give us some insight into the answer…”foolish”.
Also, I’m reminded of the account of the 10 lepers who were all healed:
“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.
One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.” Luke 17:11-19 NLT
I guess not only would the 9 have cursed the prophet and gone on their merry way, but looks like they had no regard or gratitude for the very Son of God. I don’t think they wanted to “strive to fit into his plans” as Tammy’s footnotes said. They just wanted to do their own thing now that they could assimilate back into society.
Debi, does your story have a happy ending? One out of ten?
“Debi, does your story have a happy ending? One out of ten?”
Thinking on your question, Sara, I see a few things that may be considered a “happy ending”.
The first major happy ending is that not only was the Samaritan healed of leprosy, he was saved. “Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.” Luke 17: 17-19
And, secondly, I think it shows us several good things about the Lord’s kindness and mercy….which is a happiness to think on. A Samaritan was an outsider (Luke 17:17-19). John 4:9 says that “For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.” So Jesus is demonstrating for us that His love and salvation crosses all barriers and spans all peoples. It is not for a select few. Jesus showed this same love, care and concern to another Samaritan (and a woman at that!) in John 4…the woman at the well.
And a final happy thought/ending is that Jesus more than likely knew/foresaw that 9 out of the 10 would not give thanks, but be ungrateful. He healed them anyway (though likely they missed their window of opportunity for salvation). That reminds me of the scripture that says, “For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” Luke 6:35.