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Matthew 10: 29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
In today’s message I would like to share with you a story. Some of you have heard this before in a video I made a while back about how I wrote the song called Everlasting Love. I would like to share it with those of you who read the blog and listen to the podcast also.
Most of what I have learned about life and especially about the love of our Loving Savior I have learned through failure. I share the stories of my failure with you so that you don't make the mistakes I have, but if you do make a mistake don't give up. Jesus loves you and he will pick you up when you fall. He is not counting our failures against us. He is cheering us on as we learn to walk without falling.
This is a true story and it happened one day several years ago while I was working in a body shop. I got to work that day and everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. It began with our computers being down because of a power failure and also much of the shop lighting and equipment was not working. I had so many deadlines and so many customers to whom I had promised their cars would be ready that day. Just as we managed to get the computers up and running I discovered that some of the parts we ordered for the cars in the shop didn’t get shipped and now the schedule was even worse.
All this time the pressure was building and I was running to and fro trying to get organized and trying to get everyone back on track. I heard Jesus speaking to me asking me to come alone for just a moment into the break room and pray about this. I was angry and frustrated and told him I didn’t have time to pray, I had too much to do.
Things went from bad to worse. Customers starting arriving expecting their cars to be ready and they weren’t and it seemed that each of them was angry and upset and decided I was the one at fault so in their frustration they really let me have it.
In the midst of that the boss who had been on vacation arrived to all the chaos and decided it was his turn to scream at me. Once again Jesus spoke to me and asked me to please give him just two minutes and come pray and get peace flowing again. Once again I told him I was busy and I didn’t have time to talk to him right now.
Well as you can imagine the day drug on and things escalated and got worse by the minute. I ended up working late and further behind in my work than when I arrived that morning.
I headed home and as I got out of town on the highway I just boiled over. In a loud voice I proclaimed “Lord where were you today? Didn’t you see how awful my day was? You promised that you would never leave me and you said that you even see the sparrows when they fall, didn’t you see how awful my day was?” All of a sudden a sparrow hit the windshield of my truck and died.
My heart broke and I felt awful. Suddenly I understood that Jesus had been trying to help me all day but I wouldn’t give him the time. I cried out “Lord I am so sorry and I am sorry that little bird died.” I was so ashamed of my hard hardheartedness and began weeping. I pulled over to the side of the road and I got the little bird off of my truck and carried him across the road ditch to the edge of the woods.I dug a little hole with my hands and buried the bird and asked Father to receive this little innocent bird into heaven.
As I stood there weeping Jesus spoke to me again but not softly this time. He said to me in a strong voice “Go home and get your notebook and write down what I tell you because I never want you to forget it.” So I rushed home and went to my closet with my notebook expecting to get the awful correction that I deserved. I grabbed my pen and once again Jesus spoke to me and said “Listen and write.”
He began speaking very quickly and I was expecting a speech about how wrong I had been that day but instead he spoke the words to this song. It is still the fastest I have ever written a song. It just poured onto the page. So here are the words to the song “Everlasting Love” and I’ll play it for you at the end of this message.
I know sometimes that you are bound to wonder,
If my love will always be the same.
Can’t you hear my heart it beats like thunder?
Even at them mention of your name.
Everlasting Love, when forever comes and goes,
I’ll still love you so and I’ll still want you to know,
If the sun falls from the sky, If the rivers all run dry,
There’ll be no reason for you to cry,
You’ll be safe inside, my everlasting love.
So put your fears aside and let me hold you.
Let a million years go rolling by,
Then you will believe these words I’ve told you,
By then you’ll know my love will never die.
Everlasting Love, when forever comes and goes,
I’ll still love you so and I’ll still want you to know,
If the sun falls from the sky, If the rivers all run dry,
There’ll be no reason for you to cry,
You’ll be safe inside, my everlasting love.
This is a true story and it happened one day several years ago while I was working in a body shop. I got to work that day and everything that could go wrong had gone wrong. It began with our computers being down because of a power failure and also much of the shop lighting and equipment was not working. I had so many deadlines and so many customers to whom I had promised their cars would be ready that day. Just as we managed to get the computers up and running I discovered that some of the parts we ordered for the cars in the shop didn’t get shipped and now the schedule was even worse.
All this time the pressure was building and I was running to and fro trying to get organized and trying to get everyone back on track. I heard Jesus speaking to me asking me to come alone for just a moment into the break room and pray about this. I was angry and frustrated and told him I didn’t have time to pray, I had too much to do.
Things went from bad to worse. Customers starting arriving expecting their cars to be ready and they weren’t and it seemed that each of them was angry and upset and decided I was the one at fault so in their frustration they really let me have it.
In the midst of that the boss who had been on vacation arrived to all the chaos and decided it was his turn to scream at me. Once again Jesus spoke to me and asked me to please give him just two minutes and come pray and get peace flowing again. Once again I told him I was busy and I didn’t have time to talk to him right now.
Well as you can imagine the day drug on and things escalated and got worse by the minute. I ended up working late and further behind in my work than when I arrived that morning.
I headed home and as I got out of town on the highway I just boiled over. In a loud voice I proclaimed “Lord where were you today? Didn’t you see how awful my day was? You promised that you would never leave me and you said that you even see the sparrows when they fall, didn’t you see how awful my day was?” All of a sudden a sparrow hit the windshield of my truck and died.
My heart broke and I felt awful. Suddenly I understood that Jesus had been trying to help me all day but I wouldn’t give him the time. I cried out “Lord I am so sorry and I am sorry that little bird died.” I was so ashamed of my hard hardheartedness and began weeping. I pulled over to the side of the road and I got the little bird off of my truck and carried him across the road ditch to the edge of the woods.I dug a little hole with my hands and buried the bird and asked Father to receive this little innocent bird into heaven.
As I stood there weeping Jesus spoke to me again but not softly this time. He said to me in a strong voice “Go home and get your notebook and write down what I tell you because I never want you to forget it.” So I rushed home and went to my closet with my notebook expecting to get the awful correction that I deserved. I grabbed my pen and once again Jesus spoke to me and said “Listen and write.”
He began speaking very quickly and I was expecting a speech about how wrong I had been that day but instead he spoke the words to this song. It is still the fastest I have ever written a song. It just poured onto the page. So here are the words to the song “Everlasting Love” and I’ll play it for you at the end of this message.
I know sometimes that you are bound to wonder,
If my love will always be the same.
Can’t you hear my heart it beats like thunder?
Even at them mention of your name.
Everlasting Love, when forever comes and goes,
I’ll still love you so and I’ll still want you to know,
If the sun falls from the sky, If the rivers all run dry,
There’ll be no reason for you to cry,
You’ll be safe inside, my everlasting love.
So put your fears aside and let me hold you.
Let a million years go rolling by,
Then you will believe these words I’ve told you,
By then you’ll know my love will never die.
Everlasting Love, when forever comes and goes,
I’ll still love you so and I’ll still want you to know,
If the sun falls from the sky, If the rivers all run dry,
There’ll be no reason for you to cry,
You’ll be safe inside, my everlasting love.
I proved my love for you,
While hanging on that tree,
I love you eternally.
Everlasting Love, when forever comes and goes,
I’ll still love you so and I’ll still want you to know,
If the sun falls from the sky, If the rivers all run dry,
There’ll be no reason for you to cry,
You’ll be safe inside, my everlasting love.
As you can imagine I sat there and wept for a long time. I was expecting punishment and correction and what I got was unconditional love. The awful day was my fault. I could have taken time to pray and let his peace fill my heart. There is no telling how he would have fixed things that day if I had given him the chance.
So next time you are having a bad day, take a few moments and pray and let his peace fill your heart and your mind. Remember he loves you so much that even the hairs of your head are numbered, and as he showed me in a vision once they are not just numbered but he designed your head and chose each hair for its specific place. That is how much you are loved.
He feed’s each individual bird and waters each individual flower and when they pass from here they return to his loving presence never to hunger or thirst again. You are much more precious to him than a bird or a flower.
I pray that you will learn from my mistake and not have the day I dad that awful day. I pray that you will always take time to pray no matter what your situation is. If you have time to breathe then you have time to pray. He sees and knows all and he loves you with an Everlasting Love.
I hope you are encouraged by these words and I hope you will listen with your heart to the song he sang to me because he loves you the same.
Until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
I pray that you will learn from my mistake and not have the day I dad that awful day. I pray that you will always take time to pray no matter what your situation is. If you have time to breathe then you have time to pray. He sees and knows all and he loves you with an Everlasting Love.
I hope you are encouraged by these words and I hope you will listen with your heart to the song he sang to me because he loves you the same.
Until next time,
Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
Click here for the song called Everlasting Love.
