Here's Pastor Alan Wright with Today's Blessing: a Biblical Faith-Filled Vision. for your life. Open up your heart to receive today's blessing rooted in Philippians 4.
Sometimes we must grieve.
Sometimes we must cry.
Sometimes we must lament.
Sometimes. But there is an always. an assignment for every day. A gift for every moment. Rejoice in the Lord always again.
I say rejoice.
So I bless you to enjoy the always-ness of joy. May you rejoice, have joy again and again. again. May you find deep cause in Christ for rejoicing in His grace, no matter today's hurdles. You're made.
for rejoicing. And that's the gospel. Pastor, author, and Bible teacher Alan Wright. If you're going to receive this song, it's going to start coming out from you also. You know, it's like what goes in us is what we have to give.
That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt. Excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, The Untroubled Heart, as presented at Renolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.
It can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries.
So, as you listen to today's teaching, today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Just contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastoralen.org. or call 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860.
More on this later in the program. But right now. Let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Pastor Alan Wright. C.S.
Lewis in his The Magician's Nephew, one of the chronicles. Stories. has this scene where there are several people from ordinary world, including two children, who get to witness the creation of Narnia. Get to witness the creation of of God represented through Aslan the lion, who's the Christ figure. And it's so Beautiful and wondrous.
It's worthy of reading you an excerpt. In the darkness, something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. The most beautiful noise he'd ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it.
The blackness overhead all at once was blazing with stars. They didn't come out gently one by one as they do on a summer evening. One moment there had been nothing but darkness, and next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out. And all the time the voice went on singing. The eastern sky changed from white to pink and from pink to gold, and the voice rose and rose till all the air was shaking with it.
It was a lion. Huge, shaggy, and bright, it stood facing the risen sun. Its mouth was wide open in song. And as he walked and sang, the valley grew green with grass. It's spread out from the lion like a pool.
It ran up the sides of the little hills like a wave. And soon there were other things beside grass. The slopes grew dark with heather.
Now the song had once more changed. It was like what we would call a tune, but was also far wilder. It made you want to run and jump and climb. Showers of birds came out of trees. Butterflies fluttered.
Bees got to work on the flowers as if they hadn't a second to lose. And now you could hardly hear the song of the Lord. There was so much calling, cooing, crowing, braying, neighing, baying, barking, lowing, bleeding, and trumpeting. Then there came a swift flash like a fire. Either from the sky or from the lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's bodies, and the deepest, wildest voice they'd ever heard was saying.
Narnia, nornia, nornia. Awake. What if God made the world by singing? Maybe you were born from A song. Sam Storms has written a whole book based on this Zephaniah verse.
He called it The Singing God. Sam speculates. that the reason that the cosmos is so vast That there's so much Space. Is that God needed a place. for the grandeur of his song.
He needed room to Belt out his booming voice. Zephaniah says He sings with loud rejoicing. but also with quiet. What do you think God's singing voice is like? John Piper answered the question for himself.
Writing, I hear the booming of Niagara Falls mingled with the trickle of a mossy mountain stream. I hear the blast of Mount St. Helens mingled with a kitten's purr. I hear the power of an east coast hurricane and the barely audible puff. of a night snow in the woods.
And I hear the unimaginable roar of the sun, 865,000 miles thick, 1,000 degrees centigrade. But I hear this. Unimaginable roar mingled with the tender, warm crackling of logs in the living room on a cozy winter's night. His voice, Zephaniah, prophesied. is like Quiet.
But it is also like A praise song. that he's singing over you. I had read before we had our first child that children. Are able to hear while they're in utero. And so it was a song popular at the time.
I decided that the song I would sing for Bennett before he was born was as the deer. And so every day I'd go over to Ann's Belly and I'd sing As the Deer. Are you listening in there, little one? And it was so interesting because after he was born, that if he was agitated in his crib. I could try singing any number of songs that didn't do anything, but as soon as I'd sing as the deer, He acquired now.
What if Maybe the love that we have for music and for great songs and beautiful songs and lullabies and love songs is that. We're just composing music that's a faint reflection of what he's been singing over us for eons. His song is. It's comforting, but a song in its healing. We saw last week This contrast between Israel's first two kings, King Saul.
Who lived by the flesh, and David, who lived by the spirit, King Saul, who tried to control everything, David, who was a worshiper. And we saw how. When Saul became embittered and jealous, That it was as if it invited a demonic spirit into his life, and he began to be demonized and afflicted. And so they brought in David, who was the best. The best musician and worshipper to come in and play the lyre and sing.
And the anointed music would drive out the evil because. The song can be healing. It's one of the things we've found in the process of praying for people to be healed is as good if we could have music. just immersing their environment, especially scripture-laden.
Songs. It was so amazing. In the prayer room this morning, and Karen and I, one of our elders was, Coming in and joining in our prayer, not even knowing who our text was today. And they have been through a beautiful and Wonderful and harrowing and delightful journey with the birth of Kaelin's baby girl, Rayleigh. And she came into the world and then they discovered something wasn't working right in the digestive tract, so she had to have surgery.
It was a rough thing to spend about seven of your first hours of your life in surgery. and everything's reconnected and it's working. But I loved what Karen, you said in the prayer rooms: like, we're holding her and singing to her, and the singing is healing her. And I believe it. We're healed by the songs of God.
That's Alan Wright. and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Do you ever feel like your heart just can't rest? Like no matter how much you try, peace always seems just out of reach.
So many of us wrestle with anxious what-ifs. leaving our hearts restless and unsettled. But Jesus offers us something the world cannot give. His own peace. The calm of his very heart.
This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is the Untroubled Heart, a powerful digital bundle including audio messages and a digital study guide. In this series, Pastor Alan unpacks Jesus' promise from John 14, 27. I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does.
So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid. With practical insight and biblical encouragement, You'll discover how to quiet anxious thoughts and rest in Christ's peace that endures. When you give today to support Allen Wright Ministries, we'll send you the Untroubled Heart digital bundle as our thanks. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-500. Five four four 4860. That's 877.
Five four four four four four four four four four four four four. 4860. or come to our website. PastorAllen.org. That day's teaching now continues.
Here once again is Alan Wright. I got a call to the ministry when I was a junior in college. Then when I was a senior, I began having some intellectual struggles with my faith. And it was scary to me because I knew I had had this call from God and I was going to be in the ministry, but I needed some things to go from my head down into my heart. I was a really intellectual kind of student, you know, and I thought about it, but I needed it in my heart.
And that senior year, I was going through this struggle. I was having sleeplessness, and I was having. headaches and I was just, I guess, just thinking about this existential problem of being called to the ministry and yet not having some other kind of inward sense of the felt affections of God in my life. About that time I met this beautiful student named Ann and she We had a weird courtship because um I would plague her with troubling questions of the faith. This is not a great way to court somebody.
I felt like looking back, you know, Ernest T. Bass on Andy Griffin? He tried to court the darling's daughter. I can't remember her name, the darling's daughter, you know. And the way he'd do it, he'd throw a rock through her window with some nose on something.
I don't know, I was like, throw a zinger or two.
Well, how could you? Worship a God who you say is so good, and yet there's so much evil in the world. You know, I've come to all these questions like that all the time.
Well, how how can there how can it be possible that the Bible says we're predestined, but also says that we have free will? And I mean, that seems inconsistent. What do you do with that? And looking back on it, of course, I realize I wasn't really looking for her to answer, finally, the unanswerable questions of all the centuries. I wasn't looking for her facts.
I was looking for her song. That song that I saw living inside of her. Ah, you can get facts and information. But a song will change your life. We had this song we sang at our intervarsity meeting, Sweet Adoration, that was called.
A little sweet song and I'd play the guitar at the university meetings and up there leading it. Yeah. not feeling it as much, but. Boy Ann did. And that kind of became a little song that Sometimes in the most troubling times, she'd just sing it.
She'd just sing it to me, sing it over me. The second verse says, When I'm troubled, My heartache and struggle. I come and adore you. You take me away. From all worldly sensation and endless temptation, all of my trials.
or lost in your love. I'm very thankful for a wife who even to today after nearly 40 years of marriage. would sing that over me on a troubling day. And just take it in. The song is Comforting, the song of God is healing, but the song of God is shaping us.
Because I think we're shaped by music, don't you think?
so shaped by music and so this invisible song is not heard with Natural ears, but spiritual ears, what you're hearing from God. is shaping you. I loved putting the kids to bed when they were little, especially when they're just babies. I love babies. I like babies.
Babies, you know, like the kids got older, and then they get that age where they beg for one more story and one more page and one more, you know, and it goes on and on. And it's just this battle every night, you know, like to get them to bed. And there was at least one time I was actually in the middle of making up a story. And I fell asleep during my own thing and started talking. started talking nonsense.
in the middle of that. I just had a great time when they're babies because they can't do anything about it, you know? You just hold them and you can pray over them as long as you want. You know, you can just You can just sing over them and they just got to take it. And I just believe they're being shaped.
I believe they're being shaped by that, you know.
So they had a little lullaby. I don't remember ever sitting down and. writing their lullabies, but When Bennett was born, I just sang it every Every night you are my baby boy. I'll never forget it. You are my baby boy.
And your Father really loves you. Oh, how much he loves you. Never will he leave you. Never will he deceive you. But always Always.
He will believe. In you. Where you are. Always will be. My baby boy.
That was your song. Every night. Every night, if I was in town, if I was home, I had seen it. Good night, baby boy. And it's partly just the song that I wish I'd had a dad who could have sung that over me and meant it.
that he'd never leave. That's a song we all need. From our Heavenly Father. But it's also. Shaping.
Abby's little songs like it. There will never come the day. And my love will go away. It will always be There will never be an hour Then my love will lose its power it will Always be There will never be a minute When my love won't have you in it, it will Always be Your father's love will always be Holding you. Good night, baby girl.
Karen said this morning, you know, been so many hours looking at babies and praying for this grandbaby and I love what you said so much. If a baby doesn't have somebody to rock her, she'll try to rock herself. We'll end up Maybe living our lives like that. All the things we're doing. when things get out of whack.
It's maybe just some attempt to Lullaby ourselves. But we're shaped by the song of God's love If you can hear it. Because his song is like mighty Aslan's voice. It carries more authority than any voice in this world that ever let us down. It carries with it this deep, resonant warmth.
but it also has in it a quietness. Yeah. It's very interesting the phrase quiets us with his love. The scholars debate how it should be translated. It might mean he quiets us.
like a lullaby quiets A frightened baby. He quiets us with his love. Or it might mean that he grows quiet. in his love for us. Sam Storms said one day a parishioner called up and she was just excited because she seen something in the scripture and she wanted to tell her pastor what she was learning and see what he thought.
And so she was going on and on about this revelation she'd been getting from God's Word and Pastor Sam Storms was just quiet. And it was one of those phone calls where eventually she said, Pastor Sam, are you still there? And he just said, yes, I'm just listening. and enjoying you. And she said later to him, That meant so much.
I never really thought of being enjoyed like that. Beloved, God enjoys you. Maybe he just sometimes gets quiet. in his love for you. Because he enjoys the sight of you.
And sometimes he just is Erupting in Big songs, just happy songs over you, like a praise song, like a happy song. Pastor Alan Wright. Today's good news message when God sings, and it's from our series, The Untroubled Heart. Pastor Alan is back with us in the studio as he shares his parting good news thought for the day in just a moment. Unlock the power of blessing your life.
Discover God's grace-filled vision for your life by signing up for Alan Wright's free daily blessing. If you want to fill your heart with grace and encouragement, get Alan Wright's Daily Blessing. It's free, and just a click away at pastoralan.org. Do you ever feel like your heart just can't rest? Like no matter how much you try, peace always seems just out of reach.
So many of us wrestle with anxious what-ifs. leaving our hearts restless and unsettled. But Jesus offers us something the world cannot give. His own peace. the calm of his very heart.
This month's featured resource from Pastor Alan is the untroubled heart. A powerful digital bundle, including audio messages and a digital study guide. In the series, Pastor Alan unpacks Jesus' promise from John 14, 27. I leave you peace. My peace I give you.
I do not give it to you as the world does.
So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid. With practical insight and biblical encouragement, you'll discover how to quiet anxious thoughts and rest in Christ's peace that endures. When you give today to support Alan Wright Ministries, we'll send you the Untroubled Heart digital bundle as our thanks. The gospel is shared when you give to Allen Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.
When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Allen Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-500. Five four four. 4860.
That's 877. Five four four four four four four four four four four four four. 4860. Or come to our website. PastorAllen.org.
Back here with Pastor Alan in the studio with our parting good news thought for the day. And as we place the bookmark here, when God sings, you know, you hear about the love of God so much that maybe sometimes it doesn't, you know, carry the same weight. You might think of the love of God like the love of country, like I love my country, you know, but you don't think about every unique person in this country or every blade of grass in our country that you love. But you mentioned the word affection. the affection of God and the singing of God over us.
This is really life-changing.
Well, it just makes me think so much about how every chance that I had, I'd put the kids to bed and I had a song that I'd sing for each of them. Yeah. It was their own lullaby. Yeah. From the time that they were babies.
And, you know, it's for some of our listeners, it might be a difficult thought to even imagine. God being like that, that he In a sense, it has a lullaby that he sings over you, but this is truly what Zephaniah prophesied, and it is the very nature of God, and it's what Jesus put on display. It is. a felt love, an affectionate love, a real love. And it has in it in the song of God, it has healing in it.
It has power in it. It has joy in it. And so there's a sense, I'm speaking of a metaphor. but it's like tuning your heart to a song. to be in touch with the love of God.
Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-577-1. 544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free.
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