1990 Issue 10 - Ordained Praise, Part 3 - Counsel of Chalcedon
-
Upload
chalcedon-presbyterian-church -
Category
Documents
-
view
220 -
download
0
Transcript of 1990 Issue 10 - Ordained Praise, Part 3 - Counsel of Chalcedon
-
8/12/2019 1990 Issue 10 - Ordained Praise, Part 3 - Counsel of Chalcedon
1/2
ORDAINED
PRAISE
y Judy Rogers
Anne Fuller Anderson:
Her
Candle
o
Faith
Her
Song
o
Praise
"How
fiT l
a foundation,
ye
saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith
in
His excellent word.
What more can He say
than to you He hath said
to you who for refuge
to Jesus have fled."
These words are one of the earliest memories
of
my
childhood. From the time I was a very little girl my
precious grandmother, Anne Fuller Anderson,
would sing this and other of the great old hymns.
The melody would drift throughout the rooms ofher
small house along with the delightful aroma of the
country breakfast she was preparing.
My
senses
were awakened: the smell aroused my body--the
sound of the song stirred my young soul.
Psalm 71 gives us vivid examples of godly praise,
"My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your
splendor all day long " "My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to you," ... My tongue will tell
of your righteous acts. all day long " Gran_ny
followed this example fatthfully, and though I realize
it now more than then, her praise had a trememdous
impact on
my
budding spiritual life.
I thank God that both my father's parents, Marion
Calvin and U
na
Belcher,
and
my mother's parents,
Elihu and Anne Anderson were Christians. I
wonder if grandparents have any idea how much
they influence their grandchildren, whether they
make a concious effort to do so or not
Granny Anne was a hymn singer. (or w h s t l ~ r ) and
she ministered to me and others m our fam1ly even
though, I imagine, she never really knew we w ~ r e
listening. One thing that strikes me about her :pra.tse
in song is that even after many sorrows and tr1als, a
song
of
praise would always return. Her beloved 2
year old son, Tom, was killed in a shO?ting accident
in the Air Force, but she lived to smg a song of
praise again. o ~ could
~ h i s
be?
e c ~ u s e
her
praise was rooted m her fatth m a sovere1gn
God
who continually kept her through His power and
love.
In Psalm 71 there is a prayer for long l ife--not for
selfish pursuits
but
for this godly goal: "Even when
I am old and gray, do not forsake me, 0 God, till I
declare your power to the
next
generation, your
might to all who are to come '' Granny was able to
do this. She lived to age 86 and was blessed to see
her children's children
How would you fill in this blank: "
My
mouth is
filled with . I was struck
one
day with all
the complaining, fretting, gossiping, arguing, and
boasting that proceed
from
our mouths.
_f we
praised and prayed
half
as much as we goss1p _and
grumble, we . would P ~ < ; > b a b l y see
g r ~ a t
thmgs
accomplished m our farmhes and for the kmgdom
of
God Psalm 71:8 fills in that blank with the proper
word: My mouth is filled with your praise,
declaring your splendor all day long " C o ~ l d our
lack of praise
be
due to a lack of love for this great
God? Could our lack of love be due to our small
vision
of
such an awesome Lord? God loves to hear
the praises of His people. Are our children and
grandchildren learning this from our example?
I will close with a song that I wrote for
my
children
to encourage them to keep t ~ e "candle of
~ a i t h "
burning throughout the generations,
for
there will
be
no praise where there is no living faith in the praise
worthy God. Only
He
can light. that candle
of
a i ~ ;
but
inasmuch as we
are
responsible to pass
our
fatth
down through our example, our teaching and our
praise,
we
must do so with the hope that His Spirit
will cause
it
to take root in the hearts and lives ofour
children.
Maybe it's time to take the gr:eat old hymns home
with us. Sing them
from
the kitchen, the shower,
or
on walks.
Let
us leave our children a legacy of
praise
Candle of Faith
I had a grandmother loving and kind
a hardworking, God fearing lady;
And He lit a candle o faith in her heart,
And
we
saw
it
burning inside her.
The Counsel of Cbalcedon December 1990 Page 23
-
8/12/2019 1990 Issue 10 - Ordained Praise, Part 3 - Counsel of Chalcedon
2/2
Candle
of
Faith
Though through many sorrows
t
flickered and faded
He kept it burning so brightly;
And she passed the candle to
her
children sayblg,
"Never let
it
die--hold
i t
tightly."
In her daughter, my mother, He was the bright
light,
Shining by night and by day.
And when we were lost
or
wandering in
darknt $5
Her candle lighted the way.
And through many sorroWs it flickered and faded ,
But He kept it burning so brightly
And she passed the candle to her children praying,
"Never let it die-hold it
tightly."
Chorus
He a ~ n d l e of faith in their heSrts,
And with His glory their darkness was rilled
Lord, make it shine through the coming
generation
Like a
city
that's set on a hill.
Down through the years I have guarded the candle,
Though often the flame has grown dim.
And I know . hat my light
will
only be radiant
By faithfully trusting in Him.
Now I pass the candle to my children praying
That in them His love will remain
~ may they hold fast to the faith or their
fathers
"Keep the candle burning--never break the Chain "
Psalm 71 recorded In song on Pllgrm'a Pr Judy
Roaen
1991 n
The Counsel or Chalcedon December 1990 Page 24
N o n P r o ~ i t
Org.
U.S. 'Postage
PAID
ULK
R TE
PermitNo 1553
f he expiration code next to your name is 9111
(November, '90) or lower,
oi
if there is no
code ffidicated c:Uter your name, we would
greatly appreciate a checlc from you in the
amount
of
$25.00 to help
us
meet our expenses.