The Purpose and Benefit of This Journal
As statesd previously, the purpose of this meandering series of thoughts and meditations is primarily to vent my own feelings as I go sauntering (mentally) through my day. It is therapeutic and – perhaps – it may help someone else who reads these words and experiences similar thoughts as I, to deal with them. Who ever knows what soul he may edify or exhort or comfort? The series will continue until – until it stops tomorrow or the day after or sometime in the indefinite future.
My Journal – 6/16/11
Thursday 6/16/2011 6:28 PM
Today, at the above date and time I belatedly realize that yesterday (Wed., 6/15) during a thunderstorm my computer blacked out – I lost electrical power (only to the computer) for several hours. Now I recall what I have often said when all systems were “go,” that “nothing happens to the child of God for no reason; there has to be some good in it somewhere.” Do I now stand on what is Truth or do I, spineless, eat what were merely the words of a mortal, this untutored mortal?
Well now – where is the good, even a minimal good in this? To add to the damage, I lost a couple of paragraphs of my original text because of the power outage, and I can’t recall what the text consisted of. So I did what I had to do – eat my words of confidence in God? No! I stood steadfast on what I believe, and that is that all things indeed work out for the best to one who trusts God. And I rewrote the words I had lost. They are not verbatim nor are they necessarily better written, but I am convinced the words are better suited to God’s purpose for this particular project at this particular time.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28)
My Journal – 6/16/11
Thursday 6/16/2011 6:28 PM
Please forgive the following entry for being out of chronological order. This is not the correct date or time of these musings, but it strikes me as being both. Sometimes I go by my gut feeling. AJS
In the Upper Room
Back in the 1960’s my church in Columbus, Ohio had a radio program on WVKO and frequently the listeners would request that my father sing "In the Upper Room with Jesus.” I wasn’t really enamored of the song at the time, but it is interesting how much experience and circumstances and just growing older can alter one’s thinking.
I feel so much in the upper room at this time with Jesus. I know, I know, I have already had the experience – minus the literal tongues of fire and the sound of the rushing, mighty wind of course – when I initially received God's Spirit into my life and into my heart, but I feel as though I am reliving that experience. As I said, it is minus the tongues of fire and the sound of the rushing mighty wind – but if God would turn His rheostat up just a smidgen, this event could become a literal fact with me and millions of saints all around the globe.
In the upper room… in the upper room… the melody and the words, which are not of themselves unforgettable, keep intruding into my thoughts and my moments of prayer and meditation until I finally concentrate on melody and words only and let them be my sweet time of being alone with my God.
I have never forgotten how my father would belt out the song, but it is just now catching up with me emotionally. His voice was not so vibrant and strong as it used to be (he was in his 70’s), but it still carried a certain resonance and volume, as though he were himself reliving the Upper Room experience.
Now I his sometime errant son can't seem to shake the words and the melody – and I don't want to. Thank God for the Upper Room event in my life; and thank God that it is still real today and giving me a greater buzz than it ever did, some 78 years later!
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