Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thankful Thursday : Because He lives, we can face tomorrow











Dear Friends,

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for your prayers and encouragements.

♥ I am thankful to God for strengthening me and restoring me from my recent relapse of clinical depression. Around May recently, I over strained myself due to work, blogging, church, family and other commitments. By the time I realized it I was heading towards a burnout. Though I attempted to slow down, I still slipped into clinical depression. Thank God for preserving and restoring me. I am feeling so much better now and will continue to look to our Lord. Thank you for your prayers and encouragements!

♥ With this health condition, the future can at times seem very uncertain and fearful with possible relapses of clinical depression and all the pain and difficulties associated with it. I am thankful to God for the comfort and assurance in His Words of His presence with us, His love for us and His sufficient grace no matter what we may go through in this imperfect world. We have the hope of one day being with the Lord where there will be no more tears, illness and suffering. Meanwhile, He is with us. He loves us and will give us grace sufficient for each day.

♥ I am thankful to God that my illness has drawn me closer to God, to know more and more of His love and mercies, and to be more dependent upon Him. The Lord fills my heart daily with His love and joy so that I can rejoice in Him and find contentment in Him despite my condition.

♥ I am thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for giving me grace and courage to press on daily because He Lives! I am comforted that in the Bible, God tells us that Christ is risen and He is living today and interceding for us. His Spirit lives in us and will give us grace to live for Him until He calls us home. We are never alone!

♥ I am thankful to God for providing precious people in my life ie. my family, church, friends and blogging friends who love and care for me in their very wonderful ways. These are tokens of God's love for me and I treasure very much.

♥ I am thankful to God once again for all of you, my dear blogging friends and visitors. I have been so greatly blessed by all of you and I thank God upon every remembrance of you. It is wonderful to read of how God is guiding and blessing you in your walk with our Lord and it encourages me in my walk with God too. Thanks again for your prayers and encouragements.


I saw these videos on YouTube for this encouraging hymn "Because He Lives" and it strengthens my heart to remember anew that we served a Risen Savior Who loves us and is in control of all things. Therefore I can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, in God's strength and grace, because God holds the future and that makes life worth living.

Christianity Today has a touching account of how this Song was written by Bill and Gloria Gaither during a very traumatic time in their life in the early 1970s while expecting their third child. The timing for another baby wasn't ideal due to various reasons and the thought of bringing another child into the world was taking its toll. But God ministered grace to them and Christ's resurrection, in all its power, was reaffirmed in their hearts. They were assured that the future, left in God's hands, would be just fine.

In July 1970 a healthy baby, Benjamin, was born. Inspired by the miracle of their son's birth, "Because He Lives" poured out of the Gaithers' grateful hearts. The song clearly affirms the hope believers have in Christ. We can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, as we realize that God holds the future and makes life worth living.

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

Chorus: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to vict'ry,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!



This video "Because He Lives" By The Gaither Vocal Band is posted by hoover4000 on YouTube. The 2nd stanza was first written together with the chorus, 3rd and 1st stanza added subsequently:



This video "Because He Lives" By The Gaither Trio 1972 is posted by hoover4000 (with Gloria explaining the circumstances surrounding the time she wrote the words to "because he lives" and then the gaither trio sings it (from 1972)) (This is very touching. Must see!)



May the wonderful reminder that we serve a Risen Savior, affirms the hope we have in Christ. We can face tomorrow, with all its uncertainty, as we realize that God holds the future and that makes life worth living!

May you continue to know God's love and sufficient grace in very special ways today and everyday!

How about you? How has the Lord blessed you through the past week?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a blessed and thankful day!

For more participants of Thankful Thursday, do visit Iris at Sting My Heart. It will be a very blessed and spiritually uplifting experience for you!

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post, Nancie. I battle depression, though it is mostly controlled with medicine; however, when "life" gets out of hand, it can get out of hand as well, so I know what you mean. I'm praying for your recovery and just so thankful for your thankful heart! God bless you for sharing, friend!

Anonymous said...

Praise God Nancie...I know I do for the times HE has been the ONLY
ONE to take me through my clinical depressions or balance me in times of mania! I thank Our Lord that you have listened to Him this week and during this long struggle of recovery to KNOW HE is in CONTROL!
Thant HE is YOUR STRENGTH and YOUR SHIELD! HE is YOUR HEALER! He is your RESTORER! HE is your COUNSELOR! He is YOUR FRIEND!
HE is OUR REDEEMER because HE LIVES! And you know how HE LIVES in you and in me and in the Body of Christ throughout this world!

Jesus reigns! Jesus reigns over BpD and any health issue! Jesus is with you through this battle! Jesus is with us through our struggles! Jesus is speaking
to ALL of us in this imperfect world with HIS HOPE through YOU~
NANCIE!!! You have shared from your heart and His wisdom! Thank you so much for sharing and being obedient to speak! Thank you for sharing the Gaithers and the history of BECAUSE HE LIVES!

May GOD be exalted through your powerful message and thankful heart! You have expressed HIS HOPE and my hope in Jesus Christ as is YOUR HOPE in HIS GRACE that moves us FORWARD into His GLORY in HIM!
Bless you and thank you for giving me the privilege to call you friend and share Our Lord as sisters! God does make LIFE WORTH the LIVING just because HE LIVES!

Anonymous said...

Bless your precious heart. I totally understand depression, but our God is bigger than anything. I love you.

Anonymous said...

AMEN sister! I love the song "BECAUSE HE LIVES, I CAN FACE TOMORROW"! Thanks for sharing Nancie. Great post. Have a nice TT! God Bless~

Anonymous said...

hi nancie! I will always remember to include you in my prayers, I know it's not that easy but God is with you and He will never leave you. Thank you for being such an inspiration to many! Blessings my dear!

Anonymous said...

Hi My friend..

Oh Nancie, I am so glad you recognized what was happening to you and were able to fight against your depression.

Your words are encouragement to all who must deal with sadness. Thank you for your boldness to share your life with all of us.

Lord, hold my Nancie in your arms. Protect her and Lord, bind the enemy who wants to defeat her. In Jesus powerful name, Amen.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancie, this is such a beatiful post. It is very comforting to know that you are safe and well in God's hands eventhough you are battling with depression.

I've always loved your song choices. Because He Lives has evoked such sweet memories of my childhood time at chapel back then. This was one of the songs we always sang.

Have a blessed day, dear friend!

Anonymous said...

Hi Dear One! I praise God that you are praising Him through the storms of life.

I too, love the song Because He Lives. It's been a favorite for years.

Have a blessed week.

Anonymous said...

A great list of thanks to our Risen Savior. Be blessed my sister in the Lord and thanks so much for sharing. every testimony to God demonstrates a life knowing to wom I belong. what a great God we serve and how He so dearly cares for us.

Anonymous said...

Lord, i pray for complete healing for nancie. in Jesus' name, amen.

God loves you and He has your best interest at heart. hang in there sis.

Anonymous said...

An amazing post, Nancie. I also can relate to your clinical depression and to your knowledge that your strength comes from the Lord.

What a wonderful woman of God you are!

Anonymous said...

Nancie,

What a great post. You take care of yourself, sister. I'm sorry I have been a bit scarce. I'm trying to get the hang of my job. Hopefully, I'm getting it.

Take care.

Have a great weekend!

Cheryl

Anonymous said...

I am thankful that you have overcome the battles before you, Nancie. With God's help, you will overcome anything. God bless you always.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing that beautiful song with me!! God speaks to me through music time and time again!!

And what a wonderful list of things to be thankful for--even in the darkest of times, there are still always things to be thankful for!!

Beth

Anonymous said...

Nancie,

I am sending you a hug cyber hug.

Your transparency about your struggles is blessing so many people. The way you seek Him and know that He is the answer no matter what we face is encouraging many I am sure. You are a beautiful picture of God's grace lived out.

Praying for continued peace in your heart and mind as He works in your life through this trial. Praying for a healing touch upon your mind as well!

Love and many blessings!
Jill

Anonymous said...

How great it is to hear that God is sustaining and encouraging you! Depression is serious and needs treatment to be sure, but I think those times can be beneficial if you draw near to God. On the radio the other day, a pastor suggested that without depression, many of the Psalms would never have been written. And I have found that the times when life seemed the hardest, where the times when I was the most aware of God's presence. So keep hanging in there. You are an inspiration. I'm thankful for YOU.

Anonymous said...

I really got what you were saying about the future seeming dismal with such a condition. I thought about that even for myself...without depression, my life is hopeless without the Lord. Praise Him for the hope and healing he brings. Thanks for being so real.

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancie,

I'm so blessed God was with you once again as you battle depression.

I love the song you shared and learning the meaning behind it now.

Hope you have a very blessed TT♥

Anonymous said...

Nancie, I have always loved listening to music from the Gaithers. Their music was played in my home much as I was growing up... my mother often played their music on the piano and my father sang many of their songs in church. They always bring such sweet memories. "Because He Lives" has always been one of my favorites, but I had never heard the story of how they came to write the song. Wow... very powerful! Also brings new meaning to the words for me... particularly the verse speaking of "how sweet to hold a newborn baby". Thanks so much for sharing this with us today.

I am so thankful that you are feeling better and that you continue to bless my heart each time I visit. Happy Thankful Thursday, my friend!

Anonymous said...

Praising God with you today sweet friend, that even in difficult and uncertain times, we can face tomorrow, knowing who is in control. What a beautiful and encouraging promise we have in Him! Praying God continues to sustain you with His love & strength.

Thank you for sharing these beautiful words and their history. We always sing this hymn on Baby Dedication Sunday. As we begin the stanza about holding a newborn baby, the parents walk down the aisle with their little ones. Never fails to touch my heart.

Blessings,
Tracy

Anonymous said...

Thank you, thank you for sharing your experience. It really gives me hope to carry on. Thanks for sharing also, the story of the song; God does honor our faith in Him.

Anonymous said...

Nancie, I had not idea you had a relapse. I couldn't tell it from your posts. I think we all tend to stretch ourselves too far sometimes. "Just be gentle with yourself" is some of the best advice I have heard in blogdom so I am passing it on to you. Take good care. Blessing to you always...

Anonymous said...

Your post title transported me right back to my childhood church - I can hear the son in my mind and feel myself standing in the pew beside my mother. What a lovely memory! Blessings to you in the week ahead!!

Anonymous said...

Nancie, thank you for opening up your heart to share how our Lord has sustained you in the midst of your deep struggle & will keep sustaining you until you're home with Him! How wonderful to know that we are never alone!!
With Prayers for Blessings, Peace & Joy!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing your heart with us and I praise God that we can face each day, each moment BECAUSE HE LIVES. I pray His hand upon you and what a wonderful thing to hear you give Him praises even during a dark time. God bless, Laurie

Anonymous said...

Oh, He shines so beautifully in you. I just know He is using this in your life to help others. I just love your honesty and your fierce love for God. Blessings to you!

Anonymous said...

Lovely post Nancie...I am thankful to have found this lovely community as well...it's so nice to have friends like you here in BLOGland!

Anonymous said...

Nancie, I so love that song! Isn't God just amazing how he can use words of songs to minister to our hearts! I pray that you are strengthed today!

Anonymous said...

You are so cool, i love your honesty, and hope many are helped through what you publish here,

Anonymous said...

Thank you for that, Nancie. I love that song.

Anonymous said...

Nancie, I LOVE this song...it captures the true meaning and significance of our lives and our reason for living and pressing on! I've always loved this song...my best friend Pooja and I sang it as part of a medley a month or so back.

________________

Oh, Nancie, I can relate so much to your struggles with clinical depression and relapses, etc. I've dealt with this as long as I can remember...was officially diagnosed and began treatment (with prescribed meds.) about 10 yrs. ago.

I agree too that this condition has brought me so much closer to the Lord and has helped make me be more dependent upon Him! (That's a great way to look at it...as a blessing, indeed!)

Thanks so much for your post!
Blessings, Janet

Anonymous said...

Praise the Lord! He Lives! So we can Live! Thank you so much for blessing my heart today! I sang along and cried and the same time. Such beautiful message! God is in control!!! He knows best... all the time.

Thank you so much Nancy for your encouraging words on your post as well as when you post comments on my blog. You are such a blessing to me! God bless you dear friend!

Anonymous said...

Hi Nancie - I'm so glad you're on the road to recovery. You are a precious daughter of the Most High God. Bless you sweet sister. :)

Anonymous said...

Nancie - praying for you. Yes it's all because He lives that we can face tomorrow. God is with us every step - He never leaves us Nancie. Thanks for sharing your heart. Blessings.

Anonymous said...

Dear all, thanks for stopping by and all your encouragements. Take care and God bless!