Monday, February 13, 2023

"More Than Ever"

 "From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher
than I."
Psalm 61:2

When I am going through hard trials, my dear Mom often comes to mind, along with the things she used to say and do to encourage me. She always had a way of snapping me out of discouragement and coaxing me to pull myself up by the bootstraps and keep pressing on. One of the main ways she did that was by quoting Scripture to me. If I had a dollar for every time Mom reminded me of the following three passages, among many others, I would have quite a nest egg.

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."
I Peter 4:12,13

"If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"
Jeremiah 12:5

"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."
Proverbs 24:10

Mom, like her Daddy, my Papaw, was one of the most faithful prayer warriors I have ever known. I will never forget how after Papaw died, Mom used to say how much she missed her Daddy's prayers. My heart went out to her, but the impact of her words never really sunk in until Mom passed away, and I realized just how much I miss her prayers. Every time I find myself longing to pick up the phone to call Mom for prayer, I think of Revelation 14:13. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them."

To know that Mom's works—including the many prayers she prayed for me throughout my life are still "following her" and still being heard and answered by the dear Lord comforts me more than I can express.

Each time I am faced with a brand new trial, my typical first kneejerk reaction is usually to panic. No matter what God has done in the past or how many hard seasons He has pulled me through, a brand new trial is unfamiliar, unchartered territory. A fresh reminder that the future is unknown brings a sense of overwhelm that can quickly take over and plunge me into a spiral of debilitating fear. 

I believe that is the place from which many of the Psalms were written, and it was definitely the birthplace of my original song, "More than Ever." The lyrics are a heart-wrenched cry to God, not unlike David's anguished prayer in Psalm 69. The first two verses say, "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me." What is most impactful to me about Psalm 69 is that it contains profound prophetic words about our dear Lord and Savior, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who endured the most intense sense of feeling abandoned by God ever known to mankind. I encourage you to read all 36 verses of Psalm 69 and delve deep into its correlation to what Jesus suffered.

Though my words fall miserably short of the eloquence and anointing of King David, the Psalmist, I doubt if there is a person alive who cannot relate to what I was feeling when I wrote the song "More than Ever." I've been wanting to get it recorded and uploaded to our Mountain Hope YouTube channel to hopefully bring comfort and serve as a sort of prayer for others to sing when they find themselves in overwhelming circumstances. 

Fast forward to when Kevin, Zach, and I were invited to spend this past weekend in a beautiful Airbnb with our dear friends, David and Wanda. As David and I played and sang together, I told him I wanted to share a new song with him. I kid you not, David had never heard a note of "More than Ever" before the moment I started singing it Saturday night. I intended to play and sing it for him, then see if he could learn and play it with me. Imagine my shock when from the first strum of my guitar, David was lockstep in sync, and he played the song like he had known and played it for years! This video is the very first time we ever played this song together.

I hope you will overlook my mistakes and the poor lighting and focus on David's talent and the words.

If you are going through a hard trial or filled with fear, I pray with all my heart that the words to this song will become your anthem to God. And as the words flow from your lips, I trust Him to hear you and bring a deep sense of settled peace to your troubled soul. There is nothing too hard for Him. What touches your life touches His heart. I pray you believe that today and cling to Him with all your might, as we all need Him now more than ever.

18 comments:

  1. It is so precious that you remember the Biblical encouragement from your dear Mother. It is a wonderful testimony that you miss her prayers. You are blessed!

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    1. Mom was one of the most fervent prayer warriors I ever knew. I am so greatly blessed to have had all those prayers going up for me all those years, and I am also deeply grateful. God has had His hand on me my whole life. He is a wonderful Lord, and great is His faithfulness!

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  2. I absolutely love this song, Cheryl! You sing from your heart, a heart dedicated to serving the Lord no matter what. Thank you for the inspiration today!

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    1. Dear Martha, I am so thankful you love the song! Yes, it was certainly written and sung from the depths of my heart. Your kind words were so appreciated, and your sweet visit really blessed me. May God richly bless you always, sweet friend.

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  3. Cheryl, I so enjoyed listening to this song the first time I heard it, and your story behind it gives it more meaning. I surely do need the Lord more than ever. I know that He is with me. I prayed the words to the song as you sang.
    What a sweet mother you had! I am grateful for my mother's prayers for me and her family as well. What a legacy to give.
    That's amazing that you and David hadn't practiced the song beforehand! Definitely the Lord's leading!
    Praying for you, dear friend!
    Valentine

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    1. Dear Valentine, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sweet visit and kind words! It blesses me so much that you prayed the words to the song as I sang. Yes, my dear Mom was so precious, and I am so thankful to know that you have a praying mother, too. What a gift! It was truly amazing how quickly David picked up on the song and played it with such precision. He is super talented, and I am so blessed to be able to sing and play music with him. I deeply appreciate your prayers and am continuing to pray for you and your family, too. God bless you always, sweet friend.

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  4. This is such a beautiful song Cheryl, and you sing and play it so beautifully! I love how John was able to pick up and play along with you! Such a blessing to have family that have prayed over us! I too have been so blessed with praying grandmothers, mothers, mother in law, and so many more. So many times, I know their prayers continue to reach into my life each day. Prayer is such a powerful thing, we have no idea how prayer can change things, but through His wisdom, He orchestrated prayer as a means for a relationship with Him, and to minister to others too. Many blessings to you dear friend, I pray that the Lord mightily shines His blessings on your music!

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    1. Dear Mariyn, thank you so, so much for your kind words! I so appreciate you and your friendship, support, encouragement, and prayers! It was truly amazing how David learned it immediately. It was like he didn't have to learn it, and he already knew it. I am constantly amazed at how God works and gives us the desires of our hearts. I am so thankful to know how many prayer warriors God has used through the years to pour into your life! Mom always told me that prayer is a long-range weapon. It can reach however far it needs to, and what a comfort that even though many of those prayer warriors have already gone home to their reward, those prayers on our behalf are still reaching the throne today! I hope God will richly bless you for stopping by and leaving such precious encouragement. It meant the world to me. Sending much love and many blessings to you today!

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  5. Wow. That's amazing he was able to play alongside you. I love the song. It's beautiful. Thank you for sharing, Mrs. Smith. <3

    love,
    Ashley

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    1. You are so sweet, Ashley! Thank you so much for your kind words. Much love to you today, my friend.

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  6. what a lovely experience to hear you sing and read your powerful words all at the same time, friend. thank you for your vibrant testimony and sweet love for Jesus. you are such a blessing to so many of us. and your new book will spread the Word of the Lord to even more thirsty souls.

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    1. Dear Linda, how I thank you for your precious words of encouragement! I pray God will richly bless you for your kindness and that He will hold you so close as you grieve the loss of your dear friend. Thinking of you and praying for you tonight and sending love and hugs your way, sweet friend.

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  7. How beautiful is your song, dear Cheryl, and how amazing that David got right in tune with you. God works wonders, doesn’t He? I’m also so thankful that you had such a prayer warrior mother who influenced you so greatly. I sure hope and pray that my family sees and witnesses that in me. Thank you for sharing your lovely video with us. Blessings and prayers are with you, sweet friend

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    1. Oh, thank you so much, dear Kitty! God surely does work wonders. David is so talented and such a blessing to us. I am so thankful for my prayer warrior Mom, too. I know, without a doubt, that your family sees that in you, my friend. I see it in you, too. You are a precious child of God who is an enormous blessing in my life. I so appreciate your prayers, and I am praying for you, too, and sending much love to you.

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  8. Cheryl, I also miss my Mother’s prayers. I love the beautiful song, sweet friend, you are so gifted! Please forgive my tardiness in reading, we have been experiencing some health challenges.

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  9. Cheryl, I too have been tardy and like you with my blog, I do not see many blog post unless I purposely go to my reading list and then somehow I miss some. However, the timing of this this afternoon was perfect for me. You are gifted my friend. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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