Many of you will remember this song from the late 1970' s by the Hemphills; a simple, profound. toe tapping song. Read the lyrics:
He's
Still Working on Me
He's still working on
me
To make me what I
ought to beIt took Him just a week
To make the moon and stars
Sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
He's still working on me
There really ought to
be
A sign upon the heartDon't judge me yet
There's an unfinished part
But I'll be perfect just
According to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands
In the mirror of His
Word
Reflections that I
seeMake me wonder why
He never gave up on me
He loves me as I am
And helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay
This is one of my mornings when my brain is in gear with so many thoughts rumbling the the attic of my brain. I will be singing this song among others twice today. When you read the lyrics, the profoundness of the words really cascade over my soul. As a sixty-seven year old man, I find the essence of this song to be as applicable to me today as they did when I was ten. See, I believe that for God's children, as long as we have life, a gift from God, that we have a work to do and likewise, God will continue to work on us. I personally can testify this morning morning that I sense God's crafting in me each day I am given; what a blessing that is!
Just this morning I awoke with the thoughts of a young jail inmate I met a few weeks ago and was impressed with what I saw. I cannot begin to count the times that sense has touched me when meeting a jail inmate during a chapel service. There is just that inexplicable something that touches my heart. I found that inmate on FB and wrote a brief message of encouragement; at 4 am this morning. I immediately got a response indicating that that person needed that word of encouragement and I invited, begged that that inmate come to my church Sunday. That, for me, is part of the miracle of God's timing of events for His children.
There are so many that will read this that are facing some really tangible, painful circumstance and in many, not all, cases, the circumstance of the pain is self induced thus reaping the harvest of consequences for poor choices. But from that pain, chastening is a right word here, God is doing His work in each of some. Another song I sing has a lyric that says;
Sometimes He calms the storm, Sometimes He calms me, Sometimes the storm rages but but I feel the sweetest peace
That is a perfect description of the Christ centered walk I believe. None of us like the storm but we all learn from the storm for there is a next new storm on the horizon. I want my blog this morning to be a pearl of encouragement for whoever reads this this day. I feel such a closeness to my family all of which are still asleep. My twleve year old grandson is on a mission trip in Panama City Beach, FL and my prayer has been that God would use that trip to reveal some spiritual realities for his young life. I meet people everyday that are simply amazing to me and many are in their own storm so my hope and my prayer is that God can use me to lift them from the fears and worries usually via somgs I get to sing. I love that ministry in song for it is I that stands most blessed.
I will close simply by stating that God is never done with us until He takes us home. We live in a world of chaos and angst on a scale I could have never imagined. But through all of that I can rest assured that, yes, God is still working on me to MAKE ME WHAT I OUGHT TO BE.
I love that song and am grateful that He is still working on me, as this gives me great hope. As I look back on my life I can now see that I made some bad choices. And, while I do feel that I have learned a great deal from those experiences, I would now make better choices if I could go back and do it all again. But, as they say, "hind sight is 20/20". I pray that my future choices will be better and wiser.
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