Sing It Again

By Brenda Black

In Music City, USA, there is a saying: “It all starts with a song.” Nashville hopefuls aren't the first to understand the power of music and lyrics combined. The Patriarch Moses penned his own composition with hopes that it would pierce the hearts of Israel and turn them back to God. Like songs from childhood that hover in the recesses of our mind until needed for comfort or conviction is Moses haunting anthem.

“Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

“They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” (Deuteronomy 32:1-6)

Moses' lyrics from centuries ago go on to aptly depict the divine provision of God for our nation as well. “He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye...The Lord alone led him; no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him...” (vs. 10-13)

And like Israel, America has “abandoned the God who made [her] and rejected the Rock [her] Savior. They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols. They sacrificed to demons, which are not God – gods they had not known, gods that recently appeared, gods your fathers did not fear. You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.” (vs. 15b-18)

The result for Israel and the fallout we are seeing today in America: “The Lord saw this and rejected them because he was angered by his sons and daughters. 'I will hide my face from them,' he said, 'and see what their end will be; for they are a perverse generation, children who are unfaithful.'” (vs. 19-20)

On the very day Moses recited the verses, the Lord told him of his imminent death. Moses' parting words to a stiff-neck people: “They are a nation without sense, there is no discernment in them. If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!” (vs. 28-29)

Singer-songwriter Tom Waits may like Moses' masterpiece for he says, “I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things.”

But better that we think like author Sarah Dessen and believe that people will come to their senses for she contends that “Music is the great uniter. An incredible force. Something that people who differ on everything else can have in common.”

The alternative to heeding Moses' musical message is weighty. “I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.” (vs. 41b)

But for the faithful few, Moses' saves a final verse. “Rejoice, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take vengeance on his enemies and make atonement for his land and people.” (vs. 43)

Praise God, the remnant will always sing! Not songs of disaster and doom, but of life and liberty! “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13b)

If music, as Maria von Trapp believes, “acts like a magic key, to which the most tightly closed hearts open,” then I pray that Moses' song penetrates this present darkness. You who belong to the remnant, sing it again! Our nation needs to hear it.  

The Seventh Shepherd

By Brenda Black


Smooth and warm to the hand, the shepherd's crook is both tool and a work of art. The shepherd who carries it masterfully captures straying lambs or rescues endangered sheep from raging waters and ravaging wolves. He totes it gracefully and balanced upon his arm as an extension of himself, ever ready to save those he guards with his life.
The Old Testament is rich with foreshadowing shepherds leading up to the one sacrificial lamb protector. There are, in fact, five shepherds that pointed their crook toward the Christ. Each one provides a glimpse down the path to the cross taught Arthur W. Pink, an English Christian evangelist from the early 1900s.

Abel was the first as reported in Genesis 4:2, “Now Abel kept flocks...” This shepherd died at the hands of a wicked brother much as Christ would be crucified by the sinful masses. Second was Jacob who tended the flocks and watched over them (Gen. 30:31); protected them from wild beasts and paid for any lost or stolen (Gen. 31:38-40); and who tended to the weak and young with compassion (Gen. 33:13-14). Jacob was a true reflection of the loving, caring shepherd who held children on his knee, touched lepers and loved the outcasts. The third shepherd to point to Christ was Joseph. The very first description of Joseph is that of one who “was tending the flocks.” While Joseph cared for family and a nation, Jesus, the Good Shepherd fed the five thousand and healed the blind and lame.

Our fourth foreshadow shepherd is none other than Moses. Before he ever led the massive nation of Israel, he first watered, protected and guided sheep.

“Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock...Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.” (Gen. 2:16,17, 3:1-2a)

This is loaded with symbolism of Christ's journey to the cross! He defended the defenseless, stood in the gap for sinners and rescued us from death. He ascended a mount called Calvary and God hung their visible and burning with passion for His flock.

Shepherd number five may be the most conspicuous forerunner. Before he was a king, David herded sheep and risked his own life to protect them. “But David said to Saul, 'Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the seep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear...” (1 Samuel 17:34-36a) With Jesus, that looks like this: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54b)

In the book of Zechariah we find the sixth shepherd, suitably numbered. For he is the Antichrist. “For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hoofs. Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock!” (Zech. 11:16-17a)

The only other shepherd mentioned in Scripture is the Lord Jesus, and He is the seventh – the number of perfection! He came to bear the sins of others as Abel did, to pay the price as Jacob did, to feed the flock as Joseph did, to climb a mountain as Moses did, and to risk everything by laying down his life for the sake of those in his fold as David did.

The Lord came to defeat a “worthless” enemy and be our Good Shepherd! “The Savior gave his life not as a martyr for truth, not as a moral example of self-sacrifice, but for a people,” said A.W. Pink. I absolutely agree and thank God for the Seventh Shepherd.

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:23-25)

Jesus, keep us in the crook of your arm until we are safely home.

Where Did You Get That Glow

Where Did You Get That Glow

By Brenda Black


I've seen blushing brides, glowing mothers-to-be, and beaming daddies. None of them, as I recall, ever frightened me. But in Exodus 34:29-35, Moses' afterglow shocked onlookers!

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.” (Ex. 34:29-30)

After spending 40 days and nights basking in the Almighty's brilliance, Moses descended the mountain with his own face glowing! Obviously, the twinkle in his eye was more than just a glimmer. The flush in his cheeks far greater than any sun-kissed, wind-burned, ruddy tan. His face was painted an ethereal hue as if he were from heaven himself. And that frightened even those who knew him best. Not until Moses assured them of his humanity by speaking their names did they stop to take a second look.

“But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them.” (vs. 31)

The touch of God is rightfully a little scary. We're talking about the Creator of the Universe who deserves reverent fear at his approach! The people of God should likewise evoke a sense of wonder. We ought to look a little different as well since we're filled with the Holy Spirit who ministers in invisible and mysterious ways within our hearts, minds and souls! People should notice a change when a Christian spends time with their Savior. They should see radiance and detect His presence and wonder if the beaming believer is from this world or another.

Instead of causing folks to fear and flee, the reflection of God in us should draw the curious closer. Our transformation before the Heavenly Father can be positively contagious if first we embrace how he changes us so that we illuminate the benefits of his will in our lives.

“Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.” (vs. 32-35)

Unveiled before God. What a terrifying and terrific experience. How enlightening to be completely transparent before our Lord and bare our souls to the One who abides within us. What a marvelous way to lay aside humanity and absorb divinity. Fling off the coverings of pride or insecurity. Drop the pretenses and phony phrases we employ in prayer. Cast off the cliches. Forget protocol. Just come into the presence of the Holy of Holies knowing that He loves you unconditionally and wants to light up your life! God is waiting. He has wisdom to impart. He holds out healing. He offers grace and mercy, forgiveness and hope.

When we walk away from that kind of encounter, we are bound to affect this world with radiance. How can we hide the Light of the World once we bask in His presence. We shouldn't try. And maybe this is where I differ with Moses. I don't think I would want to cover what my God has created in me. I want everyone to see that He reigns in me and is the source of my “glow.”

Take off the veil that keeps you at arm's length from the Almighty. And keep it off when you walk away from prayer and back into the real world. Show that glow! When someone asks about your radiance – tell them you've just been with God and He is waiting to meet them too.

I Will Meet You in the Morning

I Will Meet You in the Morning
By Brenda Black

“Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain...When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” (Ex. 34:2, 29)

Get up, get ready! You are meeting God in the morning! I wonder how Moses slept that preceding night. In my pre-dawn hours, I hear everything, and imagine what I do not hear. Last night, I heard the dog howl every time a pack of coyotes yodeled. Their high-pitch cackling grew louder and more frantic as they congealed choruses from every direction of the house. I heard the deep rumbling of far away thunder and tuned in to determine whether I needed to start unplugging appliances. I heard my common sense command me to rise at 4:15 and put the frightened pooch in the garage. He had managed to keep his coyote cousins at bay, but couldn't stop the storm's heady approach and his helplessness made him whine and whimper pathetically.

When I wasn't listening intently to the night sounds, my mind wandered to internal dilemmas. How would I function the next day? I mentally perused floating lists of jobs that awaited a well-rested me and feared how they might suffer at the hands of a sleepy head. I fitfully bargained between mind and body for sleep. Then just as I nodded off it seemed, the alarm clock shocked me back into a conscious state of reality – it was morning.

Even with the load of chores I face, I must admit I am sure I do not have the pressure that Moses bore that night before he climbed Mount Sinai to meet with God. He surely did not sleep! Nevertheless, the sun rose and the day greeted him with a divine appointment. It made me wonder, how does one get ready to meet God in the morning? Fretting? Dreading? Enthusiastic anticipation? Or calm assurance?

Someday, I hope to ask Moses. Until then, I must believe that while God scheduled a morning meeting, he was with Moses all through the night. How else could Moses have mustered the courage to face the God of the Universe? What would keep him from dying in fear before he opened his eyes to the Author of Life? The God of the morning was already God of his night, whether he knew it or not.

With that advantageous understanding, we each can confidently face the dawn ready to meet with the Master. Get up! Get ready! You are meeting the God who already knows your name and sees the to-do list tacked to your refrigerator door. He knows the kids have football and volleyball practice and he understands that your boss is demanding more. He heard you and your husband talking last night and has a plan on how to pay off those bills. The Hand that Heals has hope to impart to the hurting you'll encounter this day. He offers words of wisdom and gentle compassion for each unknown mission you'll face.

And after you meet Him in the morning, others will know with whom you've opened your day. It will show on your face! Moses' afterglow made him radiant. Post entering into the presence of the Almighty, Moses shone with glory.

It's your turn to get a Mount Sinai makeover. No more dark circles under your eyes from worry all night long. No grumpin' around from a rumpled bed that brought no rest. No moaning and dreading a perfectly good day because of a lousy night. When you meet God in the morning, He brings new energy. For his mercies are new every morning and he promises strength to the weary. He saw you wrestle with anxieties last night and is waiting to help bear your load today. Just meet Him in the morning and feel the glow! God can turn an un-surrendered night into radiant light if we just get up and invite Him to reign over our day.


**After you meet God, I'd love to meet you! Join me for area book signings or to visit about any of the entries you've read here on "Blessings from Brenda" Go to www.thewordsout-brendablack.com for event times and locations.