We took a week break from Blogging Through The Alphabet and this post would have been perfect for last week, but I went ahead and decided to post it today.
On Easter weekend a friend named Beverly, posted on her Facebook page "I woke up singing Worthy is the Lamb by Darlene Zschech this morning. It has this line about Jesus: "the Darling of Heaven crucified." As I've spent the last few reflecting on Holy Week, I've been trying to imagine the scenes in Heaven as the angels watched it all unfold. Don't you know they were in "ready, set, go" position, waiting for Father God to blink His eye just right at them. The heavenly view must have been the hardest of all! What a horribly dark day. What a gift from the Love of all Loves! May our lives reflect our deep deep gratitude! "
I was telling my husband later that day, that I had thought of God many times on the day Christ died, but I had not thought about the angels and what they were doing that day. He sad that when he was in seminary that his friend Gerry delivered a sermon about that same subject and equated it to a General and his army. His army would be by his side during the war just waiting for the general to send them into war and would be eager for him to give them their order, so they could beat the enemy. In this case the angels were waiting for God to give the order for them to go save Jesus.
In Matthew 26, Peter cuts off the ear of a soldier who was trying to arrest Jesus and Jesus tells him to put away his sword because if He wanted to, He could ask God and He would send 12 legions of angels (72,000) to save Him. They were just waiting for the "call", but because of His love for me and for you, Jesus chose to go through the horrible crucifixion. I had never thought about all the angels having to watch that terrible day and hearing God's cry into heaven "Father, why have you forsaken me?" But then Sunday came and imagine the party in heaven when Christ rose from the dead!! The only party that will ever equal it is when God sends Him to bring us all home and we join the angels in Heaven worshiping at His feet!
....As Paul Harvey used to say "and the rest of the story"....as I was looking up the Matthew 26:53 about the legions of angels it led me to a link about the song "He Could Have Called 10,000 Angels" and I found the story about the writing of the song fascinating.
" Rarely has a hymn-writer been led to Christ by his own song, but such was the case with Ray Overholt.
In 1958, at the height of his show-business career, Ray Overholt wrote his now-famous song, Ten Thousand Angels.
Here is his story as he related it—
One day I thought to myself: I’ve written secular songs, I’d like to write a song about Christ.
I opened the Bible. I knew a little about it from my mom. I began to read how Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane told Peter to put away his sword. Jesus told Peter that he could ask his Father and he would send twelve legions of angels. I didn’t know at the time that would have been more than 72,000 angels. (cf: Matthew 26:53)
I thought a good title for a song would be He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels. The more I read about Jesus, the more I admired him for what he had done.
I was playing in a nightclub in Battle Creek, Michigan, when the Lord impressed me to write the song. I wrote the first verse and put it in my guitar case. I then told the club that I was quitting.
I finished the song and sent it to a publishing house, which reluctantly agreed to publish it.
Sometime later I found myself singing at a small church. I sang He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels.
Following my singing, a preacher spoke a message that gripped my heart. I knew I needed Christ. So I knelt there and accepted, as my Savior, the One whom I had been singing and writing about.
Ray Overholt became a traveling singer and preacher.
—Lindsay Terry
Ten Thousand Angels
(1) They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed;
They led Him thro' the streets in shame.
They spat upon the Savior so pure and free from sin;
They said, "Crucify Him; He's to blame."
CHORUS:
He could have called ten thousand angels
To destroy the world and set Him free.
He could have called ten thousand angels,
But He died alone for you and me.
(2) Upon His precious head they placed a crown of thorns;
They laughed and said, "Behold the king."
They struck Him and they cursed Him and mocked His holy name.
All alone He suffered ev'rything.
(3) To the howling mob He yielded; He did not for mercy cry.
The Cross of shame He took alone. And when He cried, "It's finished," He gave himself to die;
Salvation's wondrous plan was done.
1 comment:
Another great post, Lynn! I love how you always get me thinking!
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