Lately, I have felt more like the tree on the right, withered, dry, brittle lacking any life. Sometimes we let things, circumstances, and even people drain us of our vitality. What might have taken days, weeks, and months to turn us into a shriveled mess in an instant can be changed around. When I turn my attention away from myself, and my circumstances, and instead turn towards the source of life and water, I begin to perk up, to look more like the fruit-bearing tree on the left. In the natural world, it takes buckets of water to get the tree looking more life-like, but in the supernatural, in the Spirit, with just a simple turning of my gaze off self, to Christ Jesus, I’m alive again!
Refreshed, Renewed, Restored back to Vibrant life.
Isn’t this really where we want to be, living our lives, vibrant, sparkling, and energetic so anyone who comes into contact with us can glean life, hope, joy, and peace? Instead of sensing a dull lifeless person, I am grateful, that there’s fruit for them to taste and see how good My God is.
I hope and pray that this simple reminder and visual of a fruitful tree versus a withered tree brings you to the point where you too question, today, at this moment, which am I resembling more? And then you drink in the magnificence of who God has been for you in your life. How He rescued you from dark places; how He gave and gives you all you need; How He has protected you from situations perhaps too painful to recount, yet He was there in the midst of it, lifting you up and seeing you into the future; how He has lead you to greener, richer soil.
In the natural, a plant needs a handful of things to flourish. 1. Good soil 2. Plenty of water 3. Adequate sunlight 4. Proper care 5. Time and patience.
James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. I believe God designed us already to be Good soil. He says we are Good soil, He placed a multitude of perfect giftings, talents, ideas, and richness inside of us. He said it is perfect, we are not only Good soil, but we are also perfect soil. Do we believe it? Do we believe Him? Perhaps to believe it, it’s easier if we say it like this – I am perfectly good soil. Your turn, say it out loud a few times, emphasizing each word, I am perfectly good soil. I AM perfectly good soil. I am PERFECTLY good soil. I am perfectly GOOD soil. I am perfectly good SOIL Now, turn your face away from what has your attention, whatever is distracting you, and face the God of the universe, watch Him pour out buckets full of Living water that will Renew, Refresh, and Revitalize you to be Fruitful.
Did you know? Johann Sebastian Bach fathered 20 children, only of which 10 survived, all having tragically died before adulthood. In total, he lost three children to his first wife and seven children to his second wife. Illness, plagues, and the limited medical care of the times meant many didn’t make it past their young years. Then, in 1720, after 13 years of marriage, his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach, suddenly died while Bach was traveling and before he could say goodbye. Bach was distraught with grief. Just over a year later, he remarried, and with his second wife, Anna-Magdalena, they lost four more daughters and three sons—ten beloved children. I can hardly imagine how he was able to go on. And yet he continued to write some of the most beautiful music the world has heard.
In 2016, I composed and uploaded a song on YouTube entitled “We Cry Of / In Quiet Faithfulness.†The song is original, except for some lyrics borrowed from J.S. Bach. It’s a personal testimony of mine. You can click the link below to listen to it.
The world was in turmoil when I wrote the opening segment titled “We Cry Of†in the early 1970s. The Beatles, public demonstrations, disorder (sound familiar?), gas shortage lines, and the Vietnam War were in full swing. In 1971, the Jesus Revolution was Time magazine’s featured front cover. It was a period in history of soul searching, of looking inward. It was a time when I was trying to find my identity. Although my struggles were hardly as tragic as Bach’s circumstances, I, too, experienced life’s trials – the death of a loved one, the unfaithfulness of a friend, a feeling of insecurity, a lack of understanding, and personal problems.
Christmas in 1962 was to be a joyous time with family and friends. The Christmas tree was adorned with glistening balls and lights, and we were looking forward to opening gifts and enjoying homemade cookies and milk by the fireplace. However, this year would be different, as tragedy struck 6-days before Christmas. My father was 37 years old, young, and I was 11 years old when he tragically passed away.
Growing up without a dad had a profound effect on me as a boy of 11 into young adulthood. It was life-changing. As my father was absent for half of my schooling, I was not able to go to him for emotional support, so emotional instability and complex relationships were the norm throughout my middle school and high school years and even into my college years. I needed my father because they play a role in every child’s life that others cannot fill. An interesting study showed that fathers significantly impact a child and help shape them into the person they become, not only on the inside but on the outside, as well as how others perceive them and how they have relationships with others as they grow. Â
By the time I attended college in 1969, instead of being in touch with the joys of my past, I often had negative thoughts. Unresolved trauma and emotional pain from my high school years still followed me. I felt vulnerable and insecure, felt shame for my past, and was often anxious. So, in search of a new way to live, I became a part of the ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’ long-haired hippie counterculture that was sweeping America.
You might ask, what is anyone to do when unfortunate circumstances happen to you, none of which you can control? The Bible says one must look to Jesus and the comfort He can give. And so, in my trouble, I cried to the Lord, and He answered me (Psalm 120:1). Like many “long beautiful hair, shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen, give me down to there hair, shoulder length or longerâ€2 haired hippies, I began to question the gospel. I would eventually discover my identity in Christ, the Father who extravagantly loves and gives, the God of mercy and all comfort, a Father whose heart was for me to return to His loving embrace and find solace in Him.
O Lord, please rescue me. Come quickly to help me, O Lord (Ps. 40:13)
Took Wings and went to heaven
During the Bridge of the song, I took wings and went to heaven, got saved, and came back to earth. That was in 1972. Although we really don’t take wings and go to heaven, get saved, and come back to earth, it’s merely a figure of speech that shows one’s need to transcend our worldly life to a higher spiritual realm in which we meet Christ as our savior and lover. It is one’s faith in Christ that rescues us from controlling our destiny and prepares us to live “In Quiet Faithfulness.â€
In Quiet Faithfulness
IIn this last song segment, God is my refuge, safe and sure, my staff and rod in trouble, need, and stress. I am content, and in patience, I endure. And like Bach, through it all, I find solace for “God is my refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble†(Psalm 46:1 New Living Translation).
“In quiet faithfulness, I love and serve my God.
In trouble, need, and stress, He is my Staff and Rod. (Ps. 23:4)
In God, I am content, In patience I endure, In Him my house and I find refuge safe and sure (Nahum 1:7)â€
“I therefore thank my God and love and serve Him still;
What happens in this world must ever be God’s will.
I place in child-like trust my life into His care.
In God, I am content, what’ere my sphere or share.“
I, too, have made these lyrics my prayer.
Do you truly understand who God is, as revealed in the Bible? For faith in God to be genuine, we must accept Him as He has revealed Himself in Scripture. Have you surrendered your life to His care? It’s resigning your life into his hands to do with you as he pleases. Is He your refuge safe and sure, your staff and rod in trouble, need, and stress? Can you place in child-like trust your life into God’s care? Can you give thanks in all circumstances? And in any and in every circumstance, have you learned the secret of contentment? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.â€
So, take a few minutes now, call upon Him, for He is your helper, and make Psalm 46:1-3 below your declaration, then listen to “We Cry Of / In Quiet Faithfulness,” and make the song’s words your prayer and declaration. See the YouTube link below.
Prayer/Declaration: God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven help in times of trouble— more than enough and always available whenever I need you. I will never fear even if every support structure crumbles. I will not fear even when the earthquakes and shakes, moving mountains and casting them into the sea. For the raging roar of stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode my faith in you.
Copyright 2023 by Bill Hutzel
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Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. (Revelation 5:11)
In October 2017, I attended Awaken the Dawn on the National Mall in Washington DC. This was a grassroots movement of 24/7 day and night praise and worship, and intercessory prayer to bring a new awakening of the presence of God to the nations. Was this the next big Jesus Movement? Tens of thousands of people and 1,700 worship teams from all fifty states would be in attendance for the weekend-long event as well as over 4 million people live streaming from around the globe. The Awaken the Dawn movement was referred to as a Jesus Woodstock for a New Generation.
Although it was cloudy and cool in the 60s, the weather held out despite the forecast of rain. It was the last evening of Awaken the Dawn. It was the closing ceremony. The night was filled with the sounds of praise and worship, singing and dancing. There was excitement in the air as the crowd cried out for the glory of God.
Although angels are not normally seen with our physical eyes, they do have the ability to manipulate the surroundings all around us. At first, I did not know that what I was seeing was real but thought it was my imagination (Acts 12:9). But I could just feel them! It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. The atmosphere felt electrically charged, and although I did not physically see them, I was keenly aware of their presence through my thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. They seemed to come out of nowhere.
Peggy and I were facing the Capitol Building when, suddenly, I felt a strong presence in front and behind, and to my left and right. Tens of thousands, too numerous to count, filled the sky. Hovering over the capitol building they stood like sentinels at their guard posts keeping watch over the event. There were those also who sat in the trees to my right, worshiping and singing their praises to God. And through the eye lenses of my heart, I envisioned their appearances to be in the form of man, many had wings, and some were larger than life. Just as in Psalm 91:11, God had sent angels with special orders to protect, defend, and guard us against all harm.
I suddenly began to weep. A soft, steady stream of tears began to flow from the corners of my eyes. I was so embarrassed that I looked down to stop crying. Did anyone see me? Although I did not physically see physical beings with my eyes, my spiritual eyes told me there were tens of thousands of angels all around. Each time I looked up I would begin to cry. The tears flooded my eyes every time I looked up at the Angelic Host. Angels were all around us.
Copyright 2022 by Bill Hutzel
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I had just become unemployed following the attack of 9/11 and was understandably anxious, desperately wanting to make sense of both the war on our country and wanting to find gainful employment again. And so, I became very introspective when things turned topsy-turvy on me. I randomly opened my Bible to Psalm 139 and the following verse jumped off the page at me. “Search me O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts”. It became my meditation. As I continued to meditate on this psalm, my prayer turned to asking God to guide me and extend His hand to me. My prayer turned into singing, and “the praise on my lips and the song in my heart” became a song that ran through my head to the words of the psalm. I jotted down the melody so as not to forget it. I later recorded it in October 2013.
This is a newly published REMIX of the song.
CREDITS
Song by Bill Hutzel
Musicians: Bill Hutzel, vocals and flute John D’Elia, 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, bass guitar, mandolin, tambourine
Recorded and produced by John D’Elia Such Clay Productions September 18, 2013
Video Produced by Bill Hutzel
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