Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;

Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God

Born of his Spirit, washed in his blood

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Being home alone tonight (an extremely rare occasion for me) has given me some time to think and reflect on some recent discussions/interactions I've had. As I was washing the dishes, the song "Blessed Assurance" came up on my online radio station, and I felt so blessed and amazed as I listened to the words of the song. This is my story: I am an heir of salvation, and I have been purchased by God through the blood of Christ. I have been given His Spirit - what more could I do with my life but to praise the Savior?

The thing is, how does one go about praising the Savior in situations that are difficult? How does one share this story with people who seem to just not want to hear about it, but who desperately need to hear it? How do I go about sharing words of hope, when the people who are listening to me have no idea of what this hope is really like? How can I teach the concept of forgiveness, when the ones who need to forgive others have no idea what it truly feels like to be forgiven? How can I help people see the value in themselves when everyone around them tells them that they are worthless and foolish?

I've realized lately, through many different situations, how terribly helpless I really am when it comes to changing and influencing the lives of people around me, my students in particular. I could talk all day long about things that I think relate to them, but they wouldn't necessarily learn anything. I can give advice, model behavior, read Scripture, and a million other things, but it might not make a difference. Ultimately, the only thing that changes the heart is the Holy Spirit. Without God, I am nothing. Without the Spirit, all my efforts are in vain.

Friends - please pray. The questions I've asked in this post all relate to very specific situations that I have encountered recently, and all of these situations have constantly been on my heart and mind since they came up. I feel weak and helpless. I feel like my time and ability to daily be a part of my students' lives is running short. I feel like there is so much more that could be done. There are so many more situations of which I'm not even aware. God knows, them, though, and I rest in the promise that he is here. He uses people and situations, and his Spirit is at work, no matter how few changes I see.

This is my story, this is my song...
May we all be able to sing this song of grace and salvation in our everyday lives, and may the Spirit be at work in the hearts of those who hear the song we sing.