Father, I don’t feel much like treasure today.
My body feels rather worth-less.
Of little value to others.
Unable to love in ways I once could.
More like black coal than precious treasure.
Please remind me of what is true, as I treasure Jesus right now.
Jesus, priceless treasure,
source of purest pleasure,
truest Friend to me:
ah, how long in anguish
shall my spirit languish,
yearning, Lord, for thee?
(“Jesus, Priceless Treasure,” Franck, J., 1653, trans. C. Winkworth)
God’s chosen treasure, in Christ
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the people who are on the face of the earth” (Deut. 7:6 ESV)…
“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Eph. 1:4 ESV).
Hence, all fear and sadness!
For the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in…
“heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17 ESV).
Those who love the Father,
Though the storms may gather,
Still have peace within.
Yea, whate'er I here must bear,
thou art still my purest pleasure,
Jesus, priceless treasure.
Father, You treasure Jesus, so You protect me as Your treasured possession, Your beloved in Christ
In thine arms I rest me;
foes who would molest me
cannot reach me here…
“and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority” (Col. 2:10 ESV).
Though the earth be shaking,
ev'ry heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17 ESV).
Lightnings flash and thunders crash;
yet, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.
Shining the treasure of Jesus TO me, my symptoms as the context for spiritual warfare
A deepened faith.
A mature and strengthened faith.
The shiniest treasure…
“so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7 ESV).
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Lk. 12:34 ESV).
Satan, I defy thee;
death, I now decry thee;
fear, I bid thee cease.
Holy Spirit, as the fires burn, sparkle Christ’s reflection to me today.
His glorious worth.
His excellence and majesty.
His holy and reigning perfection.
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3 ESV).
His compassionate and tender care for me, as His pained treasure.
My Jesus who bore all my sin, in His pain.
“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory” (Mt. 12:20 ESV).
World, thou shalt not harm me
nor thy threats alarm me
while I sing of peace.
Shining the treasure of my precious Jesus THROUGH me, my symptoms as the context
“As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in Scripture:
‘Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’
So the honor is for you who believe” (1 Pet. 2:4-7 ESV).
Hence with earthly treasure!
Thou art all my pleasure,
Jesus, all my choice.
Hence, thou empty glory!
Naught to me thy story,
told with tempting voice.
Pain or loss or shame or cross
shall not from my Savior move me,
since he deigns to love me.
I treasure You in this broken body, Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, broken for me
“Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. ‘They shall be mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession’” (Mal. 3:16-17 ESV).
“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Rev. 21:27 ESV).
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb!
I will suffer naught to hide thee,
naught I ask beside thee.
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory“ (Col. 3:1-4 ESV).
God's great pow'r guards ev'ry hour;
earth and all its depths adore him,
silent bow before him.
All the glory to You as I silently bow before You today, with gratitude, in the name of my priceless treasure, Jesus Christ, amen.
DID YOU KNOW?
“Changing your breathing... is one of the quickest ways to change your emotional state. Breathing affects the brain through signals carried by the vagus nerve. It also carries signals up into the brain stem. Vagus nerve signaling is important in activating circuits for resting and relaxation, known as the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic system is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight instinct. Slow breathing increases activity in the vagus nerve and pushes the brain toward parasympathetic activity. So slow, deep breathing calms you down. By contrast, rapid breathing deactivates the parasympathetic nervous system and activates the sympathetic nervous system. When you are anxious, excited, or scared, you breathe quickly. But it's also true that if you breathe quickly, you're more likely to feel those feelings. Fast breathing can make you more nervous” (Korb, 2015, pp. 147-148).[1]
Using slow, deep breathing as we listen to music? Combine this with songs of praise and gratitude to our Lord? We have a healing gift from Him, built into our bodies and brains!
TIP:
Although singing music aloud is even more powerful, simply breathing in time to music will activate our parasympathetic nervous system, the part of our autonomic nervous system that needs “resetting” when we suffer from chronic illness and pain.
Most people think they should just put ethereal, non-rhythmic music on and hope that it somehow infuses calm. But in chronic pain, illness, anxiety, or depression, our bodies and brains usually need to be more actively engaged as we breathe to its pulse. Try tapping to the beat and gradually letting your exhalation elongate to 4 beats…6 beats…8 beats.
Our new podcast will help us do so, taking us from shallow and fast breathing to deeper and slower breathing, easing our pain and anxiety. As you hear the Scriptures in this month’s writing, may Jesus, our priceless treasure, help you to focus on His Word and bring healing to your symptoms as you breathe to the beat of the music. I’m at singchristhope.org if you’d like more information.
[1] Korb, A. (2015). The upward spiral: Using neuroscience to reverse the course of depression, one small change at a time. New Harbinger Publications.
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