Friday Family Devo: WHAT A FELLOWSHIP!


Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn.

The hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms was written by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha A. Hoffman in 1887. The creation of this hymn was sparked by a tragic event when two of Mr. Showalter’s former students' wives passed away on the same day. Deeply affected by this, Showalter, a music teacher, drew inspiration from Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Like the Bible verse, the song was intended to convey the comfort and strength one can find in God's enduring care, even if there’s sorrow and grief.

The hymn's lyrics share a deep sense of joy, peace, and security that comes from relying on God's power and love. The song teaches us to lean on God as a source of strength and protection, which people facing tough challenges need to hear. The lyrics also highlight the fellowship and peace that comes from knowing we can trust in God's arms to surround us to protect and comfort us.

The hymn ultimately reminds us God's love is always present offering us support in times of hardship. It encourages us to come together in Christian fellowship, which means we are “fellows,” fellow Christians, fellow church members, and fellow followers of God. The words begin, “What a fellowship!” emphasizing how important it is for Christians to share in each other’s lives. As we do, sometimes we even become extensions of God’s loving arms to support each other. The song symbolizes hope and unity, reminding believers that we are not alone in our struggles.

• How does the story behind the writing of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms help you appreciate the hymn?

• Can you relate to the message of finding comfort and peace in God's everlasting arms during challenging times? If so, how?

• How do you understand the idea of “leaning on Jesus,” as mentioned in the song?

This week, we learned about the hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms. As we did, we learned that God is always with His faithful children, just like His arms were literally wrapped around us to protect and comfort us. We also learned that, as brothers and sisters in Christ in the church, we all share this blessing from God and can even be the means of his blessing to each other sometimes. Say a prayer for your church family.

—JLP


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Family Devo: PSALM 46: A SONG ABOUT GOD'S STRENGTH

Image
Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. Psalm 46 is a special song some Israelites who lived a long time ago wrote with the Holy Spirit’s help. The song tells everyone to trust in God no matter what is happening around them. Here's what it says in simple words: God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid if the earth shakes, or if the mountains fall into the sea. We will not fear even if the oceans roar and foam, or if the mountains shake at the raging sea. Think about this. There is a river which brings joy to the city of God. This is the holy place where God Most High lives. God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken. God will help her at dawn. Nations tremble, and kingdoms shake. God shouts, and the earth crumbles. The Lord of heaven’s armies is with u...
Read more

BEING & RAISING "CHILDREN OF ISSACHAR"

Image
I wrestled in prayer for years, trying to become like an ancient "son of Issachar." They "understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (1 Chr 12:32 NET), so they wisely supported King David. Today's "sons of Issachar" understand AD 2024 and know what the church and Christian families should do. The church is "spiritual Israel," continuing the storyline and covenants we read about in the Old Testament. Fulfilled in Christ, they now find expression through the New Covenant in His blood. Israel's mission was to bring Christ into the world. Ours is to bring Him back (2 Pet 3:11–12). This is fundamental. Jesus is King and the loyalty of the world, church, family, marriage, and individual is due Him. Humanity's duty at all these levels is to serve Him faithfully and loyally. Only when individuals are faithful will marriages and families be. The church cannot be unified and focused on the mission if the member families are broken. An...
Read more

Friday Family Devo: WEAR GOD'S ARMOR!

Image
Read the text and briefly discuss it together. Some discussion-starter questions are provided. Then read the closing text as a guide to your family prayer and finish by praying together and singing a hymn. As we learned in last week’s devo, there’s a war going on in our world between good and evil. God is good, and all who want to be good must be on His side. God doesn’t expect us to fight without His help, though, so read Ephesians 6:10–20 together and then think about these things: When we're fighting for what’s true and right, we need to remember, we’re not alone. God gives us His strength to make us able to keep on keeping on. In fact, He promises never to leave us (Hebrews 13:5). All He asks of us in return is to trust and obey Him.  Pray for protection! Evil spirits serve Satan and somehow tempt people to evil and deceive many in the world. We can’t see them, but God can, and He can keep us safe. All we have to do is ask Him to, James 4:2 says so. A little later in James 4, i...
Read more