“Assist me to proclaim.”

 “Assist me to proclaim.”

Hymn: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” – Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Typical Tune: AZMON


On any given Sunday, all around the world, preachers will preach, choirs will sing, praise teams will produce music, prayers will be lifted aloud, teachers will lead small-group Bible studies, someone will hear the gospel for the first time. And none of these can do it alone; they all need the some assistance. 

Our gracious Master intends to be the Helper of those who proclaim the gospel in church buildings great and small, ornate and simple, long-established or store-front. The danger – yea, even the scary part - is when folks stand before others to expound on the tenets of the faith without first asking God’s backing – his undergirding… his assistance.

 The Broadway Show Les Miserables features a wonderful song “On My Own.” It is one of many show-stopping melodies. Some of us who serve as worship leaders join Eponine’s sentiment and think we can do this sacred task on our own… that our talents and perhaps our education will carry us through. Under our own power, we are powerlessly ineffective. The right words may be spoken, the exact notes may be sung to the proper rhythms – but they become as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. They become full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

 Just because someone shakes your hand and says, “Good job today,” doesn’t mean a whole lot to any of us when we realize that we have gone it alone—on our own.

 In public worship and in personal evangelism… at every turn in life’s road, we need to constantly be calling out for assistance, crying out for help as we proclaim the goodness of God.  Don’t wait until you are in hopeless distress to send up an S.O.S.

  Today and every day: My gracious Master and my God, assist me.

 

Listen to an Arrangement from Coral Ridge Presbyterian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=C1YPmQibTRw