Recently I asked Jane, “What is it that makes a song a prophetic song?”

The answer is that God speaks to you through it. My day resounded with the lyric and tune of a song that I knew when I was a teenager. Not Christian – either the song  or I. But when God pierces your heart as you listen to some words, you should take notice, I think. I’ll share the song with you. Just change the word “Sun” to “Son” and it can easily be seen as a message, even if it doesn’t apply to you. But perhaps as we step out into the darkness of 2012 there is something here that you will identify with, and something to encourage you.

Here’s a link to the song: http://youtu.be/FQPqiXLaqGE

Remember….. “On the question of whether you heard a lie, answer yourself looking straight in His eyes. Don’t you realize……?”

Another thing that was on my mind as we faced this inevitable change of date was the poem my mom oft quoted. I could only remember a few words of it…. “Put your hand into the hand of God….” Something about “better than a light and a known way….” Google to the rescue again. When I found the poem, I discovered it was new year specific poem from the beginning of the 20th century – published in 1908. Quoted by the King of England in his Christmas address in 1939. It also appears there are more words than I’ve heard before. They’re all good.

Commonly called, “The Gate of the Year” the piece is correctly titled “God Knows” and written by Minnie Louise Haskins. (See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gate_of_the_Year)

Its this:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart bestill:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill

As we step forward in 2012, let’s also ‘step up’ – Step up and be counted, step up and do what is required, step up and say what needs to be said. Trusting that God who has called us will give us what we need, and has more for us than we can ask think or imagine.

Speak to one another with Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to God. Giving thanks always, for all things to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.