Finding Hope in Tears of Lament

March 4, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

Click above to listen to the love song Tears of Lament from the album The Voice. If you enjoy, consider ordering the CD or MP3 Album, or Sheet Music (the song is also on iTunes, Amazon , Spotify, Pandora, and more).

How do you deal with tears of grief or sorrow?

I looked up lament in the dictionary and found three primary definitions:

a passionate expression of grief or sorrow
a song, piece of music, or poem expressing sorrow
an expression of regret or disappointment; a complaint

Tears of Lament is a piece of music using a piano-cello duet to express sorrow, with glimpses of hope. After listening while reading the words below, take time to close your eyes and just listen to the music…

Pine trees through rain drops on windshield

It seems like I have had more tears of joy, as well as more tears of sorrow, the more I seek to draw near to God and live by faith. The emotions expressed in the Psalms are pure and real. My tears of joy flow from a deepening sense of gratitude for God’s grace, forgiveness, and blessings. These are awesome. My tears of grief or sorrow — tears of lament — have extended beyond my personal circumstances to stream when I learn of the suffering of others where there is no justice or explanation for their pain.

Here are the liner notes for Tears of Lament from the album The Voice in 2005:
For some time I have anticipated musically exploring the times of sadness and mourning that life brings . . . these moments are often hard to understand. I always think about how much greater the suffering and pain is for so many people in the world versus my own. As I looked back on these experiences in my life this music met me in those places, and played a small part in the healing process of finding hope for the future. “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy . . . my eyes overflow with tears. Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. For you, O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” (Psalm 126:5; Lamentations 1:16, 3:22-23; Psalm 116:8)

Now, as you listen, close your eyes. If tears of joy or sorrow flow, let them be cleansing, hoping in the Lord’s great love and compassion. If you don’t have tears right now…

Who can you pray for who does have tears? How can you love them toward hope?

Ten Ideas for Drawing Near to God

March 2, 2015 By Stanton Lanier 2 Comments

Click above to listen to the title track Draw Near from my third album. If you enjoy, check out the CD or MP3 Album, Sheet Music, or visit iTunes, Amazon, or Spotify).

Are you feeling near to God or distant from God right now?

As I wrote this question I was reminded that in my faith journey, one or the other is true. For me, answering “somewhere in between” is not an honest answer. In reality, I either lean toward feeling near or distant. Some spiritual word pictures for “Near” could be Sanctuary, Mountain Top, or Still Waters. Some for “Distant” could be Desert, Valley, or Stormy Seas.

In this post I am challenging myself to name ten ideas which help with drawing near to God. I hope some of these will help you in this quest, or at least trigger your own idea to apply. These are in no particular order, and are worded as personal affirmations…

1) I will meditate on James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
2) I will practice child-like faith, giving a random act of kindness or a hug to someone.
3) I will ask God to show me how much He loves me, and watch to see what happens.
4) I will unplug from technology for five minutes to pray for two and listen for three.
5) I will surrender a desire or issue to God, and ask for His wisdom and direction.
6) I will share extravagant love with someone, by asking for or giving forgiveness.
7) I will speak words of life and encouragement to someone who could use a lift.
8) I will pause to count my blessings, instead of focusing on my frustrations.
9) I will serve someone through a hospital visit, a warm meal, or other special need.
10) I will listen to Scripture inspired piano to experience God’s presence.

Sometimes I need to focus more on Being (pursuing God to know Him better and listening for instruction), and sometimes I need to focus more on Doing (giving God’s love, grace and forgiveness to others). Practicing being and doing draws me nearer to God, and then He fulfills His wonderful promise to draw near to me.

How is God inviting you to draw near to Him?

The Story Behind My Song “First Love”

February 11, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

Click above to listen to First Love (Revised) from the new album Treasures of Peace: The Stanton Lanier Collection. If you enjoy, check out the CD or MP3 Album, or visit iTunes, Amazon, or Spotify).

What comes to mind when you hear the words “First Love?”

I think these two words draw us in because we think back to a memory of love. For example, basketball was my “first love.” How would you fill in the blank? “__________” was my first love. Or, maybe we remember our first girlfriend or boyfriend as our “first love.” With this being Valentine’s week, I think about how my wife is my “first love” because we share the truest, deepest sense of this, a lifelong commitment to love and respect each other through life’s ups and downs.

When I wrote the song First Love in 2003-2004 (for the album Draw Near), I was thinking about all the meanings behind this. Yet, most of all, I was thinking about how God first loves us. I cannot earn His love. He offers it as a free gift, and grows this in me as I surrender my heart to Him. Then, last summer when I was composing a new, revised version for Treasures of Peace: The Stanton Lanier Collection, I added inspiration from Psalm 63 and the phrase “your love is better than life,” referring to God’s love for me.

As you listen to this track, you will hear the new (2014) opening and closing melodies inspired by Psalm 63, and the original (2004) middle section with verse and chorus, inspired by 1 John 4. These references are down below.

How could you apply “First Love” in a fresh way this Valentine’s Day?

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love… Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:16, 19 (NIV)

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” Psalm 63:1-4 (NIV)