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Stanton Lanier

Scripture inspired piano to refresh your spirit

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Desert Thirsty for Rain

January 26, 2016 By Stanton Lanier 4 Comments

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/07-desert-thirsty-for-rain.mp3

Click above to listen to Desert Thirsty for Rain (from my 8th album Open Spaces) as you read. If you enjoy you can stream, download music, or find sheet music at the following links: Open Spaces CD, MP3 Album, Piano Book, Desert Thirsty for Rain PDF Sheet Music, iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora.

Is your soul thirsty like a desert thirsty for rain?

When I composed this song, I wanted to express the emotions of life’s “desert” moments or seasons, when life seems dry, prayer seems empty, and God seems distant or even very far away (if sometimes fear grips you like us does me, you should also check out the Far Away from Home music video and its inspiration).

It only takes a moment to remember some “desert” moments from recent times to years ago: the five-day long stomach illness a few weeks ago, when the car didn’t start leaving for a trip last fall, when our house was robbed, the jobs early in my career when there was something missing, working third shift in a carpet mill, making an “F” on several college exams, missing the game winning shot, wanting to quit piano lessons when I was twelve, having to get glasses when I was ten, stuttering when I was five. The list go could go on.

However, there is another perspective in Psalm 143, which gives me great hope…

Desert6“I remembered the old days, went over all you’ve done, pondered the ways you’ve worked, Stretched out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert thirsty for rain.” (The Message) “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands. I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.” (ESV)

I can choose to dwell on a “desert experience” from the past, to focus on some “desert moment” in the present, or to fear a “desert season” in the future. Or, I can choose to remember all the good things God has done for me in the past, to reflect on how He is working on my behalf today, and to give thanks for His faithfulness to be with me in the future, wherever I go (Joshua 1:9).

I hope you will use the new Desert Thirsty for Rain Music Video as a resource for seeking God’s presence, whether life right now seems like a dry desert or a thirst quenching waterfall. If your soul is thirsty, God’s grace, forgiveness, love and care are there for you like the rain drops in Desert Thirsty for Rain.

What is one memory of something good God did, which you can cherish today?

Filed Under: Life Stories, Music Stories, Spiritual Journey Tagged With: Desert Thirsty for Rain, finding hope, hope and healing, Hope in God, Hope in the Struggle, Open Spaces, Psalm 143, Psalm 143:6

3 Ways to Find Hope in Sunrises

May 19, 2015 By Stanton Lanier Leave a Comment

https://www.stantonlanier.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/01-Awaken-The-Dawn.mp3

Click above to listen to Awaken the Dawn from my fifth album Unveiled as you read (also on December Peace and Treasures of Peace). If you enjoy, consider ordering a CD or MP3 Album or Sheet Music (the song is also on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora and more).

What does a sunrise symbolize for you?

This week is “graduation week” for our family, with our son finishing 12th grade and daughter finishing 8th grade. This fall my wife and I will be in new territory with a college freshman and high school freshman. We will also celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. My desire is to find hope looking forward and looking back as 2015 unfolds.

Yet, with so many special memories from the past, and such great anticipation for the future, I can have trouble living in the moment. I catch myself thinking about tomorrow or the next day, or even something on my schedule for later today. My sense of hope can become misguided or even get lost in the busyness. How about you?

Awaken the Dawn

Ever since I composed Awaken the Dawn from Psalm 108:1-2 (also see Psalm 57:7-8), sunrises have been a richer symbol of hope for me. Somehow this music embraces a human longing we all share each and every day — a desire for hope in the midst of life’s circumstances.

For me, trying to fulfill this longing for hope with my own strength, my own plans, or my own common sense, always falls short. Below are three ways to connect hope with each day’s sunrise. As you read them, see which one speaks most to your heart right now, and try to practice it.

1. REST. We are in a place of rest when watching a sunrise, or rising from sleep to the sunrise and a new day. Resting moves us toward hope.

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” — Psalm 62:5

2. WAIT. We have to wait for the sun to rise. This is true whether we woke up early to get in position, to get the camera ready to capture a sunrise, or we have been resting through the night, waiting for the new day. Waiting moves us toward hope.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” — Psalm 27:14

“…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

3. SURRENDER. We cannot control the sunrise. We cannot control our life circumstances. We can try to make wise decisions and then take action, but ultimately a posture of surrender is needed. Surrender moves us toward hope.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.” — Psalm 32:8-10

Which will you use to connect hope with tomorrow’s sunrise?

The inspirational verses behind Awaken the Dawn…

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” — Psalm 108:1-2

“My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul!Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.” — Psalm 57:7-8

Filed Under: Giving Hope, Inspiration, Life Stories, Music Stories Tagged With: Awaken the Dawn, finding hope, Hope in God, Psalm 108, Psalm 57, Scripture Inspired Piano, Sunrises, Unveiled

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