DON'T LET THE SONG GO OUT OF YOUR HEART

DON'T LET THE SONG GO OUT OF YOUR HEART

"A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the
day with song." -- Proverbs 15:15 (The Message)

He died at age 99 and he certainly lived a full life. During the course
of his life he and his wife had no children of their own, but during the
course of their ministry, they parented hundreds of kids. He was not
your typical senior citizen -- in fact, when we were in his youth group
-- he and his wife were already in their late 60's. Age didn't hold him
back -- up until his late 80's, Kale Tomlin was still skiing in the
winter and canoeing in the summer.

During the last several years of his life when his physical body was
beginning to show signs of "old age" he couldn't sleep at night. His
dear wife, Peg, said at three in the morning, Kale would lay on the bed
and sing at the top of his lungs the hymns and choruses that had been a
blessing in his life over the years. He'd sing -- he'd whistle.

That was Kale. I can remember as a teen riding in his car to the mission
-- the car jammed with kids (illegal today for sure). And we would sing
and sing and sing. He always had a song on his lips. You could tell when
he was approaching because if he wasn't singing, he was whistling. When
Kale walked into a room, the music of his life turned the light on in
the room. He had a song in his heart.

As I read this verse this morning, I was reminded of a song that I
learned years ago. The Freedom Fighter is a little later today because I
needed to find the song in my office. Here are the lyrics from the pen
of John W. Peterson . . .

Tho the road is often rough and stormy,
Tho the hills are often steep and high,
You can wear a smile and keep on singing,
Never let your courage die!

And when crushed beneath a weight of sorrow,
When the falling tear drops stain your cheeks,
Jesus is your Friend -- He'll lift you burden:
Comforting, the words He speaks.

When the sky is dark and life's uncertain
And the future fills your heart with fear,
Just remember God still watches o'er you
And His help is ever near.

Refrain
Don't let the song go out of your heart,
No matter how dark the day;
Don't let the song go out of your heart --
Your troubles will soon pass away.

Good words for today.

Check out the Keswick Today radio broadcast today with Dr. Fred Hartman
as we discuss God's prophetic timetable -- www.americaskeswick.org.