Thoughts of Worship and Praise

By Beryl Henry

Thoughts of Worship and Praise is a collection of daily devotionals by Beryl G. Henry. A confluence of challenges, opportunities, and talents have inspired Beryl to commit her thoughts to paper, offering a glimpse into the heart of one of God’s better messengers of faith.

Beryl has been a church organist since the age of fourteen. Born in 1931 in Dallas, Texas, she was child of the Great Depression, World War II, and on occasion, the target of criticism reflecting an unfortunate stigma at that time associated with adoption as an infant.

Her loving parents instilled in Beryl a thorough schooling of the Bible. Through her work as a church organist, which merges music and text quite effectively, Beryl’s ability to express her grasp of faith through her music is evident in Thoughts of Worship and Praise.

Some of Beryl’s devotionals are based on scripture, while others grow from her interpretation of the words to hymns.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638742029

Book preview

By Their Fruit Ye Shall Know Them

May 21, 1990

When this verse came to mind, the first person I thought of was Juanita.

Jesus said, I am the Vine, ye are the branches. A branch must be grafted into the vine before it can bring forth fruit. A branch cut off from the vine is dead, just as we are dead, apart from Jesus Christ.

The fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of the branch, is love, joy, peace, etc. The life-giving flow of the sap comes from the vine, not the branch.

Just as a branch is grafted into the vine and becomes a living part of that vine, we are grafted into Jesus Christ—once and for all. When we are born again, Christ, the vine, lives His life through us, the branches. Only then do we have the love, joy, and peace.

Think of a Christian you know and think what kind of fruit they bear. I have listed the things I see in Juanita, one of the members of Herring Avenue United Methodist Church in Waco, Texas. See how many of these fruits you bear:

unshakable faith;

never sees the bad, only the good, or the potential in people;

never two-faced;

gives thanks to God in all things;

knows and tells others, My God shall supply all of my needs—not just some of them;

uses her talent joyfully, never thought it was a duty;

faithful to the church;

radiant with genuine love, nothing is phony;

always kind and generous, even if her opinion and yours differ;

never uses the Lord’s name in vain;

can see the beauty of God’s handiwork in all things, great and small;

a love for family, seldom seen these days;

if hurt or disappointed, never seeks revenge;

has given her children, by example, a faith to build a life upon;

one you can go to in complete confidence, knowing no gossip will ever start;

never spreads gossip that might come her way;

prays not only for her needs, but for the needs of others;

completely unselfish.

Remember, we can tell people where we attend church and about the many good things we do in the community, but we cannot fool the world.

Jesus said, By their fruits ye shall know them.

Put on the Whole Armor of God

May 26, 1990

The soldier did not wait for the alarm to sound and then try to get all of his equipment together.

As Christians, we are in the battle constantly against the wiles of the devil. We need the full armor of God, not just part of it.

Just as the soldier needed his sandals so that he could rush over the rough places, we need the sandals, which are the preparation of the gospel of peace, to march into a hostile world to spread the good news of the gospel of peace.

The soldier’s loins were girded to protect his vital abdominal organs, just as we must be girded with the truth at all times.

The breastplate was to protect the vital chest organs. Unless we are girded with righteousness, we cannot have clean hands and a pure heart before God.

The soldier always carried his shield so that he would be protected from the fiery darts. Part of the warfare of that day was to shoot darts with fire on the end, but as the dart hit the shield, the fire went out.

If the Christian is to be prepared at all times, he must carry the shield of faith so that when the fiery darts of doubt, fear, temptation, or criticism hit him, they will hit the shield of faith and bounce off.

No Roman soldier would think of going into battle without his sword—to attack before he was attacked. When we live in the Spirit, the sword of the presence of God attacks the forces of evil that come our way.

The soldier always wore his helmet. This was to protect the eyes, ears, and skull.

The Roman soldier was fully protected, so far as humanly possible.

As redeemed children of God, we, too, are fully protected. Each day, let us put on the whole armor of God, not just part of it, so that no matter what comes our way, we can stand firm in the battle—already won at Calvary.

All Things Work Together for Good

May 30, 1990

Many of us love to run around saying, All things work together for good, but it does not stop there. The Scripture says, "All things work together for good, to those who love God, to those called according to His purpose." That does put a different light on it, doesn’t it?

Many times we think that things could not be any worse—we lost our job, we couldn’t make the car payment, the kids are rick, and on and on it goes.

Please bear with me as I tell you, from personal experience, that all things do work together for good to those called according to His purpose. At the age of five years, I told my mother that I wanted to be a church organist. I knew I would be an organist someday. Many dollars were spent for lessons, and there were countless hours of practice.

I graduated from Baylor University with a degree in music and really thought that I had arrived. One evening in July 1956, only two years after I graduated, we were involved in a wreck that resulted in a skull fracture for me. I could not see anything for a day or two, but I told the Lord that if He just would not take my music away, that I would use it only for Him from that time on. God gave me far more than I asked for. To this day, I can see the music in my mind’s eye, but not always on the page. He took away all stage fright, the fear of not being able to play something new just because I couldn’t see it. God has supplied a gift that I cannot begin to explain. Yes, even a skull fracture worked for good, and for the glory of God!

There are so many examples in the Bible that tell how God used a tragedy to work a miracle and bring glory to His name. It has been said that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.

Who would ever have thought that Moses—a man born to a humble Hebrew family, brought up in a heathen society, thrown into slavery with his own people, then wandered in the wilderness for forty years—could be used by God Himself? All of these things worked out for the good of the people. It was to Moses that God gave the gift of leadership.

Look at Daniel. What good could possibly come from being a slave and even being thrown into a den of lions? The good was that Daniel was God’s man. Only Daniel could read the handwriting on the wall and interpret it.

We cannot overlook Abraham. What good could possibly come from a man who was able to be the father of many nations yet did not have even one son? Finally, God does give Abraham a son, but the story does not stop there. Just as Abraham thinks things are in order, God comes along and asks him to sacrifice his only son. Just a minute! Lord, I can’t be the father of many nations if You ask me to sacrifice the only son I have. God comes through once again. Not only did He spare Isaac, but it was through Isaac that the Messiah was to come. No, you won’t top that one!

All things do work together for good, to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Thou Shalt Call His Name Jesus

June 8, 1990

What does the name Jesus mean to you? There are as many meanings as there are people. Long before He came to earth, God tells us in His Word what kind of person to expect.

He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His parents were told to name Him Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.

When we carry these names over into our generation, let’s see how they apply:

Wonderful Counselor

When things seem the darkest, how many times the words to "What a Friend We Have in Jesus come to mind? We remember that it says All our sins and grief to bear, not just part of them. There is a beautiful hymn that says Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." What do we do? We take the burden to Him, even try to help Him solve the problem, or better yet, we pray and pray, then pick up the phone and talk to a close friend about how we can solve the problem. When will we ever leant! He is the Wonderful Counselor.

Jesus, the Almighty God

The Scripture tells us, "I and my Father are one." If we have seen Jesus through the eyes of Faith, we have seen Father.

Jesus, the Everlasting Father

From everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. Man cannot begin to comprehend eternity. I heard this illustration one time and have never forgotten it: If there were a solid steel ball the size of the earth and a little sparrow flew by and lightly brushed the ball with his wings once every thousand years, as we measure time, when the solid steel bad was completely brushed away, that would only be the beginning of eternity.

Jesus, Prince of Peace

When Jesus returns to reign upon the earth there will be peace, but I think this has a twofold meaning. One who has Jesus living in his heart does have a "peace that passeth understanding." The world situation has many people scared to death—what about war, what about the environment, what about food shortage?

An earthly child of a king never wants for anything. Jesus said, Ye shall lack nothing.

Yes, we do have a peace that the world does not understand, and it is because of the Prince of Peace, the one called Jesus.

If Any Man Will Open the Door

June 11, 1990

When Christ moves into your heart He should not be the guest, He should be the head of the house.

As we open the door to let Christ in, we show Him the living room or the den—the place we spend much of our time with family and friends. Somehow, we manage to get between Him and the coffee table. Well, um, Lord, You wouldn’t be interested in those magazines. Suddenly we realize that if Christ has first place in our heart, we are not interested in them either.

Now, we move to the dining room. Lord, You really will enjoy the meals here. But when we sit down for our first meal, we notice that He is not eating. What’s wrong, Lord, you’re not eating? He replies, "My meat is to do the will of Him who sent me. I had been feasting on what I wanted to do."

Let me show you the guest bedroom, Lord. This is where you will be staying. He smiles graciously, but there is a look of disappointment on His face. We ask, Lord, why are You sad? I gave you the very best room I have. I gave you Sunday morning and even Wednesday night once in a while.

He replies, I wanted the worst room in the house so I could clean it up.

We start down the hall, and there is a terrible smell coming from the hall closet. The Lord asks, What on earth is in there?

Well, um, that is my private closet—only a few unconfessed sins or some of the thoughts I had that were not pleasing to You. After all, Lord, this is my house, and I do have the right to some privacy.

The Lord replies, Yes, you do have a choice, but you will never be completely happy until you let Me clean out the closet.

By this time, it is evening and we are going out with some of our friends. The Lord asks, Now that I live here, aren’t you going to invite me to come along?

Oops! Once again, we start with excuses. Lord, it is late, and I know You must be too tired. Um, Lord, you probably wouldn’t enjoy the movie we are seeing this evening, and besides, I know you wouldn’t particularly care for this group of people. Lord, they just aren’t your type.

The Lord replies in a gentle, loving voice, I would love to go. I came to seek and to save the lost.

By this time, we are so overwhelmed that we decide to go back to the house and just spend a quiet evening with Him. As we get to the front door, we hand Him the key and tell Him the house is His—to arrange, rearrange, clean up, or do anything He wants to do with it.

The house is His, not ours anymore.

Be Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might

June 12, 1990

First of all, let’s define the word strong. Webster defines it as great physical strength, forceful, courageous, extremely intense, having moral or intellectual power, zealous.

These are only a few of the meanings of the word strong, but I think this gives us the general idea.

When we think of strength, usually the first person who comes to mind is Samson. God did give him great physical strength, but as all of us do, he blew it.

Another who was strong in the Lord was Daniel. Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself but remained true to his God. He did not eat from the king’s table, but God gave him the physical strength to do the amount of work required. God honored his courage to say no.

Solomon is a perfect example of one who starts out in the strength of the Lord. He had it all! In humility, he asked God for wisdom to rule his people, but God did not stop there. Solomon was given wisdom, riches, worldwide fame, and the ability to acquire great knowledge. People from the known world at that time came to hear Solomon.

Things went along just great for a while, but Solomon began to think he could run things his way. After all, he had the most wisdom, and he had the most wealth. He could run it all with his strength. Wrong!

Solomon began to rationalize. If he married the daughter of Pharaoh, this would only strengthen his alliance with Egypt. What could it possibly hurt to have a pagan wife? He soon found out! He had to build her a temple in which to worship her gods. Solomon had broken the first commandment, "Thou shah have no other gods before me."

Solomon did accomplish one of the greatest tasks of all time, the building of the temple, but the strength of his moral and spiritual character continued to go downhill.

There are many more examples in the Bible who had strength in the Lord, but let’s not live in the past.

Our nation, one nation under God, is something each of us can relate to. We are the most blessed nation on the face of the earth, but not because of our abilities. Our founding fathers built a nation upon the principles found in the Word of God. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.

Now, let’s get down to the individual. Just how strong are you in the power of His might? When things are going well, all of us can go around the house singing Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. But how many of us, when tragedy strikes, can hold our head up and sing, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul?"

Many think that when we accept Christ, it will be a bed of roses. Not so! Jesus said, Take up thy cross and follow Me. Only in the strength of the Lord can anyone bear a cross. It just is not human nature to choose suffering. This is where the strength of the Lord comes in.

Let each of us pray that we will have the strength to do what is right, no matter the cost, and to speak boldly the message of salvation.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

June 27, 1990

I shall not want.

As we come into this world, we are totally dependent—needing food, clothing, shelter, plus one of the most needed things of all, love. Many are born into the ideal situation, but I can say, firsthand, I shall not want.

By the grace of God, not luck, I was rescued from Dallas County Welfare and placed in a Christian home. As far back as I can remember, my family made the church a vital part of life. I was taught the ways of the Lord, not only at church, but was taught more by example, than words, at home.

At the age of five years I told my mother that I wanted to be a church organist when I grew up. I knew nothing about being called to a specific task in the church, but that is exactly what happened. Once again, I shall not want.

I was given piano lessons during these early years. Then, just at the right time, by God’s timing, not luck, a new organist came to my church. He was not only willing to teach organ, but he let me play nearly every Sunday night, until I could handle a morning service.

As I finished high school, my ambition was to get a degree in music and continue to play the organ. Once again, the Lord had provided.

I shall not want.

My parents had put back for my education, so when I needed the money, it was there.

Every young girl dreams of a loving husband and a home of her own. Once again, the Lord had me busy in His work in the right place at the right time. Jim was in the Air Force and was transferred to Waco at the same time I was in Baylor. We