I have no idea if children learn songs that are rounds anymore but this morning I had one come to mind and haven’t been able to stop the lyrics. The question is where do you stop when you are singing a “round”?
Some of you who are younger may not even know what a round is. It’s a song like Row, Row, Row Your Boat or Are You Sleeping Brother John. One person or group starts the song and when the finish the first phrase the next group or person starts in at the beginning and then a third and fourth group join in at just the right time. If you don’t have a chorus leader you generally agree to sing through the song three or four times and then stop. But really, there is no stopping point for a round; thus it is aptly named.
The last two weeks I have been reading through the book of Revelation and I have found that there is always singing in heaven. The songs of praise never stop!
“Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and their bodies were covered with eyes. Day and night they never stopped singing,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, the all-powerful God, who was and is and is coming!’
9 The living creatures kept praising, honoring, and thanking the one who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever. 10 At the same time the twenty-four elders knelt down before the one sitting on the throne. And as they worshiped the one who lives forever, they placed their crowns in front of the throne and said,
11 ‘Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. You created all things, and by your decision they are and were created.'” Revelation 4:8-11 CEV
Did you notice – day and night they never stopped singing! Heaven is filled with constant praise to God, the Father, for who He is and what He has done! Words cannot adequately convey our gratitude for God’s greatness.
Peter was writing to encourage Christians when he penned these words:
“And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” I Peter 1:5-9 NLT
We have trials while we are here on earth; we are faced daily with opportunities to worry, fear, and act in an unloving way. When we resist giving in to these temptations we achieve small victories and we see the impurities of self-centeredness being removed. Our motives are being purified. We are becoming more Christ-like.
So, here’s the round that was going through my mind this morning. It comes from these verses. It is the chorus of a song that was written by Barney Warren in 1900, Joy Unspeakable.
“It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Full of glory, full of glory;
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, Oh, the half has never yet been told.”
As I said, the thing with a round is knowing when to stop it. The words of this chorus have been echoing in my heart for over an hour now. I hope these words stick with you today. There’s nothing better than focusing on the Father and His love for us.