Hands up for The Hallelujah Chorus - live at Handel On The Street - Apri...

Georg Friedrich Handel suffered a severe brain stroke April 13th 1737.
Through several wonders he managed to recover from paralysis and also retrieve his creative powers again.

Only to dump down into deep depression caused by lack of success, lack of money, and adversities among the musicians. His creative vein had drained out, he felt.
"Oh, why, Lord, why did you save me, just to let me down as a failure?" he asked. He was delivered a new script as he lay bedridden, but he hardly bothered to open it. When he finally did, in the middle of the night, his inner shutters were flung wide open. He found the Messiah. All the familiars prophesies collected into one huge masterpiece.
April 13th 1742, 270 years ago, the premier performance was held in Dublin. Great success. Handel was reborn.

He wouldn't receive money for his masterpiece, but gave it to charity.
To prisons and hospitals. "I was ill, but was cured. I was a prisoner, but was set free", he said.
Towards the end of his life Handel became blind. He still conducted.
For the last time he stood on the stage, waving, "The trumpets shall sound".
He fell down and said, "I hope I die on Good Friday."
The year was 1859 and Good Friday fell on April 13th.
Handel had twice experienced resurrection on earth that very date, now he waited the third resurrection in heaven.

Yesterday was Friday April 13th, and daughter Serina was present to celebrate "Handel on the Streets" in Dublin. She was overwhelmed. The video was made two years ago.

Our Father 5

Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.

This is a real hard one. I have a lot of sins on my conscience.
One of them is, I have hard to forgive when I or my family really have been hurt or harmed.
The injustices keep popping up when least expected, and I'm feeling like a looser, because I cannot forget.
Do I have to forgive, when the person hasn't asked for forgiveness?
I try to hide behind that question.
Is remembering and feeling hurt or angry the same as not forgiving?
I mean, I do not wish my evil-doers directly harm. I sometimes think the Lord might let them taste their own medicine. Then I remember my father's warning, "Let only the Lord pass judgement".

Bottom line is; I sorely need forgiveness, therefor I have to try to forgive.
I pray, "help me forgive", when I in my heart know I have not forgiven. One special offense I'd never think I could get past. I prayed this prayer for two years and one day it simply melted away like snow in the spring.

Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.

Our Father 4

Give us today our daily bread.

When I grew up, we used to have a porcelain platter with the gold inscription "Give us this day our daily bread". My mother's homemade bread was placed upon the platter for breakfast and supper.

It took me sometime to realize that we are praying for more than actually bread. We place the responsibility for our entire needs,
in the hands of God, our Father.
Day by day our daily bread. Like the Manna the bread will be provided us one day at a time. We therefore need to return in front of the Lord with the same prayer day after day.
We simply need to stay close to God, all the time, because our needs will change, but God's promises and power are eternal.

We need food for our bodies, food for our thoughts and food for our hearts.
Even if we don't feel and know of famine, like one billion of the population of the world do, we do eat food which poisons our bodies, read and watch material made to seduce our minds and hearts, and lead us astray from our goal.
We may think we are alive, but we are dying, according to the Revelations.

Indeed we need to pray for daily living bread and water.
Oh, Lord, please be the great provider.
"Give us today our daily bread."

Our Father 3

Your will be done.

It has often been tough and self revealing to pray Our Father, and mean every word of it.
Too often I'm sitting in my tiny hole, understanding so little of my life and others, not to mention lacking the great perspective.
When the Lord's will is done, it's for the best for me and for the rest of the world.
So why did Jesus teach us to pray the Almighty "Thy will be done"?
We all belong to him. He sees the entire puzzle from afar.
We are living entirely by grace and we are valuable treasures to him.
Even so, it is necessary that I in my heart and with my mouth submit to his will.
I recommend my self into the hands of my father and say, not mine, but,
"Your will be done."

Our Father 2

Hallowed be your name.
We have a Father with a name that must be held Holy.
My mother used to say that she preferred men cursing to women disgracing God's name.
I wonder why that is a woman thing, "Oh my"?
My language may not be the best, so I shouldn't throw any stone.
I just wish for the ones ill-using God's holy name, that they might learn to know him.
Remember you are dust, remember you are more than dust.
He is our dear, loving, caring Father.
He is also God Almighty, the first and the last, creator of the universe.
Hallowed be your name.