I took this picture of Sue Thomas and Brother Andrew of Open Doors exchanging stories of God’s hand on their lives. This was in his personal study at his home in the Netherlands in January of 2005.
Brother Andrew became one of the heroes of my youth, after I had read his amazing book, God’s Smuggler. I remember being so impacted that I read it aloud to my younger siblings one summer.
Through my travels with Sue, I met many incredible servants of the Lord!I suspect these two are sharing even more stories of the goodness of their God now that they’re both with Him in Glory.
I can only imagine.
Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little strength, and yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
Those words from Psalm 57 rang in my head and make me smile even before I slowly open my sleepy eyes.
I stumble to the kitchen. I’m up early but I’m planning to leisurely linger over every moment of this new day. I can easily forgive the nerve-grating ‘whrrr’ of the grinder once the aroma of rich coffee awakens my senses.
My resolutions for this New Year are simple.
I will awaken….
I will seek…
I will trust…
I will rejoice…
I will praise…
I will sing…
Then this song randomly came across my feed. I’ve never heard it before, and it’s perfect. A perfect way to start my New Year.
After listening to these powerful words for the seventh time, I suddenly remember and reach for the stoneware mug on the stand next to me.
Well, my coffee may now be cold, But at least my heart is not!
There are so many incredible ministries doing good work this season.
At Sue Thomas Ministries our focus remains committed to its core vision, which is to strengthen and encourage people in all seasons of life. This is accomplished not only through my speaking and writing, but most of all by the entire team that supports the vision God originally gave to Sue Thomas for building WaterBrooks, The Sanctuary for Prayer.
As we are nearing the end of 2025, we would be honored to be one of the initiatives you choose to financially support. Your gift will help us to continue serving the Lord by serving His people.
We still need $7,500 to close out the year on a good note. If you feel led to give, you can join us using the link below.
Please know how deeply grateful we are for you and for the ways you already encourage and pray for this ministry!
I was thinking of that when I read the words of this hymn,
“It is not death to hear The key unlock the door That sets us free from mortal years ….To praise You, evermore.”
She always said she was going to be the first to hear the Trumpet Sound… And maybe so. But she’s no longer bound by Time like we are, living the days, counting the years.
Sue doesn’t have to wait for the trumpet to blow signaling the End of Time before hearing Sound. I believe she has her hearing even now as she’s awaiting that great Day of the Lord when we get our resurrected and eternal bodies.
Tonight, if I could ask her one question, it would be this…
What is it like to be singing praises to your Lord and finally be able to hear the Sound of your own voice?
“Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light
With the angels let us sing
Alleluia’s to our King!”
From the Sound of Silence
To the Sound of Music…
I can only imagine how indescribable all the Sound must be that she is hearing in Heaven!
I can clearly remember a time when I was down and depressed for days, and Sue decided it had been long enough.
“This isn’t who you are,” she chided me. “You can’t stay in this slump. You’re a child of the King! You need to sing!”
Right, that’s easier said than done! At first I felt resentful. Angry. Frustrated that I had absolutely no one who understood. It was unwanted advice. But deep inside I grudgingly knew she was right. I had watched her overcome darkness many times with songs of praise.
She would often comment that when she couldn’t pray she could at least sing. And then I would hear it, feeble and faint at first, but increasing in strength and power until it became full-throated singing. Being deaf and off key never stopped Sue from belting out those hymns with every fiber of her being!
So when I was out of the room, out of her sight I tried it. I knew she couldn’t hear me. So I hummed. You guessed it. It’s truly hard to add a song on top of your already heavy heart.
What to do to get through when all feels bleak and dark in the soul?
I Will Sing.
Did you know that the night that Jesus sat down to eat his last meal with his closest earthly friends, they sang a hymn together? His friends thought it was just another evening spent together. But Jesus knew what was coming next. No one else understood like He did that within a few hours it was to become the darkest night in human history with some of the deepest definitions of betrayal, abandonment and death.
And yet with all that, Jesus sang.
Singing does not organically bubble up out of bleakness. It’s a choice. An act of the will. It’s taking a conscious step forward. If it feels like hypocrisy to sing your favorite praise songs, you could at least sing, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” Follow His example of singing.
Jesus sang. And He sings with His friends even today.
The first sounds out of your mouth may resemble a wordless whimper, but opening the mouth is opening the heart to let the light of Glory shine in. And light always overcomes darkness.
And not only that, but listen to these words,
“So I will sing like I will THERE …in the fearless Light of Glory.”
Do you hear that resolve? That sudden clenching of the fists, that deep shuddering breath that shouts out, “no matter how I feel, I will sing.”
It’s choosing to sing in the darkness as if you’re already singing in the light of Heaven.
You see, of all the people in this World, the followers of Jesus should always have a fight song on our lips!
Mine? The one I turned to over and over again is by City Alight
“Oh, the night has been won, and I shall overcome Yet not I, but through Christ in me!”
And I love this one,
“Though the night is dark Heaven owns my heart And I got all I need to sing, I know You love me I know You found me I know You saved me And Your grace will never fail me.
And while I’m waiting I’m not waiting I know Heaven lives in me.
So I will sing like I will There in the fearless light of Glory Where the darkness cannot find me and Your Face is all I see…”
