February 24, 2012
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By Cherith's Brook | Letter 137 on assurance & fighting for joy
Luke 18:1 (KJV) And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint...
Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. (KJV)
I Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the LORD came to him, 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
By Cherith's BrookFor God alone, for Thee I wait
Importunate in prayer, else I faintBurdened far above my own strength
Presented with the sentence of deathGreatly pressed out of measure
Who but the Almighty can deliver?For Your felt refreshment, true supplies
Away from the world, I fix my eyesGod of all comfort, hear my cries
For Thy mercies' sake, awake! arise!Regard this lamb, have compassion
Shine anew like the morning sunFrom glory to glory, by Spirit's grace
The veil lifted, O! To see Thy face!No longer fettered to earthly gaze
Lifted above the mephitic hazeOn the seen I no longer look
I hide myself by Cherith's brook
Away in the closet, the Divine solitude
In the secret place, with Your strength enduedIn quietness, be weaned from the temporal
Look to the unseen, to God invisible'Tis foolishness to the eye of flesh
Yet my hope is sure: I will be refreshedMy affections set on my God above
Can You withhold from those You love?In the thicket, the ram You provided
O! For grace to trust You, Jehovah-Jireh!Glorying in suffering and tribulation
You will surely come, not leave us orphans
God of all comfort, to Thee I cling
What other god makes the downcast sing?Rejoicing in hope, by faith I stand
You never disappoint like mortal manShrouded in the dark, shine Your light
Let my heart take celestial flightGlories stream! O! Truth and light
Combat the dark, halt the liesRejoice my soul, my exceeding Joy
Soothe my fears, send peace unalloyedLove of God, be poured, comfort abound
Surround me with deliverance soundsMorning and evening my soul fully satisfied
Yet having found grace, with further grace supplied!Not only a sip, but wineskins bursting
Overflowing gladness for my deepest thirstingYour consolations alone bring cheer
Better than a thousand is one day here!Exodus 33:13 (KJV) Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
II Corinthians 3:16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
II Corinthians 4:18 (KJV) While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
II Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Psalm 94:17-19
If the LORD had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.* * *
Where are you looking?
Isaiah 30:15
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling...Are you unwilling?
Related:My other letters on assurance & fighting for joy including:
- "give me also springs of water" - Will you be an Achsah? (letter 66 on assurance & fighting for joy)
- one Friend alone | letter 100 on assurance & fighting for joy
- Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
- Pleasures abounding, pleasures from above | letter 117 on assurance & fighting for joy
- disappointment ~ appointment | letter 119 on assurance & fighting for joy
- Fear not, little flock (Luke 12:32) | letter 123 on assurance & fighting for joy
- "Who wants candles when he has the sun?" ~ Edward Payson | letter 124 on assurance & joy
- If I be not given spiritual sight ~ "with unveiled face" (letter 127 on assurance & joy)
- Advent # 5 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might draw near to God | Even a Vapor
- Let Him kiss me – none can compare! | Letter 135 on assurance & fighting for joy
- five years ago ~ for your joy (AND an inheritance | Richard Sibbes & the Sealing of the Spirit)
In the multitude of our anxieties, the Lord's comforts alone delight our souls
As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
"And Jacob was left alone" ~ Don't waste your loneliness
Where are you lifting up your eyes? Psalm 121:1-2
Two Fountains ~ Where are you drinking? What is flowing? Don't waste your drinking!
Psalm 131 ~ Lord, calm my soul; Lord, wean my soul in this mephitic air | W.H. Hewitson
Where do you go when the world is unlovely? (Psalm 84 & the theology of Biblical counseling)
don't waste your new year ~ teach us, satisfy us, make us glad (Psalm 90:12-15)
The Dove's Resting Place | What kind of dove are you?
Blessed dependence ~ "Leaning upon her beloved"
He dawns on them like the morning light
"I will be like the dew" (Hosea 14:5) ~ Precious Dew, Heavenly Shower
In hope against hope believe, Blessed are all who believe
As the Visible DisappointsScripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphasis mine.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Emphasis mine.
Work found at http://thebiblerevival.com/clipart/1890holmanbible/bw/elijahfedbytheravens.jpg / breadsite.org / ((PD-Art|PD-old-75}}
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Comments (1)
" My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him."
That's it. When we begin trying to anticipate whom God will use or what circumstance is the harbinger of the help or guidance we need, we are most always wrong. When God has sent or is sending His answer, He will make it plain as we pray... no guessing needed.
I have found this out the hard way and it was only my own manipulation of events and people, not God's provision.
Always appreciate your posts. Thank you!