July 18, 2012
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The Thorny Hedge for your joy (Hosea 2) | Letter 144 on assurance & fighting for joy
Jeremiah 2:31-32
And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
we will come no more to you’?
Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet my people have forgotten me
days without number.
Hosea 2:6-7
Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns,
and I will build a wall against her,
so that she cannot find her paths.
She shall pursue her lovers
but not overtake them,
and she shall seek them
but shall not find them.
Then she shall say,
‘I will go and return to my first husband,
for it was better for me then than now.’"I wish to submit to His sovereign will,
nay, to cordially acquiesce therein,
and to examine myself rightly to see what in me has contributed to this evil."
~ William Carey ~
THE THORNY HEDGE
Ho! You hungry, thirsty covenant child
In days of famine and of drought,
Be sure My grace will find you out!Merciful pursuit – the thorny hedge
Proves My everlasting blood-bought pledgeIn the Valley of Achor, O! troubled bride
Drink of My consolations, draw near My sideThe wall erected, your paths unfound
My chast'ning love to turn thee aroundRemember thy espousals and repent
Feast on choicest wine, bread heaven-sentTo My sovereign will cordially acquiesce
Have I ever been a wilderness?How can the Fount of Life be darkness?
Escape the ephah, enjoy My rest!Ho! You hungry, thirsty covenant child
In nights of famine and of drought
Come and sup, be satisfied in My house!
Job 5:17-18
Behold, BLESSED is the one whom God reproves;
therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
For he wounds, but he binds up;
he shatters, but his hands heal.Isaiah 55:1-3
Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
my steadfast, sure love for David.Psalm 65:4
BLESSED is the one you choose and bring near,
to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
the holiness of your temple!
Related:
My other letters on assurance & fighting for joy including:
Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
Letter 24 on assurance and fighting for joy (the Father's discipline)
Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
true repentance leads to joy (Letter 37 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Shall we not drink the cup the Father has given us? (Letter 53 on assurance & fighting for joy)
our Father's discipline, William Cowper on trials & sufferings (letter 61 on assurance & joy)
Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
Rejoicing here on the Potter's Wheel (Psalm 66) | Letter 96 on assurance & joy
year end reflections, # 1: "end of the year ... in the midst of heartache" | Letter 97 on joy
year end reflections, # 2: rejoicing in "The Often Unwanted but Necessary Gift" | Letter 98 on joy
the lover's inquiry | letter 114 on fighting for joywhy I write poetry
Are you sitting in the midst of the ephah? ~ Zechariah 5
God, Love & Cookies ~ Have you abandoned your first Love? (Revelation 2:4)
Have you forgotten? Will you REMEMBER and REPENT?
"if I would but cease struggling ... I might be happy" (Edward Payson)
To take whatever thy Father's pleasure | "May adversities uninterrupted be my lot" ~ Edward Griffin
the house of mourning (Ecc. 7) ~ grieving to the glory of God ~ "pleasing pain" (David Brainerd)
Advent # 7 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might be satisfied with Him
my notes on Tim Keller's talk on idols @ The Gospel Coalition Conference
Dearest idol, how can I find rest?Scripture quotations 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.
Photo credit: I edited the work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Goalposts_and_thorny_hedge_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1086796.jpg / http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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Comments (2)
Great verses and quote. I love that Abba loves us so much He fights for us...how awesome is that? Ultimately, it's our choice, but He is such a great Father.
@stephensmustang - Our God is an awesome God and a loving Father! Those thorny hedges are proof of our Father's fighting FOR us, of His stretching His arms of mercy toward us, all so we might repent and return to Him and know abundant life and fullness of joy –– but our flesh and the devil wants us to believe the lie that God is AGAINST us.
Hebrews 12:5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? . . . 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.