perseverance

  • "Your business is to trust, and go forward." (Edward Payson)

    After posting Andrew Fuller's words about The Dangerous Tendency of Delay in the concerns of religion last night, this morning the Holy Spirit brought these words of Edward Payson to my heart:

    Your business is to trust, and go forward.



    Through that loving Fatherly discipline, I was strongly encouraged to trust and to go forward. Job 5:17  Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18  For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.  Psalm 16:7  I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

    To explain... over the past several weeks, on many, many occasions, I've been tempted to distrust and to shrink back, rather than to trust and to go forward. I'd fallen headfirst into the deadly snare of fixing my eyes on the visible obstacles and impossible situations – instead of setting my affections on the invisible God Who can do the impossible.

    I love the Bible, and God has provided many, many encouragements to me through His Word. However, once again, I must take the opportunity to commend to you the reading of well-chosen Christian biography. Though the words are not infallible and inspired as the Scripture is, the Holy Spirit can take the stories and the words of the saints and use them to strengthen and refresh our weak and thirsty souls, for these men and women are part of that great cloud of witnesses which surrounds us.*

    Here's the full context of Payson's words (from "Memoir, Select Thoughts and Sermons of the Late Rev. Edward Payson, Volume 1" by Edward Payson (1783-1827) and Asa Cummings, 329-330, emphasis mine). Please note:  though Payson's words were written to a man who is called to the ministry of Gospel preaching, they are helpful and applicable to any believer who is struggling to press on in obedience to the will of God in the face of great temptations and difficulties. If you're not struggling today, soon enough you will be. Though Satan is a defeated foe, he still prowls and seeks to work us woe!

    To a brother, who shrunk from his duty, through depression of mind, and an erroneous opinion of his own qualifications for the ministry.  Lest any should use the authority of Dr. Payson's name to urge men to assume the sacred office without the requisite qualifications, it ought to be stated, that the person addressed in the following letter, besides possessing decided piety, had passed through a regular course of preparatory studies at a theological seminary:

    "My dear brother:  Your letter found me more than ordinarily hurried; but I feel it to be so important that you should be licensed this fall, that I must snatch a moment to answer it.  Your feelings, as you describe them, are just like mine, only less aggravated by long continuance.  I mention this that you may pay more regard to my advice.  I am as certain that it is best for you to take license immediately, as I can be of any thing.   Rely upon it, that, if you delay, your difficulties will increase, and you will feel more and more as if it as impossible to preach.  Your only safety lies in placing yourself in circumstances which will make exertion necessary, and which will secure divine assistance.  Never mind your infirmities.  You have nothing to do with them.  Your business is to trust, and go forward.  If you wait till the sea becomes land, you will never walk on it.  You must leave the ship, and, like Peter, set your feet upon the waves, and you will find them marble.  Christ is a good Master.  He won't suffer you to sink; and you will, at length, glory in your infirmities.  I would not give up the precious proofs which I have received, in consequence of my weakness, of his power, faithfulness, and love, for all the comforts of good health.  But be assured, that, if you remain as you are, Satan will weave a net round you, which you will never break.  Every mental and religious effort will become more difficult and painful; your mind will be like the body of a rickety child; you will live a burden to yourself and friend, and die without the consolation of having been made useful.  This would infallibly have been my fate, had I not been thrust into the ministry before I well knew what I was about.  Yet you see I have, somehow or other, been carried along, and so will you be.  Do not then, my dear, dear brother, stand hesitating.  A feeble, nervous man must not deliberate, but act; for his deliberation will not be worth a straw, but his activity may be, and probably will be, useful both to himself and others.

    "When Christ told his disciples to feed the multitude with five loaves, they did not hesitate, and say, Lord, let us first see the bread multiplied; if we begin and have not enough, we shall be put to shame; but they distributed what they had, and it increased with the distribution. So you will find it.  You just, therefore, go forward.  There is no reason why you should not.  If you delay, indolence will steal upon you, and bind you in chains, which you will never break.

    "I charge you, then, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to be up and doing. There are fifty places in this State [Maine], where the most unconnected things, which your lips could utter, would do good, and be well received.  You have no conception by what apparently feeble means God often works wonders.  Let the next tidings I hear from you be, that you have crossed the Rubicon; or, rather, let me see you here forthwith, in the character of a preacher."

    Matthew 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

    The God Who calls us to walk on the water, will sustain us to walk on the water,
    no matter how high the waves, no matter how deep, how broad, how cold, or how turbulent the water may be!

    Can the height or depth or breadth or chill or turbulence of any water separate us from
    the height and depth and breadth and warmth and steadfastness of Christ's love for His elect?!

    Our time of insufficiency is a God-ordained opportunity for us to come to know Christ Himself as our sufficiency!

    II Corinthians 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God

    O, for a Faith That Will Not Shrink
    (Words: William H. Bath­urst, Psalms and Hymns, 1831)

    O, for a faith that will not shrink,
    Though pressed by every foe,
    That will not tremble on the brink
    Of any earthly woe!

    That will not murmur nor complain
    Beneath the chastening rod,
    But, in the hour of grief or pain,
    Will lean upon its God.

    A faith that shines more bright and clear
    When tempests rage without;
    That when in danger knows no fear,
    In darkness feels no doubt.

    That bears, unmoved, the world’s dread frown
    Nor heeds its scornful smile;
    That seas of trouble cannot drown,
    Nor Satan’s arts beguile.

    A faith that keeps the narrow way
    Till life’s last hour is fled,
    And with a pure and heavenly ray
    Lights up a dying bed.

    Lord, give me such a faith as this,
    And then, whate’er may come,
    I’ll taste, e’en here, the hallowed bliss
    Of an eternal home.

    O, for a faith that will not shrink!

    Luke 17:5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

    Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith,
    With men it is impossible, but not with God:
    for with God all things are possible.

    May the Holy Spirit impart to us understanding
    and bring to our remembrance the five loaves of the five thousand,
    and how many baskets were taken up,
    so we might trust in God and go forward in faith
    and expect to receive divine assistance as we go.

    John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
    he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
    whatsoever I have said unto you.

    Isaiah 54:4a Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded;
    for thou shalt not be put to shame...

    On what water is Jesus bidding you to walk?
    Will you ask Him to strengthen your faith to trust Him more, so you might go forward?

    Please note: Today's post is an edited/adapted version of a post I originally published here on October 2, 2011.

    * Please check out John Piper's biographical messages. God used these to whet my appetite for reading Christian biography, and I pray God might use them similarly in your life if you've not yet come to appreciate the treasure of Christian biography.

    Related posts...

    on Christian biography...

    on God's sufficiency...

    Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Po_vodam.jpg | {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

  • my desire: "fearless and uncompromising" like Duncan Campbell, Moses, and Paul

    From Andrew A. Woolsey's "Channel of Revival: A Biography of Duncan Campbell," (The Faith Mission: Edinburgh, 1974, reprinted 1982), 127-129 (boldface mine):

        There was nothing complicated about Duncan's preaching. It was fearless and uncompromising. He exposed sin in its ugliness and dwelt at length on the consequences of living and dying without Christ. With a penetrating gaze on the congregation, and perspiration streaming down his face, he set before men and women the way of life and the way of death. It was a solemn thought to him that the eternity of his hearers might turn upon his faithfulness. He was standing before his fellowmen in Christ's stead and could be neither perfunctory nor formal. His words were not just a repetition of accumulated ideas, but the expression of his whole being; he gave the impression of preaching with his entire personality, not merely with his voice.

        It was prophetic preaching, not diplomatic, and the hearers were called to make a clear choice, for there was middle path. During the revival the wrath of God was emphasized and the coming judgment. God has given him this emphasis. Once he tried to be more pleasing in the presentation of truth but without effect and in spite of constant criticism continued to press the flaming sword into the very heart of the foe, resisting every effort to make him retreat. Leaving a service one night after listening to a famous preacher who was noted for his 'positive gospel', he found himself beside another minister who had often censured his ministry. The sermon they had listened to was on Paul's word to the Philippian jailor: 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'

        'What did you think of that?' his critic asked. 'Not telling him to flee from the wrath to come!'

        'Maybe not,' replied Duncan slowly 'but you must remember that the dear many was already in full flight.'

        While he thundered the judgments of God unsparingly on those who continued in sin, there was a beautiful tenderness when he addressed those seeking Christ in true repentance. The jewel of grace shone more brightly against the backcloth of law and judgment. Indeed, those who listened sometimes saw his countenance glow with light as he dwelt on the love of Christ and God's welcome to returning sinners.

        Undoubtedly the insistence on a true knowledge of sin and genuine repentance was one of the reasons for the deep conviction of sin which characterised the movement. At times the preacher's voice was drowned with the sound of men and women weeping uncontrollably; on occasions he found it necessary to stop preaching because of the distress manifested by those whose consciences had been awakened. Men, broken in spirit, wept openly over their sin. Here is one working at peats on the moor and suddenly bursts into a flood of tears. 'Why am I crying?' he asks 'I didn't used to be so soft.' He remembers the two ships that had gone down under him at Dunkirk and he had shown no fear; now he trembles. Hastening home he goes to the barn and yields with the prayer: 'Oh God if it's my surrender You want, You've got it now.'

        Another, who had been given up by the ministers as totally indifferent, is cycling along the road with the Word of God pounding in his brain causing him to dismount; it seems that hell has opened up, spitting out balls of fire on the road before him.

        In the fields, or at the weaving looms, men were overcome and prostrated on the ground before God. One said; 'The grass beneath my feet and the rocks around me seem to cry: "Flee to Christ for refuge!"'

        The agony of conviction was terrible to behold, but Duncan rejoiced knowing that out of the deep travail would be born a rich, virile Christian experience, unlike the cheap, easy-going 'believism' that produces no radical moral change. An old man underlined this in his prayer when he said bluntly: 'Lord, now that You have us in the big pot, boil us as well!'

    * * *

    It's far too easy for any of us to fear and to compromise. It's far too easy for ME to fear men rather than God. It's far too easy for ME to compromise! It's far too easy for ME to seek to please men rather than pleasing God! This is a temptation I constantly face, but I know that along with the apostle Paul, I CANNOT rightly claim to be a servant of Christ so long as I am seeking to please men...

    Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

    And I also know what our Lord had to say about those who feared men rather than God:

    Matthew 10:26  “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27  What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31  Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33  but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

    34  “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36  And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37  Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38  And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

    This morning, I was rereading the accounts of Moses' repeated visits to Pharaoh.

    During that time, there were four opportunities when Pharaoh dangled before Moses' ears four different compromises (Exodus 8:25; 8:28; 10:8-11; 10:24):

    Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.

    So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away...

     So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?” Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.” But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go!

    Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”

    Yes, these were certainly options, but not one of them was in line with God's uncompromising will for His people!

    We learn a great deal from Moses' response to Pharaoh in Exodus 8:27:

    "We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as he tells us."

    "AS HE [the LORD our God] TELLS US." In other words, we can't serve the LORD in any way other than the way HE TELLS US. No matter the circumstances, no matter our feelings, no matter what anyone else is telling us – our obedience to the living God must be based on what the LORD our God has told us in His Holy Word. We see the disastrous results for King Saul when he did not serve the LORD as the LORD had told him (see I Samuel 13 & 15). We make a fatal error whenever we begin to rely on ourselves, i.e. - when we begin to consider and think through a situation using our own human wisdom and try to solve a problem using our own fleshly resources, when we toss aside the Word of God and no longer bow down to God's sovereign authority. We can't ever fight the battles of God using Saul's fleshly armor! Unless we seek the will of God through prayer and the Word of God, unless we ask for the Holy Spirit of God to lead us into all truth and to pour out upon us what He alone can supply, we'll be led astray onto the broad path of expediency and common sense. We have to remember that God's thoughts and God's ways are higher than ours. God's thoughts and God's ways often don't make sense to us. His wisdom is inscrutable. We are not His counselor! The LORD is GOD, after all, is He not? The way of the Spirit of God is always the way of life; while the way of flesh of man is always the way of death:

    There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
    (Proverbs 14:12)

    When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, let's never forget how our Lord Himself did battle: He used the Word of God! May we each take heed that we might not fall! May I take heed that I might not fall!

    Notice Moses emphatic, uncompromising, and unwavering tone: "We must." And as Moses answers Pharaoh's proposals, we find him using the same words in Exodus 10:9 and 10:25-26:

    Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

    But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”


    "WE MUST." Moses was concerned about the people of God worshiping the LORD in the exact way GOD Himself had prescribed. Aren't we constantly tempted to remake God into our own image and worship Him in the way that seems right to us? Aren't we flooded with temptations to make that smallest little compromise? Don't we find a million and one reasons rising up to rationalize our disobedience to God's Word?

    Know this: apart from the persevering grace of God at work in us and apart from the love of God constraining us, each one of us would very quickly end up running after the imagination of our own evil hearts (~ Jer. 16:12, KJV), doing what's right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25), turning our backs on the LORD our God (II Chron. 29:6), and saying to the one true God: "We are lords; we will come no more unto thee" (Jer. 2:31, KJV). How pathetic that we would even consider forsaking the fountain of living water to hew broken cisterns! (Jer. 2:13) How loathsome that we might forsake the cold flowing waters for strange waters! (Jer. 18:14)

    Jude 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. (adapted)

    I've found myself between a rock and a hard place on many occasions, and particularly quite often as of late... God forbid that I succumb to fear and compromise!

    ~ Lord God, multiply Your grace toward me, so I might be strengthened to offer myself to You as a living sacrifice. Work in me to will and to do of Your good pleasure, that I might not shrink back, but be fearless and uncompromising – no matter the cost. ~

    Like the apostle Paul, I long to finish my course and the ministry I received to testify to the gospel of the grace of God fearlessly and without compromise:

    Acts 20:18 “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19  serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20  how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21  testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22  And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23  except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24  But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25  And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26  Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 27  for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28  Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29  I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30  and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31  Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears..."

    Impossible with me, but possible WITH GOD, as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:

    10  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

    In much of the western world today, the church is so very far from the bright and shining torch we're intended to be (Isaiah 62). We are in a state of great ruination, much as we read of in Psalm 74. We are a reproach and disgrace to the name of our holy God. We're looking very much like the temple and the city of Jerusalem after the exile (e.g. - see the books of Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah). We must consider our ways! The gold has grown dim (Lam. 4:1), and it grows dimmer day by day, as you hear of the erosion of denomination after denomination, as we you find further slippages of doctrinal truth. My friends, the lampstands have been removed from congregations and denominations that were once known for their orthodoxy, and they are being removed as you read these words. We are now reaping what what has been sown over the course of many, many years as fleshly, man-centered, expedient, and people-pleasing decisions have made by a whole host of people throughout the course of many, many years – people who chose not to be fearless and uncompromising. Instead of being valiant for the truth, they chose to shrink back in fear and to make little compromises here and there. I don't want to be counted among those people! O! for the grace of God to abound so I might be fearless and uncompromising all the days of my life, like Duncan Campbell, Moses, and Paul!

    So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
    (James 4:17)

    "Peace if possible, truth at all costs."
    (Martin Luther)

     And Elijah came near to all the people and said,
    “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?
    If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

    And the people did not answer him a word.
    (I Kings 18:21)

    For more about Duncan Campbell, please read my last post, God's greatest gift to any generation, and this Brief Biography of Duncan Campbell.

    Why I blog and the only kind of recommendation I should seek
    dedication 2010 (reflections on God's Word & God's grace) ~ no sugar coating...
    the minister's examination: "Who is my master?"
    Make war (Herod, blogging, appetites, the glory of God & the Word of God)
    learning to run without fear
    I can't keep walking on eggshells here (more on Revelife, Calvinism, the Body of Christ and self)
    I don't want to walk anyone into Hell
    Postcards from God in England: the frisking at Heathrow
    many will come and deceive - will you do whatever it takes?
    my flesh lusts against the Spirit the Spirit lusts against my flesh
    the world says . . . You say . . . I say (a prayer of dedication)
    Kingdom-Obsessed People don't seek "great things" for themselves
    If I look (looking at him, loved him - Mark 10:17-22) ~ ministry's sorrow
    the world says . . . You say . . . I say (a prayer of dedication)
    Reformation Rebels: Are you willing to be a rebel for the sake of the Church?
    even among the voices (Bible reading: Nehemiah 6:1-14)

    What is a nominal Christian?
    With the New Year come new resolutions, but have you become entirely new? (Lloyd-Jones)
    the Holy Spirit and Life
    why we need a new heart (Bible reading - Matthew 5)
    Barabbas we save, Jesus Christ we slay (the mockery of profession ~ decisional regeneration)
    Have you believed with your heart ... all your heart? (The Ethiopian Eunuch - Acts 8:37)
    Are you kissing the Son? (Psalm 2)
    Charo Washer's Testimony: "you either do pass these tests of 1 John, or you don't"
    What is Biblical mourning? (Ash Wednesday)
    Biblical mourning, assurance and false guilt

    Scripture 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.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Moses_Speaks_to_Pharaoh.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

  • Thomas' song ... my song ~ Letter 141 on assurance & fighting for joy

    Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
    But without faith
    it is impossible to please him:
    for he that cometh to God
    must believe that
    he is,
    and that
    he is a rewarder
    of them that
    diligently
    seek
    him.


    Habakkuk 2
    3  For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
    If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.
    4  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

    Luke 18:1 (KJV)
    And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint ...

    Exodus 33
    12  Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13  Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”

    Jeremiah 33:3
    Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

    Thomas' Song ~ If only, if only I'd see Your face!

    All my dreams, I would watch them fade
    All the earthly, I'd gladly trade

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    My highest ambitions placed upon the fire
    To gain Christ, to know Him – my blazing desire!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    O! To see my Lord with mine own eye!
    My portion fore'er, perfect supply!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    In this barren and thirsty land
    To hear Your voice, to grasp Your hand!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    Among the captives, heavens be rent
    To my panting soul, refreshment sent!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    In this nighttime valley of death
    Pour, precious oil, Holy Spirit breath!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    In the wilderness, so desolate
    A table prepared, celestial treat!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    As enemies rush upon me like a flood
    Remember Your covenant – redeeming blood!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    As I go to You outside the camp
    Be my shield and be my lamp

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    In the darkness – a glimmer, Glory's sight!
    A moment on the Mount: truest delight!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    All my griefs, my every tear
    Worth it all, as You draw near!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    While shut up here in this prison court
    Living manna, fall! Word of the LORD!

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    The just shall wait –– shall live by faith
    The just shall wait –– shall seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    Having found grace, I cry, "Grace!
    Find me in this desert place!"

    If only, if only I'd see Your face!
    Yet I shall wait –– and live by faith
    Yet I shall wait –– and seek by faith
    O! to pray, that I might not faint!

    Jeremiah 33
    1  The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard: 2  “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: 3  Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

    Ezekiel 1:1
    1  In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the Chebar canal, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.

    Genesis 39
    20  And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21  But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

    Acts 7
    54  Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55  But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56  And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

    Psalm 23
    4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
    I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
    5  You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
    you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
    6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
    and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
    forever.

    Habakkuk 2
    3  For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
    If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.
    4  “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

    Job 42
    1  Then Job answered the LORD and said:

    2  “I know that you can do all things,
    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
    3  ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
    Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
    4  ‘Hear, and I will speak;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.’
    5  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
    6  therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.”



    John 20
    24  Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

    26  Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28  Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    Hebrews 13
    10  We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12  So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13  Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14  For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15  Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.


    Jeremiah 31
    1  “At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”

    2  Thus says the LORD:
    “The people who survived the sword
    found grace in the wilderness;
    when Israel sought for rest,
    3  the LORD appeared to him from far away.
    I have loved you with an everlasting love;
    therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

    Related:

    this earthly manna ~ the Christian hedonist's plea
    Finding pleasure in Him
    Moderation in pursuing God? An answer from Jonathan Edwards
    Moderation in pursuing God? An answer from George Whitefield
    "...it is a pleasing thing to walk with God." (George Whitefield)
    Dearest idol, how can I find rest
    "The inestimable Benefits of Christ's Death, inferred from the excellency of his Person"

    Naphtali News: God speaking to me about my failures & the one thing needful
    Her Eyes Were Still Restrained ~ "When it looks like he is buried for good..."

    The story of Job: bad luck, God's sovereign will or ?
    You speak as one of the foolish women would speak ~ Job 2:9-10

    God's sovereign grace & care in Genesis (the story of Joseph)
    Lenten Reflections: When he broke all supply of bread (My breaking is for your blessing)

    "The honeycomb I lift!" ~ Will you join me? I Samuel 14:24-30
    Advent #1 WHY HAS JESUS COME? that we might have life & life more abundantly
    Advent # 5 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might draw near to God | Even a Vapor
    Advent # 7 WHY HAS JESUS COME? So we might be satisfied with Him
    don't waste your new year ~ teach us, satisfy us, make us glad (Psalm 90:12-15)
    As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
    Embittered, pricked in heart? Go into the sanctuary of God (Psalm 73)
    As the Visible Disappoints
    even in my disappointment - still blessed by my Father
    How long wilt thou mourn? I Samuel 16:1 - Through many disappointments & deceit, To Zion ascend, go up to the mercy seat

    My letters on assurance and fighting for joy including...

    Letter 3 on assurance and fighting for joy (Jesus' desire vs. Satan's desire)
    Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
    Letter 18 on assurance and fighting for joy (my testimony of joy)
    Letter 25 on assurance and fighting for joy (a strong craving ≠ His joy)
    Shall we not drink the cup the Father has given us? (Letter 53 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    Will you finish your course with joy? (Acts 20:24) - letter 71 on assurance & joy
    a conversation with Jesus about misplaced joy ("do not rejoice in this" - letter 73 on joy)
    Doubting one, do you know Me as a rewarder? | letter 78 on assurance & fighting for joy
    Are you a radiant Christian or a drunken old woman? (letter 82 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    asking a hard thing (letter 84 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    disappointment ~ appointment | letter 119 on assurance & fighting for joy
    Who wants candles when he has the sun?" ~ Edward Payson | letter 124 on assurance & joy
    Let Him kiss me – none can compare! | Letter 135 on assurance & fighting for joy

    Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated 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.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guercino_-_Doubting_Thomas_-_WGA10951.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

naphtali_deer

About me...

Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.

Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath

My other websites

tent of meeting: Prayer for reformation & revival

(See also Zechariah821. Zechariah821 is a mirror site of tent of meeting, found on WordPress)

deerlifetrumpet: Encouragement for those seeking reformation & revival in the Church

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