pressing on

  • In hope against hope believe, Blessed are all who believe

    Genesis 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2  But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3  And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4  And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5  And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6  And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

    Romans 4:18  In hope he [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” 19  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20  No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21  fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

    Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2  For by it the people of old received their commendation.


    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Grieving and barren one
    Hear Him, My Beloved Son

    My sheep, doubting sheep
    Hear My voice, follow Me

    Take heed, be not deceived
    From the stranger's voice flee

    Do not succumb to devilish ploys
    The thief kills, steals and destroys

    From doubt's stronghold be free
    In hope against hope believe

    From your anxious labor cease
    From self's tyranny be released

    My holy nation can never be birthed
    Through efforts wrought of the earth

    In My bosom lie and be weaned
    Take your eyes off what you see

    Holy ambitions, Spirit-imparted dreams
    Are never fulfilled through human schemes

    All your striving is but vainglory
    Unless you strive by Christ in thee

    For your soul did I not bleed?
    Be not afraid, only believe

    Bruised reed, I will not break you,
    Surely I will never leave or forsake you

    In the famine, trust only Me
    To Egypt do not look or flee

    Keep on prostrating, pray unceasingly, fervently
    Soon you will profess, "The Lord listened to me!"

    In the night there will be weeping
    As the sun wakes you will be reaping

    You will be like those who dream
    Come and see the nations stream

    From every tongue and every tribe
    All the Shepherd calls will come alive

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Great shall be your peace
    In hope against hope believe

    Blessed is she who believes
    I am able to perform what I speak

    Blessed is she who believes
    What I promised I will complete

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Disconsolate soul
    Come into My fold

    In returning and rest
    In quiet confidence

    Trust in Me, be made whole
    Enjoy riches untold

    Yield to My pure design
    So shall your face shine

    From your works and ways cease
    Beware the evil heart of unbelief

    Do not fall into disobedience
    Labor diligently to enter My rest

    From your cheerless labor cease
    In supplication find perfect peace

    Look to God immortal, unseen
    Hope for what you do not see

    With perseverance, wait eagerly
    Hear the Spirit groan alongside thee

    Wrap yourself in patient humility
    In hope be filled with joy and peace

    Persevere to enter the year of My favor
    Come and sup, My Person fully savor

    You will never be disgraced
    Drink of My sure deliverance

    I will give rain for your seed
    In the desert showers and streams

    Lift up your eyes beyond fleshly appetite
    See the harvest ready, the fields white

    So shall your offspring be
    So shall your descendants be

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Great shall be your peace
    In hope against hope believe

    Blessed is she who believes
    I am able to perform what I speak

    Blessed is she who believes
    What I promised I will complete

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Disconcerted soul
    Come into the fold

    The great cloud
    The faithful cloud

    The cloud that speaks aloud
    Faithful witnesses resound

    Though dead, they still speak
    In hope against hope believed

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed is she who believes

    Show the same endurance
    Do not become sluggish

    For you are My seed
    You shall plant and eat

    You shall not labor in vanity
    Or bear children for calamity

    For you are My seed
    And your children with thee

    Great shall be your peace
    In hope against hope believe

    Enlarge your tents, you shall possess
    The nations for an inheritance

    For you are My seed
    And your children with thee

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Great shall be your peace
    In hope against hope believe

    Blessed is she who believes
    I am able to perform what I speak

    Blessed is she who believes
    What I promised I will complete

    In hope against hope believe
    Blessed are all who believe

    Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

    Luke 1:45  And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

    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.

    Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ScoCen.jpg by Robert Mura - Public domain

  • The Watchman's Song – "Day and night, night and day"

    I Samuel 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.  23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

    Isaiah 62:6-7

    On your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have set watchmen;
    all the day and all the night
    they shall never be silent.
    You who put the LORD in remembrance,
    take no rest,
    and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it a praise in the earth.


    The Watchman's Song – "Day and night, night and day"

    A watchman I remain
    Day and night, night and day
    All glory due Your name
    Through devilish snares
    Through worldly cares
    May I never cease to pray
    And teach the good way
    A watchman I remain
    Day and night, night and day

    This people You have made
    For Your pleasure, for Your name
    This remnant You have claimed
    This flock by Your blood obtained
    You will never orphan or forsake
    Day and night, night and day

    We confess our abominations
    We turn from our transgressions
    See our darkness and desolation
    O, awake, arise, arrive for our salvation
    Rush upon the mountains of separation
    May we no longer be called a city forsaken
    Make us the joy of many generations
    A healing stream to all the nations
    Life forevermore, blessing descending

    Let the poor and needy spring up with praise
    Let not the oppressed be ashamed
    Adorn us with Your garment of praise
    That all peoples might know Your name
    Is Your arm shortened that You cannot save?

    For You alone, O God, are our King
    In the midst of the earth working
    Day and night, night and day
    Working everlasting salvation
    Day and night, night and day
    For those whose heart is loyal to Him
    Descend again to Mount Zion
    Beautify Your sanctuary with salvation

    A watchman I remain
    Day and night, night and day
    All glory due Your name
    Through fainting flesh
    Through great distress
    May I never cease to pray
    And teach the good way
    A watchman I remain
    Day and night, night and day

    O, Word, pour like rain
    I seek Thee not in vain
    Hope maketh not ashamed
    Ignite my fitful flame
    Kindle me and save
    All glory due Your name
    A watchman I will remain
    Day and night, night and day
    By Christ's grace sustained
    For the sake of Your great name
    Day and night, night and day

    Send a token of Your covenant love
    Forget not the soul of Your turtledove
    Deliver me not to the wild beast
    Refresh my soul with Your mercy feast

    O, Word, pour like rain
    I seek Thee not in vain
    Hope maketh not ashamed
    This blustery storm tame
    Anchor me and save
    All glory due Your name
    A watchman I will remain
    Day and night, night and day
    By Christ's grace sustained
    For the sake of Your great name
    Day and night, night and day

    Show Your goodness
    Show Your face
    Show Your glory
    Show Your grace
    Send a morsel
    Send a taste
    For You I watch
    For You I wait
    For You alone my soul silently waits
    Day and night, night and day
    For what other god remains
    Day and night, night and day
    I am pursuing, though faint
    Day and night, night and day
    In this lonely graveyard place
    A watchman I remain
    Day and night, night and day

    Wait on the LORD, my soul, wait!
    You will not be put to shame
    He waits to show His grace
    Blessed are those who wait
    Day and night, night and day
    Waiting for You to shine Your face
    Radiance beaming in the secret place

    Psalm 74:12  Yet God my King is from of old,
    working salvation in the midst of the earth.

    Isaiah 30:18  Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
    and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
    For the LORD is a God of justice;
    blessed are all those who wait for him.

    19  For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more.
    He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry.
    As soon as he hears it, he answers you.

    Ii Timothy 2:1  You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus...

    While I was busying myself about the house concerns before I went, these words entered my heart - "Though faint, yet pursuing". I cannot express the tenderness with which this was spoken, nor the sweet encouragement it conveyed to my heart. I said, Have I been pursuing, Lord? Why I thought I had given it up long ago. I thought to myself if Mr. Bourne had said these words to me, I should have replied in my heart, No, I am not pursuing; I have given it up long long ago. But when I knew the voice that spoke to me, that He would not lie, I could not deny His word, and I replied, Have I been pursuing, Lord? I am sure I did not know it; I thought far otherwise.

    While I was on my way to The Grove this song was put into my heart, and I could not help singing it all day long -

    Jesus, my Lord! I know His name;
    His name be all my trust.
    Nor will He put my soul to shame,
    Nor let my hope be lost.

    It was a substantial hope which nothing could remove. It was the first time I had ever felt that holy boldness to cry, "I know His name". This boldness is attended with such humility that none can understand it but such as the Lord reveals it to by His Spirit. It is a mystery. O the change between the last Sabbath and this! I could not help saying, O Lord, how is this? I do bear Thy name. I am Thy adopted child. Why should I be like an alien?

    – Miss Jane Gilpin in Chapter 16 of J.H. Alexander's "More than Notion" (emphasis mine)
    "As to my desires for a revival, I have not, and never had, the least doubt that they are exceedingly corrupt and sinful. A thousand wrong motives have conspired to excite them. Still I do not believe that my desires were ever half so strong as they ought to be; nor do I see how a minister can help being in a 'constant fever,' in such a town as this, where his Master is dishonored, and souls are destroyed in so many ways. You can scarcely conceive how may things occur, almost daily, to distress and crush me. All these are nothing, when my Master is with me; but, when he is absent, I am of all men most miserable. But now he is with me and I am happy."

    Related:

    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.

  • "today's a new day" (pressing on through sin, failure, fear & doubt)

      
    yes, you struck twice for your own selfish gain
    come out of the dark, for you the Lamb was slain

    today's a new day, of this you can be sure
    I am the LORD and My mercies forever endure

    today's a new day, and I am your light
    once fallen, now shake off the dust and arise

    today's a new day, your confession complete
    the contrite and broken I take delight to greet

    today's a new day, heed not the liar
    I am your Mediator, and I am your qualifier

    today's a new day, o! glory-besotted
    your scarlet sins forgiven and blotted

    today's a new day, no more be ashamed
    no longer be downcast, I carried your blame

    today's a new day, past failures still taunting
    slay by My sword, keep them from haunting

    today's a new day, My blood has been shed
    sifting's past, now go, My flock needs to be fed

    today's a new day, I was sent to save
    so send I you to exalt and hallow My name

    today's a new day, I am the eternal King
    discard Saul's armor, take staff, stones and sling

    today's a new day, remember My fame
    recount My deliverance, face Goliath in My name

    today's a new day, be not alarmed
    I see the enemy as bees surround and swarm

    today's a new day, though you are worn
    truly I will quench them all like a fire of thorns

    today's a new day, have I ever lied?
    have I not, will I not always fully provide?

    today's a new day, take heed, My bride
    will I ever divorce you or leave your side?

    today's a new day, in My armor be dressed
    for we wrestle against neither blood nor flesh

    today's a new day, the battle is Mine
    your weapons not carnal, but wholly divine

    today's a new day, be not distressed
    at Me do not stumble, resort not to your flesh

    today's a new day, be not afraid
    the sun will not smite for I am your shade

    today's a new day, worship at My feet
    the haughty I lower, the humble I cause to leap

    today's a new day, take heart, do not fear
    I will make your feet like those of the deer

    today's a new day, I am the Almighty
    on Me fix your heart, look not to the enemy

    today's a new day, stand firm on the wall
    am I not the King of kings and Lord of all?

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    today's a new day, by grace my fears tame
    no glory to me, for I change, You are the same

    today's a new day, a pilgrim in this tent
    My Shepherd, send me and I will be sent

    today's a new day, by grace help me wait
    in prayer persevere, so I will not tire or faint

    today's a new day, pour down Your power
    by faith I stand on You, my Rock and high tower

    today's a new day, I will lift up Your name
    no glory to me, but all to You for Your fame

    today's a new day, of this I am assured
    You are the LORD and Your mercies forever endure

    Luke 22:31  Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32  but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.

    MIcah 7
    7  But as for me, I will look to the LORD;
    I will wait for the God of my salvation;
    my God will hear me.
    8  Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
    when I sit in darkness,
    the LORD will be a light to me.
    9  I will bear the indignation of the LORD
    because I have sinned against him,
    until he pleads my cause
    and executes judgment for me.
    He will bring me out to the light;
    I shall look upon his vindication.
    10  Then my enemy will see,
    and shame will cover her who said to me,
    “Where is the LORD your God?”
    My eyes will look upon her;
    now she will be trampled down
    like the mire of the streets.
    11  A day for the building of your walls!
    In that day the boundary shall be far extended.
    12  In that day they will come to you,
    from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
    and from Egypt to the River,
    from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
    13  But the earth will be desolate
    because of its inhabitants,
    for the fruit of their deeds.
    14  Shepherd your people with your staff,
    the flock of your inheritance,
    who dwell alone in a forest
    in the midst of a garden land;
    let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
    as in the days of old.
    15  As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt,
    I will show them marvelous things.
    16  The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might;
    they shall lay their hands on their mouths;
    their ears shall be deaf;
    17  they shall lick the dust like a serpent,
    like the crawling things of the earth;
    they shall come trembling out of their strongholds;
    they shall turn in dread to the LORD our God,
    and they shall be in fear of you.

    18  Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
    and passing over transgression
    for the remnant of his inheritance?
    He does not retain his anger forever,
    because he delights in steadfast love.
    19  He will again have compassion on us;
    he will tread our iniquities under foot.
    You will cast all our sins
    into the depths of the sea.
    20  You will show faithfulness to Jacob
    and steadfast love to Abraham,
    as you have sworn to our fathers
    from the days of old.

    I John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:1  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2  He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

    Related:

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sonnenaufgang_New_South_Wales.jpg / CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported

    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.

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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