psalms

  • we did not choose, He chose us, worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    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!

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    the Most Holy Place no longer shut
    how precious the Lamb's atoning blood

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    sinners clothed with His perfect righteousness
    Israel's Holy One kissed the leprous

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    great love and rich mercies poured on us
    repentance wrought through God's kindnesses

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    hearts once wild, anxious and restless
    now quieted by our Father's caresses

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    brought near to abide in His holy house
    to taste and see God's satisfying goodness

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    faces unveiled, beholding His brilliance
    filled with living water, our hearts gush

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    love, blessing and adoration rush
    a sanctified, noble exuberance

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    grace found us in the wilderness
    sealed and carried upon His breast

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    Zion's stone set forth, rejected by the builders
    to us, the pearl, magnificent obsession

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    this was the Lord's doing: marvelous!
    God made Him to become sin for us

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    one anthem, one eternal chorus
    all the saints shout, glad and joyous

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    grace upon grace, blessed assurance
    love compelling, exult in His righteousness

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    all you worms lifted, raised up from the dust
    Jesus Christ alone forevermore bless

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    o, press on to know Him, all you saints
    know the riches of His inheritance

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    the love of God all knowledge surpasses
    sup with Him, be filled with all God's fullness

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    called out of death and darkness
    appointed to lives of obedience

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    a royal priesthood, a chosen generation
    to show forth His most excellent greatness

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    Spirit baptized to be His witnesses
    to dying men from all the nations

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    showered with exceeding riches
    elect to declare His praises

    we did not choose, He chose us
    worthy the Lamb, solus Christus

    wholly blessed, the nations to bless
    God making His appeal through us

    we did not choose, He chose us
    soli Deo gloria, solus Christus


    Psalm 71:15  My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
    16  With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

    Does your mouth tell of the LORD's righteous acts and His deeds of salvation all the day? Do you remind others of Christ's righteousness, His alone?


    Acts 4:19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20  for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

    Have you ever found yourself in the same position as Peter and John were, where you couldn't help but speak of the Lord Jesus Christ?

    John 7:37  On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39  Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

    You may profess to be a Christian, but have you ever drunk of the living Christ? Have you tasted and seen He is good? Have you experienced times when those rivers of living water spring up and burst and flow out of your heart through the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit to witness to others of God's mercies and grace?

    In Philippians 3, though the apostle Paul already knew Christ, he wrote of pressing on to know Christ more. In Ephesians 1 and 3, though the Ephesian Christians were saved, though they had entered into a knowledge of God's inheritance, though they knew of Christ's love for them, yet Paul was praying for these saints to enter into an even greater and deeper and higher and knowledge of their inheritance and of God's love for them in Jesus Christ. Are you urgently desiring these things for yourselves? Do you pray such prayers for yourself and all the saints? I would urge you to read those chapters prayerfully and then ask God to give you grace to examine your own life, your prayers, your desires and your ambitions in light of God's Word.

    In II Corinthians, Paul writes of the love of God controlling believers.

    II Corinthians 5:14  For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15  and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

    16  From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

    Have you ever known such an experience of the love of God? Is the love of God increasingly controlling, compelling and constraining you so you no longer desire to live for yourself but desire to live for Christ and to be an ambassador for Christ? Are your ambitions holy or worldly?

    If the love of God is not controlling you, who or what is? Who or what is your master? To whom or what are you bowing? Have you usurped God's rightful place to reign? How are you continuing to bow to and serve your own selfish, fleshly desires? How are you being controlled by the world's desires? Are you standing firmly in the center of your life, controlling your life and not rendering yourself to God's Spirit to work in you – in effect quenching and grieving and limiting the Holy Spirit of God?

    If you are a new creation, you are an ambassador for Christ: you are sent out into the world, just as our Lord was sent into this world ... John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

    Have you known Almighty God's endowment through His promised Holy Spirit? Have you seen the living God working in you an increasing desire and ability to fulfill Jesus' commandment to be His witnesses to the end of the earth?

    Acts 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

    Philippians 2:12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

    If you have been saved by grace, if you have been drawn to God's house, ought you not be exulting in God's goodnesses to you and exalting Him before all peoples?

    if you have drunk of Christ's living water, ought not rivers of living water be bubbling up and flowing out of you into the dry and parched world?

    If you have known God's love, ought His love not be compelling you to know Him more and to live to Him and to make Him and His praises known to the ends of the earth?

    Through whom else does God make His appeal to a lost world but through His own chosen people?

    LORD God, open our lips, that we might drink of You more and more deeply, so our mouths will declare Your praise more and more widely, that we might work out what You are working in us for Your good pleasure and for the glory of Your name.

    Isaiah 43
    18  Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
    19  Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
    I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
    20  The wild beasts will honor me,
    the jackals and the ostriches,
    for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
    to give drink to my chosen people,
    21  the people whom I formed for myself
    that they might declare my praise.

    I Peter 2:4  As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5  you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6  For it stands in Scripture:

    “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

    7  So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

    “The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”

    8  and

    “A stone of stumbling,
    and a rock of offense.”

    They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

    9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10  Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

    Related:

    we are but worms ~ nothing good dwells in us, nothing but our Christós
    Jeremiah 23 - THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
    Advent #2 WHY HAS JESUS COME? to give his life as a ransom for many
    Bible Reading: Lamentations 1:12-Is His Sacrifice nothing to you?
    Forgiveness & cleansing of sin leads to God's Commission: "Penitents should be preachers"
    Have you adopted God's purpose for the nations for your joy & His glory?
    every brand snatched is a brand dispatched ~ Reflections on 9/11, Redemption & God's Mission
    Is your ambition holy? / What are you living for? (Louis Paul Lehman) / The Christian's Aim
    In which circle do you take your stand? ~ Hewitson's holy ambition ~ Are you a true disciple?
    Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
    The flags unfurled ... Christ's eternal banner | Lloyd-Jones ~ a third type of assurance
    Can there be more? | letter 113 on assurance & fighting for joy
    "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men" | How are we to follow Jesus?
    True Calvinism Is NOT
    my soapbox
    Blogging to build up the ruined Church of God (includes Piper on preaching as expository exultation)
    may you hear joy & gladness (letter 83 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    Bible Reading: Things To Look for in a Church–What We Find in Solomon's Temple, # 3: Worship
    Things To Look for in a Church, 9: "Pearl Freaks" (a.k.a. a Kingdom-Obsessed People)
    What is a nominal Christian?
    Barabbas we save, Jesus Christ we slay (the mockery of profession ~ decisional regeneration)
    Don't Waste Your Singleness | Single one ... be single-eyed
    "And Jacob was left alone" ~ Don't waste your loneliness

    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: The Woman of Samaria at the Well by James Tissot found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_The_Woman_of_Samaria_at_the_Well_%28La_Samaritaine_%C3%A0_la_fontaine%29_-_James_Tissot_-_overall.jpg - PD - c. 1886-1894

  • By the Rivers, a Spark of Grace | Psalm 137:1-6 ~ Letter 125 on assurance & fighting for joy

     
    Psalm 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4  How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land? 5  If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. 6  If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.


    I. The mournful posture they were in as to their affairs and as to their spirits. 1. They were posted by the rivers of Babylon, in a strange land, a great way from their own country, whence they were brought as prisoners of war. The land of Babylon was now a house of bondage to that people, as Egypt had been in their beginning. Their conquerors quartered them by the rivers, with design to employ them there, and keep them to work in their galleys; or perhaps they chose it as the most melancholy place, and therefore most suitable to their sorrowful spirits. If they must build houses there (Jer. xxix. 5), it shall not be in the cities, the places of concourse, but by the rivers, the places of solitude, where they might mingle their tears with the streams. We find some of them by the river Chebar (Ezek. i. 3), others by the river Ulai, Dan. viii. 2. 2. There they sat down to indulge their grief by poring on their miseries. Jeremiah had taught them under this yoke to sit alone, and keep silence, and put their mouths in the dust, Lam. iii. 28, 29. "We sat down, as those that expected to stay, and were content, since it was the will of God that it must be so." 3. Thoughts of Zion drew tears from their eyes; and it was not a sudden passion of weeping, such as we are sometimes put into by a trouble that surprises us, but they were deliberate tears (we sat down and wept), tears with consideration--we wept when we remembered Zion, the holy hill on which the temple was built. Their affection to God's house swallowed up their concern for their own houses. They remembered Zion's former glory and the satisfaction they had had in Zion's courts, Lam. i. 7. Jerusalem remembered, in the days of her misery, all her pleasant things which she had in the days of old, Ps. xlii. 4. They remembered Zion's present desolations, and favoured the dust thereof, which was a good sign that the time for God to favour it was not far off, Ps. cii. 13, 14. 4. They laid by their instruments of music (2): We hung our harps upon the willows. (1.) The harps they used for their own diversion and entertainment. These they laid aside, both because it was their judgment that they ought not to use them now that God called to weeping and mourning (Isa. xxii. 12), and their spirits were so sad that they had no hearts to use them; they brought their harps with them, designing perhaps to use them for the alleviating of their grief, but it proved so great that it would not admit the experiment. Music makes some people melancholy. As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that sings songs to a heavy heart. (2.) The harps they used in God's worship, the Levites' harps. These they did not throw away, hoping they might yet again have occasion to use them, but they laid them aside because they had no present use for them; God had cut them out other work by turning their feasting into mourning and their songs into lamentations, Amos viii. 10. Every thing is beautiful in its season. They did not hide their harps in the bushes, or the hollows of the rocks; but hung them up in view, that the sight of them might affect them with this deplorable change. Yet perhaps they were faulty in doing this; for praising God is never out of season; it is his will that we should in every thing give thanks, Isa. xxiv. 15, 16.

    ~ from Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Psalm 137, emphasis mine


    By the Rivers, a Spark of Grace

    on the willows, my harp is hung
    no more the songs of Zion sung

    by the rivers, here I mourn
    dejected, downcast and forlorn

    thirsty, cold and comfortless
    invisible God, show Your face!

    I gasp, I heave
    Living God, breathe!

    Grace of God, descend and spark
    the cooling embers of my heart

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    never fear, never doubt
    Grace will pour, Glory spout

    lift up your head, lift up your gaze
    above the earthly, miry haze

    escape the snare, the deadly maze
    come to Mount Zion, come and graze

    God knows the way that you take
    Jehovah's flame will never forsake

    Paraclete walks right beside
    as your faith is tested, purified

    keep His way, never doubt
    treasure the words of His mouth

    Son of God abiding with you in the fire
    His promises are true, He is not a liar

    has He not told you, seek His face
    seek Him then with due diligence

    He has not said to His seed, "Seek Me in vain."
    God is good to all who call upon His name

    He is surely a rewarder to all who seek,
    soon enough through the lattice He will peek

    humble yourself and contemplate Him
    in due time, Jesus shall condescend

    Christ will knock, you will sup again
    and speak with Him as with a friend

    His comfortable cup you both will share
    at the table your Shepherd has prepared

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    on the willows, my harp is hung
    no more the songs of Zion sung

    by the rivers here I mourn
    dejected, downcast and forlorn

    thirsty, cold and comfortless
    concealed God, pour down Grace!

    I gasp, I heave
    Living God, breathe!

    Grace of God, descend and spark
    the chilled embers of my heart

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Your ear bent
    Glory's descent

    the Rock split
    the Holy visit

    the heavens rent
    Refreshment sent

    Your two-edged sword
    Your chastening poured

    my hard heart rent
    my stiff neck bent

    repentance
    obedience
    fellowship

    though the city be razed
    though You may slay me
    my heart will praise Thee

    Your Spirit prevailing
    Your purposes unfailing
    Satan's schemes curtailing

    Your kindness embracing
    Your mercies unchanging
    my doubts assuaging

    suddenly
    Spirit's breeze

    the veil ripped
    Grace sipped

    incomparable
    my soul filled

    I taste, I see
    Your mercy seat

    Glory manifest
    fire in the breast

    barren give birth
    invincible mirth

    lame leaping
    sheaves reaping

    joy restored
    Christ adored

    by rushing, mighty Wind carried along
    in my affliction given a new song:

    "Though You slay me,
    yet I will praise Thee!"

    "Glory to God! in the fire
    You are my chiefest desire!"

    on the willows, my harp was hung,
    but now the songs of Zion are sung

    "See how great a flame aspires
    kindled by a spark of grace"

    Your warm and loving caress!
    O, Blessed Sustenance!

    Holy exhibition
    Divine radiation
    in my affliction

    by the rivers, a spark of grace
    leapt across Bether, showed Your face

    though the city be razed
    though You may slay me
    my heart will praise Thee


    Song of Solomon 5:9  What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? 10  My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.


    Isaiah 24:14  They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. 15  Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

    "See how great a flame aspires
    Kindled by a spark of grace."

    ~ Charles Wesley

    Related:

    my other letters on assurance and fighting for joy, including these:

    Naphtali News: musing on this ocean of Xanga/Revelife
    Why not pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
    Come, Holy Spirit, Come! (Joseph Hart)
    As a deer pants ... Is your soul panting for God? (Psalms 42 & 43)
    O, Lord, I have need of endurance today (yet You are here with me in the midst)
    Though beyond all measure I be pressed ~ "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials"
    In darkest place
    even in my disappointment - still blessed by my Father
    when grace delays, has Love gone astray? ~ a hymn of assurance
    In hope against hope believe, Blessed are all who believe
    "And they cast him out." (John 9) ~ Providence is not surprised
    By Shimei Cursed, By Jordan Refreshed (II Samuel 16:5-14)
    In the multitude of our anxieties, the Lord's comforts alone delight our souls

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

    Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Campfire_and_sparks_in_Anttoora_2.jpg  / (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)

  • By Shimei Cursed, By Jordan Refreshed (II Samuel 16:5-14)

    II Samuel 16:5  When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. 6  And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7  And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8  The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

    9  Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10  But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11  And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12  It may be that the LORD will look on the wrong done to me, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13  So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14  And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.

    * * *

    By Shimei Cursed, By Jordan Refreshed

    Deliver me, deliver me from evil schemes
    The power of death encompasses me

    The pangs of Sheol lay hold of me
    O, LORD my God, deal with me bountifully

    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    At Jordan rest, be at peace
    Be quiet, await the Paraclete

    From your fleshly labor cease
    Be still, be silent, anxieties release

    Arise, do good, from all evil depart
    He shall descend to strengthen thine heart

    Nothing from Christ's love can separate
    God's help will appear never too late

    To the thicket, lift your eyes and see
    The Lamb of God who died for thee

    Your name is sealed on His heart
    Lovingkindness shall never depart

    Though men may curse and may abuse
    Nothing can God's cords of love loose

    Let Jesus' truth be your buckler and shield
    To devilish lies never heed nor yield

    To God's sure promises, look and appeal
    Who can break the eternal Spirit's seal?

    All tribulations inspected by His arm
    Not one intended for your harm

    My child, every wave and every flame
    By your Father's sovereign love ordained

    Satan's weapons intended to steal, destroy
    All decreed at God's inscrutable employ

    Beside each tear God deems to appoint
    Flows His Holy oil to fill and anoint

    Faith's testing coming through the fire
    For the glory of the Jesus, the Sanctifier

    Sorrowing under the foolish and unjust
    To the just Judge yourself fully entrust

    Do not fear anything that is frightening
    Repay not evil for evil, nor reviling for reviling

    Vengeance is the Lord's, He will repay
    Wait on Him until Judgment Day

    Look to the Savior shining upon the mount
    Your enemies forgive, their sins do not count

    Seek the wisdom pure and peaceable,
    Gentle, sincere, kind and merciful

    Recompense Shimei's stones and cursings
    With a cup of cold water for his thirstings

    Man's carnal wrath obscures God's glorious light
    Sink into Christ's holiness, in His truth delight

    Your anxious heart be directed into Christ's undying savor
    In fiery trial, patiently wait to taste His refreshing favor

    Be ever diligent, for the devil prowls to sow
    Let not a bitter root of unforgiveness grow

    Be overcome with goodness, not with rage
    Divine sustenance for your pilgrimage

    Humbly speaking truth in love, be fully assured
    In hope of God's glory, unashamed and secure

    In the LORD continually delight, be patient, do not fret
    Will He Who upheld from the womb ever tire or forget?

    In the midst of your tribulation, firmly stand
    See your Advocate at your Father's right hand

    Whether men curse or whether they bless
    Your identity is found in Christ's righteousness

    On your affliction the Lord does look
    Abide with Him, be refreshed at His brook

    Celestial stream from the rock of flint
    In darkest pestilence, a glimmer, a glint

    The Beloved unknown in the quake, wind or fire
    But in a whisper, "My bride, the King's desire."

    Come barren, thirsty, weary child
    Drink of Christ, behold His smile

    Extend your arms to God, lift up your soul
    Grace and glory will fill your cup and overflow

    In hottest fire, in highest tide
    You remain the apple of His eye

    Through every poison dart and arrow
    His eye remains on you, o dear sparrow

    In the valley of death's shadow, do not fear
    Deeper knowledge of Christ comes through suff'ring and tears

    Rest in the LORD and patiently wait
    From anger cease and wrath forsake

    Be not afraid, go where Providence calls
    He will never leave you, nor let you fall

    You know His name, trust in Him alone
    He will satisfy, His salvation He will show

    In your weakness, let His right hand uphold
    He is your Shepherd, you are in His fold

    Dwell with Him amidst the ruthless
    Come and eat of His daily faithfulness

    Living stone, carried upon His breast
    Here in Baca's valley receive His strength

    Hid with Christ in the secret place
    Covenant mercies will never forsake

    Covered with His feathers there
    Cast on Him each worry, ev'ry care

    On eagle's wings He will surely bear
    Deliver you from the fowler's snare

    Trust in Him, on Christ never fail to rely
    Draw near to your God, and He will draw nigh

    Call upon Jesus in time of need
    He will never break the bruised reed

    Eat His bread, drink His cup
    Behold His beauty, be lifted up

    Though enemies growl and surround
    Sing to the LORD, let your praises abound

    Though an army encamps all around
    By grace press on, and grace will abound

    By His blood, approach the throne of grace
    There you will feel His strong embrace

    Wait for the Beloved's hand on the latch
    From His hand no one can ever snatch

    Though by Shimei you be cursed
    Come to Jordan and be refreshed

    Psalm 110:7
    He will drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.

    "...whatever poison Satan produces, God turns it into medicine for His elect."
    ~ John Calvin ~

    I Peter 2:18  Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19  For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20  For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21  For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22  He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23  When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

    Romans 12:14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. 17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

    Acts 7:59  And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60  And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

    Related:

    I Peter, Romans 12
    Reflections on 9/11: "You have heard that it was said... But I say to you..."
    "And they cast him out." (John 9) ~ Providence is not surprised
    Learning to run without fear
    Kingdom-Obsessed People don't keep looking in the rear view mirror at past hurts, # 5
    Bible Reading-Isaiah: When We Think the LORD Has Forsaken and Forgotten Us
    The Often Unwanted but Necessary Gift: The Gift of the Broken Heart
    All things (even bad things) work together for good...
    Lent I.–Suffering and Glory
    Our Twisted View of God
    The art of life is the art of avoiding pain?
    The story of Job: bad luck, God's sovereign will or ?
    some reflections about prayer
    Bible Reading: II Corinthians 1-Blessings out of buffetings (Alan Redpath)
    God's sovereign grace & care in Genesis (the story of Joseph)
    Lenten Reflections: "Come near to me, please." (Genesis 45)
    Whitefield's prayers: more reminders of God's sovereign grace & care
    Are you a Jonah?
    Letter 11 on assurance and fighting for joy (the Lord is at hand! - Philippians 4)
    Letter 15 on assurance and fighting for joy (Joy is a gift of God, more than a feeling)
    Letter 16 on assurance and fighting for joy (our prayers, His wise denials and joy)
    Shall we not drink the cup the Father has given us? (Letter 53 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    In the multitude of your anxieties, may His comforts delight your soul: Letter 60 on assurance & joy
    In the multitude of our anxieties, the Lord's comforts alone delight our souls
    What is your attitude toward trials and sufferings? ~ Whitefield's Journals
    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
    disappointment ~ appointment | letter 119 on assurance & fighting for joy
    disaster's hidden call
    O, this cross! ~ We are but vessels

    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: Camera crusade through the Holy Land, C. Scribner's Sons, New York 1912 found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jordan_river_1912.jpg by Dwight Lathrop Elmendorf - Public Domain.

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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