Necessity of Now

“All men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing” (Psalm 64:9).  “Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more, then, the hearts of the children of men?” (Proverbs 15:11).  “For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in Me, And He was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning Me have an end… Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God… And they said, What need we any further witness?  For we ourselves have heard of His own mouth” (Luke 22:37-71). 

The time shall come when all shall bow,

Declaring Christ is Lord and Savior.

Yet there must be a time called “now”

To trust Him to receive His favor. 

For now His truth may be ignored

Dishonestly and willfully,

But no one shall deny the Lord

When dwelling in eternity. 

Though sinners now are not impressed

By what our Savior has made known,

Their apathy shall be addressed

In judgment at the Great White Throne. 

The great necessity today,

Above all things that can be craved,

Is honesty that leads the way

To trust in Christ and thus be saved.

The prophecies concerning Christ

Upon the cross have been fulfilled

Which said He would be sacrificed: 

Let every doubt be therefore stilled! 

For every Word of God is pure;

His prophecies shall have their end!

The evidence is thus made sure

On which we safely can depend. 

His prophecies of future things

We know shall be fulfilled as well

When He returns as King of kings

And Satan is consigned to hell. 

Courageously our Savior stood

Before those who fulfilled their crime,

Declaring words which surely would

Be brought to pass in their own time.

No further witness, Lord, we need!

Your Word abundantly equips

The servant whom You now will lead

With truth proclaimed from Your own lips.

Lord, send us with Your declaration,

The Gospel of Your saving power,

The wondrous offer of salvation,   

The greatest need now of this hour!  

Words in the Wilderness

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (Psalm 63:1).  “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27).  “My words shall not pass away… And all the people came early in the morning to Him in the temple, for to hear Him” (Luke 21:33-38). 

There is no fountain in this land

Apart from Jesus Christ my Savior. 

The snares of death are near at hand,

But they’re avoided by His favor. 

This desert land is waterless

But Christ now satisfies my thirst.

He leads me through this wilderness,

Exposing snares around me first. 

By Christ my soul is satisfied:  

He is a Fountain ever near, 

My God, my Savior, and my Guide,

Instructing me with Godly fear. 

His words shall never pass away,

Though fools dismiss them with their scorning.

His voice instructs me every day

When I have heard Him in the morning.  

He draws my heart to hear His voice,

And thereby satisfies my soul. 

I listen to Him and rejoice

As from His Word my heart is full!

Like those who to the temple came

To hear Him when the day would start,

I rise up thirsting for the same

Within the temple of my heart.   

Lord, thank You for Your daily call

To hear You speaking from Your Word,

To lift my head up when I fall,

To strengthen me by what I've heard.

Lord, lead me daily to this place,

Within this wilderness so dry

To satisfy my thirst with grace

Which stirs my heart to testify.   

Expressing my Expectation

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my Rock and my Salvation: He is my Defense; I shall not be moved.  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.  Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a Refuge for us” (Psalm 62:5-8).  

My soul, be done with lesser things

And wait alone on God your Savior! 

The Lord of lords and King of kings

Has looked upon you with His favor! 

My expectation is from Christ

Who gave Himself to save my soul. 

For me my Lord was sacrificed;

He paid my ransom then in full. 

He only is my Solid Rock;

He is my Glory and Salvation. 

It matters not how many mock;

They cannot change my expectation. 

My soul rejoices in the Lord;

My refuge is in God alone. 

My heart in worship is outpoured

As Christ has made His mercy known.  

There is no other I can trust;

At all times He extends His grace. 

I run to Him because I must: 

He only is my Hiding Place!

O Lord, receive my grateful praise

For love too great to comprehend,

For faithfulness in all Your ways,

And grace on which I can depend. 

Lord, in these days of dark delusion,

My expectation is expressed,

For in Your Word there’s no confusion,

And in Your mercy is my rest. 

Vanishing Visitation

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost… thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:10,44). 

The Savior came to seek and save

The lost who needed His salvation.

How great the proof was that He gave,

Yet many missed His visitation! 

The time foretold at last had come

For Christ’s appearance as expected,

And though He was received by some,

By many more He was rejected.

His visitation they foreknew:

The place and time He would be born,

The miracles that He would do,

His death, His resurrection morn. 

How could His people be so blind

And not believe the things He said?

How could they still be so inclined

When He was risen from the dead? 

Alas!  It is the same today! 

How many stubbornly refuse

To see His proof yet on display

Which will convince or else accuse! 

O Lord, Your visitation shown

Is vanishing from those who mock.   

You’ve made Your great salvation known,

And at the door (for now) You knock. 

Lord, help us show the urgency

To souls, before their hope has vanished,

To trust in You and thereby flee

From wrath by which the soul is banished! 

Model Mother

“And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred… because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” (Joshua 6:23-25).  “And Salmon begat Booz of Rahab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king” (Matthew 1:5,6).  “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not” (Hebrews 11:31).  “Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers?” (James 2:25).

Who would have thought that Rahab would be

A mother that modeled salvation?

Only the Lord by His sovereign decree

Could grant such a great transformation!

Who would have thought that Rahab would find

The messengers Joshua sent,

With no one but her and her household inclined

To turn to the Lord and repent?

Who would have thought that she would persuade

Her kindred, her father, and mother

To flee from God’s wrath by the covenant made

To stay in her house and no other?

Who would have thought that her motherhood

Would bring forth King David and Christ?

Her model of faith showed that God surely would

Supply her with grace that sufficed.

O Lord, we give thanks for examples of grace

Beheld in these mothers you gave

Who modeled their faith in their own time and place

To demonstrate how You will save.