Strength to Strength

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee... They go from strength to strength.... For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:5,7,11). "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles" (Isaiah 40:31).

Strength to strength, as eagles soar,
Our God imparts yet more and more.
Let's go to Him! What wait we for?
Our God will gladly give!

Strength is ours if we but ask;
Strength for each God-given task.
As flowers in the sunshine bask,
We draw our strength to live.

Just Jesus

"And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" (Matthew 17:7,8).

Jesus only, what a sight!
Darkness flees before His light!
Doubt and fear, as well, take flight,
As we see Jesus only.

Arise, my soul, cast off your fear!
The Lover of your soul draws near!
His touch I know! His voice I hear!
My heart cannot be lonely.

Soul for Sale

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).

So what if you gain the whole world,
Or a thousand more worlds as well,
If your soul is forfeited and hurled
Into darkness forever in hell?

And what would you bid for your soul?
Have you really yet counted the cost?
Well, Christ did, and paid it in full
To rescue and ransom the lost!

What end are you racing toward?
That depends on the choice that you make:
Receive Christ as Savior and Lord,
Or forever regret your mistake!

Horrible Hatred

"The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him: but their time should have endured forever" (Psalm 81:15).

Haters of God, how hard is your fight!
You call evil good, and wrong you call right!
You wrestle with God with unjustified hate!
Turn from your folly, before it's too late!

Expectation Exposed

"Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain" (Proverbs 25:14). "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.... Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him" (Psalm 62:5,8).

Clouds and wind may promise rain,
And thus may heighten expectation;
Yet still may leave the thirsty plain,
Without a drop of irrigation.

Thus we're taught dear sister, brother,
To trust in God with hearts outpoured,
Expecting nothing from another,
Look to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lucifer's Lament

"A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.... Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: for a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief" (Proverbs 24:15,16).

Lay not wait, O wicked one,
Against the children born of God,
Though they stumble in the run,
And though corrected with the rod.

For though they fall, they'll surely rise;
For they are lifted by God's hand.
The conflict serves to make them wise,
And thereby stronger in their stand.

Chosen to Cherish

"He chose David also His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: from following the ewes great with young He brought him to feed Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So He fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands" (Psalm 78:70-72). "Feed My sheep" (John 21:17).

David the shepherd was chosen by God
From sheepfolds he led with staff and with rod
To cherish God's people, as sheep he would feed,
Skillfully guiding them where God would lead.

We too have been chosen by God's heart of love.
We have a commission decreed from above,
To guard God's inheritance found in His flock,
And skillfully guide them in their daily walk.

Scribe of Scripture

"Jesus saith unto them, Have you understood all these things? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:51,52).

Whatever you have understood
Within the Holy Scripture's pages,
Write it down, as well you should,
To hold this wisdom of the ages.

God has taught His truth to you.
Now as a scribe instructed thus,
Guard its treasure, old and new;
God expects no less from us.

Safety in Sovereignty

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will.... safety is of the Lord" (Proverbs 21:1,31).

Our God is sovereign, right from the start.
As rivers of water, He turns the king's heart.
No king is saved by the army he sends;
But God saves each one who on Him depends.

God's Grace for Good Ground

"But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Matthew 13:23).

The Word of God is sown in hearts,
As heaven's seed for bearing fruit.
This is how our new life starts,
And faith, as good ground, thus takes root.

Let us therefore be good ground,
Faithful through the grace God gives.
And let our fruitfulness abound
To testify that Jesus lives!

Counting on His Counsel

"I am continually with Thee: Thou hast held me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory" (Psalm 73:23,24). "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:20,21).

Regardless of what man has planned,
The counsel of my Lord shall stand.
He'll never let go of my hand.
He'll lead me home to glory.

Thus on His counsel I will stand.
All else is shifting, sinking sand.
And when I reach the promise land,
His praise shall be my story.

Power of Prose

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof" (Proverbs 18:21).

The words we speak have power
To encourage or tear down.
Bitter, pleasant, sweet, or sour,
They can bring a smile or frown.

Death and life are in the tongue,
Whether written, sung, or spoken.
A word of love, a hymn that's sung,
May heal a heart that's broken.

Older and Bolder

"O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not, until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to everyone that is to come" (Psalm 71:17,18).

Strength may fail and eyes may dim
In the years beyond our youth,
Yet time will never alter Him
Who leads us in His truth.

Though our outward man grows older,
We can grow with inward strength.
Trusting God to make us bolder,
Let us run well our last length.

Haste to Help

"I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God, Thou art my Help and my Deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying" (Psalm 70:5).

Make haste, O my Lord, to deliver my soul.
Every thought, word, and deed, for Your sake, control.
How quickly I'd stray if left on my own!
And so I'll make haste once again to Your throne.

Make haste to deliver me, Lord of my life.
I need Your protection and strength in the strife.
The battle still rages, but victory's here!
With You as my Helper, I've nothing to fear.

Boundless Benefits

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah" (Psalm 68:19).

How great and many benefits from God we daily find!
Grace and truth abound each day that give us peace of mind.
The Word of God gives counsel, His Spirit leads the way,
Abundant life and mercies are bestowed to us each day.

His benefits are numberless, though often we forget.
And thus we sometimes fail to pray, and needlessly we fret.
Yet He invites us everyday to draw near to His throne,
That we may find the grace to help He offers to His own.

Given for the Gospel

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us (Selah); that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations" (Psalm 67:1,2). "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand... freely ye have received, freely give" Matthew 10:7,8).

The blessing that our God imparted,
He gave to make His mercies known.
So what if some are still hardhearted?
We answer still to Him alone.

Then freely give as you've received;
Declare God's saving health!
Our God commands us who believed
To thus impart His wealth.

Longing for Laborers

"Then saith He to His disciples, The harvest is truly plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.... These twelve Jesus sent forth" (Matthew 9:37,38, 10:5).

Pray to the Lord of the harvest today;
The harvest is ready, the laborers few:
Keeping in mind that as you thus pray,
The worker He sends may be you.

Simpler Said

"Be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.... For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house" (Matthew 9:2,5,6).

We've heard it's "easier said than done;"
It's an often used cliché.
How true is was of God's own Son,
Who took our sins away.

"Sins forgiven!" What a word!
But oh, how hard to do!
Yet from our Lord was never heard
A word that wasn't true.

Yes, Jesus knew the task ahead
Was easier said than done.
Yet He did it, as He said,
And our salvation won!

Psalm of the Calm

"And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and sea; and there was a great calm" (Matthew 8:26).

With Jesus Christ so near at hand,
I have no cause for fear.
The winds and sea hear His command,
And I would likewise hear.

And since the winds obey His voice,
And seas thereby are calm,
I'll do the same, and that by choice,
And this shall be my psalm.

His Helping, Holding Hand

"Because Thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me" (Psalm 63:7,8). "If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (Revelations 3:20).

The Lord upholds me with His hand;
He helps me everyday.
I'll follow Him, yet understand,
Without Him I would stray.

So in His shadow I'll rejoice,
And He will hold me up.
I will delight to hear His voice,
And daily with Him sup.