Sorry Scenario

"If it had not been the Lord who was on our side.... then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul" (Psalm 124:1,4).

Oh, sorry, sorry thought:
What if the Lord had not?
What if He had not come to die?
What if He had not heard our cry?
But since He did, let's testify
That with His blood we're bought!

Purged for a Purpose

"Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.... Then flew one of the seraphims unto me... and said... thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:5-8).

My sin is purged! What sweet relief!
Yet now I hear God say:
The world is lost in unbelief;
Whom shall I send today?

What shall I say, since I am urged
To speak to sinful men?
Lord, here am I! My lips are purged!
Send me where You'll send!

Woe to the Worldly Wise

"Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20,21). "Every man's judgment cometh from the Lord" (Proverbs 29:26).

Woe to the arrogant, worldly wise!
Woe to those prudent within their own eyes!
Asserting they know what they've not understood,
While good is called evil, they call evil good.

Woe to the fools who suppress what is right.
While light is call darkness, they call darkness light.
And sweet is called bitter, and bitter is sweet,
For soon they will stand before God's judgment seat!

Path of Peace

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed His people.... to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 2:68,79).

There is a single path of peace,
Our glorious Savior trod:
So thank the Lord and never cease,
To praise the Lamb of God!

For in that path of His deep sorrow,
Our way of peace was paved.
He'll safely guide today, tomorrow,
All those He thereby saved.

Merciful and Mighty

"My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.... For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon them that fear Him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:46-50).

Hallelujah! He is risen!
He ever lives to save!
He freed me from my awful prison!
He overpowered the grave!

What mercy He has shown to me!
How mighty is His hand!
The tomb is empty! Come and see!
Behold and understand!

Strangely Straying

"I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:176).

How can it be that I have strayed?
When did my first love die?
What strange excuse shall be conveyed
For where I strayed and why?

Enough excuses! Lord, I pray
That You will seek your servant:
My heart is cold! I've gone astray!
Renew a heart that's fervent.

Ceasing from Cynics

"Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of" (Isaiah 2:22).

Cease from man whose wit and charm
Can wield his philosophic harm.
Through cynicism he feeds doubt,
Yet knows not what he talks about.

Reaching with Reason

"Why should ye be stricken any more?.... Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:5,18).

God is reaching out with reason
Appealing to the heart and mind
Come now, while there's yet a season,
That you may salvation find.

Why should you be stricken any more?
Why should you still blindly stumble?
Come now, Christ stands at the door,
To enter in and save the humble.

Heart Haven

"My son, give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways" (Proverbs 23:26).

There is a haven for our hearts
Where we find peace that God imparts;
A place to rest our searching eyes
Where we find counsel, safe and wise.

We find it in God's invitation
To give our hearts to His salvation,
To let our eyes observe His ways,
And follow Him throughout our days.

The Question of Quenching

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned" (Song of Solomon 8:7). "And they crucified Him" (Mark 15:25). "All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over Me" (Psalm 42:7).

What can quench the love of God?
Can hatred? Mocking? Shame?
The billows of God's chastening rod?
Or blaspheming His name?

Wondrous love! Eternal flame!
Unquenched beneath those waves!
Forever it shall burn the same!
Forevermore it saves!

Light to Lament

"The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.... Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not Thy law" (Psalm 119:130,136). "And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him... And when he thought thereon, he wept" (Mark 14:72).

The entrance of God's word gives light
That shows my Savior's beauty.
Yet it exposes to my sight,
Where I have failed in duty.

It calls me to repent of sin
Until I am restored.
It beckons me to enter in:
Find refuge in my Lord.

Time to Task

"It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law" (Psalm 119:126). "It is enough, the hour is come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go" (Mark 14:41,42).

There is a point when it is vain
To talk and talk and talk.
There is a juncture when it's plain
It's time to walk the walk.

That time has come! We need not ask
If now the time is right.
The Lord has called us to our task
To run, to work, to fight.

Lasting Learning

"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).

Hold instruction from God fast.
Heed His counsel, right and pure.
Man's devices shall not last,
Only God's Word shall endure.

A Lamp and A Light

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).

A lamp that guides my feet, and light that shows my path:
The Word of God is sweet, that delivered me from wrath.
For therein is the grace of God, that saved a wretch like me,
The counsel of His staff and rod, and truth that makes me free.

To Love and To Loathe

"Oh how I love Thy law! .... therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:97,104).

The sword of God's Word divides our perception,
Between love for truth, and a hate for deception.
Prepare the Lord's way! Let's make His paths straight!
Let's love what He'll love, and thus hate what He'll hate.

Weighing our Ways

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits" (Proverbs 16:2). "And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury" (Mark 13:41).

It's not how much, but how we do.
God thus weighs the false and true.
What is driving me and you?
Our Lord and Savior knows.

God examines all our ways,
The silent words of one who prays,
Delighting when our heart obeys,
And finds in Him repose.

Immortal Image

"And He saith unto them, Whose image and superscription is this? And they said unto Him, Caesar's. Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.... And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all of thy mind, and with all of thy strength" (Mark 12:16,17,30).

Let us render to God the image we find,
In His triune creation of heart, soul, and mind.
For we ought to love Him with all He's imparted.
There's no better time than right now to get started.

Facts from our Fashioner

"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:73).

How can I know my purpose in life?
Why am I here upon earth?
Where is there peace in this world of strife?
Who am I? What am I worth?

These are the questions our hearts will pose,
But we'll never find answers within.
God is our Maker, and He alone knows,
And His Word is the Book they are in.

Affliction vs. Addiction

"Before I was afflicted, I went astray; but now have I kept Thy word.... It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes" (Psalm 119:67,71).

I would not ask God for affliction,
Yet I'd thank Him when it's sent;
For thus I'm freed from sin's addiction,
And thereby prompted to repent.

Turned to His Testimonies

"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:59,60).

I thought on my ways and the ways of the Lord,
Considering where my ways were not in accord.
With fear I made haste, and I did not delay,
To turn my feet into my Lord's saving way.

The Hold of Horror

"Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law" (Psalm 119:53).

Think for a moment of how it will be,
For the sinner who steps into eternity;
No ransom, no Savior, he could not be poorer.
Forever too late! Imagine the horror!

Now let that horror take hold of your heart,
And fill you with urgency thus to impart,
The Gospel that saves everyone who believes,
Trades hell for God's heaven, and horror relieves!

Everybody's End

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men: and the living will lay it to his heart" (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

It's better to go to the house of mourning
For that is the end of all men.
It's folly to go to the house of scorning,
With those who forget their own end.

For eternity comes like a wave of the sea,
To take us to heaven or hell.
The decision is yours, so what will it be?
Trust Jesus and all will be well!

Pondering my Wandering

"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way" (Psalm 119:37). "Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes 6:9).

Lord, You know my inclination,
Toward the vain to my vexation.
Yet when I muse on You I ponder:
What a fool I've been to wander!

Unwelcome Unbelief

"I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart" (Psalm 119:32). "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

Lord, give to me a heart enlarged
To run the path You choose;
To keep the faith, as You have charged,
And unbelief thus lose.

Lord, take away my unbelief
That dares to question You!
Cast out this blind, unwelcome thief,
That robs me of the true.

Continual Counselors

"Thy testimonies are also my delight and my counselors" (Psalm 119:24).

Counselors divine belong to you and me
Daily in the Word of God to guide and set us free.
His testimonies show to us the way we ought to live,
And everyday the light of life our God will thereby give.

The Wealth of His Word

"I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches" (Psalm 119:14).

Rejoice my soul, as you behold
God's precious word, a priceless treasure!
Wealth that never can be told,
Is heaped upon you without measure!

The Word on His Work

"He hath done all things well: He maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak" (Mark 7:37).

How rightly we say Jesus does all things well!
They sing it in heaven where His praises swell!
He makes the deaf hear, He makes the dumb tell
The glories of Jesus who saves us from hell!

Cornerstone Confidence

"It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man.... The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner" (Psalm 118:8,22). "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble" (Proverbs 4:18).

It's better to trust in the Lord than in man.
Case in point: see the builders reject the Lord's plan!
See how they grope in the darkness and stumble!
Wouldn't you rather trust Christ with the humble?

Leaning and Learning

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.... Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.... For the Lord shall be thy confidence" (Proverbs 3:5,13,26).


The pressures of life we find so demanding
Teach us to lean not to our understanding,
But lean on our Lord, and learn from His heart,
And grow in the confidence He will impart.

Return to your Rest

"Return to thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling" (Psalm 116:7,8).

Return to your rest and rejoice, O my soul!
God has delivered and made you whole!
My soul has been rescued, my tears have been dried,
My feet have been steadied, and I'm justified!

Turn and Tell

"Turn you at My reproof: behold, I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you" (Proverbs 1:23). "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee" (Mark 5:19).

Turn to God and hear His Word,
Then tell your friends what you have heard.
Tell them what God did for you,
That God can do it for them too.

Tell them Christ was crucified
That sinners might be justified.
Tell them Christ rose from the grave.
Tell them Jesus lives to save.