Wherein Wearied?

"The Lord hath a controversy with His people... O my people, what have I done unto thee? And wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against Me" (Micah 6:2,3).

"Wherein have I wearied you?" God has inquired.
What have I done now to make you so tired?
Are you bored with creation displaying God's glory?
Or is now your salvation a tedious story?

O dread accusation, that I am deemed weary!
And when did salvation begin to seem dreary?
Awake to the splendor of all God has made,
To Christ your Defender, and the ransom He paid!

Heaven's Help

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies" (Psalm 108:12,13). Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:5).

Give us help from trouble, Lord
(For vain is help from man),
By Your Shield, by Your Sword,
And by Your battle plan.

Your Word, the Spirit's sword, we wield,
And wait for Your command.
We trust You, Lord, our Strength and Shield,
And by Your help we stand.

Reproved without Remedy

"He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Proverbs 29:1). "He (the Comforter) will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8).

The Spirit of the Lord reproves
The world everyday;
And God in His compassion moves
To heal those gone astray.

Yet still the sinner may resist
God's perfect remedy;
And thus with hardened neck insist
On hell eternally.

Loathing the Leanness

"They waited not for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:13-15).

Lord, teach us to loathe this condition of leanness
That enters our soul when we trust our own heart.
And give us the healing that comes with the cleanness
Of your holy fear that Your Word will impart.

Wretched condition, this leanness of soul,
With wandering eyes, so full of distraction!
Oh how much better when we give control
To God who alone can give satisfaction!

Wisest Witness

"Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you" (Micah 1:2). "God... commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

Let all of the earth be attentive and hear;
Let the Lord witness against you today.
The witness of God will teach you to fear;
The fear of the Lord will teach you to pray.

The Lord is beholding each sinful behavior,
He knows every thought, every word, every deed.
The Lord is the Witness, yet also the Savior,
Of all who repent and will trust Him indeed.

Making a Minister

"Who maketh his angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4).

Make us, Lord, Your flaming fire,
To start revival's flame.
Mold in us this one desire:
To magnify Your name.

The essence ministers are of
Is fuel that burns with zeal;
So let us brightly burn with love
That others see and feel.

Missing their Mercy

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.... For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgression from us.... The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him" (Psalm 103:2,11,17). "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy... Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:8,9).

As high as the heaven is over the earth,
As far as the distance that east is from west,
As long as the ages without end or birth,
So great is God's mercy, His peace, and His rest.

What great deprivation they have who observe
Lies that destroy them by turning their eyes!
Turning aside from salvation, they swerve,
Missing their mercy for vanity's lies.

Sleep that Slays

"If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? And He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it?.... Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man" (Proverbs 24:11,12,33,34). "Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not" (Jonah 1:6,7).

How shall I answer my Keeper
When He ponders my heart with disdain:
"What do you mean, O sleeper?
Will you not be concerned for those slain?"

I have no excuse for delay
With regard to my sleep in the past.
But while it is still called today
Let me rise from my slumber at last.

Sureness of Shortness

"The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Revelation 12:12).

Surely the devil is busy today,
Knowing he has but a very short time.
Shouldn't we therefore be watchful and pray,
And fervently work in our calling sublime?

Now doesn't it seem just a little bit odd,
While Satan is active and surely aware,
That we would be drowsy and lukewarm for God,
Halfhearted in labor and sleepy in prayer?

Celebrate the Certainty

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord He is God.... Be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good" (Psalm 100:1-5). "That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?" (Proverbs 22:19-21).

Celebrate the certainty of all we surely know.
The Lord is God, the Lord is good from whom all blessings flow.
Serve the Lord with gladness, and share His certainty
With everyone with ears to hear the truth that makes us free.

Familiar Famine

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it" (Amos 8:11,12).

Behold, the day of famine comes,
No, not for thirst and not for bread,
But like the fading beat of drums,
We shall not hear what God has said.

Oh, awful day by famine cursed
That even now we've seen and heard!
Familiar hunger, dreadful thirst,
Are all around us for God's Word!

Ends of the Earth

"The Lord hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath He openly showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered His mercy and His truth...all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Psalm 98:2,3). Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The ends of the earth have seen the salvation
That God has so clearly made known to all.
Thus every tribe and every nation
Under the heavens have heard His call.

And no other name but the Lord Jesus Christ
Under all heaven has power to save:
To this very end was our Lord sacrificed,
And by His power He conquered the grave.

Woe to the World

"Woe to them that are at ease... that put far away the evil day.... which rejoice in a thing of nought" (Amos 6:1,3,13). "And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth" (Revelation 8:13).

Woe to the world yet taking its ease,
Thinking that judgment is so far away.
Woe to the people refusing to seize
The gift of salvation God offers today.

Woe the world that will not repent,
Rejoicing in temporal pleasures of nought.
Judgment will come and time will be spent:
Then what shall become of the treasures it sought?

Daily Declaration

"Sing unto the Lord, bless His name; show forth His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among all people" (Psalm 96:2,3).

Sing to the Lord and bless Jesus' name,
Declaring His wonders among every nation:
How He endured the cross and the shame
For the joy He foresaw in our glorious salvation!

Meeting your Maker

"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" (Psalm 95:7-10). "Prepare to meet thy God... For, lo, He that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind... declareth unto man what is his thought" (Amos 4:12,13).

The hearts of men are all exposed
Before our Maker's throne.
Our hidden thoughts have been disclosed,
And our deceit is known.

So hear His voice, and harden not
Your heart by vain deceit!
He who declares to man his thought
Is God, whom you must meet.

Sinner, hear what God declares:
Christ Jesus is the Way!
Cast on Him your sin and cares,
And come to Him today!

Listen to the Lion

"The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" (Amos 3:8). "Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed" (Revelation 5:5).

The lion has roared; then who will not fear?
Who would not heed it if they were so warned?
The Lord God has spoken; who will not hear?
Yet many won't read it; God's Word is so scorned!

Yet Jesus prevailed, when He came to the earth,
Bringing salvation by the blood of His cross.
In heaven He's hailed for His power and worth;
In hell, lamentation for their infinite loss.

Not Wowed by Noisy Waves

"The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea" (Psalm 93:3,4). "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed.... He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh" (Psalm 2:1-4).

The floods of rebel voices cry
That earnestly have vowed
To fight against our Lord on high;
God laughs and is not wowed.

Door of Decision

"These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth... I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it" (Revelation 3:7,8).

The door of opportunity
Is opened to us wide.
Jesus Christ now holds the key,
And calls us to decide.

We have a little strength today,
A little time to act.
Let's decide to do and say
What we would not retract.

Latter Love

"Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him" (Psalm 91:14). "Thou hast left thy first love" (Revelation 2:4).

How can it be that latter love
Should not be more than first?
What is my foolish heart made of
That makes the latter worst?

Revive that first love memory
When You satisfied my thirst!
Then cause the latter love in me
To be greater than the first.

God's Work in a Good Word

"To the counselors of peace is joy.... Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad" (Proverbs 12:20,25).

There is a heaviness of heart
That God would have us lift.
A good word that we may impart
In wisdom is God's gift.

Counselors of peace, arise!
Don't wait until tomorrow.
Speak with comfort true and wise
Today to those in sorrow.

Laud for the Lord

"Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood... be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5,6).

To Jesus Christ our gracious Lord
Who loved us to the end,
Who washed us with His blood outpoured,
Who is our dearest Friend,
Be glory and dominion now
And through eternity;
And I will tell the story how
He saved a wretch like me.

Larger Love

"Love covereth all sins" (Proverbs 10:12). "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).

Keep yourself in perfect love
That's larger than your own.
This is passion from above;
It comes from God alone.

No greater love this world sees
Than dying for its friends.
But Jesus died for enemies,
And His love never ends.

Idiocy of Idolatry

"What have I to do anymore with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is Thy fruit found" (Hosea 14:9). "I am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21).

Why should I have more to do
With idols of distraction?
I've heard my Savior's voice so true;
I've seen my Lord in action.

What idiocy turns my glance
From Christ where joys abound?
Lord, You're the Vine; I am Your branch:
From me is Your fruit found.

Look or Lose

"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward" (2 John 8).

Look to yourself or you may well lose
The blessing that God is intending.
If Christ is not first in the things that you choose,
Your choices are not worth defending.

Revival Revealed

"Wilt Thou not revive us again: that Thy people may rejoice in Thee?.... I will hear what God the Lord will speak... Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Psalm 85:6,8,10).

So that Your people may rejoice,
Revive us, Lord, again today!
And we will listen to Your voice
To hear what God the Lord will say.

Now show us, Lord, what we have missed:
How mercy met with truth in Christ;
How peace and righteousness have kissed
Because our Lord was sacrificed.

Seek and Sow

"Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12). "The rain also filleth the pools" (Psalm 84:6). "Your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It is time to seek the Lord and pray
With hands upon the plow.
Break up your fallow ground today;
The time to sow is now.

Sow the seeds of righteousness.
Your labor won't be vain,
For God has promised He will bless
And send refreshing rain.

Grace to be Greater

"Many false prophets are gone out into the world... Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:1,4).

Greater is He that's in you
Than he that is in the world.
Greater is God's point of view
Than lies that false prophets have hurled.

It's not because we are so bright
That we've overcome Satan's lies,
But rather that God gives us light
By grace to beware and be wise.

Dangers in Darkness

"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness" (Psalm 82:5). "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble" (Proverbs 4:19).

Dangers are lurking in darkness each day;
Still there are those who will walk on that path.
They know not the dangers attending that way;
They will not pay heed to God's warning of wrath.

And so they walk onward without understanding
As dangers in darkness are simply ignored,
Till one day they find themselves fearfully standing,
Too late for salvation, before Christ the Lord.

There are dangers in darkness! O sinner, beware!
You're stumbling over the Chief Corner Stone!
If you will not repent toward God in your prayer,
Be sure you will stand at His Great Judgment Throne.

Lose the Lust

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world... For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof" (1 John 2:15-17).

Love not the world, God's Word has said,
For the lust of it passes and shall not abide.
O how much better to love Christ instead,
Losing the worldly lust and its pride!

Lord of Light

"Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved" (Psalm 80:19). "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.... If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:5,7).

Turn us again, O Lord, to You.
Let us reflect the light of Your face.
You are the Source of all that is true.
Shine and we shall be saved by Your grace.

You are the Sun, Lord; we're like moon.
Truly we have no light of our own.
In light of the prospect that You'll return soon,
Let us reflect and make Your way known.

Grow in Grace

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Peter 3:18).

Two-thousand and six is finally here,
And the best that this year can afford
Is to grow in God's grace and His holy fear
And the knowledge of Jesus our Lord.

The knowledge of Christ that is coupled with grace
Is a treasure of unequaled worth.
So let us continue to seek our Lord's face,
And declare His salvation on earth.