Search the Son

"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:4,5). "Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (John 5:17).

Who ascended up above?
Who came down below?
Who has shown us heaven's love?
Tell me if you know.

Who commands the winds and sea,
And they obey His voice?
Who created you and me,
And gave to us a choice?

The choice is ours to use our mind
To search God's glorious Son.
Those who do shall surely find
There's none like Him, not one!

The Father works, and so do I,
Our Lord and Savior said.
And so for us He came to die,
And rise up from the dead.

How marvelous to search the Son,
By meditating thus!
He saw us in our sins undone
And came to rescue us!

Every word of God is pure;
His Son is there revealed.
Those who trust Him can be sure
That He will be their Shield.

Glorious Gates

"The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.... And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest Himself shall establish her. The Lord shall count, when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah." (Psalm 87:2-6). "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he the reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together" (John 4:35,36).

Lift up your eyes and see the gates
As the door to heaven above.
This is why the Scripture states
God has set on them His love.

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Gates of Zion, as we're told
Sinners once defiled, broken,
Now may walk the streets of gold!

This and that one have been written
In the book of Zion's roll,
For God's Lamb for us was smitten,
Tasting death for every soul.

Harmonize my Heart

"Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name. I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore" (Psalm 86:11,12). "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).

Harmonize my heart, O Lord;
Unite it by Your fear
Like an orchestrated chord
That's pleasing to Your ear.

Lord You know my tendency
To live by my emotion.
Give to me Your harmony
That's driven by devotion.

Teach me, Lord, Your way that I
May always put You first.
Let Your Spirit satisfy
This harmonizing thirst.

King's Key

"This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:29,30).

How incredible but true the love of Jesus is!
No wonder John the Baptist was so completely thrilled!
To know that He is mine, and I'm forever His
Floods my soul with peace, and my joy is thus fulfilled.

My heart is satisfied, yet I long for even more;
What was true of John, is true of you and me:
If we would enter fullest joy, Christ Jesus is the door,
And more of Him, but less of us, His key.

Preparatory Presence

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee, in whose heart are the ways of them, who passing through the valley of Baca (weeping), make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools; they go from strength to strength; everyone of them in Zion appeareth before God... 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 84:5-11).

Strength and blessing, grace and glory,
No good thing will God withhold.
His presence is preparatory;
We're invited to be bold.

Fill your cup to overflowing;
God can use all its excesses
For the comfort He's bestowing
In the work that He thus blesses.

Messenger for the Master

"As the cold of snow in time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him: for he refresheth the soul of his masters.... As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" (Proverbs 25:13,25).

As snow atop the mountain
Refreshes those below,
When it becomes a fountain
Of rushing streams that flow,

Let me thus refresh the heart
Of a thirsty soul today,
By the good news I impart
Through the Gospel I convey.

Commission of Compassion

"Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked" (Psalm 82:3,4). "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? And shall not He render to every man according to His works?" (Proverbs 24:11,12).

Defend the poor and fatherless;
Deliver the afflicted.
Do these commands of tenderness
Make our hearts convicted?

Then let conviction come, and thus
May we be stirred to heed!
For thereby God commissions us
To meet another's need.

Virtue for Vomit

"I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me. So I gave them up to their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.... With honey out of the Rock should I have satisfied thee" (Psalm 81:10-16). "The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words" (Proverbs 23:8). "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God.... Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:12,29).

Thank you, Lord! You took away
The vomit of my sin,
And gave Your virtue that I may
By grace be born again.

Thank You, Lord, for what You gave
And took away from me!
The vomit of my sin that clave
Is gone and I am free!

Written and Wrought

"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 22:20,21). "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me" (Luke 24:44).

Excellent things in counsels and thought
Are written from God to you and to me.
Promises written and perfectly wrought,
Makes the truth certain, and truth makes us free.

The Law and the prophets must all be fulfilled,
As well as the Psalms and the words Jesus said.
Thus it was written that Christ would be killed,
And also that Jesus would rise from the dead.

How great is the certainty God thereby gives!
How great is our mission with which we are tasked!
Equipped with the knowledge that Jesus Christ lives,
We ought to be ready to answer when asked.

Muting the Mocker

"Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God?" (Psalm 79:10). "The He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" (Luke 24:25,26).

Why should those who think they're wise
Still say, "Where is your God?"
They plug their ears and close their eyes;
Their reasoning is flawed.

Dear believer, don't be swayed
By those who will not see.
Behold the evidence displayed!
The truth shall make you free!

The evidence is in God's Word
By all the prophets said.
And just in case you haven't heard,
Our Lord rose from the dead!

If fools will not believe today,
It's not for lack of proof.
So let them say what they will say,
And let them stand aloof.

Let not your heart be troubled then
By fools and all their talk.
God told us there would be such men
Who ignorantly mock.

Concerning Conversing

"And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.... And He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?" (Luke 24:15,17).

What manner of communication
With each other have we had?
Now are we speaking of salvation,
Cheering those whose hearts are sad?

As our Savior now draws near,
Listening to our interaction,
Will the talk that He will hear
Bless His heart with satisfaction?

Let this be the faithful measure
Judging what we think and say:
If it won't give Jesus pleasure,
Cast that thought and word away.

Mount of Mercy

"And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.... And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish" (Exodus 19:18,21). "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him... Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:33,34).

How fearful was the sight and sound
Of Sinai's mount of smoke,
Where no approach to God was found,
As God in judgment spoke.

How merciful the words of grace
On Calvary's mount we hear,
Where Jesus suffered in our place,
And prayed to draw us near.

Weepers Wanted

Father's Day

"There followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.... For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" (Luke 23:27-31).

Fathers and mothers of this weary world:
Weep for yourselves and your children therein.
Weep for the lost before they are hurled
Into eternity yet in their sin.

Weep if you find you're unable to cry
For souls yet in darkness the Lord longs to save.
Though the green tree is now withered and dry,
Weep while there's hope on this side of the grave.

Pride vs. Promotion

"Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Psalm 75:5-7). "Hereafter shall the Son of Man sit on the right hand of the power of God" (Luke 22:69).

God sets up one and He also puts down.
God is in charge of promotions allowed.
Jesus is seated with heaven's high crown,
Though he was crowned once with thorns by the proud.

Make no mistake, Christ is coming again
To reign as the King of all kings on this earth.
Be sure every knee shall bow to Him then;
Every mouth shall acknowledge His worth.

Prevailing Prayer

"And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed" (Exodus 17:11). "And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow, and said unto them, Why sleep ye? Rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Luke 22:45,46).

When Moses lifted up his hand
Then Israel prevailed.
So God would have us understand
The reason we have failed.

We're sleeping when we ought to pray,
And we are not aware
That Satan's host prevails today
When we are not in prayer.

Rise and pray, shake off your sleep,
Or fall into temptation!
Pray that you may daily keep
Prevailing in salvation.

Sanctuary Sights

"I was envious at the foolish.... Until I went into the sanctuary of God: then understood I their end.... So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee. Nevertheless 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. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee" (Psalm 73:2,17-25).

What a sight for weary eyes
The sanctuary can afford!
Here the foolish is made wise,
And stills his heart before the Lord.

In the sanctuary now
I see God's holiness.
Rebel mockers soon will bow
And shall His name confess.

Here my foolishness I see;
I did not understand!
Still, O Lord, You stood with me
And held me by my hand.

Lord, You will guide me here on earth,
And afterwards to glory.
In earth or heaven, Lord, Your worth,
Is told in Your love story.

Displaying His Dominion

"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth" (Psalm 72:8).

He shall have the clear dominion from the sea to sea.
This is not a mere opinion; this is God's decree.
Till that day our Lord and Savior reigns within His own.
Let us then, by our behavior, make that clearly known.

Song to the Savior

"I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously.... The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation... and I will exalt Him" (Exodus 15:1,2). "My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed" (Psalm 71:23).

Lord, You are my strength and song,
And You are my salvation.
My lips shall sing the whole day long
With joyful exaltation.

You have triumphed gloriously,
Though You were sorely bruised;
Yes, bruised for my iniquity,
And for my sins abused.

And now my heart belongs to You;
My soul You have redeemed.
I wake each day to find it true,
More than I could have dreamed!

Stand Still

"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today" (Exodus 14:13).

As sure as there's a time to run,
There is a time for standing still.
When our obedience is done,
It's time to wait upon His will.

It's not a time for us to fear,
Nor is it time to feed frustration.
Stand still as God is drawing near,
And you will see the Lord's salvation.

Reproached for my Redemption

"For thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered My face.... The reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon Me.... Thou hast known My reproach.... Reproach hath broken My heart, and I am full of heaviness" (Psalm 69:7,9,18-20). "The Son of God... loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

How heavy was my Savior's load
Who bore reproaches for my sake,
And thus redemption was bestowed,
And my unrighteousness did take.

O Heart of heaviness for me!
O broken Heart to heal mine!
Lord, now I worship as I see,
The selfless love in Your resign.

Lord, let me linger by Your cross,
Though You're now enthroned above,
To think of my eternal loss,
Had You not come down in love!

Ready Rocks

"And when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, Master, rebuke Thy disciples. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:37-40).

The rocks were ready to proclaim
The glory of our Lord,
If men would not exalt the name
That ought to be adored.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and King,
Let rocks their silence keep!
Why should rocks say anything,
Unless we are asleep!

Was it for rocks You suffered thus
And rose up from the dead?
Not for rocks! You died for us!
Should rocks praise You instead?

O spare us, Lord, the awful shame
Of silence in our day.
Let us spread abroad Your fame
By all we do and say.

To Seek and To Save

"The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).

Son of God and Son of Man,
You're the only One who can
Devise and carry out the plan
To seek and save the lost.

Seeker of our souls astray,
Savior of the world today,
Only You could find a way
And then would pay the cost.

Gleeful Glory

"Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise glorious.... Come and see the works of God.... Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul" (Psalm 66:1,2,5,16). "Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people when they saw it, gave praise unto God" (Luke 18:42,43).

Come and see the works of God!
Come and hear what He has done!
Gather round Him and applaud
Jesus Christ His glorious Son!

Jesus has done all things well
His works are seen in all the earth.
Make His glorious praise to swell;
Magnify the Savior's worth!

Beyond His works throughout creation,
He has saved my hell-bound soul.
Praise the Lord for His salvation!
Sing with joy! His name extol!

I was blind, but now I see;
Jesus gave to me my sight.
O magnify the Lord with me,
As we follow in His light!

Prevailing Prayer

"Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed: O Thou that hearest prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come" (Psalm 65:1,2). "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

Praise is waiting for You, Lord,
In future days of Zion,
When all the earth shall look toward
The tribe of Judah's Lion.

Yes, there is a future date
When Zion shall give praise.
But there's no need for us to wait
Throughout our fleeting days.

For You have taught us, Lord, to pray,
At all times, not just some.
And since You hear our prayer today,
To You we gladly come!

Negligent Nine

"Ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off... lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when He saw them, He said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God... And Jesus answering said, Were not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?" (Luke 17:12-17).

Cleansed in spirit, soul, and mind!
Lord, I would not neglect to say,
Thank you for Your love so kind:
You have healed me today.

Like those pleading, leprous men,
You heard their voice as well as mine.
Yet one returned among the ten
To give You thanks, unlike those nine.

Thank you, Lord, for all You've done.
Lord, though the nine be negligent
To add their voices with this one,
I'll praise You for Your healing sent.

Fundamentals of Faithfulness

"The ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He pondereth all his goings" (Proverbs 5:21). "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.... God knoweth your hearts" (Luke 16:10,15).

Faithful in little, faithful in much:
Now this is a principle we should observe.
God's eyes examine, He ponders all such
That He calls as stewards to faithfully serve.

Faithful in little, O may we be found,
That likewise in much we'll be faithful too;
That much of His grace may in us abound,
Much fruit for His glory in me and in you.

Similitudes of the Sinner

"And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And He spake this parable to them, saying... Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost... for I have found the piece which I had lost... Let us eat, and be merry, for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:1-24).

This Man receives and eats with sinners;
How true we find this claim!
This Man turns losers into winners;
Christ Jesus is His name!

Like a sheep a shepherd lost
(All we have gone astray),
He knew the suffering and the cost,
And sought us anyway.

Like a coin you lost, and thus
You searched for all around,
Just so the Lord has likened us,
Rejoicing when we're found.

Like a lost son left to roam,
Regretting then his choice,
Jesus woos the sinner home,
And calls us to rejoice!

Higher Heritage

"Lead me to the rock that is higher than I....Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear Thy name" (Psalm 61:2,5). "Surely He scorneth the scorners, but He giveth grace to the lowly. The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools" (Proverbs 3:34,35). "Go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher... for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:10,11).

There is no higher heritage that anyone can claim
Than given those who shall inherit glory.
God gives it to the humble, to those who fear His name,
Not to those who scorn redemption's story.

What a privilege it is to take the lower place,
And give to Christ the glory He is due.
This is the higher heritage of those He saves by grace;
Too marvelous for words, and yet it's true!

Tender and Terrible

"How often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!" (Luke 13:34).

How tender the portrait of Jesus we see
In the beautiful traits God instilled in the hen:
Whenever her chickens sense danger they flee,
And under her wings they find refuge then.

How terrible then, that though our Lord would
Be gathering souls as a hen does her own,
That many would not, so forfeit the good
That God in His marvelous love would make known.

Because of the Battle

"Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.... Because of his strength will I wait upon Thee: for God is my Defense.... I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my Defense and Refuge in the day of my trouble. Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing: for God is my Defense, and the God of my mercy" (Psalm 60:8).

Because of the battle that rages today,
Because my opponents are strong,
Because God has been my Defense in harm's way,
I'll trust in Him all the day long.

And so to the God of my mercy I'll sing;
For He is my Refuge in trouble.
I'll sing of His power; I'll worship my King,
Who brings Satan's strongholds to rubble.