Wondrously Well

"And He charged them that they should tell no man: but the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it, and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak" (Mark 7:36,37).

My Jesus has done all things well:
He makes the deaf to hear His voice.
The muted tongue is loosed to tell
His praise that makes our souls rejoice!

Astonishing above all measure!
Published near and spread abroad:
The love of God displays its treasure
In the spotless Lamb of God!

As my Sacrificial Lamb
Jesus rescued me from hell.
I'm loved in spite of who I am,
For Jesus has done all things well.

Water from the Wells

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people" (Isaiah 12:2-4).

In this world with souls athirst
We draw from the supply
That God instructs us to go first:
His wells that won't run dry.

Draw your water from the wells
Of Jesus Christ's salvation.
His love constrains, His heart compels
Us go to every nation.

Draw your water joyfully;
And praise God with your song,
Who saved us for eternity
And keeps us all day long.

Root of our Rest

"There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.... and His rest shall be glorious" (Isaiah 1,2,10). "Come ye yourselves apart.... and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31).

From Jesse's stem came forth a Rod;
And a Branch would grow out of his roots.
This Branch was Man yet truly God,
Who rose to become our Firstfruits.

And His rest shall be glorious indeed,
Where no rest is otherwise found.
For this cause He died as the Seed,
That brought forth much fruit from the ground.

Come, there is rest for your heart!
The Spirit of God shall attest.
If no one else comes, come apart:
In Christ is the root of our rest.

Help and Health

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the HELP of His countenance... for I shall yet praise Him, who is the HEALTH of my countenance, and my God" (Psalm 42:5,11).

Why, my soul, are you cast down,
And why are you distressed?
You have God's smile, not His frown,
His help with which He blessed.

Why, my soul, are you cast down,
Since God has given grace?
His lovingkindness is your crown,
His health upon your face.

Marvelous Mindlessness

"And He [Jesus] marveled because of their unbelief" (Mark 5:6).

What marvelous wonder, this mindless response!
That people can yawn in the face of our God,
While all of the proof that an honest man wants
Abounds in our Savior! Now isn't that odd?

Yes, even Jesus could marvel as well
At this strange phenomenon called unbelief,
That people remain so indifferent to hell,
Mindlessly marching toward endless grief.

The powers of darkness in Satan's dominion,
Are surely at work as they render men blind.
As men reject truth and prefer their opinion,
Marvelous mindlessness is all they shall find.

Horrible Pit to Heavenly Peace

"He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord" (Psalm 40:2,3). "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.... For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:2,6).

Pulled from the pit and put on the Rock,
God gave us a new song of praise.
There's light in the shadow of death where we walk,
That shines through the darkest of days.

The Lord pulled us out of that horrible pit,
To give us His heavenly peace.
The people imprisoned, who in darkness sit,
Can find in His light their release.

How great is the light of each glorious name,
He shines on our heavenward path.
A Child was born, the Son of God came,
Delivering us from His wrath.

Wonderful, Counselor, and Our Mighty God,
The Source of our Life Everlasting,
Prince of our Peace, who bore judgment's rod:
Our crowns at Your feet we'll be casting.

For out of the horrible pit we were raised,
And set on the Rock of salvation.
Forever, O Lord, shall Your name be praised,
Redeemer and Lord of Creation!

Sorrow of Silence

"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred" (Psalm 39:1,2).

Sometimes when I am met with strife,
I think that I'll retreat.
I'll live a private, quiet life,
Admitting my defeat.

I'll hold my tongue from even good;
I will not say a word.
I know, however, that I should,
And sorrow thus is stirred.

How can I hold the Gospel in,
Withholding what is true,
While souls are perishing in sin
And laborers are few?

I can't afford to be offended!
I will not hold my peace!
Until my fleeting days are ended,
I'll speak and will not cease.

Disastrous Distractions

"The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful" (Mark 4:19).

Distractions bring a strangle hold
That chokes our fruit from us:
This world's cares, deceitful gold,
And other sinful lusts.

The word's cares with its demands
Will fill your heart with worry.
How vain it is to wring your hands
While in a pointless hurry.

Deceitfulness of riches too
Will turn away your eyes
From things God wants you to pursue,
From pressing toward His prize.

The lusts of other things come in,
That never satisfy.
They'll choke the Word, but nurture sin,
Until the day you die.

Break this strangle hold today!
Be rid of its distraction,
That takes your fruit for God away,
And bids you take no action.

Holy Heralds

"I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims.... And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.... Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips.... 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 6:1-6).

What a sight Isaiah saw!
How that vision made him lowly!
Angels praised the Lord with awe,
Crying "Holy, holy, holy!"

High and lifted on His throne,
Hear the Lord of glory speak.
Who will go and make Him known?
Will He send the strong or weak?

Surely, He should send the strong,
Rather than the soul undone.
But my thinking here is wrong,
For God sends the lowly one!

Cleanse my lips and wash my heart;
Here am I, Oh Lord, send me!
What an honor You impart
To the sinner You set free!

Lord, I'm free to be commissioned,
Though Your angels serve You better.
Yet You called, and I have listened,
And You've broken every fetter.

The Cherubim and Seraphim
Surely must look on with wonder.
For why should we be serving Him,
Since we are so prone to blunder?

Sinners who were once undone:
Serve the Lord with fear and joy!
We are heralds of God's Son,
Ambassadors in His employ!

Disciples of Doubt

"And when they saw Him, the worshipped Him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations" (Matthew 28:17-19).

Jesus is risen! That glorious shout
Was ringing in hearts that adored.
Yet there were those who lingered with doubt
Even while seeing the Lord.

Jesus, of course, could see who believed;
He saw just as well who did not.
In spite of the evidence, they were deceived,
For doubt had invaded their thought.

Disciples of doubt, beware of deceit
That leads you away from the light,
That discounts the evidence that is complete,
And robs you of spiritual sight.

Confess to the Lord (Who knows it already)
The doubt that oppresses your mind,
Then study the Word that makes your faith steady,
And leave unbelief to the blind.

For then, only then, are we fit to fulfill
The mandate to teach every nation,
To go with the Gospel, to teach them God's will,
And lead precious souls to salvation.

Resurrection Run

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.... And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy, and did run to bring His disciples word" (Matthew 28:5-8).

Meditate upon that day
When Christ rose, just as He said.
Come and hear the angel say:
"He is risen from the dead."

Feet are racing with the word.
Hearts are pounding, full of glory!
Ears rejoice in what they've heard.
Tongues recount the wondrous story.

Have we lost that sense of thrill
Of that resurrection morn?
Are we jaded by the chill
Of the unbeliever's scorn?

Come again and see the proof!
Peer into His empty grave!
Let the world stand aloof,
Yet our Savior lives to save!

Now quickly go and tell the news
To everyone with ears to hear!
By every means that we may use,
Let us run and make it clear!

Rush to Reason

"Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Proverbs 20:9). "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 1:18).

Who can say in any season,
I have made my own heart clean?
God says, "Come now, let us reason."
There is a way that may be seen.

There is cleansing from above,
For Jesus died to save your soul.
This reasoning from love,
That makes you white as snow and wool.

Come NOW, says our gracious Lord,
And reason NOW, and not tomorrow.
Do you think you can afford
Procrastination's bitter sorrow?

Rush to reason, while you may!
What would make you want to wait?
God is calling you today!
Another day may be too late.

Counsel that Cannot be Cancelled

"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the device of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Psalm 33:11). "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21). "Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day.... Pilate saith unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can" (Matthew 27:63-65).

The counsel of the Lord shall stand
No matter who opposes,
No matter what His foes have planned,
Or what mankind supposes.

The Lord has risen as He said:
This is the classic case,
Where counsel that supposed Him dead
Was put to a disgrace.

So now whose counsel will you take,
In view of what you've heard?
Remember Pilate's sad mistake,
And trust God's holy Word!

God vs. Guile

"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile" (Psalm 32:1,2).

It is a foolish exercise
Of wasted energy
To try to cleverly disguise
What God can surely see.

Guile is not only vain,
It is destructive too.
The soul will lose eternal gain
That hides from what is true.

What is true is our own sin;
Repentance is our need.
This is where we must begin
And where the truth will lead.

But follow on, and you will see
That God will give salvation
To those who come with honesty,
Escaping condemnation.

What then is this blessedness
For those who have no guile?
It is the gift of righteousness
To those who once were vile.

Praise the Lord! He saves each one
Who comes in true surrender!
And they shall find in God the Son
That He is their Defender.

Quenchless Quality

"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). "Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto Him, Let Him be crucified" (Matthew 27:22).

Many waters could not quench
The fire of God's love,
Nor could the floods of hatred drench
God's zeal from above.

Love burned brightly on the cross,
Yet also it burned holy.
To save us from eternal loss
He paid our ransom fully.

"What then shall I do with Christ?"
This was Pilate's question.
How sad that, by the mob enticed,
He followed their suggestion!

Do not let the crowd decree
The welfare of your soul,
Nor where you'll spend eternity,
When judgment takes its toll!

For quenchless judgment shall remain
For those rejecting Christ,
Who will, like Pilate, thus disdain
The Savior sacrificed.

Pride and Prosperity

"And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by Thy favor Thou has made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy face, and I was troubled" (Psalm 30:6,7).

Prosperity comes and prosperity goes,
And we may be prideful when people applaud.
Our pride, like a cancer, unchecked surely grows;
Humility comes by remembering God.

Remember our Savior has made us to stand.
God freely gave us the gift of His grace.
All that we have is received from His hand.
We surely are troubled if He hides His face.

Lord, only Your favor has prospered our way.
You gave Your best in exchange for our worst.
So grant us prosperity's truest display
With hearts that are humble and putting You first.

Loved or Loathed

"His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend" (Song of Solomon 5:16). "What think ye? They answered and said, He [Jesus] is guilty of death. Then did they spit in His face" (Matthew 26:66,67).

What do you think of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Is He your Beloved and Friend?
He's either your Savior for you sacrificed,
Or He is your Judge in the end.

It's foolish to think that there's some neutral ground.
We all are in need of His grace.
He's either beloved and the best Friend you found,
Or else you have spit in His face.

Where do you stand now? Consider it well,
For God surely knows what you think.
You're making a choice between heaven and hell,
As you stand on eternity's brink.

God in the Garden

"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits" (Song of Solomon 4:16). "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane.... And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter: What, could ye not watch with me one hour?" (Matthew 26:36-40).

God has come into His garden
That He calls for me to keep.
Will He find a heart that's hardened?
Will He find me there asleep?

Awake, O wind, and fill the air
With fragrance from my garden spiced,
With worship, watchfulness, and prayer
To please the heart of Jesus Christ.

What? Does it seem too much to ask,
To pray and watch with Him this hour?
Is my worship just a task
That draws upon my fleshly power?

My Savior came into that garden
That was called Gethsemane.
There He suffered for my pardon
As He went to Calvary.

Lord, come into my garden now,
To find Your pleasant fruits.
For this is fruit that You endow;
Your Word supplies the roots.

Simplified and Satisfied

"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, inquire in His temple" (Psalm 27:4). Now when Jesus was in Bethany... there came a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on His head... But when His disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?" (Matthew 26:6-8).

There is a rule that simplifies
The matters of this life.
Its application makes us wise
In times of peace or strife.

Fix your eyes on this one thing:
The beauty of your Lord.
Then make your life an offering
To Jesus Christ outpoured.

Some may think it is a waste
And voice their indignation.
Should you pander to the taste
Of those who spurn salvation?

How much better to inquire
And hear your Lord's reply!
Fix on Him your one desire,
Which He will satisfy.

Listening to my Lord

"The voice of my Beloved! Behold He cometh... My Beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, My love, My fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.... Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away" (Song of Solomon 2:8-13).

The voice of my beloved Lord
Has spoken of that day
When He shall come with His reward
And call His own away!

For soon the winter shall be past,
The rain shall all be gone;
My Lord shall come again at last;
Eternity shall dawn.

Yet even now the flowers bloom;
I hear the song of birds;
He takes the terror from the tomb
With His assuring words.

I hear His words: "Arise My love,
My fair one, come away."
He sets my heart on things above
By what I hear Him say.

Savior's Secret

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant" (Psalm 25:14).

Have you heard the secret yet
That Jesus Christ has shared?
Have you seen our need He met
And mansions He's prepared?

Have you searched the hidden treasure
Found in His creation?
Have you pondered love's true measure
Bound In His salvation?

Has He shown you what will be
In contrast to what's now?
Have you viewed eternity
When every knee shall bow?

Has He spoken to your heart
About His love for you?
Is it time to come apart
To hear His voice anew?

The secret of the Lord is still
With all of those who fear Him,
With those who seek to do His will,
And those who will draw near Him.

Wisely Watching

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:9,10). "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Matthew 24:42).

We are watching for that hour
That the Lord returns in power.
Then the Lord shall call us out
With His archangelic shout.

We are watching at our posts
For our King, the Lord of hosts.
By this hope God purifies
And makes the watcher thereby wise.

We are watching at His gates
With each kindred heart that waits,
Purified thereby from sin;
Come, Lord Jesus, enter in!

We know not the times or dates
For the lifting of those gates.
But we can wisely watch till when
Our King of glory comes again.

Shining Shepherd

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.... He leadeth me.... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:1-3,6).

My Shepherd shines along my path;
He leads me everyday,
And where He leads there is no wrath:
He took it all away.

For though He is my Shepherd still,
He also is the Lamb,
Who died for me on Calvary's hill,
In spite of what I am.

His goodness and His mercy lead;
They follow me as well.
He met my very deepest need:
He rescued me from hell.

Oh what a thrill to call Him mine
In light of Who He is!
And how it makes my path to shine
To know that I am His!

Sorrow, Salvation, Sovereignty

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? ... they pierced My hands and My feet .... I will declare Thy name unto My brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee .... They shall praise the Lord that seek Him: your heart shall live forever .... All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and He is the Governor among the nations" (Psalm 22:1,16,22,26,27,28).

In this twenty-second Psalm
We can hear our Savior's prayer.
Words of sorrow, then of calm,
Then of victory are there.

"My God, My God," our Lord begins,
"Why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
When He bore our load of sins
On the cross of Calvary.

Then we hear His declaration,
To His brethren (we are named!)
Elevated by salvation;
Thus He calls us, unashamed!

Finally we'll see Him reign
Upon the earth as Sovereign Lord.
Yet His wounds of love remain,
Thus remembered and adored.

Behold His sorrow, His salvation,
And our Savior's sovereignty.
Give your heart to meditation
On this Psalm of prophecy.

Words of the Wise

"The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools" (Ecclesiastes 9:17).

The words of the wise man in quiet are heard
More than the cry of the fool.
For God is the Author of wisdom's true Word,
And He, by that standard, will rule.

Granted, the fool's cry is heard everywhere,
And draws like a magnet a crowd:
In schools, in the markets, in each public square,
His voice is both stubborn and loud.

But God on His throne is still in control,
Who gives us the words of the wise,
And this is the wisdom that quiets our soul,
No matter how loud the fool cries.

Gracious Greatness

"He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matthew 23:11,12).

The one who would be truly great
Will hear the Savior's call
To walk with grace to demonstrate
A servant's heart to all.

This is the path to greatness trod
Our Lord would have us find.
So let the world count it odd;
The blind will lead the blind.

The world's books upon our shelves
Will not see this as wise,
Which tell us to exalt ourselves
In our own prideful eyes.

Let all but God's advice be halted,
For soon enough we'll see
The humble are by God exalted
For all eternity.

Cornerstone Commandments

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 5:37-40).

In two commandments we can find
All the law and prophets said:
With all your heart, your soul, and mind,
Let your life by these be led.

The first commandment simply is
To love the Lord with all we are.
Our heart, our soul, and mind are His;
He draws us near, who once were far.

The second one is like it too:
Like ourselves, to love our neighbor.
These commands are right and true;
They purify our love and labor.

Sighting the Savior

"Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes 6:9). "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee" (Proverbs 4:25). "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Why should we have a wandering desire,
When Jesus our Lord fills our eyes?
What could our hearts yet further require?
Who else but Christ satisfies?

Where shall we turn, if not to our Lord?
We've looked to our left and our right.
There's no sweeter portion, no greater reward,
Than Jesus, in Whom we delight!

Parable on Performing

"What think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?" (Matthew 21:28-31).

A parable has truth within
To show us what is right;
To show us also what is sin
And hold it in the light.

Two sons were to their labor sent;
The first son then said, "No."
But afterwards he would repent,
And to his work would go.

The second son at first agreed,
But he never even worked.
The first son thus obeyed indeed,
What the second merely shirked.

The lesson here is surely plain,
Addressed to us today:
Our words are meaningless and vain,
Unless we will obey.

Preserved on the Path

"Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust .... Thou wilt show me the path of life" (Psalm 16:1,11). "For the Lord giveth wisdom .... He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of His saints .... that thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:6,8,20).

There is a path where we may walk
Where God preserves our way,
That sets our feet upon a rock:
The path where we obey.

God has shown the path of life,
The path of our submission,
That preserves through peace and strife,
Fulfilling His commission.

So let us gladly walk this path
That seeks to do the will
Of Him who saved our souls from wrath,
And shall preserve us still.

Reason Required

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.... He hath made everything beautiful in His time... and God requireth that which is past" (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11,15).

To everything there is a season;
A purpose in God's time.
For everything there is a reason;
A plan that is sublime.

Everything that God has made
That we are stewards of,
In His scales shall be weighed,
By what we did for love.

All things present shall be past,
And one day we shall see
How beautiful they are at last
In God's economy.

So while the present still is here,
Before our setting sun,
Let our purpose thus be clear:
To hear our Lord's "Well done!"