Shattered or Shielded

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed…. The Lord shall have them in derision…. Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel…. Be wise now therefore…. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him” (Psalm 2:2-12).  “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5). 

The kings of earth have set themselves

Against almighty God.

Their wicked counsel fills their shelves

In books that they applaud.

The day is coming when the Lord

Shall have them in derision.

The Word of God now looks toward

That clear, prophetic vision.

The Word of God now gives a choice

Which counsels us to yield,

To heed the warning of God’s voice,

And trust Him as our Shield.

How clearly has His Spirit spoken

And called us to be wise,

For like a potter’s vessel broken

They’ll be who trust in lies!

We thank You for Your precious Word,

O Lord, so pure and true,

And that Your Shield is assured

For all who trust in You.

Catastrophic Contrast

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…. But his delight is in the law of the LORD…. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season…. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away…. The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment…. The way of the ungodly shall perish” (Psalm 1:1-6).  “An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked” (Proverbs 29:27). 

How great the contrast is we see

Between salvation’s path

And sinners with a destiny

Of catastrophic wrath.

The godly man will greatly cherish

The counsel of the Lord;

Ungodly men will shortly perish,

For this is sin’s reward.

Though all have sinned, there is a way

To find a Hiding Place:

In Christ a Refuge stands today

Who saves us by His grace!

Ungodly men who still refuse

The counsel of salvation

Shall keep the sinful life they choose

And with it, condemnation.

The godly man is like a tree;

The wicked are like chaff.

The scornful mock eternity,

But soon they shall not laugh.

O Lord, we see the great divide

Between the saved and lost,

And yet it was for all You died

And paid redemption’s cost!

So teach us, Lord, to now persuade

The sinners who will hear,

That they may rightly be afraid

With judgment drawing near!

How sweet the Gospel then shall be

To those who find it true

That they avoid catastrophe

By turning, Lord, to You!

Ordering the Orchestra

“The Lord hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people… in praise, and in name, and in honor, and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God, as He hath spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:18,19).  “Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 150:6).  “Saul of Tarsus… prayeth…. for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:11,15).

We are God’s peculiar ones

With many voices, yet one theme.

As His daughters and His sons,

We honor Him with praise supreme.

Like an orchestra of praise,

Where instruments are not the same,

Each has its part, each one obeys,  

And so shall all who praise His name.

Praise the Lord!  Now lift your voice

As God directs you in your part.

You are His peculiar choice

To give Him praise with all your heart.

And Saul of Tarsus?  Can it be

That God would choose this kind of man?

Yes!  Sinners join the symphony

Rejoicing in salvation’s plan!

Lord, thank You for the choice You made

To make us instruments of grace.

We are this orchestra portrayed

As You conduct us in our place. 

Faithful Friendship

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend…. Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.  Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not…. Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend” (Proverbs 27:6,9,10,17).

A faithful friendship is a gift

Inviting honesty.

It speaks the truth in love to lift

And set another free.

It sometimes wounds, yet also heals

The friends whom we embrace.

It counsels sharply, yet it feels

The need to speak with grace.

Its sweetness will rejoice the heart

As ointment and perfume,

And hearty counsel shall impart

A friendship that will bloom.

A faithful friendship won’t forsake

A friend that is in need.

It binds the wounds of hearts that break;

It loves in word and deed.

A faithful friend is like a sword

That sharpens still another,

As heartily we seek the Lord

Together with a brother.

O Lord, we thank You for such friends

With love that’s tried and true

And for the love which never ends

In friendship found in You.

Mirrored Message

“Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.  Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit” (Proverbs 25:4,5).  “And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh…. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush” (Acts 7:13,35).

“Answer not a fool” we’re told

According to his foolish mind,

Lest we be like him as we’re pulled

In folly also, thus inclined.

A fool may be considered smart,

Assessed by standards in our schools,

But God has spoken of the heart,

And those rejecting Him are fools.

The Word of God is like a mirror

Reflecting what we truly are.

Stephen could not make that clearer

When standing at the judgment bar.

Joseph was a type of Christ,

And Stephen preached on Moses too.

These were portraits which sufficed

To show them what they ought to do.

O Lord, we thank for Your Word

That mirrors what we are within.

Instruct us by the truth we’ve heard

To trust You, and to turn from sin!

Heart Healer

“The LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee” (Deuteronomy 23:5).  “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).  “As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country” (Proverbs 25:25). 

There is a Healer for our hearts;

There is a Lover of our souls.

There is a blessing God imparts

Through circumstances He controls.

There is a quenching of the thirst

For souls in every situation.

There is Good News for sinners cursed,

Whose curse God turns into salvation.

To souls in countries far or near,

The Gospel now has spread abroad

To bind their wounds, to banish fear,

And grant them refuge in our God.

O Lord, You heal so completely

The wounded hearts that seek Your face!

Your Good News comes to us so sweetly

To save and soothe us by Your grace!

Obedient or Obstinate

“Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.  His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.  Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God” (Psalm 146:3-5).  “We ought to obey God rather than men…. lest haply ye be found even to fight against God” (Acts 5:29,39).

Put not your trust in mortal men

Or honors that they cherish.

Their breath goes forth, they die, and then

Their thoughts at last will perish.

How happy is that one instead

Whose hope is in the Lord!

God ALWAYS does what He has said

And gives His sure reward.

We surely ought to do what’s right,

And thus obey God’s Word,

Lest we against the Lord would fight;

How fearfully absurd!

O Lord, we turn our hearts to You

And earnestly we pray:

In all that You have said to do,

Lord, help us to obey!

Cross of our Curse

“If a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree… bury him that day, for he that is hanged is accursed of God” (Deuteronomy 21:22,23).  “One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).  “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).  “All have sinned… the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23).  “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:  for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). 

We’re guilty!  This charge unmistakably clear

Confirms we are worthy of spiritual death!

Though many do not have the good sense to fear,

Our judgment draws closer with each fleeting breath! 

Praise God for His work that provides an exemption

That sinners may claim, from the least to the worst!

Our Lord on the cross has accomplished redemption

To rescue our souls that were fearfully cursed!

One generation declares to another

The great acts accomplished by our precious Lord!

The name that will save us is Christ, and no other,

No matter how long and how far we’ve explored.

O Lord, we are speechless, for what can we say

For what You have done to redeem us from loss?

It was for OUR judgment You suffered that way,

Becoming a curse for our sakes on the cross!

Sons Saved, Daughters Delivered

“Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones” (Psalm 144:11,12). “Train up a child in the way that he should go:  and when he is old, he will not depart from it…. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee to know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Proverbs 22:6,20,21).

Rid us, Lord, from falsehood’s hand

And mouths proclaiming vanity;

Enable us to take our stand

Against this world’s insanity!

O save our sons, Lord, in their youth;

Protect our daughters now as well,

And may they thus proclaim the truth

With reasons that they clearly tell.

How briefly they are ours to train!

How dreadful is the consequence

If they should turn to what is vain

And forfeit things of excellence!

Sons shall grow as sturdy plants,

Daughters shall be polished fair,

Not by carelessness or chance,

But by training, love, and prayer.

We thank You, Lord, for this foundation:

The counsels of Your Word are true

Which show our children Your salvation

And save them as they trust in You.

Refuge Revealed

“Thou shalt separate three cities…. Thou shalt prepare thee a way… that every slayer may flee thither…. He shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: lest the avenger of the blood pursue… and slay him” (Deuteronomy 19:2-6).  “And enter not into judgment with Thy servant:  for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified…. I flee unto Thee to hide me” (Psalm 143:2,9).  “Safety is of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:31).  “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved…. Save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:21,40).

There is a place where we may flee

Though judgment makes its firm demand.

There is a truth that makes us free,

And shows a Refuge near at hand.

As God commanded by His grace

That refuge cities should be made

To thus provide a hiding place,

We see a type of Christ portrayed.

We find our safety in the Lord

Where justice has been satisfied!

The wrath of God was on Him poured,

And in Him we are justified!

O Lord, we’ve called upon Your name,

And found in You what we have craved:

A Refuge from our sin and shame

Wherein we are forever saved!

We thank You, Lord, for Your salvation

And for the Refuge You’ve revealed

That saves us from this generation

As by Your stripes we have been healed.