Hope and Horror

“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel… And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar… behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, JOSIAH by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee” (1 Kings 13:1,2, fulfilled 326 years later, 2 Kings 23:16).  “I remembered Thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself.  Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law” (Psalm 13:3,4).  “The lion hath roared, who will not fear?  The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8). 

I have remembered the judgments of old,

Which God had declared He would surely fulfill,

Such as the time when His prophet foretold,

JOSIAH, by name, would perform all His will.

Marvelous prophecies, far in advance,

Declaring the time, the location, and name,

Rule out the notion that this was just chance,

With details only the Lord could proclaim.

Thus we’re reminded by what we have heard,

That all those who trust in the Lord will do well.

This is the hope that we find in God’s Word,

By which we escape the great horror of hell.

And this is the blessed assurance of bliss

For every believer who trusts in the Lord.

With such a great contrast before us as this,

How can we be silent?  The lion has roared!

We thank You, O Lord, for the comfort ahead;

The promise of heaven is glorious indeed!

Yet judgment approaches, as You clearly said,

So help us to clearly show sinners their need.

Latter Rain and the Lord's Return

“Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:7,8).

Be patient; we wait for the Lord not in vain:  

Our Savior is coming for whom we now yearn.

He came down the first time as does early rain;

As latter rain comes, so our Lord shall return.

Be steadfast:  may we thus establish our root

In what God has promised; He never has failed.

The farmer who plants must then wait for the fruit,

And so shall the coming of Christ be unveiled.

O Lord, we are certain Your coming draws near;

As early rain came, so the latter shall too.

O may we be faithful until You appear!

The latter rain comes:  we are waiting for You.

Needing His Nearness

“God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:6-8).

How many things have we allowed

To come between us and the Lord?

How many times have we been proud,

Until by God we are restored?

How much we need the nearness of

Our God and Savior Jesus Christ!

When we submit to Him in love

We are not then by sin enticed.

As we are drawing near to God

We see our need to then be pardoned.

We recognize that we are flawed

With hearts insensitive and hardened.

We see our need to cleanse our hands

And come with hearts thus purified.

We draw near now as God commands,  

And we have put away our pride.

The devil now at this point flees,

For God our Shepherd spreads a table

Within the midst of enemies,

And shelters us, for He is able.

There is a joy in drawing near,

With which this world can’t compete,

Where perfect love will cast out fear

And God will with His children meet.

Lord, draw us to this sacred place

Where we lose sight of all but You.

We come now, beckoned by Your grace,

As You draw near to meet us too.

Enlightened on Enlargement

“Behold, the half was not told me:  thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard” (1 Kings 10:7).  “My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken Thou me according to Thy Word... Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me Thy law graciously… I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart” (Psalm 119:25-32).

My heart shall surely be enlarged,

If not for God, for lies and lust.

May God forbid that I be charged

With cleaving vainly to the dust!

Remove from me the way of lying;

Enlarge my heart for truth instead.

The Word of God is testifying,

So let me heed what God has said.

O may the Lord enlarge His space

Within my heart yet more and more,

That I may learn more of His grace:

The half has not been told before!

His fame and wisdom far exceed

The things I’ve understood and heard.

Much less of me is what I need,

Yet more of Christ and of His Word.

In light of what You’ve said and done,

I want to know You, Lord, more still.

Enlarge my heart that I may run

To know You more and do Your will.

Hallowed House

“And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me:  I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My name there forever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually” (1 Kings 9:3).  “My son, be wise, and make My heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth Me” (Proverbs 27:11). 

I know that God received my prayer

Regarding my salvation.

I cried to Him in my despair;

He heard my supplication.

He made His dwelling place in me,

And hallowed me within.

He cleansed me from iniquity

And took away my sin.

He satisfied my longing heart

And said He’d never leave.

What more, then, could my Lord impart?

What more could I receive?

But now the question turns around:

What now do I withhold?

What has the Lord now searched and found?

A heart too often cold?

Should not I seek to make Him glad

With living that is wise?

Am I unmoved when He is sad

By sins He must despise?

Lord, make my heart Your holy throne,

Your hallowed dwelling place,

Your temple cleansed, and polished stone

Wherein You show Your grace.