Better than Birth

“Thou art my Hiding Place and my Shield: I hope in thy Word” (Psalm 119:114).  “The curse causeless shall not come” (Proverbs 26:2).  “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth… Consider the work of God… There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:1,13,20).  “For though I preach the Gospel, I have nothing to glory of” (1 Corinthians 9:16).

Consider the work of our God’s saving grace; 

Consider the curse that we thereby avoid! 

The curse shall not come into Christ’s Hiding Place,

Since He bore our sin, and its cause is destroyed! 

The day of our death is far better than birth,

Since that is the day we shall then see our Lord. 

There’s not a just man without sin in the earth;

It’s only by Christ that we have this reward.

The days now are drawing us closer to death,

But death cannot harm those in Christ anymore. 

How sweet is the prospect!  Upon our last breath,

The next air we’ll breathe is upon heaven’s shore!

Now we who are preaching the Gospel admit

There’s nothing within us that we glory of

Apart from our Savior, whose grace makes us fit

To thus be partakers in heaven above. 

We’re clothed in the righteousness of our Lord’s name; 

His name is as ointment poured forth with His favor.

His work on the cross has removed all our shame

And draws out our hearts now to worship our Savior. 

O Lord, we remember the day that we hid 

When we found our Shield and Refuge in You,

Astonished to see on the cross what You did

To take away sin as we never could do! 

Receive now our worship, O Lord, from our hearts,

Though praises in heaven are better declared. 

Until that day comes and our spirit departs,

Lord, help persuade those who are not prepared.