Crowns of Christ

"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle... The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:8,10).  "Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD" (Ezekiel 38:23).  "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased... And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only" (Matthew 17:5,8). 

Who is this King of glory crowned

In battle so victorious?    

As Lord of hosts He is renowned,

The Christ who gave Himself for us! 

How greatly is He magnified,

Exalted then by every nation!

He humbles those who stand in pride

And lifts the meek with His salvation! 

Be still and hear the Father's voice

Who bids us hear His Son today! 

Lift up your eyes and thus rejoice

To hear and heed what Christ will say. 

O Christ, receive the crowns of love,

Of praise, of worship, and of thanks

From hearts that join with those above

In concert with the blood-bought ranks! 

Loving His Leading

"The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want [i.e., lack anything]... He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake... Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:1-4).  "He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:4).  "I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Ezekiel 37:27).  "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24).   

Behold the Shepherd of my soul,

Who rescued me from judgment's wrath!  

With counsel that is wonderful,

He leads me on His righteous path. 

He shields me from every harm

And leads me with His staff and rod.

There is no cause now for alarm

Since I have been redeemed by God. 

In view of all my Lord has said,

The wisest path is full surrender,

Thus following where He has led

And trusting Him as my Defender.

O Lord, it's good to know You're leading;

A truth You're teaching me to love! 

There's nothing else that I am needing

On earth or evermore above. 

Victorious Vision

"They pierced My hands and My feet... They shall come, and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this" (Psalm 22:16,31).  "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).  "I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it" (Ezekiel 36:36).  "They saw... and they glorified the God of Israel" (Matthew 15:31).   

How clear is the prophetic vision

Declaring what the Lord would do

By Scripture speaking with precision

To demonstrate God's Word is true!

Behold the prophecies complete

Fulfilled when Christ for sinners died. 

They pierced our Savior's hands and feet

When He for us was crucified. 

How greatly, then, we ought to cherish

Prophetic truth which God has spoken. 

There is no reason souls should perish,

Since Scripture never has been broken. 

O Lord, You gave Yourself for us,

To rescue us from condemnation!

The vision is victorious

Which glorifies You in salvation! 

Distorted by Doubt

"He asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it him, even length of days forever and ever" (Psalm 21:4).  "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things" (Proverbs 28:5).  "[Peter] cried, saying, Lord, save me!  And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:30,31). 

As I recall the night I prayed

And asked the Lord to be my Savior,

How clearly was the truth displayed

And wonderful His saving favor! 

I sought the Lord in my despair,

And then I understood by grace  

That Christ had heard my feeble prayer

And He became my Hiding Place. 

Despite such answered prayers like these,

At times, like Peter crying out,

When I'm distressed by troubled seas,

Christ says to me, "Why did you doubt?" 

O Lord, Your goodness is reported: 

You came, as promised, from above!

Expel the doubt which has distorted

The truth of Your unfailing love! 

Sought and Saved

"We will rejoice in Thy salvation" (Psalm 20:5).  "Know the state of thy flocks" (Proverbs 27:23).  "As a Shepherd seeketh out His flock... so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them... I will seek that which was lost" (Ezekiel 34:12,16).   "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:45,46). 

As we rejoice in our salvation

We see the value of a soul

By God our Savior's estimation

Who paid redemption's price in full. 

True riches, then, are found in those

Who are by heaven so esteemed

That Jesus suffered, died, and rose

For every soul that He redeemed. 

Our Savior like a Shepherd sought

To rescue sheep which had been lost,

And as a merchant Man He bought

Our souls at heaven's highest cost. 

O Lord, we see these portraits framed

Depicting our eternal worth! 

You sought and saved the souls you claimed

Which You redeemed throughout the earth.