Comfort of His Coming

"I will greatly praise the LORD… I will praise Him among the multitude" (Psalm 109:30).  "Rejoice in time to come" (Proverbs 31:25).  "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord… Comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

Our Lord shall come, as He has said;

The days of waiting shall conclude

When Christians rise, who had been dead,

To praise Him with the multitude. 

Rejoicing in those coming days

Should make us ponder our behavior,

So we may live a life to praise

And glorify our Lord and Savior. 

The Lord is coming in the clouds,

As He has promised long before,

With His redeemed and risen crowds,

And we'll be with Him evermore.

The comfort of Your coming, Lord,

Now purifies us with this view:  

We soon shall meet in one accord  

With all who love and worship You.  

Valiantly vs. Vainly

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  Through God we shall do valiantly" (Psalm 108:12,13).  "Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him" (Proverbs 30:5).  "The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:  to the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:12,13). 

Our hope is in the Lord alone;

The help of man is surely vain. 

Our God has made His power known

And made His great salvation plain.

His Word is pure; He is a Shield

To all who trust Him and obey. 

Advancing on the battlefield,

We plead with souls for whom we pray.

The Lord shall make us to increase

In love that glorifies our Savior

To spread the Gospel of His peace

Extended through His saving favor. 

O Lord, we would not vainly wait

For help from man's ability. 

Through You we shall anticipate

That we shall triumph valiantly. 

Walking Worthy

"The king [Josiah]… made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD… with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might" (2 Kings 23:3,25).  "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so" (Psalm 107:2 ).  "The fear of man bringeth a snare… but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD" (Proverbs 29:25,26).  "As we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts… Walk worthy of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:4,12). 

Josiah's record will afford

An illustration for us all

Of walking worthy of the Lord

According to our Savior's call. 

With all his heart, with all his soul,

And all his might Josiah turned. 

His life, surrendered to the full,

Was like a torch that brightly burned. 

Should not we also walk like him,

Since we have been redeemed by God?

Let not the flame for God grow dim

By hoping others will applaud!  

Lord, walking worthy of our calling

Is only possible by grace,

So lift us when You see us falling,

And lead us as we seek Your face.  

Triumphantly Tender

"Thus saith the LORD… because thine heart was tender, and thou ["Josiah by name" -1 Kings 13:2] hast humbled thyself before the LORD… I also have heard thee" (2 Kings 22:18,19).  "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us... to triumph in Thy praise" (Psalm 106:47).  "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things" (Proverbs 28:5).  "You sounded out the Word of the Lord… how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:8,9).

When King Josiah humbly came,

The Lord foresaw his tender heart.  

He had been prophesied by name

When Israel was torn apart.

We surely live in troubling days

When hardened hearts are prone to stumble.  

May God unite us in His praise

To be triumphant with the humble. 

The proud don't understand the things

Pertaining to God's coming wrath,

But tenderly, beneath His wings,

God leads the humble on His path. 

Lord, as we turn to seek Your face

And find You as our great Defender,

Triumphantly we show Your grace

That drew us to Your love so tender. 

Endless Quest for Empty Quails

"O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people… Seek the LORD, and His strength: seek His face evermore… The people asked, and He brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven" (Psalm 105:1,4,40).  "Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied" (Proverbs 27:20).  "Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you" (Colossians 4:14).  "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2 Timothy 4:10). 

Give thanks to God; make known His deeds. 

He satisfies the heart of man.

He sees and meets our deepest needs,

As only Christ our Savior can. 

The quails which His people sought

Would only serve as a distraction. 

The Bread of Life, from heaven brought,

Reflected Christ's true satisfaction. 

The Lord, who searches every soul,

Can see our hunger deep inside.

As hell itself is never full,

The lost are never satisfied. 

The endless quest for empty quails,

O Lord, portrayed in Demas too,

Reproves us when our searching fails

To fix our hearts alone on You.