Larger Love

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then Thou knewest my path… I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.  I cried unto Thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my Refuge and my Portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 142:3-5). “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD” (Hosea 6:3).  “Continue ye in My love… Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:9,13). 

In silence rest could not be found. 

There was no comfort in the crowd.
I didn’t know where I was bound;
Such questions then were not allowed.

I looked around to all my friends,

Yet they were not inclined to care
To know what happens when life ends
Or contemplate if God was there.

Thus overwhelmed and so alone,

I lifted up my eyes to seek
To see if God could be then known,
And if  He cared to hear me speak.

Since no one cared then for my soul,

There was a larger love I sought,
And such a love I found, so full,
Much greater than I ever thought!

For greater love has not been seen

Than that which Jesus Christ displayed,
Who died to make the sinner clean,
And listened to me when I prayed! 

The evidence was so compelling!

The prophets had so clearly spoken
Of Him by prophecies foretelling
The promises which were not broken!

The Lord had promised He would rise,

A prophecy His foes had heard. 
Praise God!  He opened then my eyes
To know that I could trust His Word!

And thus I prayed with confidence

To Him who saved me when I cried.
I saw, at last the evidence
Of larger love He would provide! 

Lord, thank You for Your larger love,

Much greater than we comprehend
That made You leave Your throne above
To be the sinner’s greatest Friend!

Perpetual Peace

“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26).  Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me… Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:6,27). 

Perpetual peace was procured

With grace we could never afford.
Our refuge is thereby assured
By Jesus our Savior and Lord. 

Our confidence therefore is strong,

For we are redeemed with a price
By Jesus, to whom we belong,
By virtue of His sacrifice.

The question is settled forever;

Our peace is the prize of His strife!
Behold the triumphant endeavor  
Of Christ who has laid down His life! 

There’s no other Way but through Christ. 

There’s no other Truth that can save. 
There’s no other Life sacrificed
That rescues our souls from the grave!

How sweet is the peace He provides,

Unlike what this world now gives,
For His endless peace thus abides
Because He forevermore lives. 

There’s no cause to now be afraid

For those who now have His salvation. 
How surely our Lord has conveyed
For them there is no condemnation! 

O Lord, we give thanks for Your peace

That You have procured for our souls!
Perpetual worries thus cease
As Your ruling peace now controls.

As stewards of peace thus assured

Because we are trusting in You,
Lord, send us forth now with Your Word
That others may find Your peace too.

 

Lasting Love

“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1). 

He knew what the Passover meant. 

He knew the great price He would pay. 
He knew that His life would be spent,
Yet nothing could turn Him away.

He knew what would come in that hour. 

He knew what His enemies planned. 
He knew there was no saving power
Apart from His own that could stand.  

He knew that He soon would depart.

He knew what the cross would entail. 
He knew that His own broken heart  
Would love us and never would fail. 

He knew His disciples would flee. 

He knew they would leave Him alone.
He knew what the outcome would be,
Which He had already made known.

He knew that He could have ascended

With angels obeying His voice. 
He knew our salvation depended
Upon Him refusing that choice.  

He knew all the sorrows ahead.

He knew there was no other way. 
He knew He would rise from the dead
As promised, upon the third day. 

O Lord, we give thanks for Your love

That lasted for us till the end,
That made You leave heaven above
And lay down Your life as our Friend!  

Great God and Creator of all,

Your love, and Yours only could last
For sinners condemned by the fall;
Your love is eternally vast!

O send us, dear Lord, to declare

And show Your great love for the lost!
There’s no love like Yours to compare,
So moved that would pay such a cost!

Way of our Worship

“How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:17).  “The thoughts of the righteous are right”(Proverbs 12:5).  “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:3).

How precious are the thoughts that fill

The heart that worships Christ our Savior!   
How great His mercies!  How they thrill
Those meditating on His favor! 

The love of God is marvelous!

How rightly we should stand awe
Of Christ who gave Himself for us
To satisfy His holy Law.

Now let our heart be filled with praise,

And worship at our Savior’s feet
As we have marveled at His ways
And He regards our fragrance sweet. 

The Lord could see in Mary’s heart

A worship sweeter than perfume: 
She knew her Lord would soon depart,
Anointing Him before the tomb.

Her ointment thus was rightly poured

(Though Judas scorned its “wasted” loss),
For very soon her precious Lord
Would pour His life out on the cross! 

It isn’t time to look around

To see if worship is in style;
Let Christ’s approval first be found,
And be contented with His smile.

Lord, let our worship bring You pleasure

From hearts astonished at Your grace,
As we regard our greatest treasure
Your nearness as we seek Your face. 

We thank You, Lord, for what You did!

Lord, what now would You have us do?
O may our worship not be hid,
But seen by those we lead to You.

Perfecting vs. Perishing

“Though the LORD be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly: but the proud He knoweth afar off… The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O LORD, endureth forever” (Psalm 138:6-8).  “I will say to them which were not My people, Thou art My people; and they shall say, Thou art my God” (Hosea 2:23).  “Jesus said… I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:25).

The Lord is reigning high above,

And all His ways are true and holy,
Yet He is looking down in love
And has respect unto the lowly.

The Lord has seen the lofty eyes

And proud hearts whom He will resist
As they profess that they are wise,
Pretending God does not exist.

It’s not religion they’re rejecting

As they assert their proud opinion,
But God Himself, who is perfecting
The souls who trust in His dominion.

The contrast, then, could not be greater

Between those God is cherishing
And those rejecting their Creator,
Who by their pride are perishing!

Yet God in mercy seeks to save

The perishing He has reproved
Before they reach a Christless grave
And all their hope is thus removed. 

He bids them now to cease from strife

Against the Lord through their rejection,
For He would give to them His life,
Perfected in His resurrection.

Lord, show us how to reach the lost

So they may turn to You today,
As they perceive the awful cost
The perishing at last must pay!

O Lord, we are Your people now

Who wait for You to come again.
Perfect in us the knowledge how
To be more like You until then.

Song amid Sorrow

“We sat down, yea, we wept... How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:1,4).  “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22).  “I am the Door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved… I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:  and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:9-29). 

Though sorrows may rise up in season

And crash in upon us like waves,
Our joy is sustained for this reason:
Our Savior is faithful who saves!

Though now we are in a strange land,

Unsure what the next day will bring,
Our Lord is still holding our hand,
And He is the reason we sing! 

Remember the sorrows He bore

That we might forever be blest!
Remember that Christ is the Door  
Whereby we have entered His rest!

Remember that we are His sheep

For whom the Good Shepherd has died,
And all of His own He will keep:  
How safely with Him we abide!

The sorrows of this life are real,

Yet so are blessings Christ gives  
With treasures that no one can steal,
Secure, since forever He lives. 

All those who are His hear His voice,

And each of His sheep follow Him.  
How great is our cause to rejoice,
As blessings run over the brim!

O Lord, we give thanks for Your joy

When everything seems to go wrong.
Though Satan would kill and destroy,
He can’t rob our souls of Your song.

We know, Lord, You’ll wipe tears away

When sin, death, and sickness are gone. 
We’ll preach the Good News till that day
And sing till that morning shall dawn.

Marvelous Mindlessness

“O give thanks unto the LORD… who alone doeth great wonders” (Psalm 136:1,4).  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom… If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it” (Proverbs 9:10,12).  “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt… and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:2-12).  “Herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes… Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind” (John 9:30-32). 

Among the great marvels beheld in our day,

We see those who will not believe what is clear. 
Like sheep that are mindlessly going astray,
They blaspheme the Lord whom they choose not to fear. 

The Lord has provided extraordinary proof

That He is the First Cause of all His creation.
Yet many around us are standing aloof,
Unmindful of Christ, who would give them salvation.

Yet we may be sure that the dead shall awake

And stand before God when they rise from the dust.
All those who had scorned Him shall know their mistake
And wish they had placed in the Savior their trust. 

Herein is a marvelous thing brought to light,

That minds would dismiss such great evidence shown! 
The blind man (in John chapter nine) received sight,
Yet armed with this proof, he could not make Christ known!

Give thanks to the Lord for things He revealed:    

As prophets had promised, our Lord Jesus came! 
Isaiah foretold, “By His stripes we are healed;”
He “carried our sorrows,” our sin, and our shame!

In spite of the proof, sinners blindly pretend

That God has not spoken or shown us His hand.
This mindless excuse will not work in the end;
They’ll know they had chosen to not understand. 

O Lord, we give thanks that You surely have spoken: 

You came to this earth as the Incarnate Word! 
Not one of Your promises ever was broken,
And thus unbelief has been rendered absurd.

O Lord, in the midst of this mindless confusion,

We hold forth the Gospel of Your saving grace
As You prepare hearts that will draw the conclusion
That NOW is the time to be seeking Your face!

Abraham's Allelulia!

“Before the mountains were settled… My delights were with the sons of men… Whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD” (Proverbs 8:25-35).  “Then said Jesus… The truth shall make you free... Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad… Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I Am” (John 8:31-58). 

Before one particle of dust

Had ever settled on this earth,
The Lord delighted in our trust
Which He foresaw would bring new birth. 

Yet He foresaw much more than this: 

He saw that He would be the Lamb,
For wrath, which He could not dismiss,
Would fall on Him, the great I AM. 

He saw the battle He must face;

He saw His triumph in the strife.
He saw the price of saving grace
That He would pay to grant us life. 

And Abraham beheld this, too,

With faith that trusted in His Word. 
He knew that God would surely do
The thing He promised, thus assured.

And Abraham rejoiced to know 

That God provided for His need.
The Lamb which God would thus bestow,
Would come forth from His future Seed. 

When Abraham believed the Lord,

The Lord imparted righteousness, 
And we receive his same reward
Abundantly in Christ, no less!

Alleluia for this favor

In Christ we have through His salvation!
As Abraham beheld the Savior,
We likewise do with adoration. 

O Lord, we surely stand amazed

As we with Abraham rejoice! 
We join the grateful chorus raised
Of alleluias with our voice!

Wisdom for the Willing

“Hearken unto Me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of My mouth” (Proverbs 7:24).  “I, Daniel, alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves... O man greatly beloved, fear not…  I will shew thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth” (Daniel 10:7,19-21).  “Neither did His brethren believe in Him [Jesus]… Then Jesus said… If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:5-17). 

The Lord extends wisdom to all who are willing,

For this is the key that will open His treasure. 
The ones who will do what He says, He is filling
With wisdom for all who delight in His pleasure.

It shouldn’t surprise us that some won’t discern

The wisdom that God would extend to their heart.  
If they are not willing to do what they learn,
They forfeit the wisdom that God would impart. 

Consider this wisdom in Daniel we see

Because he presented a heart with desire. 
We see those around him with trembling then flee,
Yet Daniel was led to a wisdom still higher. 

Consider the brethren of Jesus our Lord:

They saw His great works and His wondrous behavior,
Yet wisdom was waiting until they adored
The Lord Jesus Christ as their God and their Savior. 

O cleanse us, dear Lord, as You search us within,

Preparing our hearts to desire Your Word,
Unhindered by things that distract us by sin,
And filled by Your Spirit to do what we’ve heard!

O Lord, as your sheep which You lead on Your path,

So glad to walk near You and fearful to stray,
We go forth to show Your salvation from wrath
And pray for a harvest of souls who obey!

Messiah's Mercies

“Like the precious ointment upon [Aaron’s] head, that ran down… As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended… there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 133:2,3).  “To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him… To make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity… shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself” (Daniel 9:9-26).  “The Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world… And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:33-35). 

As Aaron’s head was once anointed

With oil poured upon his crown,
As dew from heaven, God appointed
Our great Messiah to come down.

From heaven’s glory He descended

That He might thus be sacrificed!
The welfare of our souls depended
Upon the mercies of the Christ! 

Our Lord came down to make an end

Of sins demanding condemnation. 
The sinner has no greater Friend
Than Christ, the Author of salvation!

Messiah (which is Christ translated)

Came down, as promised, from above
Into our world, scorned and hated,  
Receiving hatred for His love.

Messiah came to be cut off,

Not for Himself, but those in sin!
So even now as sinners scoff,
The Lord is knocking to come in!

The Lord came down as heaven’s Bread

Into the desert of our strife.
He laid His life down in our stead
To give to us eternal life.

We come to Him who quenches thirst,

And hunger thus is satisfied.
To grant us mercy He was cursed;
To give us life, Messiah died. 

O Lord, Your mercies are so kind

Abounding in Your saving grace!
We are astonished as we find
That You would take the sinner’s place! 

Messiah, now we praise Your name,

For all Your mercies that abound!
O send us forth to now proclaim
And show Your mercies we have found!

Awesome Assurance

“The LORD hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it” (Psalm 132:11).  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

The Lord has sworn in truth to us,

And from His oath He will not turn. 
His promises are glorious,
Which only fools would choose to spurn!  

How awesome is our Lord’s assurance

In treasured words we hold today,
And endless is their long endurance
When earth and heaven pass away!

How sure is our security

Who put our trust in Christ our Savior:
For time and all eternity
He wraps us in His saving favor!

We’re “verily,” by Christ assured,

In times of peace and times of strife, 
That all who hear and trust His Word
Shall have His everlasting life!

In our eternity, so vast,

We’ll not come into condemnation;
From death to life we now are passed
Since we have entered Christ’s salvation!

We thank You, Lord, and stand in awe

As we consider what You did: 
You satisfied Your holy Law
For all who now in You are hid! 

O Lord, it’s hard to take it in,

That You were willing to go through
The pains of death to purge our sin,
And yet we are assured it’s true!

O Christ, we praise Your awesome name

Above all other names adored! 
This great assurance we proclaim
Is found in You alone, O Lord!

Held in our Hearts

“My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart” (Proverbs 4:20,21).   “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven… and there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom… His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed... I kept the matter in my heart” (Daniel 7:13,14,28).  “We have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). 

How great are treasures of God’s precious Word

Which we have been given to hold in our heart! 
We ought to be guarding the things we have heard,
Determine to keep them, and never depart.

Consider the visions that Daniel recorded

Which God has preserved for our meditation,
For thereby our hearts have been likewise afforded
These marvelous views of our Lord’s exaltation! 

Behold in these vistas our great King of kings

Descending from heaven to rule on the earth! 
There’s nothing on earth that compares with such things,
In view of our Savior’s dominion and worth!

As Daniel, in his day, saw shifting opinion,

He steadied himself by his focus on God.
As we fix our hearts on Christ’s coming dominion,
Our hearts will evict lesser thoughts that are flawed.

Our hearts hold distractions competing for space,

Displacing God’s Word with the world’s confusion.
Be rid of the thoughts that are crowding out grace,
Regarding them as an unwelcome intrusion!

We’ve heard Jesus Christ in His Word testify;

We need nothing more now to set our hearts free!
Let thoughts of His glory alone occupy
His temple within us preeminently!

O Lord, since we’ve heard You ourselves and we know

That You are the Savior which prophets foretold,
As You have commanded, Lord Jesus, we go,
Declaring Your truth in our hearts that we hold.

Pardon's Paved Path

“There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:4).  “Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths… He giveth grace unto the lowly” (Proverbs 3:6,34).  “Then the king… passed the night fasting… and when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice… O Daniel… is thy God… able to deliver thee from the lions?... Then king Darius wrote… I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel… who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:18-27).  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life… Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil… but he that doeth truth cometh to the light” (John 3:16-21). 

There is a path the Gospel paves

That leads to God with humble fear,
And thus acknowledge Christ who saves
The souls of those who will draw near.

In Daniel’s day, there was a king

Who saw the error of his way,
Who prayed and fasted, sorrowing,
As God kept lions from their prey.

The king then cried with great lament

To Daniel in the lion’s den: 
He learned an angel had been sent
To shut the mouths of lions then.

This king decreed throughout the land

That all should fear before the Lord,
For he had come to understand
That Daniel’s God should be adored. 

We see the lengths that God will go

To pave the path that leads to pardon,
Yet some will still refuse to know
The grace of God in hearts they harden. 

For God so loved us all that He

Announced the coming of the Savior
With centuries of prophecy
That men might fear and seek His favor.

God’s Spirit is admonishing
To pave the way to do what’s right.

It surely is astonishing
That men love darkness more than light!

Yet those who come to Light are true,

Admitting they are lost in sin,
And thereby they are born anew
The moment Jesus Christ comes in.

O Lord, we marvel at Your grace

That paves the way to Your salvation,
That prompts a soul seek Your face,
And drank our cup of condemnation!

We thank You, Lord!  You paved the path

With grace which surely has sufficed.
There is but one escape from wrath;
It’s found You alone, O Christ!

Watching and Weighing

“My son, if thou wilt receive My words, and hide My commandments with thee… and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her… as for hid treasures; then shalt thou… find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:1-5).  “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (Daniel 5:27).  “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim… He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man” (John 2:24,25). 

I hear the prompting of my Lord

To heed His words and His commands,
To search for them as treasures stored,
And find a heart that understands. 

The Lord is weighing my desire

For precious truths that He will show,
And if my longing should be higher,
I may be sure, the Lord will know. 

His balances are always right;

He sees the measure of my love.
He ponders when I have delight
In things below and things above.

My Lord can see the difference

As He has watched my heart’s reaction
In terms of my obedience
In contrast to my heart’s distraction.

The servants at the wedding feast

Where Jesus Christ our Lord attended
Obeyed the Lord and thus increased
The blessing of the wine extended. 

They filled the pots up to the brim;

They could have filled them just halfway.
Consider how we honor Him
When we wholeheartedly obey! 

The Lord is watching and is weighing,

And thus He ponders all our ways. 
We show desire by obeying
With hearts that long to give Him praise. 

O Lord, come have Your way in us,

And mold in us a heart to yield,
As You have watched and weighed us thus
And sent us forth into Your field.

Able to Abase

“Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in His ways” (Psalm 128:1).  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… They hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD… The turning away of the simple shall slay them… But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil” (Proverbs 1:7-33).  “My reason returned unto me… Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all Whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is ABLE to ABASE” (Daniel 4:36,37).  “The Word was God… and the Word was made flesh… Whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose… Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:1-29). 

How blest is the one who is fearing the Lord,

For this is the place where true knowledge begins,
But knowledge is willfully mocked and ignored
By those yet refusing to turn from their sins. 

All those who hate knowledge are making a choice

To turn from God’s counsel, refusing His grace.
They choose not to fear Him; they heed not His voice,
Unwilling to seek Him who died in their place.

In time all will know who the Lord Jesus is, 

Though some will delay to discover their error.
The Lord surely knows all of those who are His,
Reproving the proud of eternity’s terror. 

When Nebuchadnezzar was lifted in pride

The Lord then abased him to choose in his season
To turn to the Lord, and be humbled inside,
And thus by God’s fear, he could rightfully reason. 

The Lord can abase those who choose to be proud,

And yet He desires to show them salvation.
How gracious He is, since He’s often allowed
The time to respond to His great invitation! 

The Lord Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, the Word,

Eternal Creator, without a beginning,
Came into this world, made flesh, and we heard
God’s offer of grace to a world yet sinning!

Though we are not worthy to unloose His shoe,

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal “I Am”,
Reveals His heart to us, loving and true,
As we now behold Him as God’s Holy Lamb!

O Lord, we give thanks that You loved us so much,

You humbled Yourself as the Lamb for us slain!
We wonder, O Lord, how You even could touch,
This world of sinners that caused You such pain! 

We know, Lord, the day of Your coming draws near

When every last knee then before You shall bow.
So grant us the wisdom to teach souls Your fear,
That they may find grace that You offer them now!