Place of Prayer

"Hearken unto the cry and the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee… Hear thou from Thy dwelling place, even from heaven… My God, let, I beseech Thee, Thine eyes be open, and let Thine ears be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place" (2 Chronicles 6:19,21,40).  "Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens" (Psalm 123:1).  "The ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD" (Proverbs 5:21).  "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16). 

The place of prayer is at the throne

Where God inclines to us His ear. 

It is a place that is well known

To all His children who draw near. 

Above the galaxies in space,

Beyond the very highest star,

God dwells, yet hears us in this place,

And He draws near to where we are. 

His ears attentively have heard

The feeblest prayer that we have prayed. 

Before our thought becomes a word,

Our heart's desire is displayed. 

O Lord, we've found the place of prayer 

Is near to every heart You touch,

For with the righteous anywhere,

The fervent prayer avails much.  

Hearts in His House

"As the trumpeters and singers were as one… in praising and thanking the LORD… then the house was filled with a cloud... for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God" (2 Chronicles 5:13,14).  "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD" (Psalm 122:1).  "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23).  "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you…. Purify your hearts, ye double minded…  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord" (James 4:8,10).    

When trumpeters and singers skilled

Were praising God with hearts as one, 

The glory of the Lord then filled

His house raised up by Solomon. 

There is a gladness we enjoy

When hearts unite around our Savior

With hymns of praise that we employ

To thank Him for His gracious favor. 

No wonder, then, we're told to guard

Our hearts with careful diligence,

To keep our hearts from growing hard

And distant as a consequence. 

Our hearts inside Your house, O Lord,

Are drawn to You with pure delight

When You are gratefully adored

And we are humble in Your sight.  

Abundantly Above

"Moreover he made an altar of brass… Thus Solomon made all these vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be found out" (2 Chronicles 4:1,18).  "I will lift up mine eyes… My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1,2).  "The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens" (Proverbs 3:19).  "The wisdom that is from above is… pure, then peaceable, gentle… full of mercy" (James 3:17). 

The brazen altar that was made

With all its vessels round about,

Could not be quantified when weighed;

The weight of brass was not found out. 

Above our feeble comprehension,

God weighed salvation's awful price. 

He knew the cost of our redemption,

The fullness of the Sacrifice. 

Our help has come from heaven's throne

Through Christ, the Lord of all creation!

What He endured cannot be known

Upon the cross for our salvation.  

O Lord, abundantly above

What we could weigh or contemplate,

Your wisdom, mercy, and Your love

For sinners is exceeding great!  

Fraudulent Faith

"I cried unto the LORD… Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue" (Psalm 120:1,2).  "My son… receive My words… and apply thine heart… that thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:1,2,20).  "What doth it profit… though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?...  Seest thou how faith wrought with [Abraham's] works?… And it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God" (James 2:14,21-23). 

There is a faith God will regard

In hearts that truly will repent, 

But faith in hearts remaining hard

Is seen by God as fraudulent. 

True faith will find an application

That is expressed in how we walk.

God's workmanship in our salvation

Produces more than empty talk.

This saving faith was manifested

In Abraham's obedience

Which he displayed when he was tested

When faith was seen with evidence. 

Receive our thanks, O Lord our God,

For faith that saves us as Your friend,

Instead of  faith that is a fraud,

Which profits no one in the end.  

God's Good Gifts

"Because the LORD hath loved His people, He hath made thee king over them" (2 Chronicles 2:11).  "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:176).  "Whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Proverbs 1:33).  "God… giveth to all men liberally… Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:5,17). 

Because the Lord has loved His own,

He gave His Son to be our King. 

How gracious is this Gift alone,

Outshining every other thing! 

Because the Lord has loved His sheep,

Yes, even when they go astray,

By His correction He will keep

And lead them back into His way. 

Because the Lord has loved the lost,

He died so they might safely dwell

In heaven, having paid the cost

To save us from the lowest hell. 

Among Your good gifts, full of favor,  

O God, which come down from above,  

The greatest Gift is Christ our Savior,

Who gave Himself in matchless love.