Feasting on the Favor

"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side... then the waters had overwhelmed us.... Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 124: 2-8). "He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast" (Proverbs 15:15). "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

If ever there was gracious favor
In which a heart should celebrate,
We find it in our mighty Savior
Whose lovingkindness is so great!

If not for Jesus Christ our Lord,
God's judgment, like a mighty wave,
Upon our souls then would have poured
And swept us to a hopeless grave!

His lovingkindness met us there
As birds caught in the fowler's gin.
But Christ in pity broke our snare,
Then bore our penalty for sin!

Our cause is great for celebration!
Why shouldn't we have merry hearts
Since we've received so great salvation
That God so freely now imparts?

O Lord, we love redemption's story!
It's like a grand, delicious feast,
As we are tasting now the glory
Of captive souls by grace released!

O Lord, we thank You for Your grace
Which always for us has sufficed.
A merry heart in every case
Has cause for joy in Jesus Christ!

Refuge of the Righteous

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.... The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death" (Proverbs 14:26,32). "Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, The people say, the time is not come that the LORD'S house should be built.... Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider your ways" (Haggai 1:2,7).

Sometimes, in the business of everyday living,
We tend to forget the sublime.
The righteous have hope from the Lord who is giving
His grace to those trusting in time.

The righteous have hope since the Lord has declared
Their justification is found
Now not in themselves, but in Christ who prepared
A refuge where grace will abound.

That refuge is Christ, in His holy fear,
Which draws us to His Hiding Place.
There's no one found righteous, the Scriptures are clear,
Unless they are saved by His grace.

Yet people still say that the time is not come
To think about such things as death.
How tragic is this, that the mind set of some
Forgets God who grants their next breath!

And should we now say, with the Gospel revealed,
The time is not come yet to build
His church by our labor in His harvest field,
That His house may thereby be filled?

O Lord, we give thanks for our refuge in You,
And we would consider as well
Your charge to go forth and persuade others too,
That they might be rescued from hell.

Jerusalem's Joy

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee" (Psalm 122:6). "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart.... The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, he will joy over thee with singing" (Zephaniah 3:14-17).

The day is fast approaching when
Jerusalem shall be restored,
For Christ is coming back again,
To reign and rest there as her Lord.

Jerusalem shall soon increase
With peace which only can exist
When Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,
Shall rule at last within her midst.

The Child born in Bethlehem
Who purchased peace with His own life,
Shall rule within Jerusalem
With peace that puts away all strife.

Jerusalem shall see the joy
That prompts the Prince of Peace to sing,
And all the earth shall then employ
Their hymns of praise to Christ our King.

O Lord, with eyes of faith we see
The blessing of that coming day
Wherein Jerusalem shall be
Your throne of peace for which we pray.

Moment for Meekness

"Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come.... seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth... seek righteousness, seek meekness" (Zephaniah 2:2,3). "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully; every man as he purposeth in his heart" (2 Corinthians 9:6,7).

Before the great King shall bring forth His decree,
Before the day pass as the chaff in the wind,
Before every rebel on earth bow the knee,
There's bountiful mercy for all who have sinned!

The moment for meekness has long since arrived;
The day of salvation shall soon pass away.
Should not our submission to Christ be revived,
In view of His coming now closer each day?

The time to go forth with the Gospel and weep
With bountiful sowing for reaching the lost
Should not be delayed, lest we fail to reap
Because we debated the time and the cost!

Lord, may we be counted with all who are meek,
Revived in the hope that Your coming draws near.
Before the day the passes as chaff, we would seek
To serve You each moment until You appear.

Greatness of Grace

"Riches profit not in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivereth from death" (Proverbs 11:4). "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).

How great is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
Which we who are ransomed know well,
For He left His glory to be sacrificed
To rescue His people from hell.

Yes, this is the grace we are partakers of,
And yet we have barely explored!
How vast is the ocean of infinite love
Expressed in the grace of our Lord!

If we look to heaven, exploring the treasure
That He set aside with His throne,
We surely will find that we never could measure
The height of His love for His own.

If we look to hell, and the depths of the sorrows
From which we were rescued by grace,
With minds overwhelmed by the endless tomorrows,
What boundless compassion we trace!

O Lord, as we ponder the greatness, so vast,
Of grace so expensive, yet free,
Exhausting our senses, we fall down at last
To worship You, Lord, gratefully!

Proper Prosperity

"The labor of the righteous tendeth to life.... The hope of the righteous shall be gladness" (Proverbs 10:16,28). Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall be fruit in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet will I rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength" (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Prosperity that men applaud
Is not the proper measure;
Our greatest wealth is found in God
By living for His pleasure.

Though every labor we employ
In temporal things may fail,
In Christ we find eternal joy
And strength which shall prevail.

The God of our salvation gives
Prosperity that's full,
Because our Savior ever lives
To save each trusting soul.

The labor of the righteous tends
To win those yet astray,
And thereby reap the dividends
That never pass away.

Our Lord provides us daily bread;
With such things He will bless,
But seek His kingdom first instead,
And thirst for righteousness.

O Lord, we find in You the key
To know the things that matter:
In Christ is true prosperity;
Like chaff, the rest will scatter.

Read and Run

"Wisdom.... crieth upon the highest places of the city.... Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding" (Proverbs 9:1-6). "And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time.... the just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:2-4). "As workers together with Him... receive not the grace of God in vain.... Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:1,2).

There is a message God will give
That we should preach without delay:
It is by faith the just shall live,
By trusting Jesus Christ today!

We ought to make the Gospel clear,
And send it forth with those who run,
That all who yet have ears to hear
May put their trust in God the Son.

Now write it down and make it plain,
That those who read may run with speed,
For they shall never run in vain,
Who sow with tears the Gospel seed.

Lord, thank You for your Word sublime
That's settled for eternity;
We know that the accepted time
Is NOW to preach with urgency!

Linked to His Love

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:14,15).

The love of Jesus Christ constrains
Each life that He has saved by grace.
It is His love that yet sustains
And holds us in His strong embrace.

There is a link that just makes sense
That calls us now to live for Christ:
Should not we seek to recompense
Our Lord for us once sacrificed?

O Lord, we thank You for the love
That prompted You to die for all
And made You leave Your throne above
To lift us from our sinful fall.

Heaven is Hidden

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.... For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.... while we look, not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:3-18).

Heaven is hidden to those who are lost,
Though God would instruct and enlighten their mind.
But now they are driven like ships that are tossed
By waves of deception that render them blind.

But God, who commanded the light of creation
To shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts
To give us the light of the great revelation
Of Christ and the wonderful grace He imparts!

How bright are the heavenly vistas thus shown,
And great is the glory of Jesus our Lord
Exalted above every name that is known,
As we behold things that by faith are explored!

O Lord, we give thanks for the vision to see
Beyond things that surely must soon pass away!
May we be the light that You've called us to be,
So those lost in darkness may find You today.

Source of Sufficiency

"I am small and despised: yet I do not forget Thy precepts.... Thy law is the truth" (Psalm 119:141,142). "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Corinthians 3:5).

I look up to the stars above,
And I'm convinced that I am small,
Yet I'm the object of God's love,
Though I may be despised by all.

The truth of God does not depend
On whether I am small or great,
Nor on how well I may defend
The precepts that His foes may hate.

For God is God, and there I rest,
For He is my Sufficiency.
He is the Source from which I'm blest,
And my eternal Surety.

Lord, thank You for the peace You give
That comes by knowing You are true.
Because You live, I know I'll live,
And dwell eternally with You.

Nahum on Nineveh

"The burden of Nineveh.... The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.... Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. What do ye imagine against the LORD?" (Nahum 1:1-9).

The Nineveh of Jonah's day
Responded with repentance,
And thus they chose God's gracious way
To flee from judgment's sentence.

One hundred fifty years went by,
And Nineveh returned
To sin that sentenced them to die
With judgment they had earned.

The Lord is good, and He is strong
To save those who are His,
But all who count Him slack are wrong;
They know not who He is!

America, will you not hear
The prophet Nahum's warning?
The Lord's return is drawing near;
Your mockers go on scorning!

The blessing that we once derived
From trusting in the LORD
Shall fade away if not revived
By godliness restored.

It seems that many now suppose
That our economy
Is ranking first among our woes,
And not morality.

We dare not rest as Nineveh
On former saving grace;
It's time now for America
To seek the Savior's face!

O Lord, we thank You for the choice
Your Gospel will provide:
O may we hear and heed Your voice
And in Your goodness hide!

Pondering our Pardoner

"Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?..... He delighteth in mercy.... He will subdue our iniquities, and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18-19). "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Who can we find, Lord, that comforts like You?
You pardon our sins, and You cast them away
Down to the depths where they're hidden from view
And never brought up to be put on display.

Great are the comforts that flow from Your love,
O Father of mercies, through Jesus our Lord!
Endless Compassion came down from above
To suffer our judgment from Your righteous sword.

God of all comfort, we ponder in part
Your mercy too boundless to now comprehend!
Time is too short to unveil Your heart,
Which we shall delight to explore without end!

Hating the Hollow

"I hate vain thoughts: but Thy law do I love" (Psalm 119:113). "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.... all the things that thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her" (Proverbs 3:13-15). "He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Thy God?" (Micah 6:8).

We ought to hate the thoughts so hollow
That fill us with this world's cares,
Distracting us when we would follow
Our Lord, with whom no one compares.

The Lord has shown us what is good;
So shouldn't we be more concerned
With truth that we have understood,
Which by His Spirit is discerned?

We ought to give more earnest heed
To wisdom God will now commend,
Than hollow thoughts that we don't need,
Which have no profit in the end.

So teach us, Lord, to justly hate
The hollow things we should despise,
That we may more appreciate
And love the truth that makes us wise.

Steadfast Statutes

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.... I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes always, even unto the end" (Psalm 119:105,112). "My son... receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee.... that thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous" (Proverbs 2:1,20). "But thou, Bethlehem.... out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting.... He shall be great unto the ends of the earth. And this Man shall be the Peace" (Micah 5:2-5). "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

How brightly shines the Word of God
Upon the path on which we tread.
There's not one statute that is flawed
In anything that God has said.

We are not left here without light
Like those who in the darkness grope.
We're walking in the way that's right
With all who in our Savior hope.

As Micah told the line and place
That prophesied our Savior's birth,
The future likewise we can trace,
When He shall reign in all the earth.

So may our faithfulness in increase
As we delight to meditate
Upon the Lord who is our Peace
Whose name, above all names, is great!

O Lord, we would be steadfast too,
Assured of the eternal gain,
In all the labor which we do
For Christ, which shall not be in vain!

Edification, Exhortation, Encouragement

"He that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3).

In every Christian congregation
The Word of God should edify,
Revive with earnest exhortation,
And comfort heavy hearts that sigh.

The Lord has given to His church
The gifts He knew that we would need:
Evangelists for souls who search
And pastors who will rightly lead.

He gave us teachers to expound
The treasures of God's precious Word,
He gave us preachers who abound
With power by His Spirit stirred.

Lord, thank You for Your gifts so full
Imparted to Your fellowship
To edify, exhort, console,
And thereby with Your grace equip.

Established in the Earth

"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: for all are Thy servants" (Psalm 119:90,91). "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in His fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?" (Proverbs 30:4). "But the greatest of these is charity" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Who has established the ends of the earth
And gathered the wind in His fists?
Who gave the waters their land-measured girth
With power that not one resists?

Who does creation so grandly proclaim,
Declaring to each generation
His faithfulness seen in His excellent name?
Christ Jesus, the Lord of creation!

Lord, You descended from heaven above
To show us much more than Your might,
But also Your faithful and infinite love
That overcame darkness with light.

Lord, as we see Your creation obey
Each ordinance that You command,
In contrast to all we like sheep gone astray,
We know it's by grace that we stand!

Lord, thank You for lessons in all that we see
Established in all that You made.
And thank You, Lord Jesus, that at Calvary
Your love was so greatly displayed!

Validated Vision

"I am become like a bottle in the smoke, yet do I not forget Thy statutes.... All Thy commandments are faithful" (Psalm 119:83,86). "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he" (Proverbs 29:18). "Is the Spirit of the LORD straitened? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" (Micah 2:7). "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Corinthians 12:7).

Deception, like a blinding smoke,
Is everywhere we look.
It questions whether our God spoke,
And casts doubt on His Book.

We should not be at all surprised
That Satan has employed
These subtle strategies devised,
That souls may be destroyed.

How happy is the one who knows,
In spite of all derision,
That God is faithful and bestows
His validated vision.

His Holy Spirit manifests
The truth that God foretold,
And thus our faith securely rests
On evidence we hold.

O Lord, we thank You for the way
You show us what is true,
As we are Spirit-led each day
With vision fixed on You!

Justly Judged

"Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:73). "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things.... He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Proverbs 28:5,13). "Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple" (Micah 1:2). "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world" (1 Corinthians 11:32).

The Lord who has fashioned our heart understands
Our need for correction from His point of view,
For we have been formed by the work of His hands,
And all of His judgments are righteous and true.

There's many who think they're a law to themselves,
Rejecting the truth that our God is supreme.
They rather would trust in the books on their shelves,
Promoting the lie of their vain self-esteem.

Now hear, all you people, and hearken, O earth!
Let God be the Witness against you today,
For what is the witness of foolish men worth
Who tell you whatever you want them to say?

We thank You, O Lord, for reproof You've provided
That judges us justly that we may repent!
It surely is better by grace to be chided
Than one day condemned with eternal lament!

Anger Answered

"Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Thy statutes" (Psalm 119:66,68). "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous" (Proverbs 27:4). "Jonah... was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD.... I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.... Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?" (Jonah 4:1-4). "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.... that they may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:24,33).

There's no one better qualified
Than God to teach our hearts.
He sees each soul who turns aside
And from His way departs.

We know that God is merciful
And slow to show His wrath.
He longs to save the sinner's soul
And lead him in His path.

Yet we may think, as Jonah did,
That anger should be shown;
But what if we were not now hid
In Christ from judgment's throne?

The question comes (we know the answer):
In anger, do we well?
We know we don't when pride and anger
Within our hearts will dwell!

The righteous wrath of God will come
Upon this world depraved.
Our purpose now should be that some
By grace may yet be saved.

We thank You, Lord, that You have taught
That anger has no place
Within our hearts that You have bought
Through Your redeeming grace.

Chance to Change

"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments" (Psalm 119:59,60). "And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the SECOND TIME, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went in to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD" (Jonah 3:1-3).

A second chance to Jonah came;
He hastily obeyed!
We likewise have enjoyed the same
When sometimes we have strayed.

A second chance, a third, and more;
Perhaps we cannot trace
The chances we have missed before
Extended by God's grace.

Then let us therefore gird our mind
To do as God has said,
Forgetting things which are behind
To reach for things ahead!

Lord, thank You for Your patient love
Which gives us yet a chance
To set our hearts on things above,
And in Your will advance.