Companionship with Christ

“I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts” (Psalm 119:63).  “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me… Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:5-8). 

In Christ we have companionship

With all who keep our Lord’s commands,

Secure in His eternal grip,

For none can pluck us from His hands.

We take delight in Christ our Savior,

Adoring Him with godly fear,

Rejoicing in His gracious favor

As He assures us He is near.   

Our confidence is in Christ alone,

Who promised He will never leave

And never will forsake His own:

What comfort thereby we receive!

There is no strategy employed

That takes our Savior by surprise,

And every plan shall be destroyed

Against the Lord which men devise.

There is no counsel or endeavor

Against the Lord that can prevail.

For yesterday, today, forever,

He is the same; He shall not fail. 

This sweet companionship with Christ  

Is only possible by grace;  

Our Lord was therefore sacrificed

To thus secure for us this place. 

Your presence, Lord, is wonderful

Which You have graciously assured!

What comfort You afford our soul

So clearly promised in Your Word! 

O send us, Lord, to now proclaim: 

Companionship with You begins

When sinners call upon Your name,

That You may wash away their sins! 

Life for Life

“Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them… If any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life” (Exodus 21:1,23).  “I remembered Thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself” (Psalm 119:52).  “As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country” (Proverbs 25:25).  “For ye are… come unto Mount Zion… and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12:18-24). 

The judgments of the Lord decree,

When mischief follows among men,

There is no partiality:

A life for life is given then.

The Lord examines us within: 

His Law has surely found us out!

Our God has thus exposed our sin

With clarity that leaves no doubt. 

The Lord gives us a true report,

Declaring death to be our wages,

For all have sinned and thus come short

Of God’s great standard through the ages. 

God’s holy standard still abides,

Yet gives the comfort that we need: 

Within the Law our Lord provides

The truth that makes us free indeed. 

For animals then sacrificed,

With blood shed by the Law’s direction,

Were shadows cast of Jesus Christ,

The Substance of the Law’s reflection. 

As waters to a thirsty soul,

This Gospel comes to quench our thirst! 

The blood of Christ redeems in full

His people who by sin were cursed! 

The Lord has thus become the Fountain

Of Living Waters springing up;

He lifts us up to Zion’s Mountain

To worship as with Him we sup. 

The blood of Abel once had cried,

Indicting thus his brother Cain,  

But by Christ’s blood we’re justified,

For to this end our Lord was slain! 

O Lord our God, our great Creator,

You’ve added this to all Your praise: 

That You are now the Mediator

For each repentant soul who prays!  

We thank You, Lord, for this good news:

Your LIFE for LIFE imparts Your grace!

We pray that more will wisely choose

To humbly turn and seek Your face.  

Faith's Foundation

“The LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven” (Exodus 20:22).  “I will speak of Thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed” (Psalm 119:46).  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Hebrews 11:1,3). 

We’ve seen that God has talked with us

And shown to us His great salvation.

The evidence is glorious

Providing for our faith’s foundation! 

Behold the truth that makes us free! 

We never need to be ashamed:

The evidence is clear to see

Which God from heaven has proclaimed. 

The reason for our confidence

Has not been framed by mere tradition.

The living God is our Defense,

Who came to save us from perdition.

Before He ever came to earth,

All things were made by His direction. 

Then prophets preannounced His birth,

His life, His death, and resurrection.

We thank You, Lord, for You have spoken:

Your truth is everywhere we look,

And not one promise has been broken

Which we discover in Your Book! 

Lord, teach us how we may persuade

More souls, which You have died to win,

To trust Your great foundation laid

For faith by grace that saves from sin. 

Egypt's War and Eagles' Wings

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself.  Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me” (Exodus 19:4,5).  “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith… Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised... And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works… and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:22-25). 

The wrath of God has been revealed,

Which Pharaoh thought he could resist. 

His hardened heart refused to yield;

Against the LORD he clenched his fist. 

We’ve seen the outcome of that war

When Egypt’s might was clearly broken

Because they thought they could ignore

The warnings which the Lord had spoken. 

We’ve also seen the tenderness

Which God displays to those He brings

And draws them to Himself to bless

The souls He bears on eagles’ wings. 

The love of God, with boundless measure,

Has brought us to this privileged place:

We have become His purchased treasure,

Now saved and ransomed by His grace!

So let us therefore now draw near

To God with faith that will not waver. 

We have His promise which is clear

Of His eternal life and favor! 

And let us think of one another

As those within God’s family,

That we may thus remind each other

Of Christ’s return especially.  

O Lord, we thank You for Your Word

Providing such a solid ground!

Our faith forever is assured

With every promise therein found. 

Lord, help us clearly to declare  

The Gospel of Your love so tender:

On eagles’ wings You still will bear

The souls who trust You as Defender! 

Elaborating on Eliezer

“Moses'… two sons [were]… Gershom [Heb. Refugee]; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: and the name of the other was Eliezer [Heb. God of Help]; for the God of my father, said he, was mine Help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:  and Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done… and how the LORD delivered them” (Exodus 18:2-8).  “Make me to understand the way of Thy precepts: so shall I talk of Thy wondrous works” (Psalm 119:27).  “Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Proverbs 22:20-21).  “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14). 

When Moses was a refugee

And thus a stranger in the land,

He named his son accordingly,

So Gershom’s name we understand. 

But there were battles later won

When God saved him from Pharaoh’s sword,

So Eliezer was the son

He named to magnify his Lord.

Elaborating on the theme

Of Eliezer’s name translated,

“The God of Help” came to redeem

The people whom He liberated! 

We are redeemed by Him as well:  

The God of Help has rescued us!

Should not we be prepared to tell 

His wondrous works so marvelous?

Has not He written prophecies

Fulfilled in time with excellence,

Establishing the certainties

Of answers based on evidence? 

So how much more should we give praise

In view of what we know of Christ? 

Now let us talk of all His ways

Who for our help was sacrificed!

He cleanses us from every sin,

And though our enemies are great,

Our God, much greater, dwells within

To strengthen and to liberate!

O Lord, we thank You for such grace

That hears the faintest prayer we pray!

In every time and every place

You help our souls along the way. 

O Lord, we have our Eliezer:

You are our Helper from above

With mercy (more that we can measure)

That rescued us with boundless love! 

Lord, help us speak of Your salvation,

To everyone that You will send

And show, in every situation,

Upon Your help they can depend.