Outside time
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit met
and in full communion and perfect accord
they said
in covenant let us come and
for covenant let us go
and draw near to man
that he may know us
and adore us
and commune with us again
Let me be propitiated
I shall do this thing
I will send
I will go
and I will strengthen
and comfort your soul
Let him come to me and look upon my death
let him come and eat my flesh
let him drink full of my blood
as I have drunk deep of thy wrath
let him come to me and rest
let him come to me and look and in me believe
for as I have arisen so let him with me rise
for to us I have now him reconciled
and surely brought him nigh
and he cries out listen to his plea
skim off skim off
these base impurities
that i might know more
and ever treasure thee!
My Father I am thy child
and in you and you alone find true peace
My Jesus I am thy prayer
and only live through you who intercedes
My Comforter and Helper
I because of you know the words of God
I long to be with my Lord
forever
in the places where you are!
Be near me, indwell me, dear Spirit
show me how I ought to live
your heart is new, your joy is true
see now the strength I give you for each day!
Pray for me, pray for me, dear Jesus
show me the true and better way
it is done, I have done it
only through me will you see the Father’s face
Have mercy upon me my Father
i still feel so cold and full of sin
consider my love, my dear child
the work I did long ago begin
will not falter
for I who chose you and who knows you
will surely keep you to the end
what a wondrous thing it is that i should be called a child of God
as I step through the doorway and above me glance and see
the blood smeared over my head that came from a Lamb who died
and consider that this has been the plan since outside eternity
and now feel the winds of the Spirit rustle through my soul
i tremble to know that i am loved and i am held
and that by divine sympathy and mercy am made truly whole
oh i feel the pulsing of the lifeblood that spills out as these words
the blood that for me was spilled points to the divine reality of God
and now I hesitate to appropriate that treasure of eternity that is mine
but nothing do I want if it is not in actuality the reality of life in Christ
I long to obey the commandments that have been given
I long to be found in communion in the church that is my home
I long to be known by the one who’s for his Father’s glory risen
I long to be a clay temple of the Spirit who somehow fills my frame
and now and forever I lift my voice and whisper glory glory glory
to the Lord God Almighty forever and always glory to your name.
As it is written so shall it always be,
glory to the Father, Son, and Spirit
glory to the Holy Trinity
peace to mankind through the cross of Jesus
and may all who come to him know the bliss
of delighting in our God for eternity.
It is good for us to be here.
It is good to gaze upon the face of God.
Tag: psalms
Wanderlust
It’s a lovely day – well it’s Friday so of course it is – and I’m enjoying my peppermint mocha – what else!? – and thought I’d share a few words…
Read some wonderful words in Psalms 5 and 6 and then in Leviticus(which was a bit more dry but still good because it is the Word) but the one verse I want to share was from Proverbs 25:27 – “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory.” This was convicting and I love it for multiple reasons. Firstly, I do enjoy my honey. I put it in coffee, I put it in my smoothies, I put it in tea…it is pretty much my go-to sweetener. Honey is fantastic!! But…I do need to be careful not to overdo it, do I not? Firstly, if I put half a cup of honey in my smoothie, besides being slightly unhealthy, it would also taste sickly sweet and disgusting. So yes, too much of a good thing like honey…can sour very quickly. But enough focus on the honey – what is the author saying here? It is not “glory to search out one’s own glory”. Glory is something that can be pretty sweet, right? We like being praised, we like being thought well of. We like to be liked. Some don’t care to be liked…but they still want to be recognized and acclaimed. We all want to be known. So just as it can be oh so tempting to add a few more dollops of honey to our morning coffee, so can we be quickly allured by the promise of our own glory, acclaim and honor. Live in such a way to bring honor and glory to the Father. But to do things to bring about your own glory? Thus is vanity. Thus is foolishness. Because self-sought glory may be sweet on the tongue, but it will sour in the stomach. Do not seek to heap honors on yourself. They will vanish quickly, like ashes in the wind.
To close – if we should not search out our own glory, what should we do? Well – there are many things we should do and I don’t have time to explicate them all. But I will simply leave you with this for now – be faithful in obedience to God and seek to know God more. Long after the deep, wonderful things of God.
Peace and love.
To Sleep,
I sit at Starbucks right now with my mocha americano and I ponder the lovingkindesses of the Lord.
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I stretch out my hands to You;
my soul longs for You, as a parched land.
Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
do not hide Your face from me,
or I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
for I trust in You;
teach me the way in which I should walk;
for to You I lift up my soul.
-Psalm 143:5-8
Lovely words which I read this morning. I do still mean to read Hebrews at some point today, but my time flees, my time trickles away as sand in an hourglass. I’m excited to start reading Hebrews soon though, since in my OT reading I am going through Exodus(and soon Leviticus) so will be so intriguing to be reading the ceremonial and moral law of the Hebrews compared to the work and glories of the gospel as revealed in Christ by the author of the book of Hebrews! And seeing the faint glories of God that are proclaimed by the shadows of the past…praise be to God for the mysteries of the gospel that have been revealed through Jesus Christ our Lord and His tragic death and most shocking resurrection!!!
Now further – what shall I say? I did mean to write this entry to chronicle a bit of the past day and I suppose I can do that (but quickly!). Indeed yesterday was a marvelous day that was given to me by my Lord in which I was reminded of the love that is mine, both from my God and from my many dear friends with whom I have been blessed abundantly! And while it mostly consisted of work(but at least it was Friday, so duties were not overly onerous!), it was delightful to come back to my place at the end of the day and relish a weekend ahead. After my workout, I walked down to EQ and enjoyed an hour on the porch there, reading my new book(about mitochondria and their origins and function in the cell…yes I’m a nerd and yes I’m far too excited by the subject matter!! …still waiting for them to mention farandolae…) and then I walked home. Didn’t have any more free time then, for it was about time for Earnie and Peter to come over! I really meant not to plan anything last night, but both of them made mention of the fact that we should get together so I acquiesced and a delightful evening was had. Earnie brought drinks and Peter brought a cake(chocolate and vanilla with strawberries on top!!) and I picked up some Pizza Hut…and so we talked and ate and shared the highs and lows of our past year…and reminded ourselves of the goodness of the Lord in each other’s lives and it was beautiful. And so did I get the quiet night I had anticipated? No. Did I get the early night’s sleep I expected? A thousand times no, since I think I didn’t get to bed until after one! Was I blessed muchly by the events of the evening? A thousand times yes.
And then this morning, after a few hours sleep, I woke up and had a cup of coffee and a scant few minutes’ reading time…and then off to breakfast with Jake and Julian and Earnie…hours spent around a food-laden table, discussing our lives and our loves and the passion that fills our hearts to know Christ and to make Him known. To have such godly and loving friends as I do…I hesitate to say I deserve any of this, for I truly don’t. I only know that I treasure such moments, quiet morning talks with far too much coffee and an abundance of encouraging, uplifting and fruitful conversation.
Now I sit here at Starbucks. And as my mocha americano lingers on the tongue, memories of wistful eyes and dark brown curls linger in the mind. Yes yes, I shall not think over-long on this, but as Jake mentioned today about Katie being in his current bible study…she crossed my mind yet again. But hey – she is not for me and all is well with my soul.
About time to go do some shopping and errands…and then looking forward to a brunch with Jules – I know not what we will talk about, but I do know that our time will be lovely, as it always is. And tonight…Jared is coming over to hang out and watch the Lightning game together. Game 5 of Eastern Finals…go Tampa Bay!!! (Beat the Caps! – words I almost never say!!)
I must fly, but as is noted in the many words above, I have been given far too much. I am unworthy and unholy in oh so many ways. But in the way that matters most, I am holy for I am forgiven. I know a God who is far too beautiful for my mind to truly comprehend. But I do strive to know Him yet more and more. And I am known by a God who is far too beautiful to me. It is a wonderous thing that I would be called a child of God. And such I am.
Deepest peace and truest love.
Amaranth
Did I mean to write something more creative and fun this morning? Yes. Did I get distracted reading about the Rockets’ win yesterday to put them up 3-1 on the Jazz and the Lightning’s series win over the Bruins? Also yes. Ah well – I cannot complain as I have a peppermint mocha in front of me and a three day week before me. Want to share some of my very favourite words that I happened to read today…thus always my heart:
I cried to you; save me and I shall keep Your testimonies.
I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I wait for Your words.
My eyes anticipate the night watches,
that I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
revive me, O Lord, according to Your ordinances.
-Psalm 119:147-149
Waiting
My latest read:
10. The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan. Finished reading this last night on the porch of EQ, sun shining bright. Now already on to the third book in series! But…this one was great fun and once again I forgot how many dramatic events happened in this book! Rand’s first real duel with swords(goodbye Turak), Egwene’s experience with the Seanchan(horrifyingly scary), Ingtar’s salvation(“Shinowa and the Light!” …this moment is still one of the most tear-inducing sequences in entire series – no one is so far gone that they cannot yet be redeemed…), the Heroes of the Horn, the Portal Stones, Lanfear’s grand entrance…alright, I’ll stop now since most of you have no idea what any of this means!! Just know it was a brilliantly written book that almost never stopped for breath. Love it. Also sad since this one is the last book we get with relatively “normal” Rand. Now his descent into madness begins…
And since I’m writing, might as well also share my encouragement at my latest readings. Reading Psalm 77 & 78 and then further in Genesis this morning. And I do so love Asaph’s psalms because he is so real and honest about his emotions and how he is feeling. He didn’t always feel the presence of God – just as we don’t always – and sometimes he wondered if the goodness of God was even real. “Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favourable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?” And on and on in this vein he goes. And then he pulls himself together and resolves to remember the deeds of the Lord and ponder all the things that God has done in his life…and confidently declares that the way of the Lord is indeed holy. Might we remember this in our dark moments when it seems as if God is not working at all. Meditate on what God has done in your life in days past…and hold on to the truths of who God is. God is faithful and loving and holy and good and sovereign and magnificent and glorious and He is God. And in Psalm 78 we get the counter-example of the nation of Israel…even though they did eat the bread of angels and saw with their own eyes the glories of God, they still committed the most serious sin of unbelief. They did not believe what God had said despite seeing His works with their own eyes. Might we tremble as we think on the fact we have so often failed to believe in God in our own life. Despite the fact that He loved us. He loves us! How can we yet fail and fall so many times. But we do and although it is a terrible thing that we would doubt God…our Lord is loving and faithful to forgive us our sins, because He is our Father who loves us dearly.
And one further reminder of how it is good to be still and wait on God even though we oft don’t believe He is working. Abram received the promise of God that He would have a son from his own seed. And this is a grand promise and one that Abram did indeed believe – “He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” But later on…did Abram doubt? I think he did. Some time later, he still had no child. And he must have thought – “Well, I suppose God wants me to take matters into my own hands? Maybe I’m supposed to do something different. I’m oh so tired of waiting.” Alright, I’m sure he didn’t put it exactly like that…but when his wife Sarai suggested that he have a child with the maid Hagar instead…Abram agreed. What a terrible idea, right?? “Well, I can’t have a child with my wife…so I suppose I will have one with my wife’s maid instead. That’s surely what God has in mind.” And it is definitely a bad idea and there is much fallout from it yet God uses it as He uses all things.
But don’t we so often do the same thing? We are tired of waiting for God. And we think that if we just took matters into our own hands…then things would work out the way they were supposed to. Right? We rationalize an ill-founded decision because we think it will get us what we want. We stop believing in God. We start believing in ourselves. I will forge my own destiny and I will obtain my heart’s desires. Oh us of too little faith in God and too great of faith in ourselves.
Think and ponder and meditate on the glorious nature of God and on what He has done in your life. Be thankful and rejoice in the works of the Lord in you. And although waiting is irksome and tiring at times, it is good to be still and wait on our Lord. Rest in the knowledge of the most perfect love of Christ. Forever and always.
The Tears of Nienna
It has been ten days since my last update. Unconscionable. And even now, I don’t have long to write, but thought I’d say something briefly. It is one week until Christmas! And two days until Florida! Yay to both!!
And now as I sit here, one more Monday with my peppermint mocha…it is good to rest in the peace of God. I had a good morning(although too brief!) reading a few words…namely in Psalm 18, Proverbs 18 and then the end of Isaiah. Oh so sad to be done with Isaiah(epic book that it is!) but am excited for Jeremiah coming up next. Anyways, just a few brief thoughts…
“I love You, O LORD, my strength.”
Verse 1 in the beautiful Psalm that is 18 starts out with something that we should all echo. A love for the Lord our God. May that be the prayer of our soul each and every day, each and every moment. No matter what else surrounds or what else comes – “I love You, O Lord, my strength.” That love that we offer to our Lord – weak and feeble it may be, but still let it be our cry! And we see the psalm progress very rapidly into recounting a time of misery and depression and utter peril. David was terrified, encompassed by death, surrounded by the grave, confronted by danger on every side. These verses have oft comforted me in my own peril, little though it may be. I can be despondent, but then I see David’s own dire situation. And what was his response? In his distress he called upon the Lord. He called upon God Himself. Such a simple thing to do and yet too often we fail to consider the mercy of our Lord when we are myopically gazing into our own depths of despair. And so David calls upon God. And then? God heard His voice. His cry for help rose up into heaven and God heard. And then? Well I shan’t go and recount the whole rest of the psalm – because you should really read it yourself – but the first line of verse seven really says it all. We know that David was in trouble. We know that David cried out to the Lord. We know that God heard his cry! And then…the earth shook and quaked. The Lord God Almighty took action. And when the Lord takes action…things happen.
And so I ask you – do you cry out to the Lord? The Lord works – even as we may not always be aware of such and even as the work which the Lord does may not always be to our liking! – and so when we cry out to the Lord, we are heard and the Lord is not slow in keeping His promises to us. The Lord hears, the Lord answers. Awesomely.
One more verse…this one from Proverbs 18 – one of my favourites that I always enjoy reading:
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.”
Truly the Lord is a refuge for us. Wherever we are, in whatever nerve-wracking situation we may be in…know that the Lord is our strength and salvation, truly! Run to Him. Go to the Lord and find peace in the arms of our Savior. He shall truly never let us go.
And in times when it can be difficult to understand how God will work or what he will do to make your unbearable situation any different…remember the deeds of the Lord in your life. Look back to the greatest miracle of them all – your salvation. In the depths of your sin and sorrow – was there anything you could do that could save you from yourself? Was your arm great enough to pull yourself out of the pit? Was your strength enough, your spirit enough, your will enough? When you had no hope…what else was there to do but cry out to the Lord? And that cry, the Lord heard. And that cry, the Lord answered. Over two thousand years ago, in fulfillment of prophecy and as the greatest miracle this world had yet seen, the Lord God Almighty took action. God Himself came down to earth in the form of a man to do what else could not be done – to save our souls from hell itself. And that salvation is freely given. To us. Cry out to the Lord in deepest sorrow and repentance both. Run to Him – our Lord and our God! And know that in the belief of who God is and what He has done for us – you shall be saved.
And so now that we think our trials and tribulations are so daunting and fearsome…just look back at the miracle God performed to grant that we – the foulest of beings – might be reconciled to the Holy One. And if that miracle can be performed(and it was), then be not afraid. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
(Pardon this unexpected digression…sometimes it just happens, I suppose)
All praises to the One who saved us from our sins. Peace and love.
Fresh Fallen Snow
I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,
and your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.
Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
my ears You have opened;
burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, You know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation.
You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me;
Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.
For evils beyond number have surrounded me;
my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see;
they are more numerous than the hairs of my head,
and my heart has failed me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
Make haste, O LORD, to help me.
Let those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it;
Let those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.
Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
Since I am afflicted and needy,
let the Lord be mindful of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God.
-Psalm 40
Haste the Day
How blessed is the man
who has made the Lord his trust,
and has not turned to the proud,
nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders
which You have done,
and Your thoughts
toward us;
there is none to compare
with You.
If I would declare
and speak of them,
they would be too numerous to count.
-Psalm 40:4-5
Bliss. (Also, all of Psalm 40…love it so)
