"In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed... For You are my rock and my fortress; For Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me... I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul... You have set my feet in a large place... How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You... You hide them in the secret place of Your presence... As for me, I said in my alarm, 'I am cut off from before Your eyes'; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried to You. O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful... Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD."
Have your ever felt your strength rise and fall, even as you pray? This is the sense you get as you read some of the Psalms of David. His prayers carry him to to the top of a wave, as it were, only to come back down into the trough, and back up again. I have selected the verses that only show the crest of the wave. But where there is a crest, there is always a trough, and though we may feel one more at one point or another, they are really both a part of life all at the same time. So, one can have joy in one area of life while at the same time have pain in another area of life. One can know peace while at the same time know turmoil. The issue is not how high the crest nor how low the trough, but that we are held by the One who carries us through the waves and troughs of life. "O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful... Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD." It's men and women who, in this confidence, have taken pen in hand and have written words that still calm our anxious hearts. Such are the words of Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847), who gets hold of what David knew many years before.
Have your ever felt your strength rise and fall, even as you pray? This is the sense you get as you read some of the Psalms of David. His prayers carry him to to the top of a wave, as it were, only to come back down into the trough, and back up again. I have selected the verses that only show the crest of the wave. But where there is a crest, there is always a trough, and though we may feel one more at one point or another, they are really both a part of life all at the same time. So, one can have joy in one area of life while at the same time have pain in another area of life. One can know peace while at the same time know turmoil. The issue is not how high the crest nor how low the trough, but that we are held by the One who carries us through the waves and troughs of life. "O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful... Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the LORD." It's men and women who, in this confidence, have taken pen in hand and have written words that still calm our anxious hearts. Such are the words of Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847), who gets hold of what David knew many years before.
Abide with me; fast fall the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
when other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, abide with me.
Swift to its close, ebbs our life's little day;
earth's joys grown dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see:
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
what but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death's sting? Where, grave thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou aide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes,
shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee:
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
And now it's our turn. May God bless your life with His presence in such a way that your own soul can sing, "He abides! He abides! Hallelujah! He abides with me!"
No comments:
Post a Comment