"Conflict" A poem by Anna Shipton

"Lord! my soul is burdened By a weight of care,

And my foot is taken in the fowler's snare;

​Darkness gathers o'er me, I shall fall or flee:

Helper of the helpless, Rise and succor me!

Dangers seem to threaten, Tempters' wiles assail;

In Thy light I see them, Yet I weakly quail.

Strange unholy terrors In my bosom rise;

"What distrustful language— Heavy groans and sighs!

Thoughts of sin's defilement Born of faithless mood,

Hosts of unclean devils, guests of hell's dark brood,

Leave me lame and mourning, Blind to seek and trace

All the glorious beauty Of Immanuel's face.

Look, oh, look upon me! See my wounds! and hear

In my soul's veiled chambers, what dishonoring fear!

Withered arms for service, And a palsied frame

That hath scarce a heart-throb At Thy precious name.

Touch me, cleanse me, heal me! Thou didst give me life;

Speak the word, and save me From this deadly strife.

Thine is full salvation, And the gift is free:

Helper of the helpless, Rise and succor me!

Hast Thou cast me from Thee? Well Thou mayst. Ah, no!

Hold me fast, sweet Jesus! Whither should I go?

Should I seek to hide me In some desert spot,

Earth no cavern holdeth Where my God is not.

Could I rise to heaven, Thus by fears oppressed,

There art Thou! Descending To the grave's dark breast,

​Even there Thou reignest; And the shades of night

Open lie as noon-day, To Thy piercing sight!

Wherefore am I thus, Lord? I, who fain would show

To the thirsty pilgrim Where the waters flow;

Where the milk to nourish, Where the wine of home,

Are so freely offered Unto all that come.

Father! may I call Thee Abba—Father—mine?

Dost Thou look upon me, And still own me Thine?

Ah! Thy Spirit shows me Christ! my Priest and King,

Sinless, Stainless, Perfect, Is my Offering.

Look on Thine Anointed; Let my tongue be mute,

While we gaze together On my Substitute.

​Thou art full well pleased With Thy spotless Lamb;

And Thy Spirit tells me What, O God, I am!

Lost, abhorred, and loathsome, Leprous and unclean;

Yet, enrobed in Jesus, I am spotless seen.

Oh, the weight of glory It is mine to share!

Even now He calls me "Altogether fair."

Lo, I see Thee, Jesus, Ransom of my soul!

Hast Thou not redeemed me? Let the thunders roll.

Can the law convict me? Thou hast set me free!

Back, thou wily Tempter, Jesus died for me.

Bend, oh, bend my will, Lord! This—my only aim;

For in light or darkness Thou art still the same.

​Give me, or withhold then, What Thou seest best;

Not upon Thy gifts, Lord— On Thyself I rest.

Did He say, "To-morrow I will hear thee"? Nay!

Full and free the fountain Floweth every day.

Holy Dove, oft grieved, Ere my tears were dried,

To my listening spirit Thy still voice replied.

"Child, My child! be patient: I thy sins have borne;

I have marked the conflict, And the scoffer's scorn;

I have seen the sorrows Of thy broken heart,

And in thy affliction Borne a brother's part.

"Wouldst thou fear the darkness, Didst thou hate the light?

"Would thy sin displease thee, Were thy sin delight?

​Evil would be welcome, Wert thou of the earth:

Child, look up to heaven, Whence thou hadst thy birth.

"Put thy heel on Satan, Draw the Spirit's sword,

Prove thy holy breast-plate, Take Me at My word.

Am I not thy Fortress? Wherefore fall or fly;

Grasp thy palm, rejoicing In My victory.

"'Tis the lowliest conquers; 'Tis by might of love

That the weakest soldier Doth the bravest prove.

Rest thee, weary tremble! Was the strife unsent?

Nay! thy King was with thee: Not a bow was bent,

"But thy Lord who loves thee Guided every dart;

See! they only sent thee nearer to my heart.

​At thine hands upraised Half thy foes withdrew;

Forward! I have conquered, Thou shalt conquer too.

"Child! in Me abiding, Nought thy foot shall move;

Fear not! I will help thee, Mine is changeless love.

Take My yoke upon thee, Learn the way from Me;

I am meek and lowly, Meek and lowly be.

"Take My yoke—I bore it, Lean upon My breast;

I have fought thy battle, Share with me My rest.

Soon the plains of glory Sinless thou shalt tread;

My right hand upholds thee, Rise—be undismayed.

"Trust Me—only trust Me! Wherefore shouldst thou quail?

Can a weapon prosper, Shall a foe prevail,

​'Gainst the Lord's Anointed? He hath set their bounds;

While thy faith, though feeble, Loving-kindness crowns."

I don't know about you, but I thought it well worth reading. 

Another encouraging snippet from James Smith.

 “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God, and are called according to His purpose!” Romans 8:28

If you are a sincere believer in Jesus, whatever may be your present difficult circumstances, however trying, however perplexing, “It will all end in mercy!”

You may not think so now. You may be writing bitter things against yourself. You may be misinterpreting the designs of God’s providence. You may be doubting the precious promises of God’s holy Word. But, notwithstanding your mistakes, your doubts, your fears, your false conclusions – “It will all end in mercy!”

You do not think so- nor did Jacob once, nor did Joseph once, nor did Job once, nor did thousands once – who are now in glory!

They were mistaken – and so are you!

They judged by appearances – and so do you!

They changed their minds- and so will you!

All your troubles are appointed in infinite love!

They are all weighed out by sovereign goodness!

They are all limited by perfect wisdom!

There is no “chance” in what happens to the Christian!

Everything is divinely arranged and appointed!

 

Cheer up, my poor weary fellow-traveller! You will soon arrive at Home, and then you will see clearly and enjoy sweetly the blessed truth – that to the believer “all will end in mercy!”

 

Take comfort, poor afflicted fellow-Christian! Your afflictions are God’s furnace, in which He is refining you! He is only fitting you to occupy a mansion in Heaven, and to sing the sweet and everlasting song – the theme of which will be, “It all ended in mercy!”

 

Fear not, poor feeble, fickle, faltering follower of Jesus! Though your faith is weak, though your fears are strong, though your doubts are painful, though you conclude that case is singular and your condition hopeless – “the year of release is at hand,” and then…

Your doubts will expire, your fears will flee away, your groans will be silenced, your feeble hopes will be realised, for “it will all end in mercy!”

 

My brother, are you in poverty, under persecution, or in bodily sickness? Cheer up! Your light shall soon “break forth as the morning!” Write it down in your memorandum book, or impress it upon your memory, or, what is better still – pray the Holy Spirit to give you the sweet inward assurance of the fact, that “It will all end in mercy,” for “we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose!”

James Smith

Some thoughts...

 

When I read this verse, it challenged me. 

Do I actually wait on Him continually?

Waiting implies that sometimes I will have to be patient. Do I struggle to submit to the Lord patiently? 

Am I listening moment by moment for His voice? Or do I too often allow other voices to crowd my mind so hearing His voice is more difficult? 

I found the first phrase encouraging. 

It is only by His help that I can do anything! If I try to do things without His help, I will fail, but when He directs, He also gives the wherewithal to accomplish the task.

What a great blessing it is to have His promises and to know He is holding us every step of the way. Nothing escapes His notice. He sees and knows what is around each corner. If we will simply trust Him and wait on Him continually, He will guide us safely home, no matter what unexpected hills or valleys we may have to traverse. He is so gracious and merciful and His way really is the best way.

These words of an old chorus came to my mind last week:

 "I want God's Way to be my way as I journey here below,

For there is no other highway for the child of God to go.

Though the way be steep and rough,

If He leads me, that's enough,

I want God's Way to be my way every day."

Heavenly Father, please help me to choose continually waiting on You. I thank You that Your plan is best (even when it might not always feel like it to me at the moment.) As I read Your Word, I see so many times that You have always been faithful and You never change! Father, I thank You for Your great lovingkindness. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.

A precious truth in poem form.

I came across this and hope it will encourage you as much as it encourages me.

This was written in 1932 by a pastor in Mississippi named A. M. Overton, who had a wife and three small children. His wife was pregnant with their fourth child but when it came time for delivery, there were complications and both she and the baby died. During the funeral service, the preacher officiating the service noticed my grandfather writing something on a piece of paper. After the service the minister asked him about it, and he handed him the paper with a poem he had just written which he titled, “He Maketh No Mistake”

He Maketh No Mistake

"My Father’s way may twist and turn,

my heart may throb and ache.

But in my soul I’m glad I know,

He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,

my hopes may fade away,

but still I’ll trust my Lord to lead,

for He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark and it may seem

that day will never break;

I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,

He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,

my eyesight’s far too dim;

but come what may, I’ll simply trust

and leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift

and plain it all He’ll make.

Through all the way, tho’ dark to me,

He made not one mistake."

I'm so glad we can trust Him and rest in the knowledge that He works all things for good, even though it may often hurt terribly at the time. In eternity with the Lord, all tears having been wiped away, we will only remember His great faithfulness.

New Year 2021

 Sorry, I can't work out how to embed this video so you'll have to click the link if you want to listen. It's the Collingsworth family singing "Ever Faithful". I really like it. 

https://youtu.be/u2-cVpltVwA

Resharing this poem found in Great Grandma's remembrance book as I find it so encouraging. 

Today I'm feeling thankful for many reminders of God's faithfulness. 

Years ago we used to sing an old chorus that seems particularly apt for this time:

"How good is the God we adore! 

Our Faithful, Unchangeable Friend! 

Whose love is as great as His power, 

And neither knows measure nor end. 

Tis Jesus, the First and the Last

Whose Spirit will lead us safe home. 

We'll praise Him for all that is past, 

And trust Him for all that's to come. "

None of us know what lies ahead in 2021, but we do know that even when circumstances seem very bad, God is still very good. 

We also know that His return is nearer now than it has ever been before.

Aren't you glad that He's willing to walk beside us every step of every day and one day take us to be with Himself forever?

He is the only One I know of who is always totally trustworthy.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for showing me Your great faithfulness. LORD, please help me to live in the light of eternity, ready to meet You face to face and by Your grace and mercy living a life that brings honour and glory to You. As the world around gets darker, please shine Your light and truth through my life all the brighter. Amen.

Trust...

We really can trust Him at all times. He knows the end from the beginning, He is intimately aware of every detail about us and He has prepared good works for us to walk in. 

How amazing it is that the Lord God Almighty invites us to pour out our hearts to Him. He knows how wicked and deceitful our hearts have been and He has cleansed us from sin when we confess and forsake them.

I think this may be another of my favourite verses. Whenever my heart is getting full, I need to remember to pour it out to the Lord. He understands the way I feel (and what is more amazing to me, He loves me anyway) 

He is utterly trustworthy. 

He is my refuge. 

Is He your refuge too??

Return to your rest

I think this may be one of my favourite verses. Time and again I find great comfort in it. It's a great reminder for me that the Lord is so gracious and delights in dealing bountifully with His people.

This is the only way to find true rest. 

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Thank You Lord for dealing bountifully with me!

K...

Obviously we all know we can't physically, literally kiss the Son. There may be lots of other interpretations of this, but I heard years ago that it's a term meaning to worship. Do we who are blessed because we trust in Jesus live our lives in a constant attitude of worship? Or do we so often "forget" or become busy doing too many other things He never intended us to do and relegate worship to Sunday mornings?
In case you need the reminder, here it is.
We have been given the awesome privilege of being His children, and He has richly blessed us in countless ways. He saved us from our sins which would have led us to destruction. He gave us the glorious hope of eternal life with Him, which will be far more wonderful than you or I can imagine. For all this and so much more, He alone is worthy of all praise, glory, honour, and our lives should be completely dedicated to Him for His good pleasure.

(I'm definitely preaching to myself here, I think typing it out helps me process it better.)

Discovery

"Be patient - wait God's time. He knows the best. 

Though plans are crossed, unanswered your requests.

Even when you suffer from the stunning blow,

When He to your petition answers, "no."

When all is dark around, just kneel in prayer.

Tell Him you're trusting. He will bless you there."

By Mrs Clara Simpson

" Make every day a walk with Thee.

New glory shall the sunshine gain.

And all the clouds shall lightened be

Go with me on life's dusty road

And help me bear the weary load.

Talk with me, Master, by the way.

The voices of the world recede

The shadows darken o'er the land.

How poor am I, how great my need.

Speak to my heart disquieted.

Till it shall lose it's fear and dread.

Bide with me, Master, all the way.

Though to my blinded eyes unknown.

So shall I feel a presence near

Where I had thought I walked alone.

And when, far spent, the day decline

Break Thou the bread, dear Guest of mine."

(the Sunday companion April 1959)

What a treat to find this book that used to belong to my great Grandma (who I never knew). There are some poems in its pages which I found quite moving. 

Hope you're blessed when I share them. 

God is great.

Well, this verse doesn't need explaining. I believe I should meditate on it more and start praising more too! We're never going to be able to plumb the depths and heights of just how great He is, but for what we do know of Him and all His goodness towards us, we should be eternally grateful. I think in Heaven we'll have a better understanding of all the ways He's been so wonderful to us; we might not even have known about many of them. But let's trust Him without seeing all the evidence.

Some important truths to remember.

I was reminded of these verses at Church this morning.

We can trust the Lord. He is in control of all things.

Our lives and times are in His hands. 

He has promised many precious things in His Word and He will always be faithful!

Here's the link to the sermon. It's a good challenging one!

https://youtu.be/NjR21V_3JiM

A few verses from Psalm 18

Another Spurgeon gem

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm glad of this reminder. :)

Personalized truths from yesterday's sermon

I need to remember these truths:
I need to follow Christ and obey the Father.
I should be living to glorify Him, no matter what it costs me!
His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.
I should be willing to be mocked and ridiculed, because, if I'm living like Jesus, I won't fit in with the world.
I can and should trust God fully because He is faithful!
I need to respond when God speaks to me.
Yes, the narrow way is difficult, but it leads to Life.

Leave It There, a hymn by Charles A. Tindley

A fellow who was a constant worrier visited Tindley one day. After listening a while, Tindley replied, My advice to you is put all your troubles in a sack, take ’em to the Lord, and leave ’em there.

(He wrote this song in 1916.)

"If the world from you withhold of its silver and its gold,
And you have to get along with meager fare,
Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

Leave it there, leave it there,
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.


If your body suffers pain and your health you can't regain,
And your soul is almost sinking in despair,
Jesus knows the pain you feel, He can save and He can heal;
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail,
Don't forget that God in Heaven answers prayer;
He will make a way for you and will lead you safely through.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.

Refrain

When your youthful days are gone and old age is stealing on,
And your body bends beneath the weight of care;
He will never leave you then, He'll go with you to the end.
Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there."

I don't remember hearing this song before yesterday, but I rather like it. How about you?

A few quotes from Charles H. Spurgeon

God is a refuge for us.

How great is it that our God knows just what we need as and when we need it.

This verse went round my head today and it made me pause and think.

How amazing that God told us to pour out our hearts before Him!

God tells us He is waiting for us to commune with Him.

He already knows what is in our hearts but He knows it's good for us to be able to come and tell Him.

He is in control and He will shelter us if we will run to Him.

I needed that encouragement today.