Our Glory Yet to Come (Romans 8:18-30)

Do not compare your present sufferings
With the glory yet to come
When God, the Father, will reveal
His true daughters and sons
Then all creation will be set free
From decay and death
No more will we groan in pain
And labouring breath
Now we, who have a foretaste,
Await the feast with anticipation
The hope of our redemption,
Waiting patiently for our salvation
The Spirit helps us in our weakness
With wordless groans and prayers
In accordance with the will of God
Who knows our concerns and cares
And we know that in all things
God works for the good of those
Who love and serve Him,
Who He foreknew and chose
To be conformed to the image
Of His Son, Jesus Christ
Those He predestined for this purpose,
He also called them justified
---
September 5, 2017

Petition and Praise

Lord, help me learn from You
And turn from my sin,
To enter in
Your kingdom
Of righteousness and peace
Help me decrease
And submit to Your will
As I spill out my heart 
To my loving Father
Who will gather me close
Like a bird under its wing;
May I ever sing
Endless praises to Jesus
For He has freed me
From sin, shame and death;
May my every breath
Be lived for Your glory
For You are worthy
Of honour and praise;
Oh, High King of Heaven,
To You, I raise
A song of rejoicing,
Of victory
For You've delivered me
From the enemy's snare
Lord, thank You
For hearing my prayer
---
September 5, 2017

Zion's New Name (Isaiah 62)

Do not keep silent or quiet

Until vindication comes to Jerusalem 

And her salvation shines 

Out like the blazing dawn

All nations and kings 

Will see her glory,

Bestowed with a new name 

From the mouth of the Lord

In the hand of God 

Treasured, she will be 

Crowned with splendour 

And glorious majesty 

No longer will she be known

As desolate and deserted 

But she will be a delight 

And her land will flourish 

The Lord will build her up

And rejoice over her with song 

As a bridegroom to a bride

God has sworn this by His mighty arm

Persevere in prayer to God

For that established day

When Zion is the praise of the earth

And justice, within her, prevails

Then those who labour 

Will reap their own rewards,

Feasting in the courts 

Of the sanctuary of the LORD

Enter in! Enter in!

Prepare the way for people to return

Make a clear path, 

Remove the stumbling stones

Raise a banner for the nations 

For the LORD proclaims through all the earth:

See, your Saviour comes

To reward those who have served 

God’s Holy People, they will be called,

Those Redeemed of the LORD

And Zion will be Much Desired, 

No Longer Forsaken, Forlorn

—-

August 27, 2017

Reflections of God's Radiance

How often have I lived

With my back towards the sun,

Marvelling at my self,

Cemented in the shadows

If only I would turn 

To find illumination 

For the path

Set forth by our Creator

You change not,

Like phases of the moon,

Which orchestrates

The times and seasons

May the brilliance of Your glory

Be not eclipsed by me;

Help me bow down,

Your radiance see

As I reflect upon 

Your holy majesty 

---

August 24, 2017

Inspired by this post on Barnstorming

Reflections From Psalm 22

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Christ cried out in anguish from the cross
My God, I cry out by day but You do not answer me
When darkness covers all the land, rest is lost

Yet, You are enthroned as the Holy One,
The One whom Israel gives praise
In You, our ancestors put their trust
They cried to You; You delivered and saved

But, I am a worm, spit upon and crushed
While upon the cross, in agony, I writhe 
Unrecognized as human
Scorned by all, by all despised

All who see me at this crossroad mock me
Hurling insults, shaking their heads
"He trusts in the LORD,
Let the LORD rescue him," they said

Yet You brought me out of the womb
You made me trust in You even as I nursed
I have always been cared for by You, my God
Do not be far, for only You can help me, now cursed

Many bulls surround me
Ferocious horns of power oppress
Roaring lions that shred their prey
My back is a blood-scourged mess

I am poured out like water, emptied of life
All of my bones are in disarray
Like wax, my heart has melted
Like a broken jar, in the dust of death, I lay

They pierce my hands and my feet
A pack of villains stare and gloat
They divide my garments among themselves
And cast lots for my seamless clothes

But You, LORD, do not be far from me
You are my strength; come quickly to my aid
Deliver me from the sword, my precious life
From the power of savages, rescue and save

I will declare Your name to my people
In the assembly I will praise You
Children of Israel, honour and revere Him!
You who fear the LORD, praise Him, too!

For He has not despised or scorned
The suffering of the afflicted one
He has not hidden His face from him
But has listened to the cry from His Son

From You comes the theme of my praise
Before those who fear You, I will fulfill my vows
The poor will eat and be satisfied
Those who seek the LORD will praise Him anyhow

All the ends of the earth will remember and repent
All the families of every nation
Will bow down before the LORD
Who rules over all of His creation

All the rich of the earth will celebrate and sing
All who go down to the dust will kneel
Posterity will serve Him;
To future generations, the LORD will be revealed

They will declare His righteousness,
Proclaim to those who have yet to leave the womb:
He has done it! It is finished!
He is risen! Christ has left the tomb.
---
September 16, 2015

Musings from Morning Meditation (Mark 7:33-37)

Lord, help me hear and speak

Clearly what You've done -

Amazing things

Through Jesus Christ, Your Son,

Who opened ears

And loosened quiet tongues

That they might join the chorus

Where endless praise is sung

With people from each nation,

Every tribe and every tongue

Giving glory all together

To the One who strung

The stars up in the heavens;

Upon the earth, Christ hung

Where His lifeblood for ours,

Out of Him, was wrung

As He spoke forgiveness 

Until the last breath in His lungs;

Lord, help me clearly hear Your voice

And speak Your truth with grace 

While there is breath within my lungs

Until I see You face to face

---

August 21, 2017

Shout for Joy, You Pure in Heart

Oh, what joy for those whose sin is forgiven, 

Whose disobedience is put out of sight,

Whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,

Whose lives are lived in God's light

When I adamantly hid my wrong

I groaned with guilt all day long

Day and night I felt Your hand 

Heavy upon me

My strength dried up 

Like pools in the summer heat

I finally admitted all my sins

And stopped trying to flee

You forgave my rebellion;

From my guilt I am free

Let all the godly turn to You,

Confess and repent

That they may not drown 

In Your judgement 

You hide me from trouble

And You protect me

You surround me with songs

Of triumph and victory

The LORD says, "I will show you

The best path for your life

I will advise and watch over you,

And keep you from strife"

That to the wicked abounds;

Those who trust in the LORD,

Know His unfailing love surrounds
They are not like senseless mules
That need to be kept under rein
Nor do they regret being led 
By the LORD who rules and reigns 

Rejoice in the LORD;

Be glad, you who obey

Shout for joy, you pure in heart

Shout, "Hallelujah, hooray"

---

Psalm 32

Shout to the Lord

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Was blind Bartimaeus' loud vocal plea

Some people there told him to be quiet 
But he shouted even more; it was quite a riot

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here to Me."
So they called to him, "Cheer up! Get on your feet!"

Bartimaeus tossed his cloak aside and jumped to his feet;
When Christ asked what he wanted, he said, "I want to see."

Jesus declared, "Your faith has healed you; you may now go"
But when he saw Christ, he followed Him along the road

May God grant us vision to see where we've been blind, 
To fervently call out to God and follow Him closely behind 
---
Mark 10:46-52

Genealogy of Grace

Adam = Man
Seth = Appointed
Enosh = Mortal
Kenan = Sorrow
Mahalalel = The Blessed God
Jared = Will come down
Enoch = Teaching / education
Methuselah = His death shall bring
Lamech = The despairing
Noah = Comfort

From our genesis, man was appointed mortal sorrow

But the Blessed God, would, a virgin's womb, borrow

So God could come down and be with us

Through His only Begotten, His Son, Jesus

Who taught us how, to perfectly love

And preached peace with our Father above

Christ's death shall bring the despairing, comfort

Trust Him with your heart and all of your hurt 

For sons of Adam, indeed will die

But Christ is risen; He's alive 

He's broken the chains of death and sin

And He will lift you up, welcome you in

To His promised land where a rainbow shines

Around His throne; this hope is mine

Psalm 27 Meditation

Why would I let fears abound
When I know that the Lord surrounds?
He is light and He sees all
He won't let me stumble and fall
My heart will not fear
For I know God is near
I wish I could always feel this way
Delighting in His perfection all day
He will hide me in the shelter of His wing 
In His sanctuary I will joyfully sing
Hear me, Lord, in Your mercy, reply
You call to me; I know You are nigh
Do not abandon me; hold me close
Protect me from unrighteous foes
I'm sure of Your goodness
So I patiently wait for You,
While encouraging others 
To put their trust in You

God's Language of Love

If you have the privilege

To read our Father's Word

In your mother tongue,

Read it when you're old

Read it when you're young

Fix it in your mind

And within your heart

Teach it to your children

When you arrive,

When you depart

May God's Word surround you

May it frame the way you live

A foundation that is trusted 

To His children, He will give

Commands that are not burdensome

His presence He will share

He will go before you

The way, for you, prepare

As you worship God,

He will guide you, give you rest,

A song of rejoicing 

Will declare how much you're blessed

---

Deuteronomy 11

Submit to the Father

Submit to the Father of spirits and live
Strengthen your feeble and weakened limbs
Do not turn to the left or the right,
But steadfastly follow Him
Do not be discouraged or bothered
By discipline from God, our Father
Let Him guide you into holiness,
Sharing His peace and righteousness
Join the joyful assembly of angels
Through Christ, our mediator
Worship God with reverent awe
For He is our Judge and Creator 
---
Hebrews 12

Psalm 1

Happy is the one who is not, 

With the wicked, aligned 

Nor lingers where sinners are 

Nor with mockers, reclines

But who meditates

Both day and night

On the law of the LORD,

Finding it a joy and delight;

They will be like a tree

Continuously bearing fruit

Rooted by a vital stream,

Flourishing in all they do;

The wicked are like worthless husks

Scattered afar by the wind

They will not survive the judgment 

Or with the righteous, be gathered in

For the LORD guards the righteous, 

Who, to Him, are cherished

But the broad path brings destruction 

And those who follow it, will perish

---

July 24, 2017

Prescriptions from Paul (Romans 13:9-15:7)

Love your neighbour as yourself
Do no harm, nor evil
For love in action 
Is God's commandments fulfilled

Cast aside the deeds of darkness
Be girded with God's light
Since our Saviour is almost here
Put on the righteousness of Christ 

Accept the one whose faith is weak
And leave the judging to God
Pursue peace and building up
To bring praise and glory to God
---
July 21, 2017

Mt Doug Meditation of Psalm 95

The Lord is among us

Amidst the firs and brush

Hear Him whisper peace

Your worried heart, hush 

As you ascend the mountain, 

The scent of cedar, breathe in 

Join the song of rejoicing 

With all that belongs to Him

A chorus of fiddleheads, 

Dusty earth, sparkling sea

Lift up your voice and your limbs

Beneath the towering trees

As you traverse the path,

God's fingerprints, trace 

Exult in His divine design

And wonders of His grace 

We are His people, under His care

Remember all He has done 

He has drawn us, like water,

Because of Jesus, His Son

Thank God for His faithfulness,

His merciful provision 

And rest on the mountain of the Lord 

See the view that once was hidden 

Be refreshed by the wind

A welcome reward 

Renew your strength 

For tomorrow you will soar 

---

July 19, 2017

The Kingdom of God

Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God

To His followers through parables -

Faith doesn't always take root or bear fruit

For one's heart needs to be arable

The kingdom of God is likened to

A mustard seed, that is very small

But when it is planted and watered,

Its roots spread out, pervading all 

The kingdom of God is also like

Yeast, that's transformative

Flavoured with abundance,

Is the feast God's preparing to give

To those who are born again,

Born of water and the Spirit

Like a little child, accept

God's invitation if you hear it

And He will graciously welcome 

You into His righteous realm

Where a bounty of peace and joy

Will eternally overwhelm 

Jubilation

Rejoice, as juice bursts forth
From abundant orchards and groves
Lift up a glass in celebration
To the Creator
Whose divine qualities overflow
So we can see that God
Has extravagantly shown
To us, His delight and favour
Taste and see
The goodness of the Lord;
His sweetness, savour

Reasons to Applaud

People often quantify their goodness

By what they have not done

"Well, I have not robbed

Or murdered anyone."

But on Judgement Day

God will ask, "What have you done?"

How did you treat the poor,

Did you believe in Christ, My Son

Who said: the 'least of these'

Deserve the very best

Here is where your faith 

Meets a practical test -

Are the orphans and the widows,

And those who are imprisoned

People that you serve;

Is freeing the oppressed, 

Part of your life-long mission,

Seeking justice, loving mercy

Walking humbly with your God;

Will the things you do today

Give angels reasons to applaud?

A Prayer of Glorious Unity

Father, of glory,
Of Christ, the Son
Grant me to know You,
The only True One
Through the finished
Redeeming work of Christ,
Who You sent for us
To lay down His life

Reveal to me
All that You graciously give
That I might obey
And in unity, live
Holy Father, protect me
And set me apart
So that I might rejoice
With Your truth in my heart

Father, help me to
Completely believe
In Your glorious love
That You have for me
Into Your righteousness,
Oh, Father, lead me
So that others may, too,
Your great glory, see
---
John 17