Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
because
(Psalm 34:7)
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
(Psalm 27:3) Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. because (Psalm 34:7) The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
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A quotation from Andrew Murray (1828-1917), South African pastor, writer, and revivalist:
_____________________________________________ In time of trouble say: First ― He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place. In that I will rest. Next ― He will keep me in His love and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child. Then ― He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow. Last ― In His good time He can bring me out again ― how and when He knows. Say: I am here ― 1. By God’s appointment. 2. In His keeping. 3. Under His training. 4. For His time. _____________________________________________ As quoted in Andrew Murray: The Authorized Biography, by Leona Choy (Fort Washington, PA: CLC Publications, 2004) It's time for a replay of this song. A very beautiful reminder.
(There may be a short ad before the video -- sorry.) * YouTube video "Be Still My Soul" Words by Katharine von Schlegel (1697-c.1768) Music ("Finlandia") by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) Performed here by the wonderful UK boys' choir Libera Story behind the hymn here "Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God
like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says – 'I cannot stand any more.' God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands." ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (classic), May 8 Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19 "Prayer is two-fold: definite asking
and definite waiting to receive." ~ Oswald Chambers (as quoted in David McCasland, Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest) In winter most trees appear lifeless, but in fact they are in a state of dormancy. They don't suddenly enter this state overnight -- they are prepared for it gradually, as the seasons change. Nor do they come out of dormancy overnight. Everything the Lord designs and plans is brilliantly, perfectly orchestrated. Everything we commit fully into His hands is meticulously attended to in this same way. What we see after we've released something or someone into God's care may not look at all like care. At times it may even appear that He is allowing things to fall apart. I wonder if that's what we would have said if we had seen the first winter on earth. "What are you thinking, God? You've taken all the beautiful leaves off the trees. And now it's so cold and windy, the branches may all snap off. Maybe You're going to just let the trees die and start over again at some point? This is so sad. I wonder how this will turn out." To us that sounds silly, yet this is pretty much how we tend to respond to the chaotic or puzzling things that go on in our lives or in the lives of those we pray for. "I've prayed for my child to come to know Jesus/to end up with the right life mate/to take a healthy direction in life. But look what's going on! The situation has gotten worse, not better. Things look very bleak." Maybe things look very bleak because in His cycle for this event, it's winter. God isn't thrown off course by winter: He designed it. He designed the way growing things enter dormancy, and He designed the way they leave it. Can we not trust Him with what happens in between? "When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying
to fix the blame on someone else. ...You will find there is a reason which is a deep instruction to you, not to anyone else." ~ Oswald Chambers, "The Cross in Prayer" (My Utmost for His Highest classic, August 6) |
All thy sins were laid upon Him, Jesus bore them on the tree;
God, who knew them, laid them on Him, and, believing, thou art free. Joseph Denham Smith (c. 1817-1889) Praise reflection archives
May 2020
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...take root downward and bear fruit upward.
2 Kings 19:30 |