Why Dost Thou Worry Thyself?

"This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing"

Isaiah 28:12

Why dost thou worry thyself? What use can thy fretting serve? Thou art on board a vessel which thou couldst not steer even if the great Captain put thee at the helm, of which thou couldst not so much as reef a sail, yet thou worriest as if thou wert captain and helmsman. Oh, be quiet; God is Master!

Dost thou think that all this din and hurly-burly that is abroad betokens that God has left His throne?

No, man, His coursers rush furiously on, and His chariot is the storm; but there is a bit between their jaws, and He holds the reins, and guides them as He wills! Jehovah is Master yet; believe it; peace be unto thee! be not afraid. --C. H. Spurgeon

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
The storms are raging on God's deep--
God's deep, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's hands shall still the tempter's sweep--
God's hands, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's love is strong while night hours creep--
God's love, not thine; be still and sleep.

"Tonight, my soul, be still and sleep;
God's heaven will comfort those who weep--
God's heaven, not thine; be still and sleep."

I entreat you, give no place to despondency. This is a dangerous temptation--a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary. Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace. It magnifies and gives a false coloring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear. God's designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise. --Madame Guyon

~Streams in the Desert~

It was for you, He died...

"We are not saved from sin by trusting in anything we have done. The only means of eternal salvation is through placing our trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross, when He died in our place."

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"Through Jesus' sinless life, His death on Calvary as the sinner's substitute, and His victorious resurrection, we can be fully forgiven for all our sin, we can be reconciled to the God we have offended, and we can have the power to live holy lives."

~Nancy Leigh DeMoss

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“Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced His heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful."

~Charles H. Spurgeon

"Although the Christian life has warfare, it is warfare in which victory is always possible."

~John MacArthur

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 8:2

Who is Leading?

"O Lord , I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).

"Lead me in a plain path" (Ps. 27:14).

Many people want to direct God, instead of resigning themselves to be directed by Him; to show Him a way, instead of passively following where He leads.

--Madame Guyon

I said: "Let me walk in the field";

God said: 'Nay, walk in the town";

I said: "There are no flowers there";

He said: "No flowers, but a crown."

I said: "But the sky is black,

There is nothing but noise and din";

But He wept as He sent me back,

"There is more," He said, "there is sin

I said: "But the air is thick,

And fogs are veiling the sun";

He answered: "Yet souls are sick,

And souls in the dark undone."

I said: "I shall miss the light,

And friends will miss me, they say";

He answered me, "Choose tonight,

If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;

He said: "Is it hard to decide?

It will not seem hard in Heaven

To have, followed the steps of your Guide."

I cast one look at the fields,

Then set my face to the town;

He said: "My child, do you yield?

Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into His hand went mine,

And into my heart came He;

And I walk in a light Divine,

The path I had feared to see.

--George MacDonald

~Streams in the Desert~

"If we could push ajar the gates of life,

And stand within, and all God's working see,

We might interpret all this doubt and strife,

And for each mystery could find a key.

"But not today. Then be content, poor heart;

God's plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold.

We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart--

Time will reveal the calyxes of gold.

"And if, through patient toil, we reach the land

Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,

When we shall clearly know and understand,

I think that we shall say, 'God knew best."

~Streams in the Desert

Christ's Armor

That person whom I most dread to see, let me meet him as Christ meets him. Let Christ meet him. He is my armor, I am hidden in Him. My weakness, my fear, my hostility will be covered by his strength, his courage, his love.

~Elisabeth Elliot~

A Lamp For My Feet

The Master Plowman

Master Plowman

"Doth the plowman plow all day to sow?" (Isa. 28:24).

One day in early summer I walked past a beautiful meadow. The grass was as soft and thick and fine as an immense green Oriental rug. In one corner stood a fine old tree, a sanctuary for numberless wild birds; the crisp, sweet air was full of their happy songs. Two cows lay in the shade, the very picture of content.
Down by the roadside the saucy dandelion mingled his gold with the royal purple of the wild violet.

I leaned against the fence for a long time, feasting my hungry eyes, and thinking in my soul that God never made a fairer spot than my lovely meadow.

The next day I passed that way again, and lo! the hand of the despoiler had been there. A plowman and his great plow, now standing idle in the furrow, had in a day wrought a terrible havoc. Instead of the green grass there was turned up to view the ugly, bare, brown earth; instead of the singing birds there were only a few hens industriously scratching for worms. Gone were the dandelion and the pretty violet. I said in my grief, "How could any one spoil a thing so fair?"

Then my eyes were opened by some unseen hand, and I saw a vision, a vision of a field of ripe corn ready for the harvest. I could see the giant, heavily laden stalks in the autumn sun; I could almost hear the music of the wind as it would sweep across the golden tassels. And before I was aware, the brown earth took on a splendor it had not had the day before.
Oh, that we might always catch the vision of an abundant harvest, when the great Master Plowman comes, as He often does, and furrows through our very souls, uprooting and turning under that which we thought most fair, and leaving for our tortured gaze only the bare and the unbeautiful. --Selected

Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh the deep furrows on my soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop. --Samuel Rutherford

~Streams in the Desert~

HE LIVES

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me

Along lifes narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

~Alfred H. Ackley

Happy Easter!!

Prayer

By now, some of you who have visited are thinking, "How boring! Nothing new!" I'm in TOTAL agreement! Sometimes you just don't know what to post. (Do my fellow bloggers understand my dilemma?) But, I thought I might post some notes taken during our pastor's recent sermon on prayer.

• Prayer is NOT A demonstration of your righteousness--ever.
• Prayer is NOT man-centered, nor is it earth bound.
• Prayer is NOT self-talk
• Prayer IS a dialogue between you and the Father
• Prayer IS a communication with the Lord
• Prayer involves speaking and listening
• Express thanksgiving during your time of prayer
• Prayer is an intimate conversation with the Father
• We may call Him "Abba Father"
• When in prayer, I need to "shut the door" on everything else
• When you're in a group and praying, it should be as though you are alone with the Lord, speaking only to Him. Our focus should not be on what they are hearing.
• Pray on someone's behalf...but talk to the Father
• God wants to hear you speaking to Him

You can pour out your heart to Him. He already knows...but He still desires to hear from you.

Be Still, My Soul

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

Katherina von Schlegel

He Goeth On Before

Dark is the sky and veiled the unknown morrow
Dark is life's way, for night is not yet o'er;
The longed-for glimpse I may not meanwhile borrow;
But, this I know, HE GOETH ON BEFORE.

Dangers are nigh and fears my mind are shaking;
Heart seems to dread what life may hold in store;
But I am His--He knows the way I'm taking,
More blessed still--HE GOETH ON BEFORE.

Doubts cast their weird, unwelcome shadows o'er me,
Doubts that life's best--life's choicest things are o'er;
What but His Word can strengthen, can restore me,
And this blest fact; that still HE GOES BEFORE.

HE GOES BEFORE! Be this my consolation!
He goes before! On this my heart would dwell!
He goes before! This guarantees salvation!
HE GOES BEFORE! And therefore all is well.

--J. D. Smith