January 16, 20 2017
Worship: “O for a Closer walk with God’’, by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty adapted from a Hymn by William Cowper (1772)
O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
Leading to the Lamb.
Where is the blessedness I knew
When I first saw the Lord?
Where is that soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and His word?
O Fire of God, come burn in me
Renew a holy passion
Till Christ my deepest longing be
My never-failing fountain
My never-failing fountain
What peaceful hours I once enjoyed,
How sweet the memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill!
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me tear if from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.
O Fire of God, come burn in me
Renew a holy passion
Till Christ my deepest longing be
My never-failing fountain
My never-failing fountain
So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
O Fire of God, come burn in me
Renew a holy passion
Till Christ my deepest longing be
My never-failing fountain (repeat)
My never-failing fountain
William Cowper (1731-1800) Adapt. &
new music: Stuart Townend & Keith Getty
Copyright © 2009 Thankyou Music
(Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl.
UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music,
part of the David C Cook family,
Video: https://youtu.be/V6ewnIrManM
Witness:
So glad to be back after a few days of ministering to my friends and listening to messages by John Piper.
The burdens that my friends are bearing weigh heavily on my mind. One is experiencing rejection by fellow Christians who should be supporting him. The other is experiencing anxiety and depression over circumstances in his life and the life of his children.
I constantly have to correct my thoughts when it comes to my friend who struggles with depression and anxiety. I too have bouts with these emotions, but as soon as they begin to attack, I have learned to take them captive through praise and prayer and the truth found in God’s word. Because I do this, I tend to react with impatience when my friend is up one day and down the next. However, I have come to realize that we both are wounded warriors, fighting the same battles. We have each other to lean on and encourage. We both have our strengths and weakness, but the same God who is in the battle with us and goes before us as our mighty warrior (Ps. 24:7).
My strength, if I am not careful, may lead to pride and the Lord may and has withdrawn His presence in those instances until I repent and confess my pride and cry out for His presence to return. I pray for understanding of my friend so I can help him. I realize that the road he has taken in the past has wounded him in a way that anxiety and depression come easier. I also realize that he may have some inherited traits that may give him the propensity for these things. These are not excuses to be anxious and depressed, but help me understand the intensity of the battle he is facing. Many a godly man has fought this battle. William Cowper, who wrote the original words to the hymn above was one such man. He battled depression all his life. It is said that Luther suffered from depression from time to time and Spurgeon, the “Prince of Preachers” was known to have periods of depression. I found an article online concerning this. Here is an excerpt from it:
Spurgeon also suffered from depression. “I do not suppose there is any person in this assembly who ever has stronger fits of depression of spirits than I have myself personally” (MTP 15:640). After witnessing seven people trampled to death he said, “The very sight of the Bible made me cry” (MTP 37:383-84).http://center.spurgeon.org/2016/09/06/10-spurgeon-quotes-for-wounded-christians/
Spurgeon suffered much of his life with physical and emotional pain, as well as from the criticism of his enemies. Instead of surrendering to these, he used them to aid other struggling pilgrims on the road to glory. Consider this excerpt from the same article.
In a moving sermon “Songs in the Night,” Spurgeon revealed the struggle of the Christian trying to praise God in the dark:
It is easy to sing when we can read the notes by daylight; but he is the skillful singer who can sing when there is not a ray of light by which to read,— who sings from his heart, and not from a book that he can see, because he has no means of reading, save from that inward book of his own living spirit, whence notes of gratitude pour forth in songs of praise.http://center.spurgeon.org/2016/09/06/10-spurgeon-quotes-for-wounded-christians/
What if God, for reasons known only to Him, allowed such suffering in these men’s. And these sufferings allowed these men to bless His people with the gifts of beautiful poetry and hymns and gospel truth and powerful sermons. A diamond is formed under great heat and pressure, and no wine is produced until the grape is first crushed. One wonders if Spurgeon had not gone through what he did, would he have said the wise and powerful words I quoted above?
This a great mystery of which only eternity will reveal all that came about because of the pain and suffering that we experience. Some of us may wish to end it all and jump the ship of life which is sailing through stormy seas. Yet, I recall the wisdom given from a movie where the main character thought it better that he was never born.
Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives. When he isn't around he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he? (Clarence the Angel from It’s a Wonderful Life)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/quotes
Instead of wallowing in self-pity I must remember that I am here for a purpose. I may be but a small piece of the puzzle of life, but without me, it would be incomplete, and there would be a hole left unfilled.
When the Jewish nation was threatened with extinction when King Xerxes sent out an edict to that effect. This came at the request of Haman his second in command whose pride was stepped on by a man named Mordecai who refused to bow and show him honor. When Mordecai learned of this edict, he asked his niece Esther who was the queen to speak to Xerxes on behalf of the Jewish people. She was afraid to approach because in those days entering into the presence of the king without invitation could lead to death even for the queen herself. Listen to the wise words of Mordecai in response:
... if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"Est 4:10 NIV
Wayne Watson echoes these words in a song he wrote:
You, Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace
For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this
I will end this portion with the lyrics to one of William Cowper’s most famous hymns. It contains words that we are familiar with though we may not have known that they came from this hymn. Because William Cowper responded to the pain and suffering he had all through life with reflective and encouraging hymns, we too can profit from its comforting words.
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.
(I would recommend going to this website and read the article that contains the lyrics to this hymn)
WORD:
Ps 26:1-8
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
without wavering.
2 Test me, O Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
3 for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.
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Ps 26:1-8
1 Declare me innocent, O Lord,
for I have acted with integrity;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test my motives and my heart.
3 For I am always aware of your unfailing love,
and I have lived according to your truth.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved..
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Ps 26:1-3
Judge me, O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
KJV
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Ps 26:1-3
Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness.
ESV
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I have attempted to come back to finish this entry for several days now only to be baffled by what to say, and where to begin with this Psalm. I have also been struck by extreme tiredness because I have not been able to sleep well. In the past, I have chastised myself and stressed over the inability to be consistent in my journaling. Today is no different. I am tired and feeling bad about going to take a power nap before work. Yet, I have also encouraged myself that God is not mad at me and knows my heart’s desire is to be deep in His word studying. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. This passage set before me is a big challenge to me. Taken at face value, one could think David was boasting and claiming that He was perfect. Such a view would be wrong and shallow. It would totally ignore all the passages where he confesses that he is a sinner like everyone else. Because there is a depth here that is not apparent, I have been studying (in snippets I confess) the various meaning of words as well as the opinions of various commentaries before I settle down to the task of expounding on this Psalm.
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