Yet again I am reminded and encouraged by the way God puts things into our lives at just the right time- like this morning's "morning and evening".
"Just as the sufferings of Christ are more than enough for us, likewise our encouragement is more than enough through Him."
--2 Corinthians 1:5
In this statement we find a blessed proportion. The Ruler of Providence holds a pair of scales. On one side He puts His people's trials, and on the other he puts their consolations. When the scale of trial is nearly empty, you will always find the scale of consolation in the same condition; and when the scale of trials is full, the scale of consolation will be just as heavy. When the night falls and the storm approaches, the Heavenly Captain is always closest to His crew. It is a blessed thing that when we are most cast down it is then that we are most lifted up by the consolations of the Spirit.
Why are we often most happy in our troubles? One reason is that trials make more room for consolation. Great hearts can only be made by great troubles. The spade of trouble digs the reservoir of comfort, and makes more room for it. Another reason is because troubles require us to deal closely with God. When our purse is full we think we can live without God; but, if our reserves are taken away we go back to God; we clear the idols out of our house, and we honor Him again.
There is no cry so good as that which comes from the bottom of the mountains; no prayer half so hearty as that which comes up from the depths of the soul in deep trials and afflictions. They bring us to God, and we are happier because nearness to God is happiness. Come, troubled believer; don't worry about your troubles, for they are the heralds of weighty mercies. [M&E]
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Faithful
Following are the lyrics to a song off of SCC's newest album that he wrote after losing his daughter. I really can't imagine what must have been going through his mind when all this happened. Their family had adopted this little girl from China and she was run over by her older brother as she was excitedly running out to greet him entering their driveway. What pain but what healing and grace given by the Father.
Today I am wrestling with a different kind of pain- a more temporal one- in wondering what God has in mind for us at PG. Our Father is not cruel toward His children and it does seem like it would be a somewhat cruel prank to have our family adopt John and then in turn have Him not allow PG to continue- but His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are much higher than mine and so He must help my unbelief.
If Romans 8:32 is true then what have we to be concerned with except keeping out heart and affections close to Him? "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
I am so thankful that He is in control, that He is good and kind and loves to give good gifts to His children- what more can I ask? Read the words slowly and try to imagine what he was going through as he wrote these and then remember where God has you today. For our good and His glory He has us in the exact place we are to be. I don't have the answers for today any more than I can make sense of yesterday- but He does. What a comfort to know He is working.
FAITHFUL
Steven Curtis Chapman
I am broken, I am bleeding,
I'm scared and I'm confused,
but You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I am weary, unbelieving.
God please help my unbelief!
Cuz You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I will proclaim it to the world.
I will declare it to my heart
And sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.
You are faithful!
You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe
You are faithful.
I am waiting for the rescue
that I know is sure to come,
cuz You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I've dropped anchor in Your promises,
and I am holding on,
cuz You are faithful.
God You are faithful.
I will proclaim it to the world.
I will declare it to my heart
And sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.
You are faithful!
You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful.
So faithful...
Though I cannot have the answer
that I'm wanting to demand,
I'll remember You are God
and everything is in Your hand.
In Your hands you hold the sun, the moon,
the stars up in the sky,
for the sake of Love, You hung Your own Son
on the cross...to die...
You are faithful...
Yes, You are faithful...
When you give and when You take away,
even then, great is Your faithfulness!
Great is Your faithfulness!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe...
...You're faithful...
Thank You Father for Your faithfulness to me even though I deserved death- You gave life. There is nothing I can give to repay this debt of love and You knew that when You gave Your only Son up for us- You just want my love and devotion and even those I can't give unless you work in my heart to put that desire there. This proves that I am just a pot that can choose to be used by You or choose to go my own way and all the rest is up to You. Great is Your faithfulness to me- an unfaithful, unthankful, selfish, yet redeemed- child of the King of all kings and the Lord of lords. Please keep me close to Yourself and keep my affections hot in whatever circumstance You allow.
You are Faithful.
Today I am wrestling with a different kind of pain- a more temporal one- in wondering what God has in mind for us at PG. Our Father is not cruel toward His children and it does seem like it would be a somewhat cruel prank to have our family adopt John and then in turn have Him not allow PG to continue- but His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are much higher than mine and so He must help my unbelief.
If Romans 8:32 is true then what have we to be concerned with except keeping out heart and affections close to Him? "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?"
I am so thankful that He is in control, that He is good and kind and loves to give good gifts to His children- what more can I ask? Read the words slowly and try to imagine what he was going through as he wrote these and then remember where God has you today. For our good and His glory He has us in the exact place we are to be. I don't have the answers for today any more than I can make sense of yesterday- but He does. What a comfort to know He is working.
FAITHFUL
Steven Curtis Chapman
I am broken, I am bleeding,
I'm scared and I'm confused,
but You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I am weary, unbelieving.
God please help my unbelief!
Cuz You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I will proclaim it to the world.
I will declare it to my heart
And sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.
You are faithful!
You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe
You are faithful.
I am waiting for the rescue
that I know is sure to come,
cuz You are faithful.
Yes You are faithful.
I've dropped anchor in Your promises,
and I am holding on,
cuz You are faithful.
God You are faithful.
I will proclaim it to the world.
I will declare it to my heart
And sing it when the sun is shining.
I will scream it in the dark.
You are faithful!
You are faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful.
So faithful...
Though I cannot have the answer
that I'm wanting to demand,
I'll remember You are God
and everything is in Your hand.
In Your hands you hold the sun, the moon,
the stars up in the sky,
for the sake of Love, You hung Your own Son
on the cross...to die...
You are faithful...
Yes, You are faithful...
When you give and when You take away,
even then, great is Your faithfulness!
Great is Your faithfulness!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe You're faithful!
When you give and when You take away,
even then still Your name
is faithful!
You are faithful!
And with everything inside of me,
I am choosing to believe...
...You're faithful...
Thank You Father for Your faithfulness to me even though I deserved death- You gave life. There is nothing I can give to repay this debt of love and You knew that when You gave Your only Son up for us- You just want my love and devotion and even those I can't give unless you work in my heart to put that desire there. This proves that I am just a pot that can choose to be used by You or choose to go my own way and all the rest is up to You. Great is Your faithfulness to me- an unfaithful, unthankful, selfish, yet redeemed- child of the King of all kings and the Lord of lords. Please keep me close to Yourself and keep my affections hot in whatever circumstance You allow.
You are Faithful.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
God's Reminders
It is always interesting to me how God brings different things into our lives at just the right time for our encouragement and discipline. Take, for instance, this very morning's "Morning and Evening". After posting the post last night, God brings the reminder this morning of being content in all things and the difficulties of staying close to Him when we are blessed by Him. Maybe this was His way of telling me that I have not done a great job at being content in Him when I have been blessed by Him.
I do want to share a small, but personal, story about how very personal God is. Yesterday Kimmy asked Teresa if she could look for a certain type of razor at the store, knowing that they were expensive but that these were the ones that she thought worked the best. Granted, this is a small purchase but everything adds up. Knowing what the price might be Teresa went to the store and just prayed that God would allow them to be on sale. When she got to the store she picked up a coupon book just to see what was in it. She looked through most of the book and then came to a $4 off coupon for the exact razors Kimmy had asked her to purchase. You can't tell me that God is not personal and that He doesn't like to show off in even the smallest ways, making them seem big. It could have been another razor, but NOO it was the exact ones she had asked for.
I do want to share a small, but personal, story about how very personal God is. Yesterday Kimmy asked Teresa if she could look for a certain type of razor at the store, knowing that they were expensive but that these were the ones that she thought worked the best. Granted, this is a small purchase but everything adds up. Knowing what the price might be Teresa went to the store and just prayed that God would allow them to be on sale. When she got to the store she picked up a coupon book just to see what was in it. She looked through most of the book and then came to a $4 off coupon for the exact razors Kimmy had asked her to purchase. You can't tell me that God is not personal and that He doesn't like to show off in even the smallest ways, making them seem big. It could have been another razor, but NOO it was the exact ones she had asked for.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
PG Update
I have been back at PG for a couple days now and it is good to be back in some sort of productive mode- but things are looking pretty bleak right now on the sales side. We have a good batch of leads coming in but people are slow to make decisions right now.
Here is what I would like you to pray for.
We are really at a pivotal point in the life of PG. If something doesn't break pretty soon we could be in a very serious place. Please pray that God would act on our behalf and allow sales to close and soon. What I would really like to happen- as if I have a say- is that He would not only work but that He would work in an amazing way. Here is why I say that.
If He just allows us to squeak through this time there will be those who say that it is because of our advertising, or business prowess that we succeeded. But, if He really blows the doors open then there will only be one explanation and that is Him. Kind of like the adoption process- there is no way that could happen w/o Him intervening.
We have many families whose livelihoods are dependent on PG and I would love to have them continue that course if He allows. This is so much over my head that it isn't even funny, in fact it is so far over my head that I really am not too anxious about it because there is nothing I can really do about it.
Pray that we would be faithful to Him, whatever happens, and that He would work on or behalf and show off His power. I have no doubt that He is more than able to work exceedingly abundantly more than I can ask or think, I am just not sure if He will act on our behalf.
Thanks for all your encouragement and please pray like our lives depend on it.
Ps. 40:16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Here is what I would like you to pray for.
We are really at a pivotal point in the life of PG. If something doesn't break pretty soon we could be in a very serious place. Please pray that God would act on our behalf and allow sales to close and soon. What I would really like to happen- as if I have a say- is that He would not only work but that He would work in an amazing way. Here is why I say that.
If He just allows us to squeak through this time there will be those who say that it is because of our advertising, or business prowess that we succeeded. But, if He really blows the doors open then there will only be one explanation and that is Him. Kind of like the adoption process- there is no way that could happen w/o Him intervening.
We have many families whose livelihoods are dependent on PG and I would love to have them continue that course if He allows. This is so much over my head that it isn't even funny, in fact it is so far over my head that I really am not too anxious about it because there is nothing I can really do about it.
Pray that we would be faithful to Him, whatever happens, and that He would work on or behalf and show off His power. I have no doubt that He is more than able to work exceedingly abundantly more than I can ask or think, I am just not sure if He will act on our behalf.
Thanks for all your encouragement and please pray like our lives depend on it.
Ps. 40:16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, "Great is the LORD!"
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Great and Precious Promises
God has a way of bringing encouragement at the right time and He uses all different means to bring it. It might be your tongue He has used to encourage a brother or a sister. It might be circumstances that are brighter today than they were yesterday. It might be His Word-full of promises- that just "happens" in your Bible reading plan. Or it may be in a book you are reading whose pages are full of sweet honey for your soul that day. Whatever the means- God has it orchestrated for our good, His glory and our delight.
Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" is that way for me and here is an excerpt from its ever dripping pages- I did change a few of the words to make it less "old English".
"God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, 'Lord, do as You have said.
'We glorify God when we plead his promises. Do you think that God will be any poorer for giving you the riches he has promised? Do you dream that he will be any less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine he will be any less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'
Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, 'This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?' but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, 'Lord, here is the promise, ‘Do as You have said.’' Our Lord replies, 'Be it to you even as you will.'
When a Christian grasps a promise, if he does not take it to God, he dishonors him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, 'Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, ‘You have said it;’ then his desire shall be granted.
Our heavenly Banker delights to cash his own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your unrelentingly reminding him of his promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is his delight to bestow favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep his promises; therefore go at once to the throne with 'Do as You have said.'" Spurgeon.
So what of these promises that God has filled His Word with? What am I to do with them? When am I to use them for myself and for others? What might that look like? I have been thinking quite a bit about this since I read this some time back.
I know I am not deserving of God's promises. I don't wake up in the morning and think, "God should do this for me", even if He has promised it in His Word- I just don't think that way. As I write it on this page, after reading the quote again, I have to say that this may be pride on my part. Doesn't God want us to rehearse His promises to Him? Has He not given these promises for me to bring back to Him? Didn't He "show off" to Pharaoh so that the Israelites would look back and tell the coming generations what He did? Well- is it different for us today?
Before I give this example I want to remind you again that I am not worthy to receive any good thing from His hand- He just promises to give to those who obey- and this obedience is not perfection or none of His promises would be good to any of us, because there are none who fulfill the requirements perfectly.
Take Ps. 112 for example. Verse 1 gives the prerequisite and the balance of the chapter is full of promises to grasp.
"Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!"
I read this verse and say to myself- "You fear the Lord and you delight in His commandments" and then Satan follows that up with, "Well, you don't fear Him all the time and you have other things that you delight in, so maybe the following promises are not really for you- they're for someone more sanctified than you". If I believe those lies then I have let God's promises go unused. Remember- His promises will never fail and they are never depleted. It's not like if I get these promises today that someone else will have to go without- His storehouse is never empty.
So again, how can we claim these promises for ourselves and for others? At great risk of sounding proud I am giving this example but I want to make the point clear and I know my own shortcomings all too well.
As my friend you might pray this promise for me- and I hope you will- and I hope this opens a door for you to pray this way for yourself and for others. "Father- I know Chuck is not perfect but I do know that You have worked in his heart and are conforming him to the image of Your Son. I know that he fears You and delights in Your Word. You have promised in Ps. 112 to; make his offspring mighty in the land; please do that so that You might be glorified in his family- so that the world may know he follows You because of the blessing his children are to others.
You have also promised that wealth and riches would be in his house, and that his righteousness would endure forever. Father, You control all the world's finances and it is nothing to You to give to him. You own the cattle on a thousand hills and Your storehouses are never empty- so delight Yourself by giving to one who delights in You.
You also promised that light would dawn in the darkness for the upright; He is not perfectly upright, but You are working in his heart to make him like Your Son and so allow even the dark financial days that we are in now to shine brightly for him and his family. You are the One Who gives abundantly and it is no hard task for You to fill this promise for him. You also promised that it would be well with the man who deals generously and lends; the one who conducts his affairs with justice. Again Father, Chuck is not perfect and he doesn't deserve all that You have already given to him, but I believe You have worked in his heart and I believe these traits are in him, so please deal generously with him now and allow the light to shine for him now."
It is hard for me to write this, but I don't think this way myself and I need His promises prayed for me and for PG. I have no plan "B"- I have plan "A"; Trust God to deliver me from all my troubles. Trust in Him and He will act. Trust in Him with all my heart, don't lean on my own understanding, acknowledge Him in all I do and then bank on the promise that He will direct my path. I am not smart enough to have another way. I am not wealthy enough to bank roll all that is entrusted to me. If He does not act I am done- but oh what a great place to be.
So many times God waited until there were no more options for His children but the one way He gave. I think He did that so there would be no way for them to take credit for the outcome. I am good with that. I don't ever want to accept credit for what God has done.
This is a long post to say that I need you to pray for me- that God would uphold our business and our family in this crazy time. I know I am can't earn any of the promises He gives and that is the point of His grace to each one of us- we don't deserve such an amazingly good and generous Father and yet He loves to lavish all these promises on us so we will praise Him all the more.
Thanks for all your encouragement to me over the past couple years. It is coming up on 2 years since Grant's event. Wow, how time flies.
Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" is that way for me and here is an excerpt from its ever dripping pages- I did change a few of the words to make it less "old English".
"God’s promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; he intended that they should be used. God’s gold is not miser’s money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, 'Lord, do as You have said.
'We glorify God when we plead his promises. Do you think that God will be any poorer for giving you the riches he has promised? Do you dream that he will be any less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine he will be any less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said 'Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.'
Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, 'This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?' but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, 'Lord, here is the promise, ‘Do as You have said.’' Our Lord replies, 'Be it to you even as you will.'
When a Christian grasps a promise, if he does not take it to God, he dishonors him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, 'Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, ‘You have said it;’ then his desire shall be granted.
Our heavenly Banker delights to cash his own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your unrelentingly reminding him of his promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is his delight to bestow favors. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep his promises; therefore go at once to the throne with 'Do as You have said.'" Spurgeon.
So what of these promises that God has filled His Word with? What am I to do with them? When am I to use them for myself and for others? What might that look like? I have been thinking quite a bit about this since I read this some time back.
I know I am not deserving of God's promises. I don't wake up in the morning and think, "God should do this for me", even if He has promised it in His Word- I just don't think that way. As I write it on this page, after reading the quote again, I have to say that this may be pride on my part. Doesn't God want us to rehearse His promises to Him? Has He not given these promises for me to bring back to Him? Didn't He "show off" to Pharaoh so that the Israelites would look back and tell the coming generations what He did? Well- is it different for us today?
Before I give this example I want to remind you again that I am not worthy to receive any good thing from His hand- He just promises to give to those who obey- and this obedience is not perfection or none of His promises would be good to any of us, because there are none who fulfill the requirements perfectly.
Take Ps. 112 for example. Verse 1 gives the prerequisite and the balance of the chapter is full of promises to grasp.
"Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commandments!"
I read this verse and say to myself- "You fear the Lord and you delight in His commandments" and then Satan follows that up with, "Well, you don't fear Him all the time and you have other things that you delight in, so maybe the following promises are not really for you- they're for someone more sanctified than you". If I believe those lies then I have let God's promises go unused. Remember- His promises will never fail and they are never depleted. It's not like if I get these promises today that someone else will have to go without- His storehouse is never empty.
So again, how can we claim these promises for ourselves and for others? At great risk of sounding proud I am giving this example but I want to make the point clear and I know my own shortcomings all too well.
As my friend you might pray this promise for me- and I hope you will- and I hope this opens a door for you to pray this way for yourself and for others. "Father- I know Chuck is not perfect but I do know that You have worked in his heart and are conforming him to the image of Your Son. I know that he fears You and delights in Your Word. You have promised in Ps. 112 to; make his offspring mighty in the land; please do that so that You might be glorified in his family- so that the world may know he follows You because of the blessing his children are to others.
You have also promised that wealth and riches would be in his house, and that his righteousness would endure forever. Father, You control all the world's finances and it is nothing to You to give to him. You own the cattle on a thousand hills and Your storehouses are never empty- so delight Yourself by giving to one who delights in You.
You also promised that light would dawn in the darkness for the upright; He is not perfectly upright, but You are working in his heart to make him like Your Son and so allow even the dark financial days that we are in now to shine brightly for him and his family. You are the One Who gives abundantly and it is no hard task for You to fill this promise for him. You also promised that it would be well with the man who deals generously and lends; the one who conducts his affairs with justice. Again Father, Chuck is not perfect and he doesn't deserve all that You have already given to him, but I believe You have worked in his heart and I believe these traits are in him, so please deal generously with him now and allow the light to shine for him now."
It is hard for me to write this, but I don't think this way myself and I need His promises prayed for me and for PG. I have no plan "B"- I have plan "A"; Trust God to deliver me from all my troubles. Trust in Him and He will act. Trust in Him with all my heart, don't lean on my own understanding, acknowledge Him in all I do and then bank on the promise that He will direct my path. I am not smart enough to have another way. I am not wealthy enough to bank roll all that is entrusted to me. If He does not act I am done- but oh what a great place to be.
So many times God waited until there were no more options for His children but the one way He gave. I think He did that so there would be no way for them to take credit for the outcome. I am good with that. I don't ever want to accept credit for what God has done.
This is a long post to say that I need you to pray for me- that God would uphold our business and our family in this crazy time. I know I am can't earn any of the promises He gives and that is the point of His grace to each one of us- we don't deserve such an amazingly good and generous Father and yet He loves to lavish all these promises on us so we will praise Him all the more.
Thanks for all your encouragement to me over the past couple years. It is coming up on 2 years since Grant's event. Wow, how time flies.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Father of the Bride Blog
I started a new blog about the wedding process. It is linked on the side under "Father of the Bride".
All the Way my Savior Leads me
It's good to be back in America and hopefully back to a more normal routine, after spending 20 days in China. I like my early morning time, off by myself with my Lord, and sharing a small hotel room with T and John David was not the easiest place to do this, especially with restricted Chinese internet. But alas I am back.
I am pretty sure that life is not about to get much easier- new son home, wedding closing in, business still dragging from the economy and just life in general. But what of an easy life? Is an easy life all that it's cracked up to be? Should there be a draw for me to have it easy? Is the Christian life a life that is supposed to be a cake walk- just a stroll through the park and in the end we arrive in Jesus arms?
There are some who go this way of ease, but it does seem that the ones God uses most are those whom He gives many trials.
One such a person is Fanny Crosby. Born in 1820 and at 6 weeks got a cold. Her normal family doctor was not available so they called in someone else and he prescribed to her parents a paste for her eyes that left her blind. She often said that she would not trade her blindness for sight because with sight she may have been too distracted by the beautiful things God has created to have sung all the songs she did in her mind before dictating them to someone to write down for her. She lived almost 95 years in the dark and wrote some 8000 songs, many under different pen names. Some of those songs are songs we still sing. To name a few; Blessed Assurance, My Savior first of all and All the way my Savior leads me.
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.
This little lady was used by God to impact generations of believers and though she was born to poor parents and her father died when she was just a year old, she had audience with presidents.
Sometimes He leads us in paths that don't seem best when we start walking, but He knows what is best and He uses those who are willing to be spent by Him and for Him.
I am pretty sure that life is not about to get much easier- new son home, wedding closing in, business still dragging from the economy and just life in general. But what of an easy life? Is an easy life all that it's cracked up to be? Should there be a draw for me to have it easy? Is the Christian life a life that is supposed to be a cake walk- just a stroll through the park and in the end we arrive in Jesus arms?
There are some who go this way of ease, but it does seem that the ones God uses most are those whom He gives many trials.
One such a person is Fanny Crosby. Born in 1820 and at 6 weeks got a cold. Her normal family doctor was not available so they called in someone else and he prescribed to her parents a paste for her eyes that left her blind. She often said that she would not trade her blindness for sight because with sight she may have been too distracted by the beautiful things God has created to have sung all the songs she did in her mind before dictating them to someone to write down for her. She lived almost 95 years in the dark and wrote some 8000 songs, many under different pen names. Some of those songs are songs we still sing. To name a few; Blessed Assurance, My Savior first of all and All the way my Savior leads me.
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.
This little lady was used by God to impact generations of believers and though she was born to poor parents and her father died when she was just a year old, she had audience with presidents.
Sometimes He leads us in paths that don't seem best when we start walking, but He knows what is best and He uses those who are willing to be spent by Him and for Him.
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