Wow, said my son Matt, as he reverently touched the pages of a neighbor's family heirloom Bible, 'this never changes. These words are still exactly the same now as they were way back then, and way before 'back then'...Yes! and in this book it is written ' Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.' Matthew 24:35
When on those dreamy banks at last we stand
Betaken, not by grief or living’s care
But by the utter glory of a land
Where pinnacles of earth cannot compare
To Heaven; we begin to see at last
Our hope complete; for His love has not failed
Though mockers spit and jeered and stones were cast
In ignorance and hate; God’s love prevailed
For Love cannot be slain; it transcends flesh
While evil threatens to destroy and kill
It cannot take what God instills in us
Our gifted breath He cradles in His will
And when He wills this flesh-blood cup will fall
But death for some, will be our gladder gain
For then we leave this sin-cursed orb of gall
Beyond this thorn-and-thistle port of pain
To eons of thought’s greatest mystery
Alpha, Omega, First and Last, the Same
Where I AM IS: we strain but cannot see
Or grasp the vaguest glimpse of Love’s acclaim
But oh, its Urge within us bids us on
For all we cannot know One Thing is sure
His Word abides; we build our hope upon
Love’s Truth; for its foundation will endure
Hate has no Heaven-promise; only hell
Pray tell then, who can its evil afford?
Soon we will bid this fickle world farewell
And everyone will receive their reward
According to the things which we have done
Not for salvation’s price; but out of Love
By this we prove what words cannot atone
Of whom we serve; this world or God above
For action’s voice is irrefutable
It testifies where speech stutters and fails
Its proof is certain and immutable
And in the end its witness will prevail
The wise take heed and ponder the discourse
Of thought and where its evidence will lead
And who among us has not felt the Force
Of He who seeks to satisfy our Need?
Our Need is universal; it is Love
Man cannot live by bread alone; the soul
Is not sustained by this world’s treasure-trove
Only God’s love fulfills and makes us whole
Clay holds no fortune that can satisfy
It simply keens the hunger of the flesh
The treasures of this world with this world die
Oh, what will succor longings that enmesh
Within the aching vortex of desire
And what will be the purpose to life’s pain
As we grapple and grope through life’s quagmire
If we shun God? Then is our suffering vain,
For hope pleads not from beds of sloth and ease
But from the broken heart, the weak and poor
And while we question suffering’s agonies
We weep to God, for He will not ignore
The cries of those who place their trust in Him
Proclaiming power, not by what we see
But by the promises that yet remain
Until that full and final liberty
When hope that is not seen will be revealed
The glorious climax to salvation’s plan
As the veil where His glory is concealed
Will part and we behold the Son of Man
And then, like Stephen we will cry aloud
‘I see Jesus standing at God’s right hand’
And all the unbelieving and the proud
Will believe, bowing at the judgment stand
Where Love will be the Victor evermore
The wordless groans for which He intercedes,
The anguish and the tears as we implore
Will be banished as Love’s triumph succeeds
The frustrations we were subjected to
By Divine Love, so we would seek and find
Freedom from sin’s bondage thus brought into
His glory as we leave this world behind
The glass we peer through now is dark, but then
When face to face we see the unknown known
His Love will be our ultimate acclaim
As we worship before His holy throne
Where death and sorrow will be wiped away
No pain and crying ever enter there
Though questions fill our answers with dismay
God did not His own beloved Son spare
But offered Him, a living sacrifice
To pay a debt of hate with Love’s pure blood
And we will enter Heaven by Love’s price
Redeemed within Love’s unrelenting flood
For He has suffered and was tempted just as we
But Love will overcome the wiles of hate
This suffering that seems must surely be
Will never pass through Heaven’s gleaming gate
© Janet Martin
Our speaker Gord Martin at this morning's worship service just returned from a visit to Burundi. His topic was Is There Purpose to our Pain? and he showed pictures, told stories of the pain and horror they were told of and witnessed leaving them shaken, as those suffering proclaimed the power and love of God...and he came to the conclusion that many times the only purpose of pain can be that through it we seek Hope, the Living Hope, Jesus Christ.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Romans 8; 18-21
I have to repeat what your son Matt said: Wow!
ReplyDeleteWhat a tour de force Janet!
This Thing (parts 1 & 2) are pillars of strength, love and encouragement. I hope many come to read this.
TUG, thank-you, thank-you, and me too! Christ's love is what binds believers regardless of culture or creed.
ReplyDeleteYes, wow.
That Bible is really, really something. There is a will and testament, hand-written inside the front cover.It was written in March,1859. I'm still trying to find a date in the Bible. We can't locate any but someone told me yesterday that there should be a date somewhere so I'd like to look again. The agelessness of His Word is so tangible when touching these pages, and it has a section of stunning art and historical facts as well.
Our children open our eyes in such a fresh new way!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes they do.
ReplyDelete