The Greatest Wonder of the World

The longer we live

the surer we see

Truth never lies.

Psalm 40:4
Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, 

who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

John 17:17

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Isa.55:1

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; 

And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. 

Yes, come, buy wine and milk 

Without money and without price.

Come As You Are

A fountain springs eternal and tis not the fount of youth

It is the undefeated, un-depleted Fount of Truth

The truth that love will never fail and God is always good

And He is patient as we learn to love the way we should

The truth is, as long as we live there is something to learn

Each new day is a one-time gift, to which none can return

Who we love most we serve; action needs no words to explain

The tree grows stronger as it weathers the wind and the rain

The eyes and ears of children are quick, curious and keen

Absorbing what they see and hear with hearts tender and green

With mind astute, soon the first fruit of influence will tell

Pray, we weigh what we do and say and teach our children well

For the Truth IS; it cannot change to please vain folly's whim

We will reap what we sow; and every knee will bow to Him

God is not mocked; His glory is declared by heaven's throng

Where none can interrupt or mar their firmamental song

Truth is the bedrock of sound teaching and integrity

Its jurisdiction as far-reaching as eternity

It does not shift or alter in a world, compromise-bent

Its verdict does not falter in the face of argument

The truth speaks without words; wisdom’s immutable defense

It galvanizes courage; girds our words with confidence

It gleams, untarnished by the lies that lord but cannot faze

The Fount that pours from God, all-wise, to fill our souls with praise

His Word is truth; a Fount sourced from I AM, ageless and First

He beckons everybody come and satisfy their thirst

For knowledge from a Source unfurled for both the aged and youth

The Greatest Wonder of the world; it is the Fount of Truth

Janet Martin

Jude 25

To the only wise God our Saviour, 

be glory and majesty,

 dominion and power,

 both now and ever.

Amen.

Psalm 1

1Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.

3He shall be like a tree

Planted by the [c]rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper.

4The ungodly are not so,

But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing (lyrics & chord) Chris Rice

In the Quietude of Awe...

Just as the body needs nourishment to thrive...

so too, the soul!

Ps.34:8

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Matt. 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

For they shall be filled.

Ps.31:19

How great is Your goodness,

Which You have stored up for those who fear You,

Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,

Before the sons of men!

Psalm 119:103

How sweet are Your words to my taste—

sweeter than honey in my mouth!

Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them.

Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight.

For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

Ps.46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Isaiah 30:15

For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said:

 “By repentance and rest you would be saved; 

your strength would lie in quiet confidence—

but you were not willing.”

***

We have within, a sacred rill from which our spirits draw

But it runs dry lest we are still for God to will and do

His good pleasure of restoring our souls to holy awe

So we can face life's roaring tolls, refreshed by heaven's dew

Be still where living bread is found and living water flows  

Take off your shoes where holy ground of earth and heaven meet 

Like Elijah, drink from the brook the Word of God bestows

In life's wildernesses, ah look! Here manna, honeysweet 

What profit this; to gain the world at the cost of the soul 

To haste and miss the Fount unfurled, where healing tides are spilled 

To discover the pure delight of faith cheered and made whole

As we hunger and thirst for righteousness, then and there filled 

Be still and know that He is God; then let His love renew

Our strength so we can run and not weary; walk and not faint

For unless we are still, how can God fill the rill with Dew

That nourishes the soul of man and empowers the saint 

On storm-tossed sweeps, dew cannot fall, but oh, when we are still

So still, we do not even call on Him with creature-cry

Then, in the quietude of awe showers of grace refill

The rill within, so we can draw and not find it run dry 

Janet Martin

Be Still, My Soul-Libera Boy's Choir

Faith's Flawed and Fumbling Plea...

First, a Homefront update! 

Dad was able to come home on Sunday and

mom was released a few days before!

Thank-you for continued prayers for dad to heal from his surgery

and for mom's strength to be restored 🙏💖

if/as the Lord wills!

Heb.11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

As the morning light melts the night's sky

so the light of God's Word melts shadows of doubt, despair and fear!

Provide, dear Lord, provide

Wisdom, through Thy Word's light

To be a clear and steadfast guide

To steer faith's feet aright

Anoint, dear Lord, anoint

Our hearts and lips with praise

When hopeful dreamlands disappoint

Still let Thy Word amaze

Console, dear Lord, console

When sorrow's tear-seas spill

Where loss of loved one leaves a hole

Only Thy Word can fill

Comfort, Lord, comfort then

Cheer up and undergird

Help us to humbly hope again

Surrendered to Thy Word  

Convict, dear Lord, convict

Where erring will runs wild

Bid conscience be palpably pricked

Through Thy Word to Thy child

Refine, dear Lord, refine

The motive of each plea

Until we utterly resign

Our word and will to Thee

Restore, dear Lord, restore

Love's allegiance to seek 

Thy Word, heart, soul and mind before

Lifetime is left to speak

Attend, dear Lord, attend

Faith's flawed and fumbling plea

Through Thy Word let mercy amend

The prayer that reaches Thee 

Janet Martin

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

Give Me Jesus With Lyrics Artist: Fernando Ortega

 

 

To Trust or Fret...

Matt.11:28-30

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, 

and I will give you rest. 

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

There is no merit in worrying about tomorrow, is there?!

Nothing we anxiously suppose can change

 what waits to be, where the unknown spans.

But, there is great merit in considering what will be 

and taking great care as we make choices, 

looking not only to its immediate gratification, but to its ripple effect. 

Children will be influenced by their environment;

what they hear and see.

They will learn, often when we think not!

They will grow up, Lord willing,

They will search for truth!

We all will give account for what we do/did

with what God gives/gave us; life!

The choices we make matter eternally!

Rom.14:12

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Ps.130:3-4

If You, O LORD, kept track of iniquities,

then who, O Lord, could stand?

But with You there is forgiveness,

so that You may be feared.

To hide the Word of God in our hearts

so that He can speak to us through His word

will equip us to guard our heart and mind

from enemy forces such as worry, pride, discontentment,

discouragement, doubt and bitterness.

(oh, how He loves us!!)

And His word will equip us to shine His light/love

and speak to others about Him.

Thy Word is Like a Garden, Lord (lyrics by Edwin Hodder)

To fret about the 'yet' that hails

Beyond the holy ground of 'Now' 

Is to blaze phantom, futile trails

Through scenes God may never allow 

To hide God's word within our hearts

Will anchor, instruct, cheer and gird

Then, with sound doctrine He imparts

We will not fret but trust his Word

To trust His word of truth and love

Will grant us courage to proceed

Content to know it is enough

To know God will supply our need 

Whatever today's dues deploy

Wherever we may hap to be

Pray God unfurls a hymn of joy

Because the truth has set us free

...from fretting where a yet-bent tide

Eddies and foams and whorls and seethes

Where goodness and mercy abide

To fill the trusting heart with peace

This life is full of cares and fears

Unknowns are full of untold 'yet'

His Word alone comforts and cheers

We choose to either trust or fret

Janet Martin

Ps.138:8

The Lord will [a]perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

More Love To Thee - Fernando Ortega

The Inexhaustible 'More' of God's Word

2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 8

For the 2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge, 

poets write a poem a day in the month of November. 

Day 8 is to write a more poem...

Ps.139:17-18

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, 

they would be more in number than the sand;

When I awake, I am still with You.

As I puttered about the house, doing Saturday tasks

like muffin-making...

...I listened to the beautiful funeral message for Cecil Shoemaker,

(someone with close ties to many people we know)

who passed in the blink of an eye, from Time into Eternity.

In my own grief-journey I often marvel 

at the sweetness of joy to comfort sorrow,

as the death of a loved one who has received

the gift of salvation when they put their faith in Jesus,

transports them to the presence of God. 

What joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet.1:8

fills the aching void!

I am so thankful for the Word of God

filled with truths that will never fail!

Every Christian, regardless of denomination

turns to the same Word of God

to be taught and encouraged etc. 

Because...

What hope the Word of God secures

In a world plagued with sin

What peace the Word of God assures

To all who trust in Him

What grace the Word of God proclaims

To save the deathless soul

And spare us from eternal flames

As endless ages roll 

What joy the Word of God bestows

To all who love his law

What wealth of wisdom overflows

What height and depth of awe

What truth the Word of God makes known

To calm confusion's gale 

Truth's Everlasting Cornerstone

Will never shift or fail

What might the Word of God instills

With power from on high

All He has promised He fulfills

His decrees never lie

What help the Word of God supplies

What answer to our prayers

Enough to know He hears our cries

Enough to know He cares

What worth the Word of God unveils

We cannot comprehend

Love and mercy that never fails

Purpose no one can bend

What cheer the Word of God imparts

He comforts us. Amen

Bringing courage to fainting hearts

To strengthen faith again 

God's Word is a light to the world

A beacon undeterred 

The path of righteousness unfurled

Through the light of His Word 

God's word is faithful to correct

Exhort, safeguard and guide

 Oh, pray that we do not reject

 His Presence to preside 

What love the Word of God confirms

Proved through salvation's price

What merciful, relentless terms

Succeeds His sacrifice

What life the Word of God commands

What confidence in death

To rest assured within the Hands 

Who hold/made Heaven and earth

What praise the word of God inspires

He paid salvation's cost

Because He utterly desires

That not one soul be lost

What more and more the Word of God

Reveals to all who seek

His holy, just judgment, unflawed

To satisfy the meek

The more we seek the more we find

Humbler, purer delight

As God equips heart, soul and mind 

To walk by faith, not sight

Janet Martin

1 Pet.1:22-25

22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth 

[i]through the Spirit in [j]sincere love of the brethren,

 love one another fervently with a pure heart, 

23 having been born again, not of [k]corruptible seed but [l]incorruptible,

 through the word of God which lives and abides [m]forever, 

24 because

“All flesh is as grass,

And all [n]the glory of man as the flower of the grass.

The grass withers,

And its flower falls away,

25 But the [o]word of the Lord endures forever.”

Redemption's Groaning Gate Flings Wide...

 My sister Lucy's granddaughter picked these wildflowers for me the other day...

I don't think she noticed the tears I choked back as I was honoured

by her innocent eagerness.

The mug seemed the perfect vase for my utter joy and sorrow!

Below is a collection of verses to treasure as they comfort and cheer the soul

and remind us of what matters most!

Psalm 25:14

The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD God is a sun and a shield;

 the LORD gives grace and glory;

 He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.

Psalm 115:13

He will bless those who fear the LORD—small and great alike.

Psalm 5:12

For surely You, O LORD, bless the righteous; 

You surround them with the shield of Your favor.

Ps.69:15

But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.

Ps.119:153-160

153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:

 for I do not forget thy law.

154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: 

quicken me according to thy word.

155 Salvation is far from the wicked: 

for they seek not thy statutes.

156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord:

 quicken me according to thy judgments.

157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; 

yet do I not decline from thy testimonies.

158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; 

because they kept not thy word.

159 Consider how I love thy precepts:

 quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness.

160 Thy word is true from the beginning: 

and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born...

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn... 

Redemption's groaning gate flings wide and a new day is born

A multitude of mercies smiles upon a world sin-worn 

The Author of Salvation who appoints what none can trace

Once more anoints creation with un-stoppered love and grace

Regret, remorse, repentance spar within the human heart 

God's holiness and man's pride are a humble prayer apart 

Oh Lord, rebuke my erring will, waiting to cause offence 

So the purposes You fulfill/instill may have preeminence 

The truth of your salvation comforts all who fear You, LORD 

Imbue deep dedication to the counsel of Your Word

Lest, for the lack of earnest heed I look away and drift

Forgetting who supplies my need with truths that do not shift 

Delight thrills all who love Your law with thoughts too rare to speak

My spirit thirsts for constant awe, but oh, my flesh is weak

Prone to descend the slippery slope of half-truth to appease

The carnal foe to Living Hope with 'come soul, take thine ease '

Each edict of your Word is true, where faith sees but in part  

Lord, help me learn it through and through and hide it in my heart 

So that I do not grieve you, Saviour, but with yielded will

Reverence the Shield of Your favour as Your mercies spill

Janet Martin  

 

 

Love's Law Of...(First things First)

While the layout of each lesson-book may vary

the requirement and result are universal because

we reap what we sow

and God is not mocked! Gal.6:7

I've been on a stretch of demanding days and

half-sleep nights. During the night, last night

the electricity must have blinked off and since I don't

have a battery back-up in my alarm clock

and since I had the blind and room-darkening curtains pulled

and since I had a sound sleep last night, I was appalled when

I looked at my phone and it was... 8:48?!! 😭😬

The tempter was there instantly with 'you over-slept!

no time for devotions today! you must hurry! hurry!"

What a most terrible way, (I have learned from experience)

to hurry, hurry into the day without first thanking and praising God for his mercies renewed,

and then lifting up our 'broken' to Him, our sick, sorrowing and lost loved ones.

Then drinking from the wellspring of His word to have our spirit refreshed and strengthened

because the flesh is weak and prone to fall prey to what it sees...

Circumstance changes constantly...

Last night, snow and ice-ensconced world...

This morning, sunshine drenched world beneath rising temps!

Tis an art the heart must master for life's story to be sweet

Success can lead to disaster if we do not learn its creed

Where the spirit oft is willing but the wanting flesh is weak

Where sight oft seems more fulfilling than ‘faith as a mustard seed’

Tis a test the best of scholars and teachers cannot evade

Nor the tribe that wears blue collars nor miners, nor astronauts

In the end we all will answer for the choices we have made

Be it maestro, merchant, dancer, five-star chef, scrubber of pots

Tis a law of awe and wonder, impossible to detail

Where wellsprings of blessing thunder from each breath no longer cursed

It will enrich dream and duty, a rubric that will not fail

As we marvel at the beauty of love’s law of First things first

© Janet Martin

One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26“What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you read it?”

27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d”

28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live.”

29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Read Jesus answer HERE...v.30-37

Take Time to be Holy

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

Heb.13:8

...leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.
First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Matt. 5:24

Because The Heart Is Prone To Fear...

The heart is prone to fear

The eye to what it sees

Without God’s Word to commandeer

How gullible are these

The ear is how we hear

With voice we speak and sing

Without God’s Word to enrich cheer

How hollow noises ring

From minds, thought is unfurled

The hand follows, with deed

Without God’s Word, to gain the world

Still cannot sustain need

Bodies are born to die

Dust-to-dust, the Soul’s gown

Without God’s Word, hope is a lie

And knowledge but a clown

The Soul, God-breathed, endures

Beyond mortality

Faith in God and His word secures

Its holy destiny/victory

Headlines spew hateful wrath

And forecasts, dark and grim

God’s Word is a Light to our path

No woe/foe its glow can dim

Better to trust the Lord

In all we do not know

Because the power of His Word

No force can overthrow

The heart is prone to fear

Fear blinds us to the hills

Where God draws flaming chariots near

With peace His Word instills

The heart is quick to yield

To fear and dread and doubt

God's Word is both a sword and shield

None can survive without

© Janet Martin

Eph.6:13-17 BSB

13Therefore take up the full armor of God,

 so that when the day of evil comes, 

you will be able to stand your ground, 

and having done everything, to stand.

  14Stand firm then, 

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 

15and with your feet fitted 

with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

  16In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all

 the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17And take the helmet of salvation 

and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God.

Blessed Assurance

My Anchor Holds

With or Without (the Word of God)

We all have a most sacred choice to make;

who we will believe and seek to follow

all the days of our life.

I had almost completed today's post before I

read today's devotion from Streams in the Desert Vol.2

This devotion encapsulates today's post in a briefer,

and beautifully-eloquent read...

 ***

We all, without the Word of God

Would become wise in our own eyes

The truth suppressed by futile thought

Ignorance fostering demise 

Without the Word of God, mankind

Sifts through lesser philosophy 

A world of blind leading the blind

Not knowing that they cannot see 

Without the Word of God we err

Because we do not know the truth

Of He whose love beyond compare

Overflows earth and heav'ns with proof 

© Janet Martin 

***

Sometimes I shutter at statements made

by those who do not know what they do not know

because they do not know the Word of God 

so they invent their own gods.

At other times I shutter at all of us

who have free access to His Word,

who have been taught richly from His Word since childhood

yet have never personally found Him to be our greatest delight!

The Word of God is filled with praises and professions

for the excellence of His Word.

One of my favourite meditation 'pastures' is Ps.119 HERE

Below, a glimpse of its goodness

v. 33-40 NKJV

 ה HE

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,

And I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;

Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

For I delight in it.

36 [a]Incline my heart to Your testimonies,

And not to covetousness.

37 Turn[b] away my eyes from looking at worthless things,

And revive me in [c]Your way.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

Who is devoted to fearing You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

For Your judgments are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Revive me in Your righteousness.

***

And this

Isa.55:10-12

As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower 

and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The snow has certainly come down from the heavens

in abundance this winter!

So much for leaving the old wicker chair out there,

 thinking I would enjoy an occasional 

outdoor morning coffee this winter 😅

What confidence God's Word imparts

A light unto our path

To guide and shepherd stray-prone hearts

With mercy's rod and staff 

What timeless truth His Word defends

His promises endure

Love's perfect law that never ends

Keeps faith's foothold secure

What sustenance His Word bestows

What sacred Bread and Wine

 To quench our thirst and feed our souls

From love's life-giving Vine 

What joy and peace His Word provides

What Hope no dark can dim

For the Word that IS God abides

With all who trust in Him

How incomparable, God's Word

 Eternal wellsprings pour

As page by page, pray hearts are stirred

To love Him more and more

© Janet Martin 

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God.

Wonderful Words of Life

Acappella - I love you Lord