Without (The Word of) God...

This morning I wasn't sure what today's poem would/should be about

till I open God's Word. An inexhaustible wellspring 

of awe and exhortation, 

of love's truth and grace!

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

John 17:17

Blessed 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.

Psalm 1:1-2

My soul faints for Your salvation,

But I hope in Your word.

Psalm 119:81

Forever, O Lord,

Your word [n]is settled in heaven.

90Your faithfulness endures to all generations;

Psalm 119:89-90

John 1:1-5

Without the word of God we are so ill-equipped to face

This day that He has made where hope and pitfalls interlace

The Giver of each good and perfect gift of grace appears

Upon each page; He is The Word which guides, instructs and cheers

Then, how the humble heart applauds the gospel we confess

As we are reconciled to God, and clothed in righteousness

‘Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new’

Through He who became sin for us though not one sin He knew

When on the altar of the cross His life He sacrificed

So that we might become heirs and joint-heirs of Jesus Christ

Without the Word of God we do not think the things we should

As human nature silences what is pure, noble, good

Opinionated logic becomes wise in its own eyes

Without the counsel of God’s Word to proclaim, fend, advise

Without His lamp unto our feet and light unto our path

We cannot see where we should walk, led by his rod and staff

Nor feel the shadow of his wing cover us with his care

Nor hear his whisper when life’s sting and slight is hard to bear

Nor know Him as a Teacher, Comforter, Shepherd and Friend

Without His word to edify, sanctify and commend

Without the word of God we are like blind leading the blind

Impossible to love Him with all heart, soul, strength and mind

Without his Word. He IS The Word; the Way, the Truth, The Life

Sharper than a double-edged sword; His word is like a knife

It penetrates the soul and spirit; judges attitude

It is the blade by which the subtil serpent is subdued

It is the seed that falls oh, pray it falls on fertile sod

It is the law of  Love, the gospel by which faith is shod

Then, pray,  we do not face today unarmed, without God’s Word

Lest unaware we fall away from that which we had heard

Without the Word of God we miss the glory of the Lord

The power of his might, severed relationship restored

The healing touch from heaven to the heart and soul of we

Who are so very broken; we miss divine majesty

The wonder where earth thunders with His ways past finding out

The peace that passes understanding's plagues of fear and doubt

We miss out on the living bread and water, pure and sweet

We miss out on the fellowship of sitting at His feet

We miss out on the mustard seed of faith that makes us whole

We miss darling communion with the Saviour of the Soul

 

© Janet Martin

Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

Jeremiah 23:29

"Is not My word like fire," declares the LORD,

"and like a hammer that smashes a rock?"

John 12:48

There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words:

The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

Heb.4:11-13

Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, 

so that no one will fall by following the same pattern of disobedience.

 12For the word of God is living and active.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit,

joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; 

everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes

 of Him to whom we must give account.…

Everlasting Treasure

Psalm 143:8

Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning;

for in thee do I trust:

cause me to know the way wherein I should walk;

for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Psalm 144:15

Happy is that people, that is in such a case: 

yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Jim and I went on a rural Ontario drive yesterday...

We got caught in the middle of a bit of a different kind of traffic-jam!

after Sunday afternoon instruction classes for baptism were over...

This is the time of year when ditches become wild flower gardens

As enjoyable as the drive was, like all outings

its pleasure is momentary...

Earth simply cannot offer anything everlasting...

except God's Word!

Here is a treasure worth seeking!

This is no fruitless endeavor

This is no fool’s gold we seek

When we search the Holy Scriptures

We will find strength for the weak

We will find the road to glory

We will find hope for the soul

We will find love’s sweetest story

For the faith that makes us whole

We will find God’s kind forgiveness

Righteousness, wisdom and joy

Counsel, comfort, Friend and fortress

That no power can destroy

We will find the Rock of Ages

Guidance, armour for the fight

When we search these sacred pages

Full of grace and truth and light

When we search the Holy Scriptures

When upon God’s Word we feed

We will find unfathomed riches

To supply our every need

Here is peace past understanding

Earth’s anchor to Heaven’s throne

Here is assurance unending

Refuge and Chief Cornerstone

When we ask we will be given

When we seek, there we will find

When we knock our God will open

The door of heart, soul and mind

…this is no fruitless endeavor

Here God hears us when we call

Here is everlasting treasure

Without measure, free to all

© Janet Martin

Isa.55:6

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

 call on him while he is near.

Isaiah 26:9

My soul longs for You in the night; 

indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. 

For when Your judgments come upon the earth, 

the people of the world learn righteousness.

Isaiah 45:19

I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness.

 I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, 'Seek Me in a wasteland.'

 I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

Isaiah 45:22

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; 

for I am God, and there is no other.

To Know Makes All the Difference (for the Unknown)

Who knows what Come-what-may waits to unfold today...

(well!! one unknown unfolded already;

 An unexpected day off due to two sick tots)

Here are a few fond frames of yesterday

Side note on photo below: while we 'swang' we sang every song we could think of...

including what might be the longest version of Old MacDonald's Farm ever known 😂

The Knowing keeps dark deeps of Come-What-May in tender check

Morning unmoors the bark of Day with renewed call and beck

Where none can see what waits to be, but He who spreads the skies

Where no sudden calamity His will can compromise

(or, where no sudden calamities can take Him by surprise)

His promises are like a bulwark where dread’s fathoms roll

To know God keeps his every Word comforts the fainting soul

Nothing can separate us from His love that will not fail

He will never forsake us though the glove of faith grows frail

To know He, Whom we have believed is faithful to the end

And though so often we have grieved Him, still, He is our Friend

To know when we confess our sin He forgives and forgets

To know His Spirit dwells within to help us face veiled ‘yets’

To know 'surely His goodness and His mercy follows me'

Grants courage when the darkness of Unknown rolls like a sea

To know His gentle Presence crowns the vale of death’s release

To know He cups both ups and downs bestows hope, joy and peace

© Janet Martin

Romans 15:13

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 

that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I Know Whom I Have Believed

  

The Place Prepared (For We Who Believe)

 The Cleft of the Rock

Unto the Hills

Let not your heart be troubled

Through storms that toss life’s sea

My word is true; I have gone to

Prepare a place for thee

I am Thy tender Shepherd

And Lamb of Calvary

Do not despair; beyond life’s care

The place prepared for thee

Take up thy cross with courage

Though harsh the way may be

Each step, each tear, each prayer draws near

The place prepared for thee

Let not your heart be troubled

If ye believe in Me

Love will not fail; death will unveil

The place prepared for Thee

Then worship Me with gladness

This present misery

Is but the woo that draws thee to

Thy place prepared; with Me

© Janet Martin

John 14:1-6

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 

2In My Father’s house are many [a]mansions; 

if it were not so, [b]I would have told you. 

I go to prepare a place for you. 

3And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and receive you to Myself; 

that where I am, there you may be also. 

4And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going,

 and how can we know the way?”

6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Because We Are His Loved Ones

 

As I pray for they who suffer great sorrow for the loss of loved ones, 

for those in war torn countries or

for those who suffer angst of concern for loved ones in war torn countries, 

for they who suffer the ravages of physical affliction, 

for they who must watch loved ones suffer

and oh, especially for they who have still not believed 

but reject the Saviour of the soul, 

( whose most beloved we are,)

for all who miss out on the joy this world cannot give

Again and again I cast my care on Him 

because He cares for you and me!

Sweet, sweet comfort in the midst of bitter grief!

We are not alone in our suffering...

'After we have suffered a while the God of all grace

who has called us unto His eternal glory

will perfect, strengthen, stablish and settle us!'

2 Pet. 1:10

Amen

Because He cares for me and you, whatever may befall

We need not fret; He’ll see us through our struggles, great and small

Because he bids us cast our every care before His throne

We need not worry for we never bear love’s cross alone

Because He is the Way, the Truth, the Life eternally

We need not join the fruitless strife of doubt’s futility

Because greater is He in us than he of worldly creed

We need not fear, but simply trust for He supplies our need

Because He honours those who honour Him, though scorner’s jeer

We need not let their insults dim the hope that we revere

Because He died so we may live, and bore our sin and shame

We need no purpose but to give all glory to His Name

Because God’s love runs deep and wider than thought’s farthest glim

All that we need He will provide as care is cast on Him

Because of faith’s established goal, though dark the strait between

Our need, the Saviour of the soul, will wholly intervene

Because our utter need is met in faith's redeeming hour

We need not fret; because the cross will never lose its power

© Janet Martin

1 Sam.2:30

But now the LORD says: ‘Far be it from Me; 

for those who honor Me I will honor, 

and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

Far graver than the battle is an illusion of peace

Causing our souls to slumber while evil's armies applaud 

Far graver than war’s fearful horror's while death-tolls increase

Is walking, talking, laughing, living without fear of God

Far graver than faith's groaning as we stand on steadfast guard

Is the seductive courting of diversion's deadly dance

Far graver than the blood and tears that stain streets, sorrow-scarred

Are hands and feet, soft, smooth and lily white with ignorance 

Far graver than the suffering that rouses our pleas

For more than this world can bestow, is life without a care

For, graver than the crushing blow that brings us to our knees

Is living without ever bowing before God in prayer

© Janet Martin

In The Cross The Peterens

Impossibility's Absolute

We in North America still have the freedom to free access to God's Word.

May we NEVER take this richest blessing for granted!

Lest, by not knowing what we do not know

(found only in Holy Scriptures)

we lose our way and ultimately faith's inheritance!

Heb.11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him:

 for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,

 and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Psalm 119:103
How sweet are Your words to my taste--

sweeter than honey in my mouth!

Psalm 119:127
Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, 

even the purest gold.

Psalm 119:96-98

I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit.

 97Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation. 

98Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,

 for they are always with me.…

Hard to have God’s guidance if we do not know His Word

Hard to have faith’s confidence and courage undeterred

Hard to be obedient and have our conscience pricked

If we do not have his Word to urge, exhort, convict

Hard to do our best without The Best Counsel to train

Hard to have our hope fixed without God’s Word to sustain

Hard to keep in perfect peace the mind, without His pow’r

To calm fear within the storm and light life’s darkest hour

Hard to be as thankful as we ought to surely be

To He who broke death’s sentence with Truth that sets us free

Hard to be as holy, humble, kind, obedient

As we ought, without His Word to counter human bent

Hard to know the goodness and the mercy of our God

If at best we give Him but a cold, courteous nod

If at worst He does not cross the mind or heart at all

Hard to find a lifeline when death’s dire shadows fall

Hard to lay up treasure, not on earth, without His Word

To count more precious than pure gold, love never heard

Hard to find a faith-hold/foothold that will not falter or fail

Or a sure foundation against which naught can prevail

Hard to taste joy inexpressible in its delight

His Word, sweeter than honey, judgments altogether right

Hard to love God first and then our neighbor as our self

If His Word is but a Book on some forgotten shelf

© Janet Martin

The word 'hard' in this poem translates to 'impossible'

Proverbs 30:6
Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Revelation 22:18
I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book:

 If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.

Revelation 22:19
And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy,

 God will take away his share in the tree of life 

and the holy city, which are described in this book.

1 Pet.8:7-9

so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, 

which perishes even though refined by fire—

may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; 

and though you do not see Him now, 

you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 

9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, 

the salvation of your souls.…

Who Could Ask For Anything More

 

Wonderful Words of Life

We have Your Word to gird us where without it, we would fail (1 Pet.1:13)

We have Your Word, hope's anchor when the storms of life assail (Heb.6:19)

We have Your Word, a trusty compass to direct and guide (Matt.6:13)

We have Your Word, the Bread of Life to keep Want satisfied (John 6:35)

We have Your Word, the full armour of God to help us stand (Eph.6:10-17)

We have Your Word, the shepherd’s voice, the hollow of His Hand (John 10:27) ( Isa. 40:12)

We have Your Word; the clothing of love's power from on high (Luke 24:49)

We have Your Word; nothing compared to You can satisfy (Ps.16:2)

We have Your Word, in death’s dark vale as comfort’s rod and staff (Ps.23:4)

We have Your word, a lamp to our feet to light our path (Ps.119:105)

We have Your Word, to testify lest false prophets deceive (Matt.7:15-20)

We have Your Word; salvation’s power to all who believe (Rom.1:16)

We have Your Word, a well of Living Water for the soul (John 4:10)

We have Your Word; a Great Physician where faith is made whole (Luke 17:19, Luke 8:48, Luke 7:50)

We have Your Word; the Great Commission’s Handbook for your work (Matt.28:16-20)

We have Your Word; the rubric for a call we dare not shirk (Eph.4:1-6)

We have Your Word; the everlasting law of grace and truth (John 1:17)

We have Your word; profitable for training and reproof (2 Tim.3:16)

We have Your Word; to cleanse our hearts and keep our minds renewed (Ps.51:10-Rom.12)

We have Your Word; to impart humble awe and gratitude (Ps.8:3-4)

We have Your Word; living and sharper than a two-edged sword (Heb.4:12)

We have Your Word; wherein we glimpse the glory of the Lord (Job:26:14)

We have Your word; a love letter that nothing can destroy (Romans 8:38, Psalm 119:89-176)

We have Your Word; in it we find true happiness and joy (Psalm 144:15, Ps.95:1, Jer.15:16)

We have Your Word; to cover us like a mother bird’s wing (Ps.91:4)

We have Your Word to show us how we ought to pray and sing (Matt:5-15, Luke 11:1-4)

We have Your Word; a strong tower to which the righteous run (Prov.18:10)

We have Your Word; a garden where we cry ‘Thy will be done’(Luke 22:42)

We have Your Word; a steadfast Rock of Ages none can move  (1 Cor.3:11) 

We have Your Word; eternity that no one can disprove (Matt.24:35)

We have Your Word; a confidante, a whisper in the dark (Ps.18:6) (Matt.10:27)

We have Your Word; a Door into the safety of Your Ark (John 10:9) (Nahum 1:7)

We have Your Word; love's riches and judgements past finding out (Rom.11:33)

We have Your Word to exalt You and fight demons of doubt (2 Sam.22:47) one of many exaltations!

We have Your Word; Hope undeterred, our righteousness and peace (Psalm 130) (Rom.14:17)

We have Your Word, the Word of God and it will never cease (1 Pet.1:25)

© Janet Martin

Opinion Pole

 

Without God’s Word I think the soul

Would be a big opinion pole

No law of love to temper ire

Or tame the wild flames of desire

No example of Self denied

To rebuke mortal’s stubborn pride

No image of love’s nail-scarred grace

To set us in our humble place

No wisdom, better far than gold

No vast depth of riches untold

No sin to earnestly confess

No higher call than happiness

No Christ-keen conscience thus to heed

No faith that God supplies our need

No trustworthy compass to guide

No Presence to comfort or chide

Without God’s Word the deathless soul

Is a sad, lost opinion pole

© Janet Martin

Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Far More ...

I sighed with delight at His sunrise...

I wept with delight at His Word

My, I thought as I gazed in ecstasy at the break of day,

what could be more beautiful than this?!

Then, I opened His Word and He showed me...

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,

 but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 

20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, 

with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 

21 In him the whole building is joined together 

and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 

22 And in him you too are being built together 

to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Far more than Mercy we bear witness to as heavens pale

And star-galaxies disappear, as morning rends night’s veil

Far more than naked eye observes of wonders to behold

Of earth and its fulness thereof ‘neath daybreak’s blush and gold

While we grapple with outer fringes of love’s boundless store

Forbid we miss what hinges This to fathoms of far more

Far more than the order of seasons and all they bestow

Of bud to bloom and leaf that lilts then falls like autumn snow

Of winter’s bit ‘o bluster before flowers frill the fence

Or bit o’ boast we muster because of His kind diligence

While what we see sparks poetry and stirs us to the core

Forbid we miss the Holy Kiss of ever so much more

Far more than food and drink or ink to fill the sky with prose

Far more than speech can clarify to those who just suppose

Far more than fellowship where numbered days have staked their claim

Where moments slip like falling stars and nothing stays the same

While we learn to adjust as time and change rush undeterred

Forbid we miss the Best There Is from God to man; His Word

Far more to mentor perfect peace than this world can achieve

Far more to help sweet hope increase when doubt tries to deceive

A wellspring beyond measure to feed heart and soul and mind

A vault of priceless treasure only they who seek will find

While from the cradle to the grave where many gods compete

Forbid we miss The Best There Is as faith and Father meet

Forbid we miss the Genesis to Revelation boon

Forbid we miss the sacred bliss as man and God commune

Where new day spills and beauty thrills the hunger of our gaze

Forbid we miss the wonder from His Word of ancient days

While we are here with opportunity to search His Book

Forbid we miss His promises because we didn’t look

The One whose ways we cannot comprehend loves you and me

A Comforter and Friend, His Word, the Truth that sets us free

His Spirit ministers to all who trust and taste and see

His Voice transcends Time’s thrall through divine edict and decree

While Goodness through the ages brims from pages to the soul

Forbid we never find the fount where faith can be made whole

© Janet Martin

Psalm 37:4-5

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Word-Girded

Dear fellow-friend, fellow-trav'ler

I pray for us today

That we would search and trust God's word

To show and lead the way

Eph.6:13-17

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, 

that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 

and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, 

having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

  above all, taking the shield of faith 

with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

  And take the helmet of salvation, 

and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God;

And here it is, all the above in One!

and all other books ever written

cannot take the place of This one, 

the Eternal Word of God...

'Heaven and earth will pass away, 

but my words will never pass away.'

Matt. 24:35

By Thy word, Lord, not mind's logic,

Let the lens that we look through

Slay doubt’s deathly and demonic

Misconceptions about You

Shine Thy word, a lamp to our feet

And a light unto life's path

Let salvation’s message repeat

Man's redemption from Thy wrath

When temptation tries and teases

We are more than conquerors

If we put our faith in Jesus

Man’s divine deliverer

In this world we will have trouble

Sorrow is love’s compromise

Time is like a bobbing bubble

Cupping an eternal prize

By Thy Word, Lord, let love's witness

Be honest and undefiled

Lead us in paths of righteousness

Thou, our/my Father, I/we, Thy Child

Thou, the Author of salvation

Knew our best would be inept

By Thy blood-bought invitation

We are saved if we accept

By Thy Word, Lord, not sight’s onus

Let faith’s mind be stayed on Thee

Let the perfect peace You promise

Be our cry of victory

© Janet Martin

(this post was first written in first person, me/my

then I prayed for my family and changed it to we/our,

then I prayed for my extended family (you)

and in the end it became a poem for all of us!!🙏💖)

Hymn of Joy (Inspired in part by Haitian Hostage release)

Just as the morning sun dissolves night's darkness with light

So Jesus, God's Son,(The True Light) dissolves death's darkness with life

this poem is inspired in part by Luke 18, 19& 20,

by Christmas as we dwell on God's gift to humanity,

by this week's advent theme, God's love,

by today's Daily Bread Devotion,

and by listening to the account from Christian Aid

about the missionaries released after being held captive for 2 months!

(see link below)

The word 'freedom' for them, must surely have a sweeter and deeper joy than ever before!

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives,

 the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God 

in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

Luke 19:37-40

In captivity the missionaries sang, Just like Paul and Silas long ago

(pray their captors too will ask like that jailer did, what must I do to be saved?)

As we begin hearing details about the missionaries who were held captive

in Haiti, we cannot help but we awed by God's faithfulness

and weep for the sheer joy of the hope we have in Him!

Christian Aid Ministry talks about the Haiti hostage release

May we continue to pray for them as they deal with the aftermath of it all!

Into the darkness of the age what joy True Light yet gives

God’s Word abides to show The Way; man’s steadfast hope yet lives

So then with confidence and peace through what we see, or not

We pray God may our faith increase for battles not yet fought

For heart-of-heart humility to obey and to trust

To eclipse the futility of worldly pride and lust

For we seek a city to come (Oh Lord, may it be so)

The perfection of Christendom beyond this world of woe

Beyond the darkness of the age, where, praise God, hope yet lives

To show the way, from page to page by the Light God’s Word gives

Then praise the one true God and keep the stones from crying out

‘He is not dead nor doth he sleep’ oh, may we never doubt

But undeterred press on to Sweet Redemption’s Aftermath

His Word a Lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path

He keeps in perfect peace the mind stayed steadfastly on He

Who is compassionate and kind and forgives you and me

Not repaying accordingly to what our sins deserve

He paid guilt’s debt at Calvary, in love without reserve

His gift of grace for everyone; what joy His True Light gives

God so loved us He gave his Son to save us; hope yet lives

Delight in the law of the Lord and he will give to thee

The full desires of thy heart, from worldly want set free

And as we gaze on He who bought our freedom with His blood

May we be awed anew by the redeeming love of God

And then, not grow disheartened but be filled with gratitude

And worship He who pardoned us, with hearts and minds renewed

To sing with joy and rejoice and again I say rejoice

Do not be silent, boys and girls but give your worship voice

The Beacon of God’s Word still gleams; what joy His True Light gives

Into the darkness of the world it streams and hope yet lives

© Janet Martin

Every so often I share this beautiful hymn because I love Jesus!

Jesus, Only Jesus