Showing posts with label Matt Redman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Matt Redman. Show all posts

Saturday, April 1, 2023

Because of Calvary-Be Glad (Palm Sunday weekend mediation)



The beginning of Psalm 32

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not [b]impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

...and then the ending

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, 
mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!


King of Calvary-Matt Redman



Be glad and shout for joy
All we who have believed
No power on earth can destroy
What Calvary achieved

Be glad and overjoyed
Hope crowns each step we trod
Where none can nullify or void
The promises of God

Be glad; Exalt the name
Of He who forgives sins
And grants the gift that all may claim
As faith its fight begins

Be glad, for our God reigns
His steadfast love prevails
Take heart and trust He who sustains
The Word that never fails

Be glad; beyond life’s cares
Awaits the victory
Joy crowns faith’s pilgrimage of prayers
Because of Calvary

Be glad and trust in He
Who is not overthrown
Fret not evil’s prosperity
That soon will be cut down

Be glad no matter what
Do not love’s law forsake
For God upholds the righteous but
The wicked He will break

Be glad and wait on He
Who Salvation’s cross braved
Be glad because of Calvary
Doomed sinner can be saved

Our hope is in the Lord
What blessed hope is He
Whose imperishable reward
Unfolds eternally

© Janet Martin

sometimes the darkness of  the world 
where the wicked seem to prosper 
could threaten to overshadow the Light!
May that never be!
But may His Word ever be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path
Ps.119:105

If in Christ we have hope in this life only, 
we are of all people most to be pitied.

So that being justified by his grace 
we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Psalm 37

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.

3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.

7Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.

9For evildoers shall be [b]cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
11But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

12The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
14The wicked have drawn the sword
And have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and needy,
To slay those who are of upright conduct.
15Their sword shall enter their own heart,
And their bows shall be broken.

16A little that a righteous man has
Is better than the riches of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
But the Lord upholds the righteous.

18The Lord knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever.
19They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
20But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the Lord,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away.

21The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be [c]cut off.

23The steps of a good man are [d]ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.
24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

25I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.
26He is [e]ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

27Depart from evil, and do good;
And dwell forevermore.
28For the Lord loves justice,
And does not forsake His saints;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off.
29The righteous shall inherit the land,
And dwell in it forever.

30The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall [f]slide.

32The wicked watches the righteous,
And seeks to slay him.
33The Lord will not leave him in his hand,
Nor condemn him when he is judged.

34Wait on the Lord,
And keep His way,
And He shall exalt you to inherit the land;
When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.
35I have seen the wicked in great power,
And spreading himself like a native green tree.
36Yet [g]he passed away, and behold, he was no more;
Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found.

37Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright;
For the future of that man is peace.
38But the transgressors shall be destroyed together;
The future of the wicked shall be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
He is their strength in the time of trouble.
40And the Lord shall help them and deliver them;
He shall deliver them from the wicked,
And save them,
Because they trust in Him.










Tuesday, February 16, 2021

What Wonder Fulfilled



Inspired in part by this morning's Ann Voskamp's FB daily devotionals,
after a night of finding MUCH to worry pray about!


1 Pet.5:7
...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Psalm 23:4
'Thou art with me'

Sometimes these verses above slip our mind
as we flounder in the gutter of
Worry/concern!

Today's prayer;
Dear Lord, Help us to cling to You
With faith's tenacity 
But if faith's grip should slip, to see
It is You holding we
Amen~





What joy to know, no matter what 
We are not all alone 
The One who made us never does 
Forsake His very own 
What comfort sweet to cast our care 
On Him, who sees and knows 
Then find the faith to leave it where 
No foe can interpose 

What peace to release to His keep 
The way that we must go 
Where, though the valley seems so deep 
What confidence to know 
That with us IS a Counselor, 
A Comforter and Friend 
One who equips His follower 
His edicts to defend 

What love, that He does not cast out 
We, prone to doubt and fear 
But hears us; we don’t need to shout 
He understands a tear 
What love that He should pay the price 
And that His law would be 
Mercy, rather than sacrifice 
To honour His decree 

© Janet Martin

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Awesome Advocate

Jim called a few minutes ago while I was 'finessing' this post
with a cool little reminder of God's goodness, mercy and faithfulness
to wherever we are; even shoveling manure! 
He had just finished cleaning out his trailer with a less
than ideal fork because someone 'borrowed' his good one...
the manure was deep and heavy and
he felt extremely oppressed by despair, fatigue and fuming frustration!
Then his phone dinged; it was the verse of the day;
1 Peter 5: 6-8
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, 
so that in due time He may exalt you. 
8Be sober-minded and alert. 
Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, 
seeking someone to devour.…

And it completely changed his focus!
He decided to call and see if by any chance
I was marveling over the morning in poem...😄

The scorner only sees a sky
Where Mercy's fountains brim
To fill the framework of the eye
With Outer Fringe of Him



And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper we hear of him!
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?
Job 26:14



Emblazoned on the heavens, Mercy authorizes dawn 
As dark with gold is riven by a Hand we cannot see 
And from a sacred Ledger, one more page of time is drawn 
To keep the pledge God made to Noah and his family 
‘As long as earth remains… the day and night will never cease’ 
As long as grace sustains the channels of time’s fleeting lease 

We, beneath this divine allotment are all called by Him 
Though He is oft forgotten in the thick of common need 
While celestial inkwells with His Advocation brim 
Where God is ever-faithful in all that He has decreed 
Then ought we not with humble yearning seek to keep our ‘yes’ 
To He who is not slack concerning all His promises 

This precious interlude between the cradle and the grave 
Where tokens of mercy renewed each morning floods the air 
Is far more than The Thinning Dark as night is turned to day 
It is the Ark still open for all to heed and prepare 
Where recompense to our response is drawing very near 
…the extent of Souled audience far more than we appear 

© Janet Martin





Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Beneath It All



In life’s uncertainties,

when I close my eyes

and envision His nail-scarred hands

beneath each situation

it helps me trust…



Beneath the ebb and flow of hold-let-go, the stilly sweep
Of moments, days and years that pass into that long, last deep
Beneath Uncertainty and all we cannot know or see
The hands that bore the nails abide to carry you and me

I want for naught but to remember what I easily forget
That, though I have no answers God, our God is faithful yet
Beneath life’s laughter-tear-faith-fear Unknown I'm glad to know
The hands that bore the nails abide and never let us go

© Janet Martin