Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Restored...


And when they had sung a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives...




In the hour, the dark hour when our spirits groan with grief
When the power, the dark power of despair wars with belief
When the struggle, holy struggle strains faith to the uttermost
As life’s trouble, so much trouble tries the merit of its boast

Have you hasted, humbly hasted to the place where hope’s streams flow?
Have you tasted, sweetly tasted peace this world can never know?
Did you hold a little tighter to God’s Truth that cannot dim?
Did your heart grow strangely lighter as you sat and supped with Him?

Did the wonder of Hope’s Essence cheer you onward to faith’s goal?
Did the Thunder of Love’s Presence drive doubt’s shadows from your soul?
Did today’s Divine Director beckon you to hope’s birthplace?
Did faith’s Author and Perfecter bid you trace the scars of grace?

In the hour, the dark hour when the enemy is bold
Does the power, saving power of the cross increase its hold
Does the path you trod grow clearer, in the lamplight of God’s Word
Does love’s cross you bear grow dearer as faith’s fervor is restored

© Janet Martin

 

 


Friday, January 17, 2025

Sorrow's Sweet Surprise

I came across this photo of us sisters in much care-freer childhood days...
From left to right...
Marlene, Carolyn, Cheryl, Lucy and Janet 💝

Because today marks four months since Lucy's death,
it also marks four months of God's abiding comfort and strength,
and four months of being drawn ever nearer to His
everlasting love...

I'm sharing today and tomorrow's devotion 
because they minister profoundly to all who are traveling
through trouble and sorrow...




I shared the verses below on yesterday's post but I didn't 'unpack' them...

Matt. 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.


Often in ways we would not choose
When love unfolds grief's solemn hues
We find, in sorrow's somber length
The God of all comfort and strength

Often, when disappointments test
The hopes and dreams now laid to rest
We find in sorrow's bitter tear
The God of all comfort is near

And often when (lest we despair)
We pour out broken hearts in prayer 
We find to sorrow's sweet surprise
The God of all comfort replies

We find  'no longer I, but Christ'
As hopes and dreams are sacrificed
We find, as sorrow bows the head 
The God of all comfort instead 

Whose compassion is new each morn
Who comforts mourners, sorrow-worn
Through troubles we would never choose
God ministers with Heaven's hues

© Janet Martin 

And a BIG P.S.

Prayer updates!
Remember the people you prayed for HERE
and HERE?

Our friends had a wonderful trip in spite of the initial disappointment;
not as originally planned but in place of original plans 💖🙏

...and thanks be to God,
 the family who was looking for a home has found one!
Thank-you all for your help and prayers!




Monday, January 13, 2025

When the Cares of Life/Love Encumber...

The word 'hope' unless it is anchored
firm and secure in God's promises
is nothing but a puff of air as it passes
through our lips...





Isa.26:3-4
You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
4Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord,
 is [b]everlasting strength.

Isaiah 35:3
Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!


Job 4:3-4
Surely you have instructed many, 
and have strengthened their feeble hands. 
 Your words have steadied those who stumbled; 
you have braced the knees that were buckling.

***

When the cares of life encumber
When we know not how to cope
He who keeps us does not slumber
But anoints each breath with hope

When a sense of Want oppresses
When faith's enemies accrue
He who satisfies and blesses 
Abides, trustworthy and true

When the brunt of circumstances
Comminutes faith's mustard seed
Our God, rich in mercy grants us
Grace, sufficient for the need

When the Red/Dread Sea rolls before us
And behind, evil hordes prey 
He whose gaze does not ignore us
Will not fail to make a way

When our prayer is but a stammer
  From lips, stripped of eloquence
God, our gracious Interpreter 
Hears the tear and understands 

When the cares of love encumber
When earth's best is bound to fail
He who never sleeps or slumbers
Anchors Hope within the gale

Janet Martin






Ps. 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.


Sunday, January 5, 2025

Sweet and Sacred Solace

Have you confessed before God
that you are a sinner in need of a Saviour?
Have you, by faith received redemption's gift,
salvation for your soul?
Have you experienced the joy and peace 
that only God's full forgiveness brings?
Do you have the assurance, when death comes
That Jesus' death and resurrection
conquered the grave?!
If so, have we not the best reason to rejoice
all the days of our life,
with reverent adoration
for the sweet and sacred solace of
God's abiding Presence, no matter what befalls?!





God is a Redeemer.
When we fall, He cares
Untangling the Dreamer
From besetting snares


God is love. He listens
When we weep He hears
Reaching down from heaven
To gather our tears


God is good and righteous
When faith is deterred
He thrills to delight us
With His faithful word


God is kind and gracious
When we stumble then
Rather than condemn us
He says 'try again'


God is rich in mercy's
Staggering supply
Bidding, but not forcing
How we will reply

© Janet Martin


1 Peter 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things
 such as silver or gold
 that you were redeemed from the empty way of life 
you inherited from your forefathers, 
/ but with the precious blood of Christ, 
a lamb without blemish or spot.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood,
 the forgiveness of our trespasses,
 according to the riches of His grace

Titus 2:14
He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness
 and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,
 zealous for good deeds.


Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
 by becoming a curse for us. 
For it is written:
 “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”






Thursday, January 2, 2025

Dear Mariner of Time...

Happy, happy New Year!

As I was working on today's poem I replied to a Facebook comment
on the previous post...I am Thinking of you, my dear Lucy
And shared with my friend a half-awake-half-asleep dream.
The ambience of that 'dream' helped inspire today's poem!
By this 'dream' I was reminded afresh; 
God has inconceivable joys forevermore in store
for all who believe in Him, when we reach Yonder Shore!

In my 'dream' I suddenly had a 'picture/vision' of God smiling and whispering 
'if you could only imagine the joys I have in store for followers of Me!!'
 and I had this sense of blinding white-gold glory 
and absolute comfort and peace. 
Hard to describe. 
But it has cheered me immensely.

The Race of Faith
Heb.12:1-2
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, 
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, 
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
 2looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, 
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, 
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.




So now into another year we sail...
Dear Mariner of Time, dread not the gale
For hope, through Jesus Christ, anchors the soul
And faith in Him assures us of the Goal

Without a doubt storms wait with shrieking blast
Without a doubt death's shadow will be cast
Without a doubt the sun also will shine
To warm and cheer us, Mariners of Time

The Voyage from the cradle to the grave
Is one each Mariner of Time must brave
Where Telescope of Sight and Logic strains
But cannot see what only faith attains 

Into another year we sail, ahoy
And wonder what will come, of grief and joy
Dear Mariner of Time, dread not the course
No fate can take vessels of faith by force 

The Captain of faith's fleet will never fail
And though He tests the rigging with the gale
Dear Mariner of Time, each Tempest Sore
Sweetens and keens faith's fervour for the Shore 

© Janet Martin






Thursday, August 22, 2024

Because God Is Not a Far-off Father

Sharing some sweet reassurance today,
(because it's so easy to slip into walking by sight!)

Psalm 16:11
You will show me the path of life; 
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ps.55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be [b]moved.

I couldn't decide on any particular photos to share today
 so I am sharing some recent twilight garden tranquility...








Do the unknowns of tomorrow rob you of peace for today
Does love's joy, laden with sorrow, take a sad, triumphant toll 
Faith, the substance of things hoped for, does it cheer you when you pray
Does it grant God's strength for labor and His comfort for your soul
Or, is dread a thief of laughter, fear, a dark and rolling sea 
God is not a far-off Father; He bids us 'come unto Me'

Do you long for lasting pleasure and delight's true happiness  
Or does this world's fleeting treasure consume worship's mad pursuit 
Do you find sweet consolation in God's steadfast promises 
Does His gift of soul's salvation produce heaven-flavored fruit 
Or is trouble a dictator stealing humble hymns of praise
God is no distant Creator, but a Helper all our days 

In the process of Becoming, are you losing heart, pray tell
Is the noise of progress numbing you to truths that never change  
Although the spirit is willing, does the flesh resist, rebel
Or, is One greater instilling what no rival can estrange 
For, though life is heartbreak-tainted, our prayers are held secure 
Because God is well acquainted with all suff'rings we endure 

In the valley of death's shadow He unfurls the path of life
His word is a Lamp to follow, and a Light to show the Way 
Does the hope of Heaven fill you with courage to face earth's strife
Does the thought of Seeing thrill you as you walk by faith today
Do you face faith's certain danger at the ready to defend
Because God is not stranger; but a very present Friend   

Janet Martin
 
Psalm 145:17-21

The LORD is righteous in all His ways

and kind in all His deeds.

18The LORD is near to all who call on Him,

to all who call out to Him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;

He hears their cry and saves them.

20The LORD preserves all who love Him,

but all the wicked He will destroy.

21My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD;

let every creature bless His holy name

forever and ever.



Deuteronomy 4:7
For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them

 as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him?

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; 

He saves the contrite in spirit.

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,

 an ever-present help in times of trouble.


I know I have shared these songs before

but I longed to hear them this morning...



















Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Sorrow's Silver Lining

Lam.3:31-33 NIV
For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.

***
Some sorrow-crosses are borne on backs,
and are easy to recognize,
some are borne in hearts and souls
known fully, only to God's eyes
This life, full of sorrow-inducing care
Is weathered best, tethered to prayer
Because wherever/whatever the cross may be
None are too hidden for God to see
No matter what hurt has fashioned its frame
Healing is found as hope trusts in His Name

*** 

Isa.40:31 NIV
...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
 They will soar on wings like eagles;
 they will run and not grow weary, 
they will walk and not be faint.



Sorrow can be a plumbless pit
Where worship could wither away
Or, it can be the key to fit
The bearer of its cross to pray
To help faith’s posture learn to lean
Completely on God’s perfect will
To guide through gates to pastures green
To lead us beside waters still
And drink from Living Streams, our fill

…where, though Evidence of things seen
May fill our Cup of Circumstance
With sorrow’s bitter go-between
Vexing hope’s perplexing substance
He shepherds and restores our souls
He leads in paths of righteousness
And sanctifies self-seeking goals
With a more Calvary-like ‘yes’
As we cling to His promises

Sorrow could drown hope in sad tears
And blind us to ‘joy set before’
And choke us with a noose of years
Where Yester’s futile shadows roar
Or sorrow can invite us to
Come unto He who gives us rest
To taste His comfort, kind and true
For He bore sorrow’s greatest test
Thus understands our sorrows best

Ah, here sorrow dons eagle’s wings
Though grief may hound time's brief sojourn
Hope's silver lining gleams; joy sings
Like a bird sensing Morn’s return
The valley of death’s shadow grants
The Shepherd's rod and staff to cheer
The Cup of bitter Circumstance
While Heaven’s gate/wait is drawing near
The hour of faith’s final tear

© Janet Martin

Psalm 23 NKJV

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not [a]want.
2 He makes me to lie down in [b]green pastures;
He leads me beside the [c]still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will [d]dwell in the house of the Lord
[e]Forever.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Through The Ups and Downs of 'Becoming'


Nothing in life stays the same for long, does it?!
Seasons change. People change.
Change is constant but something I read this morning reminded readers
that rather than just seeing ourselves, or situations as changing, 
to view it as 'becoming'.
This attitude helps us be more merciful and prudent 
with both ourselves and others!

So off we go to meet the ups and downs of
a new day and a new week, of Becoming
all by the changeless grace of our changeless, loving God.
p.s. it's worth every precious while we take
to think about how much God loves us!


Doesn't the canvas of a new day sometimes almost take your breath away,
considering humankind's track-record?!!



Oh, the ups and downs of living
Oh, the cups that fill and drain
As torrents of take-and-giving
Rush hearts with pleasure and pain

Oh, the highs and lows of loving
Oh, the ties that strain and bend
In the thick and quick of proving
Love’s faithfulness to the end

Oh, the Yet of have-and-holding
Oh, the letting go it bears
Teaching us the art of folding
Life-long learning into prayers

Oh, the tug of wars we weather
Oh, the hug that bids release
Oh, the testing of love’s tether
As God works its masterpiece

Oh, the rise and fall of laughter
Oh, the prize and gall of tears
Caught between before and after 
While a lifetime disappears 

Oh, love's fumbles, oh, life's stumbles
Oh, the bumbles we repeat (or, oh, the humble pies we eat)
While God's grace and goodness tumbles
New 'becoming' 'neath our feet 

Oh, the beauty of His favor
Oh, the duty of reply
Oh, the love of Christ, our Saviour's
'Upsy-daisy, here am I 

Through the ups and downs of living
In the cups that fill and drain
With torrents of take-and-giving
Here am I to help again'

© Janet Martin

May we take heart through
Solomon's Benediction, as relevant now as then!

1 Kings 8:54-61
Solomon’s Benediction

54Now when Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and petition to the LORD,
he got up before the altar of the LORD,
where he had been kneeling with his hands spread out toward heaven.
55And he stood and blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying:
56“Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel
according to all that He promised.
Not one word has failed of all the good promises
He made through His servant Moses.
57May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers.
May He never leave us nor forsake us.
58May He incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways
and to keep the commandments and statutes
and ordinances He commanded our fathers.
59And may these words with which I have made my petition before the LORD
be near to the LORD our God day and night,
that He may uphold the cause of His servant
 and of His people Israel as each day requires, 
60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God.
There is no other!
61So let your heart be fully devoted to the LORD our God,
as it is this day, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments.”

Monday, November 13, 2023

What A Friend We Have In Jesus


No matter who or where we are,
 what we shoulder or what we face...
What a Friend We Have in Jesus!


But I will sing of Your strength 
and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning.
 For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.


Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
 an ever-present help in times of trouble.



I love you Lord, my Help, the One in whom I put my trust
I love you Lord, my Hope until I shed this garb of dust
I love you Lord, my Joy in grief, my Comforter and Friend
I love Your Word to cheer and keep Faith faithful to the end
I love You for You understand each wordless groan of prayer
I love You, as You walk with me through valleys of despair
I love Your Hand to hold me as life doles its ups and downs
I love You. You console me when anguish my gladness crowns/drowns
I love You, Lord; You are my strength; through You I will endure
I love You, Lord, for I am rich when my spirit is poor
I love You Lord; your grace and mercy pour as I beseech
I love You, for You minister where no one else can reach
I love You Lord; You are my song in the night and the day
I love You. You forgive my sin and wash my guilt away
I love You, Lord; You are my anchor when storms test and toss
I love You; death defeated through the power of the cross
I love You; Lord, You are my peace when fear seeks to prevail
I love You with the love You give; Your love will never fail

© Janet Martin






Monday, October 9, 2023

With Groans too Deep For Words

Luke 21:28
Now when these things begin to happen, 
look up and lift up your heads,
 because your redemption draws near.”

We weep and pray for you, 
(With groans too deep for words)
dear, suffering fellow-believers
in Israel, as well as those in many others countries in 
Africa, Europe, and Asia😥💔🙏

And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, 
and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: 
for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: 
he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; 
when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, 
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, 
but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:
21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, 
when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left...





The whole earth groans with pain as we wait eagerly
For Thy return and none knows when Redemption’s Day will be
Thy hope has set us free from bondage of decay
The power of the enemy cannot Thy will dismay
Thou, Beginning and End, Thou, The First and the Last
Thou, Heavenly Father and Friend, will hold Thy people fast

Thou, Salvation and Light, quells lurking dreads and fears
In Thee we put our trust; Thy might breaks bows and shatters spears
Greater art Thou in us than evil’s hate unfurled
Futile is the ruckus, of he whose kingdom is this world
This world is not the home of those who trust in Thee
Though waters roar and foam and mountains fall into the sea,

…though kingdoms crumble, oh, and nations rage and moan
You bid us to be still and know that You are God alone
Ancient Fortress and Stay, faithful Ancient of Days
In Thee we put our trust for aye; exalting Thee with praise
Come all, and trust in He Whose Coming We Revere
Stand up and lift your heads and see redemption drawing near

© Janet Martin

Rom.8:18-27

I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.
  19The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.
  20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, 
but because of the One who subjected it, in hope
  21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay 
and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

22We know that the whole creation has been groaning together
 in the pains of childbirth until the present time.
  23Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, 
groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
  24For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. 
Who hopes for what he can already see? 
25But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. 
For we do not know how we ought to pray, 
but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.
  27And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, 
because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.


Psalm 46
God Is Our Refuge and Strength

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth.a A song.

1God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in times of trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth is transformed
and the mountains are toppled
into the depths of the seas,
3though their waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake in the surge.
Selah

4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5God is within her; she will not be moved.
God will help her when morning dawns.
6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;
the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
7The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8Come, see the works of the LORD,
who brings devastation upon the earth.
9He makes wars to cease throughout the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shieldsb in the fire.
10“Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted over the earth.”
11The LORD of Hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah