Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts

Friday, May 23, 2025

Sometimes, Only When We're Broken...

Until we come to God without any agenda but  'Thy will be done',
comfort cannot begin...

There is nothing like assembling at a graveside
to stir hearts to set priorities into proper perspective...

Much prayerful reflection and contemplation today,
following Cliff's funeral yesterday...
Cliff mentioned HERE



Sometimes sad failure tries to fool me into thinking all is lost
Sometimes love's sorrow comes to school me in lessons I do not want
Sometimes unknowns could make me tremble like a little leaf, wind-tossed
Because impending storms assemble; till I hear above fear's taunt
'Come'

Sometimes, when looking back at struggles, at 'faith's substance' scarred and bent  
Sometimes its weathered tears and troubles forge a gladder countenance 
Because the heart has grown more tender through love's groaning lessons lent
Wakening a once Thoughtless/thankless Spender to Mercy's extravagance 
'Come' 

Fresh courage commits to be braver in the aftermath of loss
Desire's goals seem to grow graver in the shadow of Time's lease 
And dread, that Noose to joy and laughter pales beneath love's suffered cross
 The gentle, scarred Hands of the Grafter, entitles His Masterpiece
'Come' 

Sometimes a tempest-ravaged garden seems a picture of despair 
Where painful pruning veils the guerdon; because such is faith's veneer 
Hark! a sweet, sweet word is spoken like an answer to all prayer
And sometimes, only when we're broken are we still enough to hear 
'Come'

Sometimes, then in the bowed beholding, at a graveside's solemn pose 
As we witness the final folding of dust-to-dust's snuffed façade 
Sometimes then, far from the mad hunger for plunder that death foregoes  
We can hear the silence thunder with the loving voice of God 
'Come' 

Janet Martin 💔🙏

Matt.11:28-29
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
 
Matt.14:22-33
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship,
 and to go before him unto the other side, 
while he sent the multitudes away.
  23And when he had sent the multitudes away, 
he went up into a mountain apart to pray: 
and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
  24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: 
for the wind was contrary.
  25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, 
walking on the sea.
  26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,
 they were troubled, saying,
 It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 
27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,
  Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28And Peter answered him and said,
 Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
29And he said, Come
And when Peter was come down out of the ship,
 he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 
30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;
 and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 
31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him,
  O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 
33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, 
Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
















Thursday, April 17, 2025

He Makes Every Morning Glorious...



From yon formless fount of ages
Marmalade-hued mercies brim...



It is Good Friday Eve.
I wrote this poem this morning but was unable to post it
before heading to my mother to help with some spring cleaning
so what began as an aubade is now a vesper!

***


He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, 
and you, by the hands of the lawless, 
put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.

Acts 2:21
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

Acts 4:12
Salvation exists in no one else, 
for there is no other name under heaven given to men 
by which we must be saved.”

John 3:16
For God so loved the world 
He gave His one and only Son, 
that everyone who believes in Him 
shall not perish but have eternal life.

***
From yon formless fount of ages
Marmalade-hued mercies brim
Over Bygone’s battered stages
Roll the lyrics of hope’s hymn
As night’s brooding backdrops dim

Hark! What holy favours fashion
Melodies of grace unfurled
Pulsing with divine compassion
Like springtime’s first bud uncurled
From the Savior of the world

He, who bore sin’s gory pardon
Whose blood poured in agony
First in Gethsemane’s Garden
Then in full, at Calvary
As He died for you and me

He, who did not scorn love’s calling
Knowing from the start, its price
On the cross, crude and appalling
Only Jesus could suffice
To be sin’s last sacrifice

Look! In every hand a hammer
Hark! On every tongue, vile jeers
While like a Lamb, led to slaughter
Obedience perseveres
Through atonement's lonely tears

He who rose again, victorious
Overthrowing death and hell
He makes every morning glorious
Sweetens suffering’s citadel
With hope’s unrelenting bell

…pealing from morn’s formless fountain
Mercies brim, marmalade-hued
Heavens throbbing with redemption
-anthems of God’s grace renewed
Worship bursts with gratitude

Jesus, Jesus, darling Saviour
Ransom for me, wretched clod
Forgives all who ask this favour
Salvation, a gift from God
Purchased by His Son's shed blood   

© Janet Martin








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

 

 


Thursday, March 27, 2025

Dear Lucy, Though We Miss You So

Deut.29:29 (the theme verse for Lucy's funeral message)
“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, 
but those things which are revealed belong to us 
and to our children forever, 
that we may do all the words of this law.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 
He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
 26And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. 
Do you believe this?”

Today Lucy would have turned 56...
Mom, my sisters and sister-in-laws who were free to come
as well as one of her closest friends,
had a precious time sharing a potluck lunch around her table.
The absence of Lucy bustling about the kitchen making sure
everyone had more than enough to eat or drink
was keenly felt by all💔🙏

Thank-you everyone, for your loving messages and prayers!
They truly make all the difference.




Dear Lucy...
You've slipped beyond the realm of days
And though we miss you so
And our hearts still ache in ways
Only love can bestow
We do not want to question He
Who grants each breath we draw
But rather, trust His Sov'reignty
With humble, thankful awe

You've slipped beyond the realm of years
But left behind the part
We cherish with laughter and tears; 
A memory-filled heart
And though love's scenes are bittersweet
Because we miss you, dear
We thank God, as grief and joy meet
For hope's unfailing cheer

You've slipped beyond the realm of Time
And though we miss you so
Faith grants us visions of a clime
Where no tears ever flow
No fear or pain can enter where
Your Soul has been set free
To worship God in perfect prayer/beyond earth's care
For all eternity

You've slipped beyond our touch and sight
But death is not in vain
For Jesus conquered death with Life
We die to live again
So, though we mourn, what joy to know
That death is not the end
Dear Lucy, though we miss you so
Soon we will meet again

Janet💕


Ps. 103:15-19

As for man, his days are like grass—
he blooms like a flower of the field;
16when the wind passes over, it vanishes,
and its place remembers it no more.
17But from everlasting to everlasting
the loving devotion of the LORD
extends to those who fear Him,
and His righteousness to their children’s children—
18to those who keep His covenant
and remember to obey His precepts.
19The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
and His kingdom rules over all.






Saturday, March 15, 2025

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
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.










Thursday, March 13, 2025

To Live a Hymn


Yesterday I attended the funeral
of my friend's father-in-law.
He was 65.

Then, I attended a visitation for another friend's son-in-law.
He was 34.

There my friend told me how my sister Lucy's picture hangs near her sewing machine
so she remembers to pray for me and Lucy's family.
(for irregular visitors here; my sister lost her life suddenly 
when she was hit while riding her bicycle last Sept.) 
Lucy was 55. 

When someone we love passes away it brings an end to
conversations, activities, dreams and plans once fondly shared.
But it flings wide the renewed invitation to dredge the deeps of
what truly matters, above all!


And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; 
but the greatest of these is love.
 1 Cor.13:13

Faith in the finished work of the cross!
Hope through Jesus' resurrection!
so we may know God's love
that surpasses knowledge!

1 Cor.15:16-19
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, 
we are of all people most to be pitied.

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
 The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 
Do you believe this?”

Do the above verses not ignite or rekindle a desire
to live the reflection of belief/faith?!
to live a hymn of hope?!
to live the light of love?!!



To live a hymn of love for Thee
O Lord, let this our motive be
To yield Want’s will to Thy command
To trust the leading of Thy Hand
And not with human wisdom try
Reason’s demand to satisfy
But without fail, to find enough
Where these abide;
 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn to worship Thee
No matter what the cost may be
To know, no matter what our lot
Tis cradled in Divine Forethought
Where, once for all, Thy sacrifice
Suffered and covered pardon’s price
So, we would always find enough
Where these abide;
 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn of humble awe
O Lord, to delight in Thy law
And then to fill Time's bar of days
With open-handed, thankful praise
Rather than loot of fleeting pelf
That cannot appease gods of Self
Lord, overflow hearts with enough
Where these abide;
Faith, hope and love 

To live a hymn of joy in Thee
With faith and hope's expectancy
Without a dearer purpose than
To love you first, then fellowman
To lay before Thy throne of grace
Each tear that treads the soul or face
Each prayer learning to find enough
Where You provide
 Faith, hope and love

© Janet Martin

Eph.3:14-21
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name.
 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you
 with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 
18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,
 to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 
19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
 according to his power that is at work within us, 
21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 
for ever and ever! 
Amen.


Read the full glorious chapter of 1 Cor.15 HERE

1 Cor.15:50-58
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, 
that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,
 nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 
52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 
For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, 
and we will be changed. 
53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, 
and the mortal with immortality.
 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, 
and the mortal with immortality,
 then the saying that is written will come true: 
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 
57 But thanks be to God! 
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. 
Let nothing move you.
 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
 because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Below, the last paragraphs of yesterday's and today's devotions from
Streams in the Desert Vol.2


...and last but not least, my most listened to song of 2024...





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.


Saturday, January 11, 2025

Gale-worthy Grounding

Devastation and disaster are part of this life
and sometimes sadly, seems the only way
 for God to really get our attention.
Somehow, when life unfolds smoothly we
are more apt to slip into selfish complacency rather
than call on Him.

When we dwell only on grief's wounds 
that loss of loved ones inflicts
sorrow can be almost unbearable!

However, when we remember and think on the believer's gain, 
where death is but the door to faith's inheritance
what comfort God's promises bestow.

John 11:25
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 
Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. 
Do you believe this?”


My friend gifted me a beautiful book
knowing how much I love the books
Streams in the Desert and Springs in the Valley
This book, by the the same author, Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman 
is entitled Consolation... and I love it!
It is a collection of daily devotions
of consolation and encouragement...

(And the pretty, handmade brooch pinned to my bookmark ribbon
was a gift as well from a sweet and super-talented artist
 in my Sunday School class 💝💖)

Yesterday's devotion was esp. ministering to me
and may be to you as well, 
as our hearts are with everyone affected by the wildfires in LA.! 


As I pondered where to begin
to find the beginning of true hope, joy and peace
as I began to trace one truth
it always joined to another...


Faith, without a firm foundation when life’s gales begin to blow
Will be devoid of duration; like a ship tossed to and fro

Hope, without faith’s expectation anchored in redeeming love
Flaps it wings; determination on its own is not enough

Joy without hope’s secure anchor; Jesus, who forgives our sin
When met with bereavement’s rancor, has no Comforter within

Peace, without joy’s Awesome Author, (whose gift of salvation saves)
Cannot be; because no other Voice can calm dread’s wind and waves

Trust, without God’s peace to buffer trouble’s billows undeterred
Cannot bear what it must suffer without guidance from God’s Word

Love, without Trust’s full surrender, is a bud, eager to burst
With incomparable splendor of the One who loved us first

Faith, hope, joy, peace, trust and love; what better bulwark can there be
By the grace of God quite enough to pray ‘be it unto me

Quite enough to be enough though hell's fury should be unfurled 
Upon the Rock of Jesus' love Faith's Footing overcomes the world  

© Janet Martin


Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,
 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
 / through whom we have gained access by faith 
into this grace in which we stand. 
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. / 
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, 
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ...

Colossians 1:5
the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, 
of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 
By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, / 
and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
 reserved in heaven for you, / 
who through faith are shielded by God’s power 
for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.


2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises,
 let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit,
 perfecting holiness in the fear of God.


Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, 
without which no one will see the Lord.


 

Lyrics...


How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2
“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”
3
“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”
4
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
5
“E’en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”
6
“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”






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.”