The Perfect Wisdom of Our God

 

Another good one from the Gettys. :) 

The Perfect Wisdom of Our God

 

The perfect wisdom of our God,
Revealed in all the universe:
All things created by His hand,
And held together at His command.
He knows the mysteries of the seas,
The secrets of the stars are His;
He guides the planets on their way,
And turns the earth through another day.

The matchless wisdom of His ways
That mark the path of righteousness
His word a lamp unto my feet
His Spirit teaching and guiding me
And O the mystery of the cross
That God should suffer for the lost
So that the fool might shame the wise
And all the glory might go to Christ!

O grant me wisdom from above,
To pray for peace and cling to love,
And teach me humbly to receive
The sun and rain of Your sovereignty.
Each strand of sorrow has a place
Within this tapestry of grace;
So through the trials I choose to say:
“Your perfect will in Your perfect way.”

--Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who bore my pain.
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again.
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me with His light;
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow'r upon my heart.

 

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside.
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly.
Whose every promise is enough
For every step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

 

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who reigns above.
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace
Whose every thought is love.
For every day I have on earth
Is given by the King,
So I will give my life my all
To love and follow Him.

 

--Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
To them that find Thee all in all.

We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
Wherever our changeful lot is cast;
Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.

 --Bernard of Clairvaux

Jesus, I Am Resting

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

O, how marvelous Thy goodness,

Lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,

Know what wealth of grace is Thine,

Know Thy certainty of promise,

And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold Thee as Thou art,

And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,

Satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need.

Compasseth me round with blessings:

Thine is love indeed!

 

Ever lift Thy face upon me

As I work and wait for Thee;

Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth’s dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father’s glory,

Sunshine of my Father’s face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Fill me with Thy grace.

"Jesus I Am Resting" 
written by Jean Sophia Piggot

Rose of Bethlehem

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

With a beauty quite divine

Perfect in this world of sin

On this silent holy night

There's a fragrance much like hope

That it sends upon the wind

Reaching out to every soul

From a lowly manger's crib

Oh, Rose of Bethlehem

How lovely, pure, and sweet

Born to glorify the Father

Born to wear the thorns for me

There's a Rose in Bethlehem

Colored red like mercy's blood

Tis the flower of our faith

Tis the blossom of God's love

Though its bloom is fresh with youth

Surely what will be He knows

For a tear of morning dew

Is rolling down the Rose

Oh, Rose of Bethlehem

How lovely, pure, and sweet

Born to glorify the Father

Born to wear the thorns for me

 

I Wonder as I Wander

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,

How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.

For poor on'ry people like you and like I...

I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall,

With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.

But high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,

And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,

A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,

Or all of God's angels in heav'n for to sing,

He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King.

-----

"I Wonder as I Wander"

an Appalachian Christmas carol

by John Niles

 based on fragments he heard a North Carolina mountain girl sing in 1933.

And just for your information, all these pictures were taken on the same evening at Evan's Orchard, in 15 degree temperatures with the wind blowing. :) I wondered, as I wandered, what could have possessed Tyler and I to go out...but the sunset was gorgeous!

Christmas Hymn

Holy Child who chose the hearts of men

To be His favoured home.

Leaving heaven's gates for Bethlehem,

God came to call His own.

Now to us the highest King is born

Behold the Royal Son!

Glory kneels to mend all that is torn

The promised Child has come.

Joy and pain as man He knew on earth;

No place to lay His head.

As a servant He embraced this world,

And on a cross He bled.

Having borne the deepest grief of man

He rose to heaven's throne.

Now I'm sheltered in the Father's hand

I stand by grace alone.

May the gift of God amaze us still--

The triumph of all time.

As His child I kneel to Heaven's will,

To make His purpose mine.

Though this road be scarred with trial and pain,

It's paved with lavish grace.

Knowing Him will be my greatest gain;

My hope the Saviour's face.

"Holy Child Who Chose the Hearts of Men"

by Keith and Kristyn Getty

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!

That calls me from a world of care,

And bids me at my Father's throne,

Make all my wants and wishes known.

In seasons of distress and grief

My soul has often found relief

And oft escaped the tempter's snare,

By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

The joys I feel, the bliss I share,

Of those whose anxious spirits burn

With strong desires for thy return!

With such I hasten to the place

Where God my Savior shows His face,

And gladly take my station there,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

Thy wings shall my petition bear

To Him whose truth and faithfulness

Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since He bids me seek His face,

Believe His Word and trust His grace,

I’ll cast on Him my every care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

--William W. Walford

Day by Day

Day by day, and wich each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here.

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour.

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid

"As your days, your strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation

So to trust Your promises O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation

Offered me within Your holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a Father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the Promised Land.

"Day by Day" written by Carolina Sandell Berg;

translated by Andrew L. Skoog

And this day, God deemed best to take my dear Grandpa home. After a many-year's fight with lymphoma, and a few day's fight with pneumonia. Loved so much for his "grandpa-ness", kindness, sense of humor, and patience in teaching us so many things. We're going to really miss him, and it doesn't seem real that he's gone, honestly. But so glad for the time we did have. And in God's providence, we all were able to spend a couple days with him and Grandma both last month at Luke's graduation. God is so very good.

(pictures all the credit of Sam vdH)

And Can It Be?

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death purused?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God shouldst die for me?

He left His Father's throne above;

So free, so infinite His grace.

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam's helpless race.

'Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For, O my God, it found out me.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light.

My chains fell off; my heart was free.

I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in Him is mine!

Alive in Him, my living Head,

And clothed in righteousness divine;

Bold I approach the eternal throne

And claim the crown, through Christ, my own.

Amazing Love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

"And Can It Be?" written by Charles Wesley

I Cannot Tell

Just in case you didn't make it to the hymn at the end of my "Lamb of God" post, I wanted to re-post this beautiful beautiful hymn:

"I cannot tell why He, the King of Heaven,
Should leave the peace of all eternity,

Why God Himself should lay aside His splendor,
To leave the Father's side and come to me.

But this I know: our silence filled with singing,
And all our darkness fled from heaven's light

When Christ the Lord, so human, yet so holy,
In love was born a child for me that holy night.

"I cannot tell why He, the Joy of Heaven,
Should give Himself to suffer for my sin,

Why Holy God should love me in my shamefulness,
Why He should die to draw my soul to Him.

But this I know: that Christ the Lord is risen,
And praise His name, He's risen now in me!

Because He lives, I'll rise to life eternal!
He took my guilty heart, and I'm forever free!

"I cannot tell when He will rule the nations,
How He will claim His loved ones as His own;

And who can tell the holy jubilation
When all His children gather 'round His throne.

But this I know: all flesh will see His glory,
And skies will burst as all creation sings.

The Son will rise on one eternal morning
When Christ the Savior of the world is Lord and King!"

"I Cannot Tell" written by Ken Bible; inspired by William Y. Fullerton

Lamb of God

"Behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who was there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald...From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal...'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"..."Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." (Rev. 4:2-3, 5-6, 8, 11)

So is the holiness and majesty of God in His heaven! Where day and night praises come continually before the great and awesome throne of the eternal, unchangeable, all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful King!! In no way could we in our natural, fallen, sinful state come before such holiness and purity. There was no way we could make ourselves pure enough, perfect enough, to come before this throne. For centuries, sacrifices had to be made by priests for sin, to cover over the peoples filthiness before God. The world cried out for a Redeemer!! So God, in His great wisdom and love, at the perfect time, sent His Son from this awesome place of worship and glory and angels...to earth.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1-3, 14)

"Though he was in the form of God, [he] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil. 2:5-8)

God became a helpless human baby, in the womb of a young virgin, Mary. He chose to come and dwell here with us. To experience the sorrow, the pain, the suffering. To become a servant. Why? In order that He might bridge the vast expanse of sin, and bring us to God!!! He came to live perfectly, to die in our place, taking the wrath of God that WE deserved upon Himself. He came to bring glory to God.

"Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, 'Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?' And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.' And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I was a Lamb standing as though it had been slain...And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and twenty-four elder fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation'...'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'...'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and light forever and ever!'"

There would be no Lion of the tribe of Judah, no worthy Lamb. We would not have access to the throne room of God, if Christmas hadn't happened. We would still be lost in our sins, with no offer of salvation extended to us, if God hadn't come to earth and dwelt among us as a human being. There would be no hope of a second coming of Christ in glory, if Jesus hadn't come the first time in humility and servitude. He is WORTHY!!

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-11)

It is still beyond my comprehension why God would do this for ME. God who sits enthroned in heaven with angels to sing His praise, fully sufficient in Himself. Why would he send his precious Son to DIE on the cross for a dirty, sin-stained human being...not even a speck in the expanse of the universe? Oh but I'm so THANKFUL He did!! During a Christmas fellowship with several dear like-minded families this evening, a little girl sang this beautiful hymn that expresses so well the wonder of Christmas:

"I cannot tell why He, the King of Heaven,

Should leave the peace of all eternity,
Why God Himself should lay aside His splendor,

To leave the Father's side and come to me.
But this I know: our silence filled with singing,

And all our darkness fled from heaven's light
When Christ the Lord, so human, yet so holy,

In love was born a child for me that holy night.

"I cannot tell why He, the Joy of Heaven,

Should give Himself to suffer for my sin,
Why Holy God should love me in my shamefulness,

Why He should die to draw my soul to Him.
But this I know: that Christ the Lord is risen,

And praise His name, He's risen now in me!
Because He lives, I'll rise to life eternal!

He took my guilty heart, and I'm forever free!

"I cannot tell when He will rule the nations,

How He will claim His loved ones as His own;
And who can tell the holy jubilation

When all His children gather 'round His throne.
But this I know: all flesh will see His glory,

And skies will burst as all creation sings.
The Son will rise on one eternal morning

When Christ the Savior of the world is Lord and King!"

"I Cannot Tell" written by Ken Bible; inspired by William Y. Fullerton

I Heard the Bells...

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men.



I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth good-will to men"

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."

Then ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day-
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!


From our home to yours, a very very blessed and joyful Christmas!!

Heart's cry

O For a Heart

O for a heart to serve my God

A heart that's ever broken to His will

Oh for a heart to serve my God my king
A heart that's ever delighting Him.

Oh that I would be made pure

That I would strive to love Him more

That every work of my hands

Would accomplish His plans

So that He would be glorified.

That I would place no other above

That I would die to lift high my God

That every gift I enjoy

Would always be employed

In the service of my faithful Lord.

--Keith Getty & Margaret Becker

"O For a Heart"

In Heavenly Love Abiding

In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear;

And safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here;

The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid;

But God is round about me, and I can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me, no want shall turn me back;

My Shepherd is beside me, and nothing can I lack

His wisdom ever waketh, His sight is never dim;

He knows the way He taketh, and I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen;

Bright skies will soon be o'er me, where darkest clouds have been;

My life I cannot measure, the path of life is free;

My Savior has my treasure, and He will walk with me.

--Anna L. Waring (1823-1910) "In Heavenly Love Abiding"