God
Remembering- Reblog from 2022
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Happy Birthday America
Happy birthday America,
a land for the free
home to liberty.
You started as an idea,
a rebellion
against an overreaching king
across the sea.
Lives laid on the line
when a revolution
would define
generations to come;
Independence declared
and the shot
was heard round the world.
A thread of sacrifice
from colony to colony,
seeking to undo
the stronghold of a
formidable foe.
Redcoats to fear,
muskets in hand
of ordinary patriots;
this is a land for the free,
home to liberty.
Hard fought and won
by Providence’s Hand-
Washington, Adams,
Jefferson, Franklin
and even Lafayette
forged our flag
with courage, intellect, honor
and sacrifice.
What blessing is ours,
what grace to receive.
Born American,
and naturalized citizens
teeming with ideas
and grit
and prayer
for the New Experiment.
Is she flawless?
heavens, no-
but what such place is?
We became
a land for the free,
home to liberty;
and with God’s help
we will endure,
looking to Him
for grace secure.
The future awaits
but we must
bend the knee
to keep
a land for the free,
home to liberty.
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Elijah
When the professing ones
have deserted,
be an Elijah.
When Jezebel
takes her seat,
be an Elijah.
When the world
is upside down,
heathen to the core,
be an Elijah.
God answers
in consuming fires
and in a gentle whisper.
You are not
a sole worshipper.
He always reserves
a remnant
for His glory.
Do not tell
Him
you’ve had enough.
Do not lay down
to die.
Emmanuel-
protects
provides
and strengthens,
back to work
in His grace
and power,
not yours.
They smile to your face
and mock your faith.
They yell at your face
and revile your God.
They ignore your face
and hate the Christ.
When evil reigns
be an Elijah.
Rebuke the darkness
with your life.
Restrain wickedness
with your prayers.
Rest in the Almighty God
with trust in His plan
and get to work.
Be an Elijah.
*Inspired by 1 Kings 18:7-19:18
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Homeward
You do not
belong here
on this earthen soil,
with its trinkets and
trifles and endless toil.
How pitiful it would be
if you were not
free?
There is more beyond
that is Home;
just over the Sun,
you are not alone.
God is fitting you
for His place,
but the world laughs
as you run the race.
Rest weary heart and sing-
sadness cannot last
in the arms
of our King.
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The Thorns are Sharp
The thorns are sharp
the hedge is high.
Patience,
dear one
the Land is nigh.
I call at night
and in the day,
He always
hears me when
I pray.
Perseverance
dear one,
these days are but
a dream
that lead to
the unseen.
Courage
dear one,
the stepping stones
provide a way
to grow
each day.
Deeper,
deeper
in the thorn
so pours forth
Love’s Divine
horn
of strength, salvation
and a song;
you are
right where you belong.
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Prepare Him Room
“A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, […] waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting for our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.” -A.W. Tozer
Make room in your hearts
today!
The King has come
and is on His way!
Prepare the home
for Him
to enter in,
do not delay!
Jesus our Guest
is worthy
of the best,
the finest we can bring.
Are you ready
to host
Christ
the King?
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God’s Will Be Done
The veil is so thin
don’t waste
the suffering you’re in.
He is faithful,
God of the ages
from eternity past.
Immanuel is here,
and His Spirit everlast.
Your Father, Friend and King
will lead you
in the Way everlasting.
Heaven is but
a breath away;
and angels peek from
behind the curtain,
to see His will
is certain,
as earth plays out
Providence
in the Throne Room
of God’s confidence.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us un all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” -2 Corinthians 1:3-4
I am reminded of past saints who have suffered and used their circumstances to bless others. It does not mean they were super human, exempt from pain. They too experienced deep valleys. But through them, because they rested in Christ’s power to work in their weaknesses, those Christians can testify to God’s refining power from suffering. Amy Carmichael, Elisabeth Elliot, John Bunyan, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, Corrie ten Boom, Charles Spurgeon and Margaret Clarkson to name a few, withstood the fiery trials and the Lord beautified their faith as precious gold. These are the ones who have said God is enough in pain, let me tell you too so that your suffering is not for nothing.
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Chasing the Wind
We look for stability in an unstable world.
We look for contentment in fleeting pleasures.
We long for roots in our temporary homes.
This world will pass away and so will we. Our memory may be blotted out by mankind, our bodies decay, but the soul remains. Our souls never die. God knows His children whose names are permanently written in the Book of Life. We are never forgotten or forsaken by the Creator and Overseer of our souls. This is the truest reality, the unseen and not yet.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” -2 Corinthians 4:16-18
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Lead On, O King Eternal
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” -Psalm 90:12
Thousands gathered on Sunday at the State Farm stadium in Arizona to remember Charlie Kirk. More were across the street in an overflow location, while the rest of us watched from our living rooms. The scene displayed worship of God and patriotism for America, neither of which we are to be ashamed of. There is room to have a high view of God and gratitude for the country we live in without it becoming idolatrous.
When someone young dies, it makes people stop and consider their own mortality. “If he died so young, then it can happen to me too”. The reality of living under the curse of sin is that death doesn’t have an age number. So the question to consider is, what will we do with the time God has given us?
In Psalm 90, the first psalm written and the only one penned by Moses, we are encouraged to consider how to live our lives well. Moses is writing this at the end of his full 120 year life. He has witnessed an untold number of deaths as an entire generation died in the wilderness. He understood life is short and filled with pain. His prayer is to have wisdom while on earth and to live out the beauty of holiness. The answer to his prayer comes at the end when he pleads, “Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May Your deeds be shown to Your servants, Your splendor to their children. May the beauty of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands” (vv. 14-17). The way to live our lives with wisdom instead of wasting it is to learn how to be satisfied in God alone. This is what enduring joy looks like.
No matter what circumstances we face, enduring joy comes from remembering God’s presence with us always and standing upon the promises of the Bible. For the Christian, the bedrock of His presence and promises came from Calvary. When we live with eternity in view and can say Jesus is enough for us, humility and boldness for Christ will follow. A friend of Kirk’s who is not a professing Christian commented that Charlie was a “joyful warrior”. When you die, will others have to speak of Jesus when they talk about you because He was in everything you did and said?
My prayer is that spiritual revival will spread in this nation and across the world. Seeds were planted on Sunday as the gospel was shared by many speakers. I pray it will take root. The death of Charlie Kirk is an eye opener that this war is spiritual, masked in culture and politics. It is bigger than us, but we serve a big God. We can be faithful to do the works God has prepared for us by simply doing the next right thing out of love for Jesus. My personal world is very small, homeschooling my son with autism. Part of God’s plan for me is to teach him the truth about Jesus through songs of praise, Bible stories and even by my flawed example. Whether you are constantly surrounded by people or less visible in the world, God can and will use you if you surrender to His will of obedience. I pray God gives us more opportunities to share the gospel, encourage other believers to persevere, and disciple those in our sphere of influence.
You were made for such a time as this. It is not an accident that you live where you live, have a certain job or know the people you know. In Kirk’s last interview, just an hour before he was shot, he was asked what life quote he lives by. He answered with Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” The Lord is at work. Let’s join Him as He leads on. Matthew Henry in his commentary on Psalm 90 notes, “Let us pray that the work of the Holy Spirit may appear in converting our hearts, and that the beauty of holiness may be seen in our conduct.” Our enduring joy for now will one day lead to eternal joy if we do not give up. Keep going beloved Christian, imitating the faith of saints who have gone before us.
Grace upon grace,
April
A helpful understanding of Psalm 90 🙂
redeemed in grace 