Tag: faith

7th Century BC words…timeless, and written for today!

This is my prayer for all the children of the world, red, brown, yellow black, and white for they are all precious in His sight… today, yes today,… leaving the past behind, and the fears of tomorrow blind-that we choose to take a breath right now –
whether we can pay the electric bill or not, or whether the love of your life is fighting to live, perhaps you are alone so much of the time, or you are searching for work at this very time- no mater the circumstance,… ‘whatever befall’-
that we would surrender our hearts and our minds for even just a moment and let the Good Lord be our only Vision.   The Father in Heaven will give  you His ear, God’s word is True: “Draw near to God, and He’ll draw near to you.”(James 4:8).
Take a breath and speak or even sing, these timeless words written for you and me  – way back in the 7th Century BC. Don’t look at me like I’m crazy, make the choice to ‘put a new song in your mouth’, Psalm 40 verse 3! Just ‘do it’ and find the our Lord is Faithful and Able and Present at THIS time! He inhabits hearts that praise hIm, let us choose to PRAISE and give Him the whine!
God is Good, and He’s knows your name.Let us take a breath and speak words that change- sad hearts and weak knees to hope and strength and …peace:
“Be Thou my vision, Lord of my heart. Not be all else to me, save that Thou art! Thou my best thought, by day or by night. Waking or sleeping Thy presence my Light.”
“Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word. I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord. Thou my great Father, and I, Thy true son. Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee…one!”
“Be Thou my battle-shield. Sword for my fight! Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight. Thou my souls shelter, Thou my High Tower. Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power, of my Power!”
“Riches I heed not. Nor man’s empty praise. Thou mine inheritance now and always! Thou and Thou only…First in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure, Thou Art!”
High King of Heaven, my victory won! May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s SON! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall…Still be my Vision, O Ruler of All!”
A hymn, and a Psalm…yes, this is the remedy for CALM:

Psalm 40. For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
    who have no confidence in the proud
    or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
    Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
    You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
    I would never come to the end of them.

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
    Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand[a]—
    you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
    As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
    for your instructions are written on my heart.”

9 I have told all your people about your justice.
    I have not been afraid to speak out,
    as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
    I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
    of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
    Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles surround me—
    too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
    I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
    I have lost all courage.

13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
    Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May those who try to destroy me
    be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
    be turned back in disgrace.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
    for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

16 But may all who search for you
    be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
    repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
    let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
    O my God, do not delay.

Yes, we can say, “He has put a new song in my heart! I am changed for this moment. And then when I get fretful again, “Dear Lord, Be Thou my Vision, …time and time again!

Foundations…

“…heart of my own heart, whatever befall…still be my vision, O Ruler of all.” (Be Thou my vision, 8th Century Irish Hymn).
The final words to one of the oldest recorded hymns ever written, are foundational.
The entire hymn, verse after ‘costly’ verse build ‘stone upon stone’ a foundation in which, we, believers in Christ can build our ‘Temples’ on : “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”(1 Cor. 6:19). And it is most important that we remember, to keep in our ‘vision’ the word of the Lord: “For you were bought at a price…” (1 Cor. 6:20).
Perhaps you never really had time for all this ‘religious stuff’ or perhaps you are even too busy ‘serving the Lord’ to be able to ‘focus and rest’…we must remember, each and every one of us – the foundation of the Temple was COSTLY: “Beside the chief of Solomon’s officers which were over the work,”(of building the Temple of the Lord), “three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house…” (1 Kings 5:16,17).
Great and costly and hewn stones were brought in to lay the foundation. The cost is great in laying the foundation in the Temple. Yes, I speak in the present tense. Yes, I am speaking to myself. The cost is great. And really? Who would use ‘costly and precious stones for a foundation that’s not even seen? Who sees the precious and costly stones anyway?
GOD SEES! That’s foundational! FAITH IN A GOD WE CAN’T SEE, that’s foundational. Believing that God cares about all the parts of me that no one else knows, and know one else sees, THAT’s foundational. And when everything I can see, everything on the outside, starts falling apart- (our temples, our physical bodies for one,) then the FOUNDATION is all that’s left! When this world rates us and scores us at ‘ZERO’ , God sees our FAITH, and rates us as HEROS!
So, what are great and costly stones and hewed stones in the building of the temple of the Lord, in our own bodies? And yes,everything rests on the Cornerstone, yes, the Chief Cornerstone,  otherwise know as the ‘precious Cornerstone’.
Costly stones are FAITH : “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1). It is costly to have faith. BUT, we must be reminded, “For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.” We can’t ‘see’ faith, but we can see the evidence of it in the testimony, in the story! AND, it is recorded, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him,(God), for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! (Hebrews 11:6, exclamation point, mine!)
No one can see the great costly stones in the foundation, but God can, and God does! He’s got us in full view, and we best keep Him in full view as well, and then, we can stand on the Stone, the Chief Cornerstone no matter WHAT is going on in our world and sing with courage and trust: “Be thou my vision, LORD of my heart. Not be all else to me save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.” “Be thou my wisdom. And Thou my true Word. I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord. Thou my great Father, and I, Thy true son. Thou in my dwelling, and I with Thee one!”
“Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise. Thou mine inheritance now and always. Thou and Thou only, First in my heart. Thou King of Heaven my treasure Thou ART!” “High King of heaven , my victories won. May I reach heaven’s joy, bright heaven’s SON. Heart of my own heart…
whatever befall… STILL BE MY VISION, Oh Ruler of all.” (Be Thou My Vision, 8th Century Irish Hymn).
The foundation? Faith – costly, sacrificial, precious faith – in the ‘High King of heaven’, my victories won. He wore a crown of thorns, so that one day…I can wear a shiny one. And that shiny crown I will receive, I will give it to Him and lay it at His feet!