Tag: Fanny Crosby

Will Jesus Find Us Watching?

Fanny Crosby 1875 

Blind to the light of the day, Fanny Crosby couldn’t see, but crystal clear was her heart’s vision of spiritual truth.  

It’s told Fanny loved God’s Word and memorized five chapters each week, as well as the study of poetry and the writing of prose.  

Fanny wrote more than 9,000 hymns! 

Today, I want to bring to our heart’s focus, Fanny’s hymn, Will Jesus Find Us Watching?  

When Jesus comes to reward His servants, 

Whether it be noon or night, 

Faithful to Him will He find us watching, 

With our lamps all trimmed and bright? 

Refrain: 

O can we say we are ready, brother? 

Ready for the soul’s bright home? 

Say, will He find you and me still watching, 

Waiting, watching when the Lord shall come? 

“What will we be watching for?” The disciples asked in Matthew 24. 

Do we remember Jesus’ answer?  

  1. Don’t be lead astray. “Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray’ (Matthew 24:5). 
  2. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed. 
  3. Nation will rise against nation.
  4. And kingdom against kingdom.
  5. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 
  6. All these are the beginning of the birth pains. (Matthew 24.) 

Will Jesus Find Us Watching? Are we watching for the kingdom of heaven? 

Jesus continued to tell us what we would see in Matthew 24:

7. You will be delivered up to trials and put to death.

8. You will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 

9. Many will turn from following Me and betray one another . . .

10.  and hate one another.  

 11. False prophets will arise and lead many astray.  

12. Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  

Jesus told us before, so we would know. He gives His promise to those who believe:

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”  

 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” Matthew 24: 9-14. 

If, at the dawn of the early morning, 

He shall call us one by one, 

When to the Lord we restore our talents, 

Will He answer you, “Well done?”  

Jesus told us in Matthew 25 of ten virgins who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom. Five were ready with their lamps filled with oil, but as the bridegroom delayed,  

They all became tired and slept.  

But the call of His arrival came suddenly in the night. The wise virgins with their lamps filled with oil were unable to give to those who had no oil. Each had to receive oil for themselves.  

While the foolish virgins went to buy oil, the bridegroom came.  

“And those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the 

the door was shut . . .

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour Matthew 25:10-13.  

Let us decide this day, to wake from our sleep! Let us together be ready for His coming. It’s as faithful as the morning.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching, 

In His glory they shall share; 

If He shall come at the dawn or midnight, 

Will He find us watching there?  

There is time to turn and call on the name of Jesus. He will answer our call. He will faithfully forgive all our sins. In our emptiness, we must ask Him to fill us overflowing with the oil of His Holy Spirit.

I’m thankful Fanny Crosby, wrote with ink her heart visions so many years ago to open our eyes to God’s truth.

Jesus is coming again, . . . soon, and very soon.

O can we say we are ready, brother? 

Ready for the soul’s bright home? 

Say, will He find you and me still watching, 

Waiting, watching when the Lord shall come? 

TODAY is the day of Salvation. The invitation from Jesus is for all of mankind:

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price . . . Revelation 22:16,17.

TODAY, we will be ready.

 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” Revelation 22:20, 21.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching, 

In His glory they shall share; 

If He shall come at the dawn or midnight, 

Will He find us watching there?  

“Yes, Oh yes, He will find us watching there!”

“Dear Lord, give us . . .

What is our request before the Lord?

Do we pray for earthly blessings and relief from trials or from the physical discomforts alone?

Or do we talk to the Lord because He is God, worthy of honor and glory? Do I pray to give Him thanks and praise, with no request?

What do we want? How do we talk to the Lord?

I have trouble sitting still. Will God be OK if I move around a pray? Yes.

And, today, I share Fanny Crosby’s old hymn of 1875, “Draw Me Nearer.”

Fanny Crosby is a wonderful teacher. Many of her hymns were prayers. I share this to be spoken (or sung) with vocal cords vibrating.

To me, it’s therapy to the soul:

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side . . . Fanny Crosby 1875

Today I ask the Lord, “Help me have a holy lifestyle. One fully pleasing You.”

tonirypkema.com

“Dear Lord, teach me to give the wholehearted prayer. Not to pray for relief from trials only, but to give You glory and praise.

Help me surrender to Your will. That I might be willing to hear Your voice in Your Word more than my necessary food or the list of things to do, or the loud call of the worldly news.

Give me fruit in my life of love: . . . (which I can’t do unless I cling to You.) You’re the Vine, I’m the branch.

Keep me connected to You that I might have joy when hearts are very heavy. Peace when fear is everywhere. Patience in hectic moments.

Kindness when it’s hard. Goodness, when I’m tempted not to what’s right.

Faithfulness when I don’t feel like doing something.

Gentleness when it’s impossible without the power of God in me.

Self-control when the last choice I want to make is self-control.

“There are depths of love that I yet may know
Ere Thee face to face I see;
There are heights of joy that I yet may reach
Ere I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Thank You, Lord that You are a gracious God, patient to wait for us to “be still.”

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

What are we listening to? Fear? or God’s Voice? Let’s STOP and hear:

“Trust Me now.” I hear a still small voice speak. “Trust.” When the waves are huge, and blinded eyes can’t see.

“Trust Me.

Put on faith’s glasses, take off  fear’s clouded goggles, and . . .
B-R-E-A-T-H.

Don’t panic.

Remember, I walk on the turbulent seas.”

Don’t caress thoughts that are sharp and dark. Don’t linger in pits of past regrets—STOP.

Speak instead, faith thoughts.

Let—suffer, allow, the Holy Spirit to sing in your heart.

So I open the Hymn book at the Spirit’s prompt.  It opens, Doxology, page 1:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

And I think right away,

“Oh God, how can You patiently watch my faith so quickly, fly away?

With an envelope from the mail. With a headache in the morning. With the world’s events spinning. Each and everyday, dear Lord, You watch my faith take flight. As if it’s always night, and never day.

Oh God,  . . .

lead me to P-R-A-I-S-E.”

So I turn in the hymnal to Page 2. If only I could always remember this hymn proves time and again to be a “faint heart’s” rescue.

Fanny Crosby, though blind, could see. Spiritually, her words help my weary heart sing:

All the way my Sav-ior leads me; What have I to ask be-side? Can I doubt His ten-der mer-cy. Who thro’ life has been my guide?

Heav’n-ly peace,

di-vin-est com-fort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell For I know what-e’er be-fall me,

Je-sus do-eth all things well;

All the way my Savior leads me;

Cheers each winding path I tread.

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living bread:

Tho’ my weary steps may falter, And my soul a thirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! a spring of joy I see;

Thank you Fanny for your pen and song. My eyes are lifted from the earth to the Son.

All the way my Savior leads me; Oh, the fullness of His love! Perfect rest to me is promised In my Father’s house above . . .

Will you join me in entering God’s rest? Can we seek accountability to trust.
We can rise above earthly trials. Trusting that our Savior leads the way.

And while we wait, we praise our Savior. And He fills our hearts and minds with His peace.

Boastful In One Thing Alone/To God be the Glory

Not boastful about family, yet full of joy, love, and pride. Our family is a gift from God, shared and loaned to each of us for a time.
Not boastful in our talents, or all of our great powers:  To think. To sing. To run fast, to draw.
To create. To figure. To fly. To build high towers. Not boastful in any of these things at all. These are gifts given to us by the great and Almighty God.
Instead – Let us boast and give glory to Him. It is high time we give glory to One who is worthy. We seek God. We desire Him. Let us open His Book and receive His whole Story.
“To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, . . . ” (1)
Boastful in one thing and one thing alone: the cross that the Son of God endured for each and everyone.
For God so loved the world, yesterday and today. Even for all who hate Him and despise Him, the cross He endured.
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
The Place of the Skull, where there stood the cross. Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God;
Not only one, but of crosses, there were three. And the story is read, of the choices of the thieves:
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son.
Boastful today about the cross alone. We’ve been redeemed, yes, bought by the Son, who paid for all the damages brought on by our sin.
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
We must not boast for ourselves, in a gift that is given. Let’s give God the glory He so wonderfully deserves.
Those who fear man will be fearful in this. But in these last days, let us boast in Christ – let us be of the courageous.
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.
Jesus laid down His life that we might have it abundant. Living water for our thirst. Daily Bread for our hunger. His Spirit indwelling when we believe on the cross. The Father so loves that He gave His own Son.
On thing we must boast in, let us boast in the cross.
This old hymn brought out to the light was written by a woman who was completely blind. Fanny Crosby’s fingers wrote thousands of hymns. God allowed blindness in her life, only to give her incredible sight.
“To God be the Glory,” one hymn out of many, has perhaps even today, opened some eyes that were blind – to see. Let’s give God praise:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
(1) To God Be the Glory. Fanny Crosby (1820-1915).