God Moves in a Mysterious Way

God moves in a mysterious way
  His wonders to perform:
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
  And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
  Of never-failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs,
  And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
  The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
  In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
  But trust Him for His grace:
Behind a frowning providence
  He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
  Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
  But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
  And scan His work in vain:
God is His own interpreter,
  And He will make it plain.
                  William Cowper, 1731-1800

Taken from the book Good Reading for High Schools, English Writers, 1931 (I don't think my high school literature book contained this lovely poem.)

And we know that

God causes all things to work together

for good

to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 (NASV)

Great God of Nations

Great God of nations, now to Thee
  Our hymn of gratitude we raise;
With humble heart, and bending knee,
  We offer Thee our song of praise.

Thy Name we bless, Almighty God,
  For all the kindness Thou hast shown
To this fair land the Pilgrims trod-
  This land we fondly call our own.

We pray Thee let the gospel light
  Through all our land its radiance shed;
 Dispel the shades of error's night,
  And heavenly blessings round us spread.

Great God, preserve us in Thy fear;
  In danger still our Guardian be;
O spread Thy truth's bright precepts here;
  Let all the people worship Thee.
                             A.A. Woodhull, 1829

God reigns over the nations.

                                    Psalm 47:8                                 

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

In loving memory of Joel McKanna, 1979-2011
Beloved son of Don and Audrey Niswander McKanna

Jesus, I am Resting, 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 has made me whole.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
   I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changless,
  Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
  Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings;
  This is love indeed!
            Jean Sphie Pigott,1876

Christians never see one another for the last time.

Charles C. Albertson

The Conquerors

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three.

One lived and died for self; one died for you and me;

The Greek died on a throne; the Jew died on a cross;

One's life a triumph seemed; the other but a loss.

One led vast armies forth; the other walked alone.

One shed a whole world's blood; the other gave His own.

One won the world in life and lost it all in death;

The other lost His life to win the whole world's faith.

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three.

One died in Babylon, and one on Calvary.

One gained all for himself; and one Himself He gave,

One conquered every throne; the other every grave.

The one made himself God, the God made Himself less,

The one lived but to blast, the other but to bless.

When died the Greek, forever fell his throne of swords;

But Jesus died to live forever Lord of lords.

Jesus and Alexander died at thirty-three.

The Greek made all men slaves; the Jew made all men free.

One built a throne on blood; the other built on love.

The one was born of earth; the other from above.

One won all this earth, to lose all earth and heaven.

The other gave up all, that all to Him be given.

The Greek forever died; the Jew forever lives.

He loses all who gets, and wins all things who gives.

                                        -Charles Ross Weede





           "He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."

Hebrews 9:26

"Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of  God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the NEED of God's grace." (Jerry Bridges)





Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus!

Hail, Thou once despised Jesus! Hail, Thou Galilean King!
Thou didst suffer to release us; Thou didst free salvation bring.
Hail, Thou universal Savior! Thou has borne our sin and shame;
By Thy merits we find favor; Life is given through Thy name.

Paschal Lamb, by God appointed, All our sins were on Thee laid;
By almighty love annointed, Thou hast full atonement made.
Every sin may be forgiven through the virtue of Thy blood;
Opened is the gate of heaven; Peace is made 'twixt man and God.
                                                             John Bakewell, 1757 
                                             

Patrick's Prayer

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One, and One in Three;
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

and just for fun:

When Irish eyes are smiling
  and Irish smiles are big,
When Irish hearts are hopeful
  and the piper plays a jig,
When Irish stew is bubblin'
  and the soda bread is hot,
And Irish tea is steepin'
   in a little Irish pot...
When the room is warm
   with laughter
 and the songs are bright and bold
And there's poetry and magic
  in the stories that are told...
Isn't it a blessing?
Isn't it just grand
  to know a little part of you
     belongs to Ireland?
                       -author unknown

 It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,

because His compassions fail not,

They are new every morning:

Great is Thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23

A Prayer for America from 1844

God bless our native land!
Firm may she ever stand,
   Through storm and night;
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of winds and wave!
Do Thou our country save,
   By Thy great might.

For her our prayer shall rise
To God above the skies;
   on Him we wait;
Thou, who art ever nigh,
Guardian with watchful eye!
To Thee aloud we cry
   God save the state!
                     John S. Dwight, 1844

My help cometh from the Lord,

which made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

The Anvil of God's Word

Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith's door

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then looking in, I saw upon the floor,

Old hammers worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and batter on these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eyes,

"The anvil wears the hammers out you know."

"And so," I thought, "the anvil of God's Word

For ages skeptics' blows have beat upon,

Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard

The anvil is unmarred, the hammers gone."

                                          -John Clifford,D.D.

Open my eyes, that I may see

 wondrous things from Your law.

  Psalm 119:18



2012 Prayer for America

Prayer for the Nation

Lord! while for all mankind we pray,

Of every clime and coast,

Oh! hear us for our native land,

The land we love the most.

Oh! guard our shore from every foe,

With peace our borders bless,

With posperous times our cities crown,

Our fields with plenteousness.

Unite us in the sacred love

of knowledge, truth, and Thee;

And let our hills and valleys shout

The songs of liberty.

Lord of the nations! thus to Thee

Our country we commend;

Be thou her Refuge and her Trust,

Her everlasting Friend.

by John Reynell Wreford, 1837



Christmas Greetings, my friends and dear ones

A Friend's Greeting

by Edgar A. Guest

I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me;

I'd like to be the help that you've been always glad to be;

I'd like to mean as much to you each minute of the day

As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way.

I'd like to do the big things and the splendid things for you,

To brush the gray from out your skies and leave them only blue;

I'd like to say the kindly things that I so oft have heard,

And feel that I could rouse your soul the way that mine you've stirred.

I'd like to give you back the joy that you have given me,

Yet that were wishing you a need I hope will  never be;

I'd like to make you feel as rich as I, who travel on

Undaunted in the darkest hours with you to lean upon.

I'm wishing at this Christmas time that I could but repay

A portion of the gladness that you've strewn along my way;

And could I have one wish this year, this only would it be:

I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me.

Merry Christmas to you, my friends and dearly loved ones! I thank God for allowing our earthly paths to cross and pray that God will grant you His grace, peace and joy in the Name of Christ our Savior, who was named "Jesus" for He shall save His people from their sins. I thank God for the love He gave us in Christmas, Christ, the God Man who died for us, taking our sins upon His own self, that we might have the forgiveness of sin, bring glory to Him and have hope eternal. (Titus 1:2) God bless you. If only I could be "the sort of friend that you have been to me." Thank you for all that you have done for me!

Harvest and Thanksgiving

To Thee, O Lord, Our Hearts We Raise

To Thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise

In hymns of adoration;

To thee bring sacrifice of praise

With shouts of exultation.

Bright robes of gold the fields adorn,

The hills with joy are ringing,

The valleys stand so thick with corn

That even they are singing.

And now, on this our festal day,

Thy bounteous hand confessing,

Upon Thine altar, Lord, we lay

The first-fruits of Thy blessing;

By Thee the souls of men are fed

With gifts of grace supernal;

Thou who dost give us daily bread,

Give us the bread eternal.

                                                        by William C. Dix,1837-1898

Through Him then, let us continually offer up

a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips

that give thanks to His name.

Hebrews 13:15 NASB



Grace

His grace is great enough to meet the great things-

  The crashing waves that overwhelm the soul,

The roaring winds that leave us stunned and breathless,

  The sudden storms beyond our life's control.

His grace is great enough to meet the small things-

  The little pin-prick troubles that annoy,

The insect worries, buzzing and persistent,

  The squeaking wheels that grate upon our joy.

                        by Annie Johnson Flint

"My grace is sufficent for thee; my strength is made perfect in weakness."

                                      II Corinthians 12:9

Courage and Comfort

Come Unto Me, Ye Weary

ICH WEISS AN WEN ICH GLAUBE

"Come unto Me, ye weary,

And I will give you rest."

O blessed voice of Jesus,

 Which comes to hearts oppressed!

It tells of benediction,

Of pardon, grace and peace,

Of joy that hath no ending,

Of love which cannot cease.

"Come unto Me, ye wand'rers,

And I will give you light."

O loving voice of Jesus,

Which comes to cheer the night!

Our hearts were filled with sadness,

And we had lost our way;

But morning brings us gladness,

And songs the break of day.

"Come unto Me, ye fainting,

And I will give you life."

O cheering voice of Jesus,

Which comes to aid our strife!

The foe is stern and eager,

The fight is fierce and long;

But Thou hast made us mighty,

And stronger than the strong.

"And whosoever cometh

I will not cast him out."

O welcome voice of Jesus,

Which drives away our doubt,

Which calls us, very sinners,

Unworthy though we be

Of love so free and boundless,

To come, dear Lord, to Thee!

by William C. Dix, 1837-1898

Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Beautiful Ohio

I sailed away;

Wandered afar;

Crossed the mighty restless sea;

Looked for where I ought to be.

Cities so grand, mountains above,

Led to this land I love.

Beautiful Ohio, where the golden grain

Dwarf the lovely flowers in the summer rain.

Cities rising high, silhouette the sky,

Freedom is supreme in this majestic land;

Mighty factories seem to hum in tune, so grand.

Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view,

Land where my dreams all come true!

by Ballard MacDonald, published in 1918

Providence has granted me a Buckeye home and although I have "crossed the restless sea,"  living in a foreign land for awhile, God has allowed me to live in beautiful Ohio and for that I am truly thankful. As Dorothy said so well "There is no place like home."

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow."

To a Kindly Critic

It it's wrong to believe in the land that we love,
And to pray for our flag to the good God above;
If it's wrong to believe that our country is best;
That honor's her standard, and truth is her crest;
If placing her first in our prayers and our song
Is false to true reason, we're glad to be wrong.

If it's wrong to wish victory day after day
For the troops of our country now marching away;
If it's wrong to believe they are moved by the right
And not by the love and the lure of the fight;
If to cheer them to battle and bid them be strong
Is false to right thinking, then let us be wrong.

If it's wrong to believe in America's dreams
Of a freedom on earth that's as real as it seems;
If it's error to cherish the hope, through and through,
That the stars in Old Glory's immaculate blue
Shall shine through the ages, true beacons to men,
We pray that no right phrase shall flow from our pen.

    By Edgar A. Guest, published in 1942 concerning

                                    World War II