Resting on God

O God Most High, Most Glorious,

The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
but thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
they stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bond,
thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out of confusion,
and my defeats are thy victories:
The LORD God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee a sinner with cares and sorrows,
to leave every concern entirely to thee,
every sin calling for Christ's precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great Shepherd,
hear his voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
burning into me by experience the things I know;
that I may bear its reproach,
vindicate it,
see Jesus as its essence,
know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
unbelief mars my confidence,
sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only
when I live to Thee,
that all else is trifling.
Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.

from The Valley of Vision, pg 234-235

God may cause everything in our life to go dark. We are often so distracted by trivial things, daily adding to a delusion that God cannot fulfill us, that He is not good enough. So, it is a necessary thing, for God to discipline His wayward children, so that we will understand that He is our "good enough." He wants the best for us! And the best for us is God, the perfect and Holy One.

But The Darkness does come at a great cost to us and God understands that. Being true to His character, though He leads us into great suffering, He does not ever leave our side. And in that darkness, we will see God's light, we will see how great He is, we will feel His care, we will feel His power...and in our weakness, His strength is made perfect. He renews our faith, He restores our spirit and He satisfies our soul. He makes us grow in righteousness and in understanding of our faith. He restores our hope in salvation and we begin to see, with our hearts and our minds, that Jesus Christ is our ultimate treasure.

Praise God. Praise Him.

Shortcomings

A prayer from "The Valley of Vision:"

O LIVING GOD,

I bless thee
that I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it,
that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from thee,
that is thy deep and dear mercy to threaten
punishment so that I may return, pray, live.
My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged,
or to look on my good and be puffed up.
I fall short of they glory every day by spending hours unprofitably,
by thinking that the things I do are good,
when they are not done to thy end,
nor spring from the rules of thy Word.
My sin is to fear what never will be;
I forget to submit to thy will, and fail to be quiet there.
But Scripture teaches me that thy active will
reveals a steadfast purpose on my behalf,
and this quietens my soul,
and makes me love thee.
Keep me always in the understanding
that saints mourn more for sin than other men
for when they see how great is thy wrath against sin,
and how Christ's death alone pacifies that wrath,
that makes them mourn the more.
Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness
it is not all briars and barrenness.
I have bread from heaven,
streams from the rock,
light by day,
fire by night,
thy dwelling place and thy mercy seat.
I am sometimes discouraged by the way,
but though winding and trying it is safe and short;
Death dismays me, but my great high priest
stands in its waters,
and will open me a passage,
and beyond is a better country.
While I live let my life be exemplary,
when I die may my end be peace.