REFLECTIONS

His Sweet Love And Presence

“Look up to Him and love Him! O, love and live.

I dare not say but my Lord Jesus hath fully recompensed my sadness with His joys, my losses with His own presence. I find it a sweet and rich thing to exchange my sorrows with Christ’s joys, my afflictions with that sweet peace I have with Himself.

Let us be glad and rejoice in the salvation of our Lord, for faith had never yet cause to have wet cheeks and hanging-down brows, or to droop or die: what can ail faith, seeing Christ Himself (with reverence to Him be it spoken) to be commanded by it; and Christ commandeth all things. Faith may dance because Christ sings; and we may come in the quire (choir) and lift our hoarse and rough voices, and chirp, and sing, and shout for joy with our Lord Jesus.

Christ and His cross together are sweet company, and a blessed couple. My poison is my palace, my losses are rich losses, my pain easy pain, my heavy days are holy and happy days. I may tell a new tale of Christ to my friends.

This soul of ours hath love, and cannot but love some fair one; and O, what a fair One, what an only One, what an excellent, lovely, ravishing One is Jesus.

I am in as sweet communion with Christ as a poor sinner can be; and am only pained that He hath much beauty and fairness, and I little love; He great power and mercy, and I little faith; He much light and I bleared eyes.

My counsel is, that ye come out and leave the multitude and let Christ have your company. Let them take clay and this present world who love it: Christ is a more worthy and noble portion: blessed be those who get Him.

My dear brother, let God make of you what He will, He will end all with consolation, and He shall make glory out of your sufferings; and would ye wish better work?

I find Christ the most steadfast friend and companion in the world to me now: the need and usefulness of Christ is seen best in trials. O, if He be not well worthy of His room!  Lodge Him in house and heart.”

-From The Loveliness Of Christ  Extracts from the Letters of Samuel Rutherford by Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661)  Selected by Ellen Lister  Published by The Banner Of Truth Trust  Carlisle, PA  2007 

A Prayer To The God Of My Life

“His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.’ Revelation 1:14-15

Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! Amen!-is the creations cry ultimately, Lord Jesus Christ, You who are noble, majestic, and awesome God and King! Lord of light, Father of lights, Lord Jesus Christ, Your creation does and must glorify you! You are and shall be worshipped. For You have created it for Your own glory and Your creation cannot fail to give You the glory You have designed and destined it to give You. O God, You alone are the Great King! You are holy and Your eyes are a revealing fire that lays bare all things!  You alone see all things, nothing is hidden from Your sight, O God the Lamb, and in seeing all things You judge all things. The fire of Your vision and judgments purify the holy and condemn and burn up in total destruction all darkness and sin.

All hail the Lord Jesus Christ! And Your feet are like fine brass and are glorious, a splendidly polished metal that reflects and signifies Your holiness and judgment of evil; a purified brass as refined in a furnace and which shows forth your absolute judgment of all evil. Glorious King of the saints, O God and Man, You are to be feared and loved and embraced by faith. Your voice thunders as the noise of many waters and Your Word comes forth in all power and none can withstand it finally. When You speak all must hear and when You command all must obey and will kneel to You and declare that You are Lord and God Most High. You are the Eternal Son of the Father in eternal generation. O how high and lifted up you are Son of God!

Teach us by Your Spirit and we shall magnify Your name as we learn the deep things of God. Your countenance is likened to the sun shining in its strength. Glory to you Lamb of God! Glorious are You, the source and essence of glory. Glory, honor, thanksgiving, power and love to You, Sun of Righteousness. You shine forth!  Your face reveals to us the face of God. We tremble before You, we love You and adore You Lamb of God! You have taken away our sins and to see You is to see God made visible to us by faith. Your glory is absolute and ultimate and beyond our ability to comprehend but we long to see more of You. And we shall see You, Glorious God and Great king, by Your will alone we shall behold You and in doing so we shall be like You! Come and reveal to us Your strong countenance and beautiful face Lord!

And thank You forever, Lord, that You have revealed to us in time Your eternal glory, nature and reality. We can only worship You and declare that You are worthy Lord!

Christ is glorious!

The Great King is awesome.

The Lamb comes in His glory.

Truth, honor, blessing and grace are His!

Hail the Eternal Son and Glorious Man! Love and worship Him, God over all, forever! Amen.

A Prayer To The God Of My Life

“I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.” Psalm 38:6

Father, the Almighty, I come before You by Your grace to love You, worship You, lift Your name on high and to declare Your praises! Thank You, Father, for the blessings we have received in the ministry in Rwanda. O bring much true grace to Your people there; reform their churches, renew them personally and corporately and revive them, Lord. Thank You that Kappy is well in Your care, protection and loving grace. O God, my Father, I mourn for my sin and like David, Your servant, I am troubled and bowed down in my heart. As I remember the days of Your judgment and my wickedness-the days of heart-break and despair when I was mad in my unbelief, sinfulness and unregeneracy I mourn for my sin. I remember being bowed down physically as though a boulder had been placed upon my shoulders. I remember my fear, loathing, terror and hopelessness. But I remember, too, that in Your time and perfect plan You lifted this crushing boulder of guilt, sin, death, misery and condemnation off of me! 

I still mourn for my sin, Father, by Your grace, and in my heart of hearts I weep in grief for the sin that I now commit and always for the sins that I committed before Your grace and that I can never forget. I weep for my fallenness-that evil which remains in me and my sin of sin-that I continue to transgress Your law of love. I am blessed to mourn for my sinfulness, Father, for You have graciously shown it to me. I praise you, my Father, for I am not troubled in a state of lostness as before but now I am troubled in saving grace and hope! I am not without God now and I rejoice in my mournings for sin and that which You hate, I too, have come to hate. That which You love I have come to love.

Thank You for Your grace, for Your love, for Your patience, for Your strength and power, for Your nearness. O give us wisdom and peace as we grieve for our sin and for the sins of others, Father. You alone are the worthy and true God! Your name is wonderful! And all of Your ways are gracious and excellent as You are worthy and excellent. You give to us daily help, deliverance and blessing. O teach us, our God, to live ever more fully in Your presence and to have fellowship and share in closeness to You. To know You is the blessing of our existence and being. And to know You more is an excellent glory. In Jesus name, amen.