Hang on

"Hang on to the providence of God, not only when you have means to help you, but also when you have no means — yea, when all means be against you. Give Him this honour which He most chiefly requireth at thy hands — namely, believe that you are his children through Christ; that He is your Father and God through Him; that He loveth you, pardoneth all your offences; that "He is with you in trouble," and will be with you for ever."
— John Bradford

Sometimes just laying hold of the fact that you are 'a child of the King' is what we need to do. Circumstances may be difficult, our apprehension of truth may be weak, our faith may be wavering, our guilt may be rising up within us, but this simple fact speaks volumes of the love, grace, compassion, and worth that we have through the blood of Christ. Letting our mind rest on this simple but profound fact is able to calm distressed minds and hearts and bring some peace and perspective to times that would otherwise be so unsettling. God has given us so many things to 'hang on' to in Himself. And thankfully, through it all, He hangs on to us with an unshakeable grip!

A striking engraving

I visited New York City recently — I found this particularly poignant engraving on the walls of the NYC Public Library in mid-town Manhattan:

But above all things truth beareth away the victory

In a culture that rejects truth, what an incredible statement...

The unchanging One

I have a little book, Gems of Sacred Poetry, published circa 1840/1850, that is about 1-1/2"x2"... very tiny. It has some true gems in it though... Here is one about how unsteady and fluctuating we are in our devotion to God. In all our ups and downs, we resolve to do better, and so constantly fail. It seems that this is no new problem!! O for more stable hearts 'fix'd by thy grace alone on thee.'

Inconstancy lamented

The wandering star and fleeting wind
Are emblems of the fickle mind;
The morning cloud and early dew
Bring our inconstancy to view.

But cloud, and wind, and dew, and star,
Only a faint resemblance bear;
Nor can there aught in nature be
So changeable and frail as we.

Our outward walk and inward frame,
Are scarcely through an hour the same;
We vow, and straight our vows forget,
And then those very vows repeat.

We sin forsake, to sin return;
Are hot, then cold, now freeze, now burn;
Now sink to hell, in dark despair,
Then soar to heaven, and triumph there.

With flowing tears, Lord, we confess
Our folly and unsteadfastness;
When shall these hearts more stable be,
Fix'd by thy grace alone on thee?

Thankfully we have a God who does not change! May we find great comfort in that attribute of his today. His great unchanging nature — his love never wavers or diminishes, his grace is constant, his character is always the same, he never sinks or rises, he is the great unchanging One.

Stand with Him

Just a little quote from Augustine to set my heart for the year.
Based on Psalm 37:7 "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him," he writes:

Stand with Him, and ye shall stand fast.
Rest in Him, and ye shall be at rest.
—Augustine

Simple words and yet profound… Often we struggle to "stand firm" in the faith and as we struggle, our peace and rest in God is disturbed. It is comforting to know that as God enables us to stand, He also gives us rest and comfort in our souls, and the knowledge that we are "in Him."