These posts focus our hearts and minds on the One who is worthy

From ev’ry stormy wind that blows,
from ev’ry swelling tide of woes,
there is a calm, a sure retreat;
’tis found beneath the mercy seat.

There is a place where Jesus sheds
the oil of gladness on our heads,
a place than all besides more sweet;
it is the blood-stained mercy seat.

There is a spot where spirits blend,
where friend holds fellowship with friend,
tho’ sundered far; by faith they meet
around the common mercy seat.

Ah, whither could we flee for aid,
when tempted, desolate, dismayed,
or how the hosts of hell defeat,
had suff’ring saints no mercy seat?

There, there on eagle wings we soar,
and time and sense seem all no more,
and heav’n comes down our souls to greet,
and glory crowns the mercy seat.

O may my hand forget her skill,
my tongue be silent, cold, and still,
this bounding heart forget to beat,
if I forget the mercy seat.

Hugh Stowell, 1828
Read Isaiah 32:1-5

In “Every Stormy Wind,” we learn that God is our shelter and strength, no matter what we face, including physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges. Nothing is beyond His power and authority. At the mercy seat, we find grace and mercy to help in times of need. Don’t be so foolish as to try to handle everything alone when He is there for us.

“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way;
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.”

“Almost persuaded,” come, come, today;
“Almost persuaded,” turn not away;
Jesus invites you here,
Angels are ling’ring near,
Prayers rise from hearts so dear,
O wand’rer, come.

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail;
Sad, sad, that bitter wail-
“Almost- but lost!”

Philip P. Bliss, 1871
Read Acts 26:19-29

This is a hymn of decision. We are bombarded with hundreds of decisions every day. Most are inconsequential — which socks you wear, what you get from the vending machine. Some are more important. One is eternally significant. Mr. Bliss challenges us to examine our faith, confront our doubts, and make a firm decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly. We have no guarantees of tomorrow, and we must understand the need to seize the opportunity for salvation today. Each moment we spend in indecision carries the risk of drifting further away from God’s grace. If you are reading this and don’t know what salvation in Jesus Christ means, I can help.

God loves us and intended for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven, but because of Adam and Eve’s fall in Genesis 3, we are all born sinners. A sinner is someone who commits sins. Sins are those things that violate the holiness of God. They include things like the Ten Commandments.

Because of God’s holiness, we cannot enter His presence as long as we are sinners (See Isaiah 59:1-2). His justice and righteousness demand that sin must be judged. That judgment is eternal separation from God in hell. That’s a problem. We cannot behave well enough to overcome our sin. We can’t work for it or earn it or buy it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The resolution to the tension between God’s love and God’s justice is Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death on the cross satisfies God’s judgment and pays the penalty for the sins of anyone who accepts that payment on God’s terms. John 3:16-18, 36, and Romans 10:9-13 shed some light on this.

If you’ve never embraced these truths and believed in Jesus Christ as Savior, I promise people have been praying for you to do exactly that. It’s something you’ll never regret … unlike being “almost persuaded.”

My talents are few, dearest Master,
Yet I long of some use to be,
Then, tell me, I pray thee, dear Jesus,
How may I do something for thee?

I cannot with fiery warnings,
Make the wicked their guilt to see,
Yet surely some pathway is open,
Where I may do something for thee. [Refrain]

No riches, alas! can I give thee,
For they never have come to me,
But freely I lay on thy altar,
My life, to do something for thee. [Refrain]

Refrain:
Something for thee, something for thee,
Oh, tell me, I pray thee, dear Master,
How may I do something for thee?

William Henry Gardner, 1892
Read Exodus 35:20-29

Just as the Israelites willingly brought their offerings for the Tabernacle, we can offer God our lives, talents, and resources without reservation. Every aspect of our lives can be dedicated to His service, knowing that He values even the smallest offerings when given with a sincere heart.

O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly.
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine would I be;
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power,
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee. [Chorus]

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe.
How often when trials like sea billows roll
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul. [Chorus]

Chorus:
Hiding in Thee, Hiding in Thee,
Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

William O. Cushing, 1876
Read Psalm 61:1-8

Christ as our refuge is one of my favorite motifs in the Scripture, and this hymn builds on that idea throughout. No matter the situation, He is there with protection and strength, giving comfort and peace. Aren’t you glad we have a Rock?

There is rest, sweet rest, at the Master’s feet.
There is favor now at the mercy seat,
For atoning blood has been sprinkled there.
There is always a blessing, a blessing in prayer.

There is grace to help in our time of need,
For our Friend above is a Friend indeed.
We may cast on Him ev’ry grief and care.
There is always a blessing, a blessing in prayer. [Refrain]

When our songs are glad with the joy of life,
When our hearts are sad with its ills and strife,
When the pow’rs of sin would the soul ensnare,
There is always a blessing, a blessing in prayer. [Refrain]

There is perfect peace tho’ the wild waves roll;
There are gifts of love for the seeking soul,
Till we praise the Lord in His home so fair.
There is always a blessing, a blessing in prayer. [Refrain]

[Refrain]
There’s a blessing in prayer, in believing prayer,
When our Saviour’s name to the throne we bear.
Then a Father’s love will receive us there;
There is always a blessing, a blessing in prayer.

Eliza E. Hewitt, 1887
Read Hebrews 4:11-16

The benefits of prayer extend beyond the answer. This hymn outlines some of those: rest, grace, peace, and joy, among others. It is a beautiful and powerful gift God has given us. Let us make certain we take advantage of this great blessing.

My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin, and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice saying, “Make Me your choice,”
And I entered the haven of rest.

I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
And faith taking hold of the word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul:
The haven of rest is my Lord. [Refrain]

The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blessed,
Of Jesus who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the haven of rest. [Refrain]

How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved and blessed,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the haven of rest. [Refrain]

Oh, come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the haven of rest,
And say, “My Beloved is mine.” [Refrain]

Refrain:
I’ve anchored my soul in the haven of rest,
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep o’er the wild stormy deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

H. L. Gilmour, 1885
Read Hebrews 4:8-11

Rest. We know how sweet rest is. What a beautiful metapor in this hymn. We are safe and secure in Jesus. We no longer have to worry or expend all of our energy trying to please God. Instead we can rest in the righteousness of Christ. (This is one that’s hard not to sing while I’m writing this. 🙂 ) Soul, take your rest. Jesus Himself proclaimed, “It is finished!”