Spurgeon.
I am a stranger with thee.
- Psa_39:12
Yes, O Lord, with thee, but not to thee. All my natural alienation
from thee, thy grace has effectually removed; and now, in fellowship
with thyself, I walk through this sinful world as a pilgrim in a
foreign country. Thou art a stranger in thine own world. Man forgets
thee, dishonours thee, sets up new laws and alien customs, and knows
thee not. When thy dear Son came unto his own, his own received
him not. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world knew him not. Never was foreigner so speckled a bird among
the denizens of any land as thy beloved Son among his mothers
brethren. It is no marvel, then, if I who live the life of Jesus,
should be unknown and a stranger here below. Lord, I would not be
a citizen where Jesus was an alien. His pierced hand has loosened
the cords which once bound my soul to earth, and now I find myself
a stranger in the land. My speech seems to these Babylonians among
whom I dwell an outlandish tongue, my manners are singular, and
my actions are strange. A Tartar would be more at home in Cheapside
than I could ever be in the haunts of sinners. But here is the sweetness
of my lot: I am a stranger with thee. Thou art my fellow-sufferer,
my fellow-pilgrim. Oh, what joy to wander in such blessed society!
My heart burns within me by the way when thou dost speak to me,
and though I be a sojourner, I am far more blest than those who
sit on thrones, and far more at home than those who dwell in their
ceiled houses.
To me remains nor place, nor time:
My country is in every clime;
I can be calm and free from care
On any shore, since God is there.
While place we seek, or place we shun,
The soul finds happiness in none:
But with a God to guide our way,
Tis equal joy to go or stay.
|
|
The Lord
is saying.....I have kept you in my place of hiding, under
the shadow of my wings and you have not had to feel the brunt
of the arrows that have been thrown at you. They have slid
off of your shield like butter off of a hot knife. For I am
truly your shield and buckler. Yet I am holding you even now
against the terror of the night and the arrow that flies by
day. As I have kept you so I shall keep you, so do not be
afraid. I am close and I am holding you tight.
Held
in the shadow of His Wings
Psalm
91:1-6
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Thank you my Lord that you have been able
to keep me so safe in the midst of trouble. Thank you for
being in my boat. Captain of my soul.
|
|
email:
shirleyhowitt@houseofbread.net |
|