Isa 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.
In Daniel 7:25 it says “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” We are living in a time when the laws are being changed. The natural laws handed down to us by God Himself are being changed by folks who speak great swelling words. Their rebellion is almost complete. The foundations are being destroyed, what shall the righteous do? The battle lines are being drawn by the prince of the power of the air, of this I have no doubt. The saints are wearied and are being worn out by an deluge of wickedness, and still the flood comes. Daniel says that we shall be given into his hand “until a time and times and the dividing of times.” Rev 13:7 says “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
And so, a word to the weary and the worn out saints. Yes a mighty flood of evil has engulfed the world, but our Lord says in His Word that when the enemy comes in like a flood, He shall raise up a standard. He has prepared a highway of Holiness that leads through fire and flood. He has given us a tongue. A word of knowledge, a word of wisdom, a heavenly word that only the Spirit can discern. A word of encouragement. God Himself has given a learned tongue, touched by the Blood of the Lamb and coals of refining fire. Those who oppose you will increase as you continue to stand unmoved by the cultural winds that are beginning to blow with hurricane force. But you will not fall because trial and tribulation and temptations have been your lot for many years now, and your roots have went down deep into the waters of life. You have seen how God has been faithful to you through every situation and because of that your own faith has increased; to God be the glory.
Truth has consumed you and transformed you and you are a lover of it and no power that exists will wrestle it away from you. And of course the Word of God is your delight. It is the foundation upon which you stand. It allows you to stand, unmovable. It is a lamp unto your feet in the ever-increasing darkness of this world and it lights up the narrow path ahead. Stand fast brothers and sisters, the gates of hell shall not prevail against those who stand. He shall awaken you morning by morning. He is the stillness of your soul and He touches every part of your longing heart. He is in every tear that falls and in the billowing waves He hears you call. He shall be your quiet peace as the sun rises in the morning and your calm assurance in the night. He will be your laughter in the rain and your endurance through the pain. In the silence and in the noise you shall hear His still small voice and in this my brothers and sisters you shall rejoice. He rises up like the sun above the mountains, and He will refresh you from His inexhaustible fountains.
Isa 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusts in You
Perfect peace. Oh what a marvelous state. Who among us would not revel in “perfect peace.” Yet here is a promise from the Living God to His people, with two conditions. Conditions you say? Yes, indeed. And the two here stated are firstly, “whose mind is stayed on You.” Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. See Him in all His glory. See Him high and lifted up above your circumstances. Was He not lifted up upon a cross for you? See Him high and lifted up above every storm. Above every set of circumstances, above every ailment and serious infirmity. For when you see Him as such and glorify Him as such does not the Spirit of Christ rest upon you? When the world and even your own mind and body attempts to wrestle you away from a singular focus on Him, shall we not resist this?
Secondly, trust in the Lord your God. Trust Him on the mountain, trust Him in the valley, trust Him when your enemies are all around and to your aid He rallies. Trust Him in the morning when the sun rises in the sky, trust Him on your sickbed when men say that you will die. Trust Him in the noonday when the sun is overhead, trust Him for your sustenance and for your daily bread. Trust Him as the sun goes down and in the twilight hour, for even in the darkness He is your light and He’s your power. To keep your eyes on Him and to trust Him in all things is to walk through the door of perfect peace. Won’t you go in brothers and sisters? Look up unto the heavens and revel in the glory of God and you shall revel in His peace, His perfect peace.
Isa 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
“The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The haughty people of the earth languish.” This word languish means to be weak and feeble. In the same passage it gives us the reason why. “Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant.” We are living in days of disorder and this disorder, in great part, stems, from a complete rebellion against God and His order. We see in Gen 1 that the earth was without form and void and was in darkness. And the Holy Spirit hovered over all of it and God commanded that there be light. God begins to bring order to that which was without form and void. And so out of that which was desolate and empty came order and the fullness of God’s creation.
When we reject the light and we reject God’s order, because of haughtiness, pride and rebellion, then we begin to revert to disorder and darkness. The windows from on high are open and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth shall reel to and from like a drunkard. God has stepped down and not in ways that will cause men to celebrate. The world has wholly rejected God and only His remnant remain. They are to be found all over the world, in every village and town, in every tribe and nation. God has His people. Even the gross darkness of a world gone mad cannot extinguish the Light that is found in God’s own saints. As the darkness grows deeper, the light of Christ stands out. It defies that which is without form and stands in opposition to the void hearts and minds of those who despise God.
No matter the darkness, the light prevails. Just as we saw in the thorns and the nails. Victory in Christ as the darkness drew near, victory over hell and death and fear. The world may languish and be spiraling down, yet victory belongs to the One with the crown. He shall be glorified by His own, in the dawning light, filled with His strength and ready to fight. The proud shall fall, never to rise. His glory shall be revealed in His glorious skies. The sun shall flee and the moon disgraced and the stars in the heavens shall be violently displaced. The Kings of Kings and the Lord of the ages, steps down once more as the devil rages. Then victory is final and the darkness is gone and the saints, all together, shall sing a new song.
I was born by the river
In a dirty ol town of hard livin
And that old river just keeps on running
And I know I just got to keep on forgivin.
That old river is fast flowin
But it couldn't wash away all the pain
For in the eddy's and the alleys
The gutters of life kept pouring down rain.
Cobblestones streets illuminated by full moon nights
Lamp posts silhouetted, sandstone chimney pots
The thing about this rain that never seems to stop
It soaks you to the bone and everything rots
As I flew a long long way from the valley
And left it far far and away behind
To the big sky horizons of a different world
Yet the valley was never far from my mind
Still the river flowed, still the rain fell
And even in this land of vast horizons
I was walking though the long deep valley
Looking for a world I could arise in.
And then a hand reached down through the rain
Through the misty darkness of cobblestone streets
Where the gutters were awash with pain
A new land came forward and the old ones retreat
Now the river keeps running through the valley
And the rain keeps fallin from above
Yet the sun has broken through the landscape
And has filled that old valley with its love.
Like the martyrs afterwards, at the stake and amid the flames, who it is testified that so deep was their inward joy that they were unconscious of the external agony. so He was transported above His anguish by the very joy of His Father’s presence and love. It was this that enabled Him to endure “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame.” He saw not the deep dark valley of humiliation, but the heights of resurrection-life and ascension glory just beyond. And He was lifted above the consciousness of the present by the vision and hope and the joy of the Lord. This is the joy He gives to us. It is nothing less than the fullness of His own heart throbbing in our breast and sharing with us His own immutable blessedness (A.B.Simpson)
Do you see what the brother is saying saints? He did not see the dark valley of humiliation rather He saw the heights of resurrection life and the glory “just beyond.” This is the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. The same Holy Spirit that was in the Lord Jesus Christ is in you and He gives you the same vision that the Lord had in this sense. Can you see what is just beyond? Just beyond your circumstances. Just beyond your trial. Just beyond your sickness. Just beyond your enemies. We have the power in us to see just beyond the horizon of this world and glimpse the ascension glory of eternity. The world to come, the world beyond this, the world that already exists in us, the world we actually walk in. The Kingdom. And we see the Kingdoms King and His name is Jesus.
And so as the days grow darker look up and see the light. As the enemy grows bolder know that you have the power to stand and fight. There are no mortal flames that can burn the glory down. It only intensifies the light above and gives us greater sight to see the one who wears the crown. What flood can overwhelm us when He raises us to higher ground? Shall we not count it all rather as rubbish so that in Him we shall be found? There is an eternal fountain of gladness and joy that we have access too. As we stand upon His holy Hill and be drenched by the morning dew that falls from heavens heights. And so we stay close to the one who leads us on and speaks to us in the still small voice. And to that voice we must respond. If we are to see the light of Christ and see what is just beyond. The glory of the risen King, the one to whom we all shall sing…….Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Crown Him with many crowns.
Freedom is totally unconfined
And surely break the cords that bind
It set me adrift in the midst of an endless sea
It swallowed and consumed me, now I am surely free
Freedom is the reason that He came from up above
Freedom is His work and the consequences of
The Fathers love and His desire to set the captives free
And every saint in all the earth shall surely all agree
That freedom is the narrow path as wide as the Fathers heart
And freedom is the cords of love that never comes apart
It is the mighty rushing wind, an unstoppable incoming tide
It is the depths of the Fathers heart, the place where I shall hide
The Kingdom of God, my heart cries out, and calls it freedom land
It is the solid Rock in a sinking world, where I forever stand
It is the air I breath, each beat of my heart, which He gave unto me
It is nail pierced hands and wounded side that set my spirit free
Calvary alone attests to the work that Christ Himself has done
And to freedoms glorious victory that He alone has won
Who could have ever known that to nail Christ to a tree
Would destroy the power of bondage and set the captive free
When all the leaves have faded
And fallen to the ground
I pray the trees still standing
Right there on Holy ground.
When everything is stripped away
And we stand before the throne
And we have no earthly covering
but the Blood of Christ alone
We'll see what only God can see
And where it had begun
On the wretched bloody battle-field
Of Calvary there, was won.
The Blood He shed for you and me
It covers everything
And though we stand there naked
There stands our Christ the King
And there we'll know as we are known
White garments dressed before the throne
There'll never be another fall
For the Blood of Christ it covers all.
When I tell people that I am going home to Scotland, many people say, innocently enough, things like "oh that must be really nice, I wish I was coming with you, you are so lucky." I usually just nod and smile. How can they know that Scotland to me, in great part, is the land of my lost childhood. The land where I buried my son, where I almost lost another. Some of the darkest years of my life were swallowed up by alcohol and drugs, lost in oblivion, in the land of my birth. And yet I do love it. I love the people. I love the mountains and the valleys and the river that ran through my valley, the River Clyde. It is emblazoned upon my mind. Here below is a poem I wrote which might give you a better understanding of what it means for me to "go home." I wrote it to the fallen pieces of my heart that I left behind so long ago. I am sure many Americans could relate to this, it would just be the their own small town, the place of their birth.
The battleground.
I'm now going back to the battleground
To see if the pieces of my heart can be found
I left them where they fell so many years ago
In the midst of a perpetual winter, underneath the falling snow
I want to gather them up and tell them where I've been
Of the sunshine that I've walked in and the glory I have seen
A land so far from this place, that dwells on higher ground
Far removed from the frozen land and from the battleground
And so to all the pieces that I had to leave behind
I have a brand new heart and a fully restored mind
Amidst the flame and fire of the battles long ago
Ive come to show you something of what it means to grow.
The heart that's cut to pieces and memories departed
He came to raise you up again and heal the brokenhearted
He'll take from all the ashes, and there beauty shall be found
Where once was broken pieces amidst the battleground.
Rivers of grace and oceans of love
Is always sufficient is always enough
The heavens shall open and rain down on me
I who was captive now gloriously free
It raises me up to where I belong
That which was weak, is now very strong
This river of grace, this ocean of love
Takes me to places I've never dreamed of
I found the Father without any chart
And Jesus His Son to the depths of His heart
Now Only in thee can I ever abide
In the cleft if the Rock, I forever shall hide
Rivers of grace and oceans of love
My glorious Jesus is more than enough
The heavens wide open rains down upon me
No longer a captive just gloriously set free.
I will open rivers in the desert heights
I will illuminate the darkness on the darkest nights
I will be a cloud to you in the heat of the day
Follow me my child I will show you the way
I will make the wilderness like a pool of water
I will strengthen you though ye be like lambs to the slaughter
When they hang you high I will raise you higher
You will praise My name in the midst of the fire
When they put you in the dungeon and throw away the key
You will sing songs of glory for I have set you free
There are no chains that can ever hold you down
For I have robed you in glory and placed upon your head a crown
Streams of heavenly glory flow down to you oh man
I saw you born again, I saw when it all began
No child of mine shall beg nor ever sell his own birthright
Rather stand he in the battle, he will stand and fight
We do not fight with flesh and blood, rather principalities and powers
We pull down every stronghold and demolish demonic towers
The Lord has called us to righteousness and He will hold our hand
And by the power of His glory, we shall forever stand.
Rain down you heavens from above
Let the skies pour forth in righteousness
Be drenched by His glorious love
And let His light expel all darkness
I am the Lord your God and there is no other
Look to me alone as your narrow way
Do not be distracted by any other lover
And I will lead and guide you every single day
I have formed the light and created the darkness
I make peace and hold the reins of calamity
Yet in my Hands you are safe from all the madness
And despite all you see there is only my reality
Darkness and light are both the same to Me
And I have created the path that lies before you
Whether mountains or valleys or the wildest desolate seas
I will forge your steps and I will take you through
You shall walk through fires and you shall not be burned
You shall wade through floods and not be overwhelmed
You shall keep your eyes on me and never be turned
When you are covered by My Blood you are never condemned.
I will open rivers in the desert heights
I will illuminate the darkness on the darkest nights
I will be a cloud to you in the heat of the day
Follow me my child I will show you the way
I will make the wilderness like a pool of water
I will strengthen you though ye be like lambs to the slaughter
When they hang you high I will raise you higher
You will praise My name in the midst of the fire
When they put you in the dungeon and throw away the key
You will sing songs of glory for I have set you free
There are no chains that can ever hold you down
For I have robed you in glory and upon your head a crown
Streams of heavenly glory flow down to you oh man
I saw you born again, I saw when it all began
No child of mine shall beg nor ever sell his own birthright
Rather stand he in the battle, he will stand and fight
We do not fight with flesh and blood, rather principalities and powers
We pull down every stronghold and demolish demonic towers
The Lord has called us to righteousness and He will hold our hand
And by the power of His glory, we shall forever stand.
A NEW DAY IS BORN.
As the morning from the earliest dawn
Is spread upon the mountains
So the Blood of our Almighty Lord
Flows from eternal fountains
As the river from its secret source
Flows down from the highest valleys
So our Lord and all His marching saints
To the battle ever rallies
Down from Heaven's eternal skies
Flows Gods almighty blessings
That washes men from all their sins
And all of their transgressions
In every battle in every age
Blood has been forever shed
Yet the greatest day there ever was
The day my Saviour died and bled
And now the fountains of our Lord
Gush forth a mighty flood
Refreshing men in every age
By His eternal Blood
Stand fast ye soldiers of the cross
Stand fast and hold the ground
Though you may suffer grievous loss
And the enemy is all around
Rise up like mornings from the dawn
That spreads across the mountains
And see His Blood you look upon
Flow from eternal fountains
And in this glorious tidal wave
That ushers sin into its grave
You'll stand triumphantly and say
This is for me a brand new day..
The title of the last poem that that William Cowper wrote, in 1773, was “Light shining out of Darkness.” It became known by the first line “God moves in a mysterious way.” John Newton would publish it the following year. It might help to understand the original title when we consider that William wrote this poem after attempting suicide. And so the darkness that he is writing about was gross darkness indeed and how sweet the light of Christ that rescues us even if we make our beds in hell, even the darkness, shall be light unto Him. He also wrote “There is a fountain filled with Blood,” and “O for a closer walk with God.”
These words written, have comforted countless millions over the last 250 years. William, in his serious battles with depression over his whole lifetime could never have imagined the impact his life would have, how it would continue to resonate down through the centuries. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in a man who walked in the darkness of depression for much of his life. Light shining out of darkness. God indeed moves in mysterious ways, who can explain our God? I tell you this though, you rarely if ever read words like this anymore. Savor the words below, they are rich in depth and meaning as opposed to so much of the shallowness that today passes for writing.
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purpose will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
the bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain:
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
My hope is in the Christ that dwells within my heart.
It also lies within my Lord who quenches every dart
The Christ who came and died for me and raised me from the dead
And who for you and me , gladly died and bled
My hope is in the Lord my God who whispers in my ear
The Christ who by His very walk conquered every fear
The Christ who showed me how to live and also how to die
The Christ who taught me how to run and also how to fly
He is my sunrise in the morning at the breaking of the dawn
And by His hand transformed me and forever He holds on
He is my sunset in the evening at the end of every day
He came to show me how to walk, to walk a different way
He is the beginning and the end and everything in between
He is the power that transformed me, by His Blood I was made clean
Rising from the ashes of sin and death and hell
He raised me up to where He was and there forever I shall dwell.
One day the Lord will rend the heavens and His glory will flow down the mountains and fill every valley with His majesty. The seas will flee away at His presence. The mountains will humbly bow and say ” Glory , glory to the risen King.” The sun will turn its face away in shame for it has been outdone by the brilliance of His illumination. A mere flickering candle in comparison to His unadulterated light. The moon and the stars will cry out ” Holy, Holy is He who was and is and forever shall be.”
And every voice from every tongue will say “Jesus,” and acknowledge the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And the beasts of the earth will fall down and cover their faces and then the lion will rise up and approach the lamb and they will lay down together. And every knee shall bow in every tribe and in every nation and even the hordes of hell will fall silent as He approaches. The earth itself will grow silent and shall be still and then a glorious noise will begin to arise and will fill the earth, it will fill the sea it will fill the night skies and it will fill the whole universe.
And all that will be heard will be the choirs of angels, that heavenly choir and the glory of God will not only cover the earth but will fill up everything that there is or has ever been. Gods saints will rise on this glorious symphony, they will arise in the updrafts of His glory and majesty and it will carry them into the heart of God. And those who rejected this magnificent glory will fall and their cries will be heard as they fall into the depths of darkness forever.
This is the kind of love that would wait for a thousand years
The kind of love that would fill an ocean with tears
The kind of love that was birthed in heavenly places
The kind of love that shines upon a thousand faces.
This is the kind of love that would die for you instead
The kind of love that was crucified and bled
The kind of love that redeems you from all wrong
The kind of love that loved you all along
This is the kind of love that will never let you go
The kind of love that never says I told you so
The kind of love that keeps no record of wrongs
The kind of love that the birds sing in their songs
This is the kind of love that never seeks its own
The kind of love that never leaves you alone
The kind of love that forever seeks your best
The kind of love that gives your weary soul some rest
This is the kind of love that for you was crucified
The kind of love that was broken, beaten and died
The kind of love that did all of this for you
The kind of love that covers like the morning dew
This is the kind of love that never ever fails
The kind of love that would prove itself by nails
The kind of love that is crowned by a crown of thorns
The kind of love that will weather all of your storms
And in the end it is love that shall remain
It opened every door and has broken every chain
That you may live for all the world to see
That as a child of God the Son has set you free
This kind of love sets my heart aflame
This kind of love heals the blind and the lame
This kind of love means you shall never be the same
It is time to fall in love.
It has been almost seven years now since our grandson was taken from his mother and given to our family. He was a very broken child when he came to us. Have you ever tried to help a bird with a broken wing? It panics and is freaked out as it sees you hand approach. It cannot possibly know that you are driven by love and compassion until your hand closes tightly, not too tightly, around him and he is safe in your hand. This was what it was like when Mason first came to us as a little five year old. The power of the Lord is felt in the power of His love. His ability and patience to take that which is broken, and heal it, is truly supernatural. Here is a wee poem I wrote about that.
The boy with the broken wing.
You were a bird with a broken wing
A nightingale that could not sing
A frightened broken bird that had no choice
Little bird, who has stolen you voice .....I hear your cries.
Can't you see, can't you understand
Come to me, there is healing in my hand
I will hold you and never let you go,
until your wing is healed and love begins to flow
You may have broken this little birds wing
Yet you will hear this little bird sing
Love has put him back together
And he will now be whole...forever
A beautiful bird that love has made whole
You only ever took from him and stole
But he has risen with the morning sun and now he sings
And flies for all the world to see with two beautiful wings
I see you flying son and I can hear you sing
And to the depths of my heart it is such a beautiful thing
Touched by the Hand of God and made complete
Now fly where eagles fly and sing your songs so sweet.
A Call To The Remnant 