In Praise of God

As some of you know, near the first of the year our printer raised its printing rates and, while we were able to print enough copies to have adequate stock of most of our books, our Joshua study has been sold out for some weeks now.  Several of you have been praying that we would be able to print more studies before fall classes began…and it now looks like that will be possible!   Lord willing, we will have enough copies for those of you who have contacted us already, with additional stock available (at least for the foreseeable future) . . . and we will not have to raise the price for these books.  We are so grateful to the Lord!

If you haven’t already let us know of your interest in this study, please contact us as soon as possible.  Also, some leader’s helps will be available at no cost for class leaders.   Just call or write for details!

Isaac Watts (1674-1748), who wrote  such beloved hymns as “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Joy to the World,” also wrote hundreds of hymns which are virtually unknown.

Three of his lesser-known hymns are based on the well-known Psalm 23…and each one is a precious reminder of the wonder of having the Lord God as our Shepherd.  Below are the first stanzas from each of these three hymns.  Given the uncertainty of the world in which we live, and both the physical and spiritual needs we all have, these are stanzas well worthy of our contemplation!  I have bolded the wording which has had the greatest impact on my heart today. The phrase in italics comes in a close second.  The result:  Greater stillness of heart and trust in God’s care.

My Shepherd is the living Lord; Now shall my wants be well supplied; His providence and holy word Become my safety and my guide.

My Shepherd will supply my need, Jehovah is his name; In pastures fresh he makes me feed, Beside the living stream.

The Lord my Shepherd is, I shall be well supplied; Since he is mine and I am his, What can I want beside?

We know this is a time when many groups begin thinking about their Fall Bible study classes.  As you do so, please note that our Joshua study is currently out of print.

You can still get all our other studies from local or online booksellers or Focus Publishing (in the case of Hope in God and Prayer) or directly from us (for Jonah, Psalms, Beauty of Holiness, Thinking Heavenward, and Proverbs).

Additionally, we would appreciate your prayers as we are putting our next book series together. It is currently in very early stages of development, but we are excited about it…I’ll post more updates as they are available.

With spring Bible study classes complete and conferences past, I have recently had some time to spend in the works of some of my favorite Puritan authors.  Upon reading portions of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, I was once again struck by this thought which I had long ago marked in the margin.

 “It is a saying of Luther:  ‘The sea of God’s mercies should swallow up all our particular afflictions.’  Name any affliction that is upon you:  there is a sea of mercy to swallow it up.  If you pour a pailful of water on the floor of your house, it makes a great show, but if you throw it into the sea, there is no sign of it.  So, afflictions considered in themselves, we think are very great, but let them be considered with the sea of God’s mercies we enjoy, and then they are not so much, they are nothing in comparison.”

How grateful I am for these faithful believers who have come before us, and for God’s grace in preserving their thoughts…for a heart such as mine in a time such as ours!

This evening as I was reading chapter two of a new book entitled Helpful Truth in Past Places written by Mark Deckard, I encountered a series of principles he quotes from a lecture given by Sinclair Ferguson.  Although all of these principles are well known to me and established in my heart through many scriptural passages and examples, I found myself thinking how quickly and easily these truths can fade from conscious thought.  And so, to help me reestablish these truths…and hopefully, to also encourage you…here are ten of Ferguson’s thoughts:

• God is in control of his universe.
• God is working out his perfect purposes.
• God is not my servant.
• God’s ways are far more mysterious and wonderful than I can understand.
• God is good–all of the time; I can trust him–all of the time.
• God’s timetable is not the same as mine.
• God is far more interested in what I become than in what I do.
• Freedom from suffering is not part of the promise of the Christian gospel.
• Suffering is an integral part of the Christian life.
• God’s purposes, not mine, are what bring him glory.

 

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.  Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.  Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 

Let the favor of the LORD our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands…yes, establish the work of our hands!”

Psalm 90:14-17

 

Today I read some comforting words from Scottish minister Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), from a sermon on Isaiah 41:14-16.  That text says, “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel…”

Yet why shouldn’t we fear when we are faced with enemies and many fearful things?  Only because our trust is in the One who is strong enough to defend us.  Because of His great power, we know we have security in His care…and that unfailing care motivates us to act boldly and live fearlessly.  Rutherford explains:

“‘I will help thee, saith the Lord…’  What ground of comfort were this if it were said by one that could not help?–but the Lord says it.

“…He is a king of His word.  He helps indeed where He promises.  When God says ‘Fear not,’ albeit thou wert compassed about [even if you were surrounded] with enemies on all sides, and there were as many devils round about you as there are piles of grass upon the earth…thou needst not to fear; thou may go through the sea then, and the sea shall not drown you; thou may’st dance on the grave, for the grave shall not rot you.  And so this is a well-fard [well-favoured] word: ‘I will keep thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.’”

From Quaint Sermons of Samuel Rutherford (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 1999), 2, 13.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. . .so wonderful that I’ve had a hard time deciding which was the REAL highlight of my day: reuniting with some of our church family from South Carolina, hearing RC Sproul and Mark Dever speak, or noticing some lilies of the valley (our wedding flowers) blooming out my window!!

Jeremy and I have been married 12 years and I’ve tried growing these flowers before, and it has just never worked. We’ve lived seven different places, and this location is, by far, the worst location of those seven, when it comes to nature (we are in the city in a tiny apartment). But outside my little kitchen window I can see a mass of these beautiful flowers, just growing wild on a CLIFF pushing through wild ivy and other stuff!  It feels like a special gift straight from the God who made me and knew I would see it as a personal gift from HIM (Matthew 6:25-34).  RC Sproul and other great men spoke to over 7,000 people today, BUT God, HIMSELF speaks straight to me. . . how can that compare???  My heart worships more humbly tonight.

This morning I took my dog for a walk.  She has put on some weight over the winter and needs the exercise!  As I headed out I began to pray.  While this is nothing new, I often pray while I walk, I decided this morning, I would only offer prayers of thanksgiving.  You see we’ve been studying the book of Colossians and we’ve had an emphasis on thanksgiving.  I wanted to try applying some of what we’d been learning about thankfulness. To only pray prayers of thanksgiving  took a little discipline, as I was tempted to make requests as well, but it was a blessed time.  I thought a brief version of that prayer might encourage you…

Father,

     Thank You for my two good legs (I begin with the obvious, usually physical), thank You for the beautiful sun shining, thank You for the awesome path in my neighborhood to walk on.  I am not thankful for this wind, so I confess that sin to You, I know I should be thankful for it, please make me thankful (oops a request!).

     Thank You for the runner on the path, because human interaction is good.  How awful it would be to be all alone.  Thank You for my eye sight which allows me to see this beautiful creation.  Thank You for the beautiful black and red bird.  Thank You for all you have made.

     I now move to pray about the tasks I have today…being thankful for how I will accomplish them and the reasons behind why they must be done…

     Thank You for my in laws, who are coming today and how they love us and desire to be with us. Thank You for my car that will take me to my errands.  Thank You for my family and the opportunity we have to have a photo taken.  Thank You for the photographer.  Thank You for Nathan’s Court of Honor this weekend.  Thank You for all the things he has learned over the years as a boy scout.

     My thoughts now begin to lean to spiritual matters…

     Thank You for the ladies in the class (I thank Him for all of the ladies by name and the things I see Him doing in their lives)

      Thank You for our Bible study teacher, Kristie and how she brings us Your Word, and how she loves us.  Thank You for the teaching I have received lately on thankfulness (now I focus on what He has done in my life)  Thank You for my salvation.  Thank you for the work You’ve done in my heart.  Thank You for the areas where I still struggle, because they remind me that I need a Savior.   Thank You for the little victories in the areas that I struggle…

     As I round the corner to my house I see the white house belonging to Bob and Karen Atkins.  Thank You Lord for Bob and Karen, and how they minister to our church and to me personally. 

     As I approach my house…Thank You for this wind!  I am now hot and sweaty and this wind cools me off!!

     I am now ready for the day…

 Our Psalms study has a new title: it is now entitled Be Thou My Vision: An Inductive Study of Psalms 73-89.

Please note that it is the SAME study as was published under the previous title.  Only the cover and title/copyright pages have changed.

The name, of course, comes from that dear old hymn.  It also speaks to the focus of the study, reminding us to keep our eyes on our loving and powerful Father and to view the world through a framework that puts Him first.

“Behold, he is praying.” These words reveal the state of Paul’s heart after his conversion on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:11) As we read his letters, it is quite obvious that prayer is one on the defining characteristics of this man of God. The fact that God has seen fit to include these prayers as a part of Scripture means that they are given to us, not for our “reading enjoyment”, but for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Well, I must admit that, until lately, I have not really thought of Paul’s prayers as given to “correct” or “reprove” me…and yet, how clear it is that they are exceedingly helpful in revealing where my prayers are misguided, weak, focused on worldly rather than spiritual priorities, and the like. And so, in the Bible study class I am currently teaching on the book of Colossians, we will be taking the second half of class for a lecture/discussion time on the prayers of Paul. I am anticipating a prayer-transforming time in these sections of Scripture and I would like to invite you to join us in this study on prayer by way of the audio available on this website. For the next eight weeks, lectures should be available online each Thursday afternoon or early evening. If you would like the seven-page handout which will be used over the course of the lectures, it is available here.

If you have any questions, you can comment on the blog or email me: kristiegant@inpraiseministries.com. I am greatly excited about this study! May our prayers be so transformed that we will, more and more, be known as women of prayer!