Father from whom rejoicing flows —
The world tries so hard to be happy,
But sadness reigns among the many.
The Lord Jesus as Man of Sorrows
Brings joy to every open heart —
To him I open my heart for change,
To welcome the eternal news of gladness.
No time for you
O Lord, the world rushes on in its small affairs, people with no time for you or for others, no patience to hear the word of truth because they are living a lie.
Keep me from going that way. Make me a crier of good news. Praise to you for showing me eternal glory. Your mercy and sovereignty have brought this gift.
Thank you for the peace of great hope, for living in the moment because we have heaven, for joy in the power of the Scriptures to save.
Empty Our Souls
Isaiah 41
Clear away the fog that we,
O Lord of lights, might glory in you.
May we rejoice in the Holy One
who sweeps away the enemy’s hate.
We have your promise, God and Father,
that you will not abandon your people.
Let water spring from desert sand,
and luscious fruit from barren earth.
Uproot all idols from our hearts,
Created things we made our gods.
Empty our souls of vain ambition,
That you, and you alone, remain.
Where Joy Descends Like Rain
O Lord, to walk before you I’m content,
Where peace flowers along the rocky way,
Where joy descends like rain to liven the heart,
And love perfumes the air with heaven’s scent.
Let not the flesh make us, your saints, lose sight,
Keep feet from stepping aside, in mud and clay,
From us let not the Spirit’s breath depart,
Permit us to walk under your warming light.
For All the Suffering
For all the suffering, pain, and wrong,
today is yours, O Lord, and mine;
I will rejoice in prayer and song
and make my will with yours align.
We Fall, with Faces to the Ground
Our Father in Heaven, your hand is out
To give redemption to fallen souls;
Obedient faith brings full remission
Of sins, to find in Jesus’ blood
The hope of life, that holy love
Whose boundless height cannot be measured,
Nor depth or width or length or cost.
Our human praises fail the price
You paid to pull us back to you.
We fall, with faces to the ground,
In all humility, in reverent fear —
The thought that you came near to us!
Upset our routines
Our Father in Heaven, make happen among us what will edify the church, strengthen it in truth, and give it impetus for the gospel.
Shake loose our fears, upset our routines, open our eyes to the needs of our neighbors.
We thank you for food and drink, for homes and rest, for work and times of enjoyment.
Help us open our lives to the risk of the gospel, to the willingness of intimacy, to the communion of saints, to the entry of problematic people into our comfort.
Enrich our lives with the salvation of souls, the joy of your family, the hope of eternal communion with you.
The wonder of this world
Not just another day, O Lord, is today, but a day full of life and opportunity! Not a day to feel tired or bored or aggravated, but a day of joy and energy and gratitude!
You make the difference, O God! Be present with me. Live within me. Let your merciful reign watch over me. Make every step of mine a sign of your guidance. Continue reading “The wonder of this world”
What pleasures for our enjoyment!
Father, what pleasures you give us for our enjoyment! We can only imagine what the joys of heaven must be like. If in this life so many good things surround us, the marvels of eternal life must be so far beyond them that our human minds cannot grasp. Continue reading “What pleasures for our enjoyment!”
The obligation of joy
Our heavenly Father, only under your hand, and only in Christ is it possible to receive a commandment as an obligation to be kept or observed as a joyful celebration of salvation. Thus did Mordechai order the Jews to observe Purim as a festive occasion, and so do we welcome the commands of Christ, to meet together, to serve in love, to forgive our brother, to speak the gospel, to give of our livelihood, to give thanks in our hearts.
Oh, what wisdom that mixes joy with obligation, and command with salvation! May you be praised and glorified among men!