invitation

Days of Praise — Day 30

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TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD  by Thomas Dorsey

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn

Through the storm, Through the night

Lead me on to the light, Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me home,

When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near

When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry

Hear my call, Hold my hand

Lest I fall, Take my hand, precious Lord

Lead me home

When the darkness appears, And the night draws near

And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand

Guide my feet, Hold my hand

Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home

               Many hymns were written out of tragedies, and this one was no exception. Thomas Dorsey was a fantastic musician and song writer who was devastated when his wife died giving birth to their child, who also later died. Filled with despair, he lost faith in God being a good and caring God. Deep in his grief, God reached out to him one as he sat at a friend’s house, overshadowing him with peace and filling his heart with love. Immediately he started playing a melody and these words welled up from inside him.

               We can all empathize with him because we, too, at times in our life have had our faith challenged. Few us there are who have not been touched with death or tragedy. Few of us there are who have not known despair at the circumstances we find ourselves in. Like the disciples on the boat in the storm, we have a feeling that any moment life is going to drown us. Thankfully, God is in control. He does have a plan, and it is a good one because He is good.

               We can, like Peter found out, grab hold of His hand when we are in danger of drowning and He can lift us up to walk above the storms of life. He is all we need. When He is all there is we find Him to be more than sufficient, more than enough. He is God. All-knowing. All-caring. All-powerful. All-wise. All-good. He is God.

               When we are overwhelmed we need to simply cry out to Him, “Lord, take my hand.” He will. He will lead us to Himself, where we will find rest for our burdened souls. “Come to Me” is His invitation. He will never turn us away

Lord, take my hand today. Lead me to You. I do not know what today entails for my life, but You do. I can easily lose sight of You, lose perspective, lose hope. Keep me in Your hand, so that I am not overwhelmed by life, but so I can rest in You. Amen

Hymn Devotions Day 36 – Just As I Am

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 DAY 36 – JUST AS I AM

            What a wonderful joy to know that we can come to Jesus just as we are. Indeed, we have to come as we are because only He can cleanse us. We cannot clean ourselves up. We cannot make ourselves righteous. We don’t wait until we have “made things right.” We go to Him to be made right.

Not only do we come to Him just as we are, but we are assured that He doesn’t leave us as we are. We come to Him and leave changed. He does indeed rid our souls of the dark stain of sin. He makes us spiritually alive, opens our eyes to spiritual truth, puts us into the correct frame of mind as He heals us.

It is amazing that He is willing to pardon us. Even greater still is His willingness to cleanse us, transform us, call us one of His own. He has promised and His promises never fail. “Come to Me,” Jesus invites and we run to Him, knowing He alone has the answers we need.

I love the very first verse. We come to Christ with no excuses, only an admission of our guilt. We throw ourselves on the mercy of God’s court, and find His grace operative there. Our admission of guilt, our contrition and repentance, is all we need. He bids us to come to Him to find forgiveness and healing. Why should we linger, and heed not His mercies? He is tenderly calling to us, urging us to come to Him. “Let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet they will be white as snow.”[1] O Lamb of God, I come, seeking Your forgiveness and grace.

Thank You Lord for being willing to take me as I am. Thank You for not leaving me that way, but cleansing me and making me holy. You are a great and wonderful God.

 

JUST AS I AM  by Charlotte Elliott

 

Just as I am without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me

And that Thou bidst me come to Thee

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot

To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt

Fightings and fears within, without

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am poor, wretched, blind

Sight, riches, healing of the mind

Yea all I need in Thee to find

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am, Thou wily receive

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve

Because Thy promise I believe

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am, Thy love unknown

Hath broken every barrier down

Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone

O Lamb of God I come, I come

 

Just as I am, of that free love

The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove

Here for a season, then above

O Lam of God, I come, I come

 

 

[1] Isaiah 1:18

Hymn Devotions Day 9 – Jesus Paid It All

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DAY 9 – Jesus paid it all 

Regrettably, I usually hear this hymn only during the response or invitation time at church. The words are so true, so biblical, it should be sung much more often. I especially love the words of verse 5. I want to shout those words as I ascend to heaven, “Jesus died my soul to save.”

Jesus accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. No more sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin is needed. There are no works we can do to pay for our salvation as it is already paid for. Only His power can replace a heart of stone, cold and indifferent to spiritual realities, with a heart open and responsive to the Holy Spirit.

Only Jesus can bring new life to one who is spiritually dead. Only Jesus can bring sight to one who is spiritually blind. Only He can cleanse our sin-stained soul and make it holy and bright.

In Jesus and Jesus alone is salvation found. There is no other name, no other system, no other achievement, no other religious teaching than His atoning death that can bring about salvation. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

 

Lord, thank you for purchasing my salvation. Thank you for caring enough to redeem my sin-stained and sickened soul. I praise you for cleansing with and making me whole. Thank you for shedding Your holy blood for the remission of my sins.

 

JESUS PAID IT ALL by Elvina Hall

 

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

For nothing good have I, Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white, In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him, My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side, I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots  And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed, My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.