John Wright Follette
(1884-1966)
O Lord, I pray that through this coming year
Our fellowship may deep and richer be;
That I may recognize Thy presence near,
And turn as to a friend, my Lord, to Thee.
Walk with me, then, and guide me with Thy eye –
I dare not trust myself to move one pace.
I know not what ahead of me may lie
Of joy or sorrow; yet whate’er the case,
One thing I know, that Thou art near my side,
And knowest well my weakness and my frame.
Thou needed strength wilt give, if I abide
In Thee, and in the strength of Thy dear Name.
I ask Thee not to give me joy, aside
From that which comes from doing Thine own will.
To know Thy thought and purpose, naught beside,
Except that Thou wilt them in me fulfill.
O, help me not to fail Thee, Lord, in this,
But with Thy grace and strength, O keep me true.
Forbid that in Thy thought for me I miss,
But help me trust in Thee to bring me through.
Afresh I offer up to Thee my life,
To use me as Thou wilt or set aside;
To manifest Thyself in open joy and light,
Or in some hidden corner there to hide –
It matters not to me, if only Thou
Wilt make my foolish heart what Thou dost choose,
And daily yielding to Thee, teach me how
To gain more of Thy life, and mine to lose.
Live out Thy life through me, and let there flow
Such streams from Thee, my Head, that naught can stem
The currents of Thy life – e’en here below.
These things I ask in Thy dear Name. Amen.
To discover more hymns, visit our growing list of Powerful Poetry.
John Wright Follette
(1884-1966)
O Holy night, borne to us on the wings of time,
From out the dark recesses of eternity,
God’s hour, the promise of eternal life and light,
A gleaming jewel rests within thy dark embrace.
O holy hour, the miracle of God is thine,
He clothes Himself with human form and comes to us.
The bud of promise which Jehovah God once spoke
Breaks into bloom and sheds its fragrance o’er the earth.
Tonight the Rose of Sharon rests upon the breast
Of Mary as she holds the little Christ Child close.
God’s hour of promise has not passed but still is ours.
The night is dark, deep shadows clothe the hearts of men,
But still within the manger rude, the glory shines.
O hasten with me, then, and gather at His feet.
This is the hour for which our hungry hearts were made,
We need its light, its mystery and fragrance sweet.
This is God’s hour, a jewel gleaming in the dark,
God bless the Christmas night! God bless the Christmas hour!
To discover more hymns, visit our growing list of Powerful Poetry.
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Charles Wesley
(1707-1788)
“…the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
Malachi 3:1
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20
Come, Thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
To discover more hymns, visit our growing list of Powerful Poetry.
The Original Aromas of Christmas
Copyright © 2018
by
Jim Kerwin
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King!Your dieting resolve may be challenged as I enumerate the following list: pumpkin pie, gingerbread, Christmas cookies, roasted turkey and stuffing, eggnog, hot apple cider with cinnamon. Those are all holiday edibles, but I mention them not so much for their waistline-destroying properties as for their aromas. I can quickly add to the list of Christmas aromas from non-edible sources: the fragrance of a fresh pine tree, wreaths of pine branches, and seasoned oak burning in the fireplace. I would even add the tantalizing scent of “chestnuts roasting on a open fire,” but then we’d probably be back to derailing ongoing diets.
Those of you outside North America no doubt have your own aromatic reminiscences of Christmas. In any case, if you’re like me, you have a sort of mental database of aromas, of scents, of fragrances that you associate with Christmas. In fact, if one of those aromas registers on your nostrils, it may trigger events from your childhood, or certain Christmases that were special, or maybe certain Christmases that were difficult. I can’t think of another holiday that has such fragrant associations.
Decades ago, over the Christmas holiday I was on a short-term missions trip to India. On Christmas morning I arose before dawn to [continue reading…]
We Wise Men of Orient Are
(usually know as)
We Three Kings of Orient Are
John Henry Hopkins, Jr.
(1820-1891)
We wise men of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star. [continue reading…]
As with Gladness Men of Old
W. Chatterton Dix
(1837-1898)
As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led by Thee! [continue reading…]
Anonymous
(Traditional German Carol)
translated by
Theodore Baker
(1851-1934)
While by the sheep we watched at night,
Glad tidings brought an angel bright.
Chorus:
How great our joy! Great our joy!
Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!
Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high!
Praise we the Lord in heav’n on high!
“There shall be [continue reading…]
For the Beauty of the Earth
Folliott Pierpoint
(1835-1917)
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.
For the beauty of each [continue reading…]
Annie J. Flint
(1866-1932)
…He giveth more grace…
James 4:6
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of [continue reading…]
Johnson Oatman, Jr.
(1856-1922)
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Chorus:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
[continue reading…]
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
William Williams
(1717-1791)
translated from Welsh by
Peter Williams
(1723-1796)
Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Feed me now and evermore.
Open Thou the crystal fountain [continue reading…]
God of Grace and God of Glory
Harry Emerson Fosdick
(1878-1969)
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power!
Crown Thine ancient Church’s story—
Bring its bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! The hosts of evil round us [continue reading…]
He Will Fill Your Heart Today to Overflowing
Leila Naylor Morris
(Mrs. C. H. Morris)
(1862-1929)
1 Kings 17:14-16— “For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, ‘The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.' ” 15And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.16And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah.
2 Kings 4:2-5— And Elisha said unto her, “What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house?” And she said, “Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.” 3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.” 5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
Are you longing for the fullness
Of the blessing of the Lord
In your heart and life today?
Claim the promise of your Father;
Come according to His Word,
In the blessèd, old time way.
Chorus:
He will fill your heart today to overflowing.
As the Lord commandeth you,
“Bring your vessels, not a few.” [continue reading…]
Hushed Was the Evening Hymn
James D. Burns
(1823-1864)
Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark;
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark,
When suddenly a voice divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.
The old man, meek and mild,
The priest of Israel, slept;
His watch the temple child,
The little Levite, kept,
And what from Eli’s sense was sealed,
The Lord to Hannah’s son revealed.
O give me Samuel’s ear, [continue reading…]
