Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

 

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven 

 Keith and Kristyn Getty, Sing!

Vs 1

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven

To His feet thy tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Who like me His praise should sing?

Alleluia, alleluia

Praise the everlasting King

Vs 2

Praise Him for His grace and favor

To our fathers in distress;

Praise Him, still the same forever,

Slow to chide, and swift to bless.

Alleluia, alleluia

Glorious in His faithfulness

Vs 3

Father-like, He tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame He knows;

In his Hands He gently bears us,

Rescues us from all our foes.

Alleluia, alleluia

Widely as His mercy goes.

Vs 4

Frail as summer’s flow’r we flourish–  

Blows the wind and it is gone.

But, while mortals rise and perish

God endures unchanging on!

Alleluia, alleluia

Praise the High Eternal one!

Vs 5

Angels, help us to adore Him;

Ye behold Him face to face;

Sun and moon, bow down before Him,

Dwellers all in time and space

Alleluia, alleluia

Praise with us the God of grace

We would like Christ’s gifts without Christ’s Cross...

That crowd of Jews would have followed Christ at that moment because He was giving them what they wanted [bread], and they wished to use Him for their plans and dreams and purposes. That attitude to Christ still lingers in men’s minds. We would like Christ’s gifts without Christ’s Cross; we would like to use Christ instead of allowing Him to use us. -William Barclay  Image

But if God so clothes the grass of the field...

And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? -Matthew 6:28-30

The relation of Jesus to His heavenly Father was not a relation to a vague and impersonal goodness, it was not a relation which merely clothed itself in symbolic, personal form. On the contrary, it was a relation to a real Person, whose existence was just as definite and just as much a subject of theoretic knowledge as the existence of the lilies of the field that God had clothed. The very basis of the religion of Jesus was a triumphant belief in the real existence of a personal God.   

-J. Gresham Machen

To be right with God...

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. 

-Luke 6:22-23

To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.  -AW Tozer 

In the way of virtue, there is no standing still...

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  -2 Peter 1:5-7

In the way of virtue, there is no standing still; anyone who does not daily advance, loses ground. To remain at a standstill is impossible; he that gains not, loses; he that ascends not, descends. If one does not ascend the ladder, one must descend; if one does not conquer, one will be conquered. -François de Sales

I have set the Lord always before me...

I have set the Lord always before me;

    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

    my flesh also dwells secure.

 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

    or let your holy one see corruption.

 You make known to me the path of life;

    in your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

                  -Psalm 16:8-11

One way to recollect the mind easily in the time of prayer, and preserve it more in tranquillity, is not to let it wander too far at other times. You should keep it strictly in the Presence of God; and, being accustomed to think of Him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer, or at least to recall it from its wanderings.  

-Brother Lawrence

The righteous flourish like the palm tree...

The righteous flourish like the palm tree

    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

 They are planted in the house of the Lord;

    they flourish in the courts of our God.

 They still bear fruit in old age;

    they are ever full of sap and green,

 to declare that the Lord is upright;

    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

    -Psalm 92:12-15

Teach me to watch over all my ways...

Come, O children, listen to me;

    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

 What man is there who desires life

    and loves many days, that he may see good?

 Keep your tongue from evil

    and your lips from speaking deceit.

 Turn away from evil and do good;

    seek peace and pursue it.

       -Psalm 34:11-14

Teach me to watch over all my ways, that I may never be surprised by sudden temptations or a careless spirit, nor ever return to folly and vanity. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips, that I offend not in my tongue, neither against piety nor charity. Teach me to think of nothing but Thee, and what is in order to Thy glory and service; to speak nothing but Thee and Thy glories; and to do nothing but what becomes Thy servant, whom Thy infinite mercy by the graces of Thy Holy Spirit hath sealed up to the day of redemption.

-Jeremy Taylor

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened...

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might..."  

-Ephesians 1:16-19

Give me an open ear, O God, that I may hear Thy voice calling me to high endeavor.

Give me an open mind, O God, a mind ready to receive and to welcome such new light of knowledge as it is Thy will to reveal to me.

Give me open eyes, O God, eyes quick to discover Thine indwelling in the world which Thou hast made.

Give me open hands, O God, hands ready to share with all who are in want the blessings with which Thou hast enriched my life.   -John Baillie

Strengthen the weak hands...

Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who have an anxious heart,

 “Be strong; fear not!

   Behold, your God

    will come with vengeance,

     with the recompense of God.

      He will come and save you.”

        -Isaiah 35:3-4

Amid all our dryness let us never grow discouraged, but go steadily on, patiently waiting the return of better things; let us never be misled to give up any devout practices because of it, but rather, if possible, let us increase our good works, and if we cannot offer liquid preserves to our Bridegroom, let us at least offer Him dried fruit—it is all one to Him, so long as the heart we offer be fully resolved to love Him. 

 -François de Sales

Wait for the Lord...

I believe that I shall look 

upon the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living!

 Wait for the Lord; be strong, 

and let your heart take courage;

    wait for the Lord.

 -Psalm 27:13-14

Do not be afraid of silence in your prayer time. It may be that you are meant to listen, not to speak. So wait before the Lord. Wait in stillness. Wait as David waited when he “sat before the Lord.” And in that stillness, assurance will come to you. You will know that you are heard; you will know that your Lord ponders the voice of your humble desires; you will hear quiet words spoken to you yourself, perhaps to your grateful surprise and refreshment.  -Amy Carmichael 

When they saw the star...

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. -Matthew 2:10-11

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness...

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  

-Romans 8:26-27

The discussion of prayer is so great a task that it requires the Father to reveal it, His Firstborn Word to teach it, and the Spirit to enable us to think and speak rightly of so great a subject. -Origen

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses...

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.   -Hebrews 12:1-2

We get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when, and only when, we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position. -AW Tozer

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith...

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  -Romans 5:1

Let a man set his heart only on doing the will of God and he is instantly free. No one can hinder him. If we understand our first and sole duty to consist of loving God supremely and loving everyone, even our enemies, for God’s dear sake, then we can enjoy spiritual tranquillity under every circumstance.  

-AW Tozer