Rejoice in the Lord

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man
Give thanks to the Lord, though your testing seems long
In darkness, He giveth a song

Oh, rejoice in the Lord
He makes no mistakes
He knoweth the end
Of each path that I take
For when I am tried and purified
I shall come forth as gold.

I could not see through the shadows ahead
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead
I bowed to the will of the Master that day
Then peace came and tears fled away

Now I can see testing comes from above
God strengthens his children and purges in love
My Father knows best and I trust in His care
Through purging, more fruit I will bear

The Daily Grind

“New occasions, fresh tests, difficult circumstances—all bring us up against the question of the will of God or the will of self. If we are hungry to go on with the Lord; if we have an appetite whetted for reality at any cost, then we will set our faces like a flint Crossward. Each will find ‘his cross’ in his daily pathway—waiting at his feet. Providential circumstances bring us up against choices which cross self. These will become the instruments of death to our own wills.”

-From Embraced By The Cross

The Unanswered Prayer

She asked to be made like her Saviour,
He took her right then at her word,
And sent her a heart-crushing burden
Till the depths of her soul were stirred.
She asked for a faith strong, yet simple.
He permitted the dark clouds to come;
She staggered by faith through the darkness,
As the storms did her soul overwhelm.

She prayed to be filled with a passion
Of love for lost souls and for God,
And again, in response to her longing,
She sank 'neath the chastening rod.
She wanted a place in His vineyard;
He took her away from her home,
And placed her among hardened sinners
Where she humanly stood all alone.

She gave up all wordly ambitions,
Those "castles in air" of her years,
And she knelt in deep consecration,
And whispered, "Amen," through her tears.
She wanted a meek, lowly spirit -
The work He gave answered that cry;
And those who had been her companions
With pitying smile passed her by.

She asked to lean hard on her Saviour;
He took human props quite away,
Till no earthly friend could help her,
And she could do nothing but pray.
I saw her go out to the vineyard
To harvest the golden grain;
Her eyes were still moistened with weeping,
Her heart was still throbbing with pain.

But many a heart that was broken,
And many a wrecked, blighted life
Was made to thank God for her coming,
And rejoiced in the midst of the strife.
She had prayed to be made like her Saviour,
And the burden He gave her to bear
Had been but the great Sculptor's training:
Thus answering her most earnest prayer.

--Publisher Unknown

Break My Plans

Nikolae Moldoveanu wrote over 8000 songs; songs that are still sung all over Romainia. While he was a young man, he was imprisoned for writing Christian music. Sentenced to 10 years of hard labor, and enduring physical torture, he continued to write songs about his God. He wrote 360 hymns while incarcerated, and would recite 60 songs per day to prevent himself from forgetting them. Sometimes he would share his songs with other inmates who would then tell others after their release about this man who wrote songs in prison. It was the only way that his family knew he was still alive.

Several years after his incarceration, the authorities told him that he could be set free if he would stop writing songs. His reply? "Just keep me here and save yourself and me the trouble. I will never stop worshiping my God with my praise songs"

Years later, when his family was interviewed, his wife told the interviewers that he begins his day at 7:00am with two hours of prayer and Bible Study. If he wakes up two minutes late, he scrambles out of bed, upset that he is late for his appointment with the Lord. His daily prayer is simply: "Lord, break my plans."

-adapted from an article by Mikah Boudreaux