You Who Fear The Lord

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Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Isaiah 50:10
“Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that*obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and *stay upon his God.”

Oh You Who Fear The Lord
(Prayer Poem inspired by Isaiah 50:10)
© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Oh you who fear the Lord
Who listen day by day,
For His holy voice
And always watch and pray,
Yet now you walk upon a path
Where God seems far away,
Though you’ve never strayed
From His holy path,
You cannot sense His hand
Showing you the way.

The road before you twists and winds
A dark and narrow way,
You cannot see where you should go
Although you’ve prayed and prayed.

Wait upon the Lord,
Trust His holy name,
He will come again to you
To light the path you take.
He will turn His face to you
And then your hope will shine
Brighter than a thousand suns
Your faith again you’ll find.

Jesus Christ is with you now,
Though you feel Him not
As His Father was with Him
Upon His holy cross
Of suffering and shame and pain,
He cried, oh Father Why?
Why hast Thou forsaken me?”
His Father heard Him cry.
The Psalmist said His Father heard
And did not turn away
From His pain and suffering;
He heard Him when He prayed.

God hears you in your darkness,
He won’t ignore your cries,
He’s with you in your suffering
Though you can’t see His light.

His light will come again,
You’ll rise from your Sheol,
Christ’s light will flood your Heart again
And you will be restored.
He’ll wrap you in His robes of praise
Your mourning turned to joy,
Oh wait, oh wait upon that day
Oh you who fear the Lord!

Psalm 22:24
“For He hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath He hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, He heard.”

Isaiah 50:10
“Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that*obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and *stay upon his God.”


*Obeyeth: transliteration shama’ > to hear, listen to, Obey
To hear (perceive by ear)
To have the power to hear
To hear with attention or interest
To understand
To listen, give heed to
To listen, yield, obey

Darkness: chashekah
1. Darkness, misery (Strong’s)

The word *stay (Transliteration sha’an -BDB definition:
To lean on, trust in, support oneself in God. Stay in God: (Strong’s)

The idea in this scripture appears to be that if you are someone who loves and fears the Lord, who is walking in obedience to His will, and yet somehow are going through a season where you no longer feel His presence as you once may have, or are in a time of sadness or misery, or maybe you cannot perceive God’s voice about something you may need wisdom for and have been praying about; maybe your path seems strangely dark although you are doing all the right things like praying and reading your bible—this scripture is very comforting and gives a clear prescription to those who find themselves on such a dark murky path:

Trust in the name of the Lord and stay or wait upon Him.
Psalm 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

Psalm 44:5 “Through Thee Lord, will we push down our enemies: through Thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.”

Psalm 83:18 That men may know that Thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

Psalm 86:11-13 “Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear Thy name.
I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify Thy name for evermore.
For great is Thy mercy toward me: and Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.”

Psalm 91:14 “Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name.”

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Psalm 23:3 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Keep relying on God despite appearances and feelings which are deceptive.
“The grass withers and the flowers fade but the word of our God shall stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

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Immerse yourself in God’s enduring word filled with beautiful promises that will encourage and comfort you.
God is in His word.

St. John wrote that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God. (John 1:1)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

You will sense God’s nearness again as you begin to study and hold fast to His holy promises.
Wait on the Lord,
Be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart, wait I say on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your word that promises You will never leave or forsake us. Even though we may go through seasons in our life where we may not sense Thy comforting presence, we have the assurance of Thy word that says You have engraved us on the palm of Thy hand and that our walls are ever before Thee. (Isaiah 49:16)
Thy word promises that mountains may depart and hills may be removed but You will never take Your holy love away from us. (Isaiah 54:10)
The Psalmist said that Your thoughts toward us outnumber the sand on the seashore. (Psalm 139:18)
And the prophet Zephaniah wrote that You sing for joy over us. (Zephaniah 3:17)
May all who pray this prayer be encouraged and comforted by these truths from Thy holy word.
May they sense Thy comforting love and presence as they never have before.
May You fill them with rivers of peace and hope and make new joy to abound in their life and wrap them in robes of light. Give them their heart’s desires, in Jesus’ holy name. Thank You Lord, I love You, Amen.

Angelsong: Poem “You Who Fear The Lord” © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Original Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Verses: King James Version Bible;
Bible Dictionaries, Strong’ Bible Concordance and BDB Bible Dictionary.

The River

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The River
© 2014 S.D. Harden

Life is a River, deep and wide,
Sometimes filled with peace,
Sometimes filled with joyous songs,
Sometimes unfilled needs.

Sometimes its waters overflow
With endless health and strength
That dwindle to a narrow creek
Of weakness and decay.

Sometimes the waters rush into
A gaping waterfall
And suddenly a life can change
To what is there no more.

Ever rolling onward,
Onward to the sea,
With each dawn the River brings
Us to another journey.

And how we all respond
To what the River sends
Is all that really matters
When we come to the River’s end.

May we honor God
With all that the River brings
Wherever the River takes us
Till we reach Eternity.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help us to understand that it’s not WHAT we endure in this life that matters, but HOW we choose to endure it. May You give us the grace to honor You in every situation, no matter what may come our way, thank You, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Poem “The River,” © 2014 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.
Photo by S.D. Harden © 2014 Angel Song © 2014 All Rights Reserved.

God’s Faithful Promises

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Psalm 97:10
“Let those who love the Lord hate evil.
He guards the lives of those who are faithful to Him.
He saves them from the power of sinful people.”

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our Guardian God and have promised in Psalm 121:8 that You will “guard my going out and my coming in from now until forever.”

You have promised in Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord.”

Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, You promise in John 10:27 that we will be able to hear Thy voice: “My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.”

Lord, You promise to give us “eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, who gave them to Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (John 28-29)

Lord Jesus, You promised that You will never ever reject any soul that comes to You seeking help. (John 6:37) “Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”

Lord, Your word promises that even though we may have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, that You will be right there with us, you will never leave or forsake us.
(Psalm 23:4) Your word even says that we are engraved on the very palms of Thy hands! (Isaiah 49:16)

In the book of Zephaniah 3:17, Lord, Thy word says, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Thank You, Lord, for such beautiful promises of Your love and protection.
May we ever thank and praise You for these eternal promises. For, Lord Jesus, You said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will never pass away.”

Lord Jesus ,You are eternally faithful and keep every promise forever! Your last words to Your disciples before You ascended into Heaven were, (Matthew 28:20) “… I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Thank You, Lord, for Your abiding Presence, faithful love, and powerful protection always guarding us. May we trust You more and more as we put our faith and hope in Your holy word which cannot lie. We love You, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“God’s Faithful Promises” © 2014 “Prayer of Thanks” S.D. Harden; Angel Song/Photo Illustration Source: Pinterest

God’s Strength

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God’s Strength
(Inspired by Isaiah 40:28-31
© 2014 S.D. Harden

God strengthens the weak and weary,
Gives hope to those with faith,
And those who trust in Him will run,
They’ll walk and will not faint.

Those who trust in God will soar
On wings as eagles fly;
Jesus will renew their strength
And lift their spirits high.

Even youths get tired
And those who seem so strong
Will one day stumble in their strength,
They’ll stumble, slip, and fall.

Yet those who trust in Jesus
Will regain their strength;
Though they may slip and stumble
They’ll walk again by faith.

Jesus will renew their souls;
He’ll wash away their sins.
He’ll never disappoint the ones
Who put their hope in Him.

His mercy reaches higher
Than a universe of stars,
Those who wait upon the Lord
Will meet Him in their hearts.

Oh have you never known?
Oh have you never heard?
The Everlasting God, The Lord,
The Creator of all the earth
Never faints or stumbles,
He’s ever strong and wise;
His understanding infinite,
And He never, ever lies.

Our God is ever faithful,
To every promise true,
To all who trust in Jesus
Their souls He will renew.

God strengthens the weak and weary,
Gives hope to those with faith,
He’ll never disappoint the soul
Who trusts in Him and waits.

Dear Heavenly Father, may You help us to humbly trust in Your unlimited strength and not in our own limited resources to meet every challenge we face. Your word says, “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says The Lord of Hosts…” Thank You for Thy grace to patiently wait on You in faith. We love You, Lord.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“God’s Strength” Prayer Song, © 2014 S.D.Harden All Rights Reserved.
Digital Scripture Illustration by S.D. Harden: ANGELSONG © 2014 All Rights Reserved.