284 I came to God in prayer, I asked for health,
for the joy of walking with a free and easy stride.
the answer, when it came, was, 'Nay, child, I must break your pride.
only through affliction can your soul be purified'.
now i come to God in prayer and ask for strength to bear my cross,
and for faith to see the hidden blessing in my loss.
and while my lips do tremble and the tears do flow,
I ask for faith to know and grace to see
that 'twas Thy kindly wisdom took this joy from me.
and in my weakness I tremblingly ask, 'Why, why, dear God, is it so?'
and in the stillness of the morning I hear a whisper,
'Trust, trust, Child, and some day thou shalt know'. Philora Hintz
AT REST - Henry W. Frost
the day is past and all the light has fled;
where shall I lay at rest my weary head?
upon my soul falls down the dreadful night,
and in the dark I see no welcoming light.
fearful I stand, not daring to go on;
strengthless I wait, my hope and courage gone;
I reach forth trembling hands, with pleading cry:-
'O God, show mercy, or I fall and die!'
but not a voice is heard through midnight gloom,
no form draws near to save from threatening doom;
at last, I sink in dark, despair, alone,
the earth my bed, my pillow flinty stone;
but in the dark my heart is strangely blest;
yea, in the gloom my soul obtains its rest;
for, spite of night, I find that God on high
is near the anguished soul, where'er it lie!
285 FAITH - Maud Frazer Jackson
what if i say,
'the Bible is God's Holy Word,
Complete, inspired, without a flaw',
but let its pages stay
unread from day to day,
and fail to learn there from god's law;
what if I go not there to seek
the truth of which I glibly speak,
for guidance on this earthly way;
does it matter what I say?
what if i say
that Jesus Christ is Lord divine;
yet fellow-pilgrims can behold
naught of the master's love in me,
no grace of kindly sympathy?
if I am of the Shepherd's fold,
then shall I know the Shepherd's voice
and gladly make His way my choice.
we are saved by faith, yet faith is one
with life, like daylight and the sun.
unless they flower in our deeds,
dead, empty husks are all the creeds.
to call Christ, Lord, but strive not to obey,
belies the homage that with words I pay.
OVERNIGHT, A ROSE - Caroline Giltinan
that overnight a rose could come
i one time did believe,
for when the fairies live with one,
they wilfully deceive.
but now I know this perfect thing
under the frozen sod
in cold and storm grew patiently
Obedient to God.
my wonder grows since knowledge came
old fancies to dismiss:
and courage comes. was not the rose
a winter doing this?
nor did it know, the weary while,
what color and perfume
with this completed loveliness
lay in that earthy tomb.
so maybe I, who cannot see
what God wills not to show,
may, some day, bear a rose for Him
it took my life to grow.
A NAME IN THE SAND
alone i walked the ocean strand,
a pearly shell was in my hand;
i stooped and wrote upon the sand
my name, the year, the day,
as onward from the spot I passed,
one lingering look behind I cast, -
a wave came rolling high and fast,
and washed my lines away.
and so, methought, 'twill shortly be
with every mark on earth from me;
a wave of dark oblivion's sea
will sweep across the place
where i have trod the sandy shore
of time, and been, to be no more;
of me, my frame, the name I bore,
to leave no track nor trace;
and yet, with Him who counts the sands,
and holds the waters in his hands,
I know a lasting record stands
inscribed against my name,
of all this mortal part has wrought,
of all this thinking soul has thought,
and from these fleeting moments caught
for glory or for shame!
Hannah Flagg Gould
286 A LITTLE BIRD I AM
a little bird I am,
shut in from fields of air,
and in my cage I sit and sing,
to Him who placed me there;
well pleased a prisoner to be,
because, my God, it pleases Thee!
naught have I else to do,
I sing the whole day long;
and He whom I most love to please
doth listen to my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing,
and still He bends to hear me sing.
Thou hast an ear to hear,
a heart to love and bless;
and tho' my notes were e'er so rude,
Thou wouldst not hear the less;
because Thou knowest as they fall,
that love, sweet love, inspires them all.
my cage confines me round,
abroad I cannot fly;
but though my wing is closely bound,
my heart's at liberty;
my prison walls cannot control
the flight, the freedom of the soul.
Oh, it is good to soar,
these bolts and bars above,
to Him whose purpose I adore,
whose providence I love;
and in Thy mighty will to find
the joy, the freedom of the mind.
Madam Guyon
THE CRY OF FAITH
ten leprous men, condemned to die
thro' endless nights and lonely days,
'unclean, unclean', forlornly cry
to warn unwary passers by
along the desert ways.
but laws gave way to faith's decree
when Jesus chanced to pass that way.
ten men, as one, on bended knee
for mercy made an earnest plea
and health was theirs that day.
O weary world, so sick within,
then will you learn in faith to pray?
their leprosy but types your sin,
and if new life you would begin,
seek Christ without delay.
who knows his sin and heeds not holy will,
who trusts in men for life, is dying still!
most blessed is he whose spirit thrills
with such a faith as cures a thousand ills!
M. Allen Gibson
FAITH - Author unknown
Faith looks across the storm -
it does not doubt
or stop to look at clouds
and things without.
Faith does not question why
when all his ways
are hard to understand,
but trusts and prays.
it seeks the greatest gift
and asks not sight;
it does not need to see -
He is its light.
it fears no cloud, or wind
that it can bring;
Faith looks across the storm
and still can sing.
287 HE MUST DO IT
When I do it, faith is lacking,
and ambition takes me through;
I promote it for my glory,k
by myself His work I do.
if He does it, I am nothing,
just a channel, nothing more,
He the Worker, I the agent,
this I covet and implore.
He must do it, oh, to let Him!
If I'm yielded to His will
whether then success or failure.
all is well and naught is ill.
Oswald J. Smith
IT COULDN'T BE DONE - Edgar A. Guest
somebody said that it couldn't be done,
but he with a chuckle replied
that 'Maybe it couldn't', but he would be one
who wouldn't say so till he tried.
so he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
on his face, if he worried he hid it.
he started to sing as he tackled the thing
that couldn't be done and he did it.
somebody scoffed: 'Oh, you'll never do that;
at least no one ever has done it';
but he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
and the first thing we knew he'd begun it,
with a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
without any doubting or quiddit,
he started to sing as he tackled the thing
that couldn't be done and he did it.
there are thousands to tell you it can't be done.
there are thousands to prophesy failure;
there are thousands to point out to you one by one,
the dangers that wait to assail you.
but just buckle in, with a bit of a grin,
just take off your coat and go to it;
just start to sing as you tackle the thing
that 'cannot be done', and you'll do it.
288 GOD'S BANK AIN'T BUSTED YET! - Alice P. Moss
the bank had closed; my earthly store had vanished from my hand;
I felt that there was no sadder one than I in all the land.
my washerwoman, too, had lost her little mite with mine,
and she was singing as she hung the clothes upon the line.
'How can you be so gay? I asked; 'Your loss don't you regret?
'Yes, ma'am, but what's the use to fret? God's bank ain't busted yet!'
I felt my burden lighter grow; her faith I seemed to share;
in prayer I went to God's great throne and laid my troubles there.
the sun burst from behind the clouds, in golden splendor set;
I thank God for her simple words: 'God's bank ain't busted yet!'
and now I draw rich dividends, more than my hands can hold
of faith and love and hope and trust and peace of mind untold.
i thank the Giver of it all, but still I can't forget
my washerwoman's simple words: 'God's bank ain't busted yet!
Oh, weary ones upon life's road, when everything seems drear,
and losses loom on every hand and skies seem not to clear;
throw back your shoulders, lift your head, and cease to chafe and fret.
Your dividend will be declared: 'God's bank ain't busted yet!'
FAITH
Faith is not in understanding;
Faith is yielding to God's will,
Resting on His Word of Promise
in assurance calm and still.
Faith is waiting for the answer
though no hopeful ray is giv'n,
knowing that the final outcome
now is clearly seen in Heav'n.
Faith is looking through the shadows
to the dawn of endless day,
Singing thro' the gath'ring darkness,
"Christ will lead me all the way!'
Faith is looking unto Jesus,
trusting where it cannot see.
Faith is resting on His Promise -
Faith is glorious victory!
Avis B. Christiansen
289 FAITH'S EXPULSIVE POWER
Faith came singing into my room,
and other quests took flight;
Fear and Anxiety, Grief and Gloom
Sped out into the night;
I wondered that such peace could be,
but Faith said gently, 'Don't you see?
they really cannot live with me.
Elizabeth Cheney
THE EYE OF FAITH - J. H. Maxfield
I do not ask for earthly store
beyond a day's supply;
I only covet more and more
the clear and single eye.
to see my duty face to face,
and trust the Lord for daily grace.
whate'er the crosses mine shall be,
I will not dare to shun;
I only ask to live for Thee,
and that Thy will be done.
Thy will, O Lord, be mine each day,
while passing on my homeward way.
and when at last my labor o'er,
I cross the narrow sea,
Grant, Lord, that on the other shore
My soul may dwell with Thee.
and learn what here I cannot know:
why Thou hast ever loved me so.
FAITH
the sea was breaking at my feet,
and looking out across the tide,
where placid waves and heaven meet,
I thought me of the Other Side.
for on the beach on which I stood
were wastes of sand and wash and roar,
low clouds and gloom and solitude,
and wrecks and ruins --nothing more.
'O tell me if beyond the sea
a heavenly port there is! I cried,
and back the echoes laughingly
'there is there is! replied.
James Whitcomb Riley
SONG OF FAITH - William Croswell
the lilied fields behold;
what king in his array
of purple pall and cloth of gold
shines gorgeously as they?
their pomp, however gay,
is brief, alas! as bright;
it lives but for a summer's day,
and withers in a night.
if God so clothe the soil,
and glorify the dust,
why should the slave of daily toil
His providence distrust?
will He whose love has nursed
the sparrow's brood, do less
for those who seek His kingdom first,
and with it righteousness:
the birds fly forth at will;
they neither plough nor sow;
yet theirs the sheaves that crown the hill,
or glad the vale below.
while through the realms of air
He guides their trackless way,
will man, in faithlessness, despair?
is he worth less than they?
290 LEAVE IT WITH HIM - Author unknown
yes, leave it with Him; the lilies all do,
and they grow;
they grow in the rain and they grow in the dew -
yes, they grow;
they grow in the darkness, all hid in the night,
they grow in the sunshine, revealed by the light -
Still they grow.
they ask not your planting, they need not your care
as they grow.
dropped down in the valley, the field - anywhere -
yet, they grow.
they grow in their beauty, arrayed in pure white;
they grow, clothed in glory, by heaven's own light -
sweetly they grow.
the grasses are clothed and the raven are fed
from His store;
but you who are loved and guarded and led,
How much more
Will He clothe you and feed you and give you His care!
then, leave it with Him; H has, everywhere,
Ample store.
Yes, leave it with Him; 'tis more dear to His heart,
You will know,
than the lilies that bloom or the flowers that start
'Neath the snow.
whatever you need, if you ask it in prayer,
you can leave it with Him for you are His care -
You, you know.
MY CREED - Howard Arnold Walter
I would be true, for there are those who trust me;
I would be pure, for there are those who care;
I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;
i would be brave, for there is much to dare.
i would be friend of all, - the foe, the friendless;
i would be giving, and forget the gift;
I would be humble, for I know my weakness;
I would look up - and laugh - and love- and lift.
291 BLIND
'show me your God! the doubter cries.
I point him out the smiling skies;
I show him all the woodland greens;
I show him peaceful sylvan scenes;
I show him winter snows and frost;
I show him waters tempest-tossed;
I show him hills rock-ribbed and strong;
I bid him hear the thrush's song;
I show him flowers in the close -
the lily, violet and rose;
I show him rivers, babbling streams;
I show him youthful hopes and dreams;
I show him stars, the moon, the sun;
I show him deeds of kindness done;
I show him joy, I show him care.
and still he holds his doubting air,
and faithless goes his way, for he
is blind of soul and cannot see!
John Kendrick Bangs
ST. AUGUSTINE, BISHOP OF HIPPO
what though the shades of night
gather in darkness round thy closing eye:
Thy Lord will give thee light
No more to die
the voice of Monica
Calls thee from Paradise - 'Augustine, come;
Lo! at the gates of day
Thy destined home'.
what though the tempest roar
in fury round thy Church's tottering wall!
From the eternal shore
He voice doth call.
the master Architect
will shield against the advancing gates of hell
The Church of His elect
He loves so well.
He died to lay that stone
Elect and precious, bathed in his lifeblood,
that it may stand alone
against the flood.
in waves the quicksands swim;
fear not the Syrtes' shift, the tempest shock:
Thy faith is build on him
Who is the Rock.
Gerard Moultrie
POSSESSION
heaven above is softer blue
earth beneath is sweeter green.
something lives in every hue,
Christless eyes have never seen.
birds with gladder songs o'erflow,
flowers with deeper beauty shine
since I know as now I know
I am His and He is mine.
FAITH
God knows, not, I, the reason why
His winds of storm drive through my door;
I am content to live or die
just knowing this, nor knowing more.
My Father's hand appointing me
My days and sways, so I am free.
Margaret E. Sangster
292 HE CAN
canst thou take the barren soil
and with all thy pains and toil
Make lilies blow
thou canst not. O helpless man,
have faith in God - He can.
canst thou paint the clouds at eve?
and all the sunset colors weave
into the sky?
Thou canst not. O powerless man,
Have faith in God - He can.
Unknown author
THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
came a merchantman of yore,
seeking goodly pearls to store;
one he found and straightway sold
all he had, that one to hold.
but another merchant came,
seeking pearls He knew by name, -
seeking, gave His all for me;
bought His treasure on the tree.
seek I many pearls to own,
these for crown and those for throne?
all I have I sell, to buy
one I find so fair to eye.
this the pearl all price above,
and I know who calls it love:
Faith and hope, bright gems they shine,
but the pearl is love divine.
I, too, now for Jesus Christ,
look within for pearls unpriced'
hid in heart and stored in mind,
but the merchantman must find.
down beneath strong passion's tide,
down where weeds of sin-growth hide;
scarce discerned from what is base,
yet how sweet the hidden grace.
seeking many, finding one,
find all, thus lacking none,
hold I each possession vain,
if I only this may gain.
toiling on in life's swift whirl,
if I find this goodly pearl,
till time's merchant own at last,
hear, not hand, must hold it fast.
William Chatterton Dix
BUT GOD
I know not, but God knows;
Oh, blessed rest from fear!
all my unfolding days
to Him are plain and clear.
each anxious, puzzled -why'?
from doubt or dread that grows,
finds answer in this thought:
I know not, but He knows.
I cannot, but God can;
oh, balm for all my care!
the burden that I drop
His hand will lift and bear.
though eagle pinions tire,
I walk where once i ran,
this is my strength to know
I cannot, but He can.
I see not, but God sees;
Oh, all sufficient light!
my dark and hidden way
to Him is always bright.
my strained and peering eyes
may close in restful ease,
and I in peace may sleep;
I see not, but He sees.
Annie Johnson Flint
293 FAITH
I will not doubt, though all my ships at sea
come drifting home with broken masts and sails;
I shall believe the Hand which never fails,
from seeming evil worketh good to me;
and, though I weep because those sails are battered,
still will I cry, while my best hopes lie shattered,
'I will trust in Thee'.
I will not doubt though all my prayers return
unanswered from the still, white realm above;
i shall believe it is an all-wise Love
which has refused those things for which I yearn:
and though, at times, I can not keep from grieving,
yet the pure ardor of my fixed believing
undimmed shall burn.
I will not doubt, though sorrows fall like rain,
and troubles swarm like bees about a hive;
I shall believer the heights for which I strive
are only reached by anguish and by pain;
and, though, I groan and tremble with my crosses,
I yet shall see, through my severest losses,
the greater gain.
I will not doubt; well anchored in the faith,
like some stanch ship, my soul braves every gale,
so strong its courage that it will not fail
to breast the mighty, unknown sea of death.
Oh, may I cry when body parts with spirit,
'I do not doubt,' so listening worlds may hear it
with my last breath. Ella Wheeler Wilcox
A PARABLE FROM LIEBIG - Charles Kingsley
the church bells were ringing, the Devil sat singing
on the stump of a rotting old tree;
'Oh, faith, it grows cold and the creeds they grow old,
and the world is nigh ready for me'.
the bells went on ringing, a spirit came singing,
and smiled as he crumbled the tree;
'Yon wood does but perish new seedlings to cherish,
and the wold is too live yet for thee.
THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
I believe the will of God prevails;
without Him all human reliance is vain;
without the assistance of that Divine Being I cannot succeed;
with that assistance i cannot fail.
I believe I am a humble instrument in the hands of our Heavenly Father;
I desire that all my works and acts be according to His will;
and that it may be so I give thanks to the almighty and seek His aid.
Abraham Lincoln (formulated by Carl Sandburg from Lincoln's own
words; from The War Years)
WHY DIDST THOU DOUBT?
when all the haunting shadows of the night
come thronging round me with a sudden sweep,
whispering and echoing the fears I keep
by faith and hope and prayer, hidden from sight;
when white-lipped doubt suggests that my delight
is a delusion and my faith a leap
into the dark and that the years will reap
in pain and trouble what has seemed so right:
and when the floods encompass me about,
and the sweet vision of my Lord doth fade
in the blind darkness and the words He said
seem lost; I feel once more His hand stretched out;
once more He speaks, ' 'Tis I, be not afraid;
O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?
Lucy Guiness Kumm
FAITH Avis B. Christiansen
only believe! how sweet that tender message
while roundabout the night grows dark and drear.
only believe! it is the voice of Jesus
that gently calls in accents soft and clear.
only believe! fear not the tempest's raging.
only believe! the darkness fadeth fast.
only believe! Oh grip the Rock of Ages!
Only believe! the day will dawn at last.
295 FAITH
faith is a living power from heaven
that grasps the promise God hath given,
a trust that cannot be o'erthrown,
fixed heartily on Christ alone.
faith finds in Christ whate'er we need
to save or strengthen us indeed;
receive the grace He sends us down,
and makes us share His cross and crown.
faith in the conscience worketh peace
and bids the mourner's weeping cease;
by faith the children's place we claim,
and give all honor to one Name.
faith feels the Spirit's kindling breath
in love and hope that conquer death;
faith worketh hourly joy in god,
and trusts and blesses e'en the rod.
we thank Thee, then, O God of heaven,
that Thou to us this faith hast given
in Jesus Christ Thy Son, who is
our only fount and source of bliss.
Petrus Herbert
ESSENCE OF TOMORROW
I feel the far-off cry of spring
borne on the air today,
though winds of February's sting
hint not the least of May.
there's something deep within me lies,
a steadfast faith that knows
a thing of beauty never dies,
and there beneath the snows
of winter's icy hand there's life
-
and so the unborn flowers
lend sweetness to my heart today,
and spring to winter hours.
and so it is when chilling blast
of sorrows pierce the soul,
and anguished heart cries out 'Alas!
I'll never more be whole',
that faith within, though challenged now,
will rise to meet the test,
and as we walk with God, somehow
there'll still be hope and zest
to live for Him and work for Him;
for now - by faith - we feel
an essence of the ecstasy
that Heaven will reveal!
Alice Hansche Mortenson
GOD KNOWS
we ask and are answered not,
and so we say, God has forgot,
or else, there is no God.
the years
roll back and thro' a mist of tears,
I see a child turn from her play,
and seek with eager feet, the way
that led her to her father's knee.
'If God is wise and kind, said she,
'why did He let my roses die?
a moment's pause, a smile, a sigh,
and then, 'I do not know, my dear,
some questions are not answered here.
'but is it wrong to ask? 'Not so,
my child; that we should seek to know
proves right to know, beyond a doubt;
and some day we shall yet find out
why roses die'.
and then I wait,
sure of my answer, soon or lat;
secure that love doth hold for me
the key to life's great mystery;
and oh, so glad to leave it there,
though my dead roses were so fair.
Author unknown
296 TRY THE UPLOOK
when the outlook is dark, try the uplook.
these words hold a message of cheer;
be glad while repeating them over,
and smile when the shadows appear.
above and beyond stands the Master;
He sees what we do for His sake.
He never will fail nor forsake us;
He knoweth the way that we take.
when the outlook is dark, try the uplook.
the uplook of faith and good cheer;
the love of the Father surrounds us,
he knows when the shadows are near.
be brave, then, and keep the eyes lifted,
and smile on the dreariest day.
His smile will glow in the darkness;
His light will illumine the way.
Author unknown
WOMAN
not she with traitorous kiss her savior stung,
not she denied him with unholy tongue;
she, while apostles shrank, could dangers brave,
last at the cross and earliest at the grave.
E. S. Barret
LORD GIVE ME FAITH - J.O.
Lord, give me faith! - to live from day to day,
with tranquil heart to do my simple part,
and, with my hand in Thine, just go Thy way.
Lord, give me faith - to trust, if not to know;
with quiet mind in all things Thee to find,
and child-like, go where Thou wouldst have me go.
Lord, give me faith! - to leave it all to Thee,
the future is Thy gift, I would not lift
the veil Thy love has hung 'twixt it and me. 297
297 ' MORE THAN THEY ALL'
'two mites' - a simple little farthing,
it was so small!
and yet - she might e'en then have halved it.
it was her all.
one mite for God and one she needed,
of wealth so small?
no; trusting to the God of widows,
she gave her all.
and so, in sight of Him who 'saw' it,
it was not small,
for He who watched 'how' it was given - said,
'More than they all.'.
L. M. Warner
PERSEVERANCE
Say, the man's not a man
who can quit when he can;
who will cast down the load
in the heat of the road
and not share in the sweat of the fray.
No! - the man is a man
Who will stay!
there are cowards who fight
when the going is right;
but the cause is forgot
when the battle is hot -
and the foe takes the spoils of the day.
but the man is a man
Who will stay!
many soldiers have fought
where their efforts found naught
but the smile of the brave
O'er the sod of their grave:
all their trophies were taken away -
Yet the man is a man
Who will stay!
many soldiers have fought
where their efforts found naught
but the smile of the brave
O'er the sod of their grave:
all their trophies were taken away -
yet the man is a man
who will stay!
so let others disdain
all the torture and pain
that must come with the fight
against forces of night;
all our loss He will richly repay!
He loves men - stubborn men -
Who will stay!
and when God meets His men
at the roll call in Heav'n
and the crown and the throne
shall belong to his own,
then with glory and grace he will say,
'You are Mine! You are men
Who will stay!
Author unknown
OVERHEARD IN AN ORCHARD
said the Robin to the Sparrow:
'I should really like to know
why these anxious human beings
rush about and worry so'.
Said the Sparrow to the Robin;
'Friend, I think that it must be
that they have no heavenly Father
such as cares for you and me'.
Elizabeth Cheney
O FOR A FAITH THAT WILL NOT SHRINK
O for a faith that will not shrink,
though pressed by every foe,
that will not tremble on the brink
of any earthy woe!
that will not murmur nor complain
beneath the chastening rod,
but, in the hour of grief or pain,
will lean upon its God;
a faith that shines more bright and clear
when tempests rage without;
that when in danger knows no fear,
in the darkness feels no doubt.
William H. Bathurst
298 THE RIFT - Ruth Margaret Gibbs
there was a rift tonight;
i saw a grey cloud break and let the light
shine through - a ray of hope to all the earth;
long had i waited here; i found it hard to say,
'the clouds will drift apart, the darkness melt away
before the radiance of the night's new birth'.
that promised glow to guide a wayward one;at last, after long hours of doubt and fear,
came light again and life and sweet security,
as though a hidden ray from God's eternity
peeped out, that I might look and see it there.
so, if I can but wait,
I know that God will send it, soon or late -
this break within my life's grey cloud; His gift
to me, one star of perfect love to shine and show
that they who walk by faith are told the way to go,
and after storm will come the blessed rift.
Ruth Margaret Gibbs
THE ONE WHO PLANS
often darkness fills the pathway of the pilgrim's onward track,
and we shrink from going forward -trembling, feel like going back:
but the Lord, who plans so wisely, leads us on both day and night,
till at last, in silent wonder, we rejoice in wisdom's light.
though the tunnel may be tedious thro' the narrow, darkened way,
yet it amply serves its purpose - soon it brings the light of day;
and the way so greatly dreaded, as we backward take a glance,
shows the skill of careful planning: never the result of chance!
is your present path a tunnel, does the darkness bring you fear?
to the upright, oh, remember, He doth cause a light to cheer.
press on bravely, resting calmly, though a way you dimly see,
till, at length, so safely guided, you emerge triumphantly.
trust the Engineer Eternal, surely all His works are right,
though we cannot always trace them, faith will turn at last to sight:
then no more the deepening shadows of the dark and dismal way,
there for ever in clear sunlight, we'll enjoy 'the perfect day'.
Author unknown
299 BY FAITH
by faith and not by sight,
Saviour, I walk with Thee;
lead Thou my feet aright;
Choose thou the path for me.
Choose Thou the path for me;
i would not if I could;
for only Thou canst see
my highest, heavenly good.
by Love upon His Throne
my life is planned aright;
secure in Christ alone
i walk by faith, not sight.
E. Margaret Clarkson
FEET OF CLAY
feet of clay! feet of clay!
man has but feet of clay -
a heart of gold and love untold
but hands and feet of clay.
i took my eyes from God one day
and looked to man alone -
a certain man, a christian man
like one you may have known.
this man was faithful, kind and good
as good as he could be;
but as i looked i saw he, too,
had feet like you and me.
feet of clay! feet of clay!
man has but feet of clay -
a hear of gold and love untold
but hands and feet of clay.
for only God has perfect love,
the same both night and day -
a heart divine, not gold like mine,
nor hands and feel of clay.
Phyllis C. Michael
WE MAY NOT UNDERSTAND
we may not understand nor know
just how the giant oak trees throw
their spreading branches wide,
nor how upon the mountain-side
the dainty wild-flowers grow.
we may not understand nor see
into the depth and mystery
of suffering and tears;
yet, thro' the stress of patient years
the flowers of sympathy
spring up and scatter everywhere
their perfume on the fragrant air:
but lo! the seed must die,
if it would bloom and multiply
and ripened fruitage bear.
Thomas Kimber
300 HITHERTO
we have come very safely - hitherto;
and sometimes seas were calm and skies were blue;
sometimes the wild waves rose - the tempests roared;
but never barque went down with Christ on board.
and so it shall be to the very end -
through ebb or flow, the one unchanging Friend,
ruling the waves which sink at His command,
holding them in the hollow of His hand.
a lonely track perchance, a darkened sky,
a mist of tears and only God knows why -
is he not worth our trust the voyage through,
He who has never failed us - hitherto?
here all things pass, but Heaven keeps them fair;
the partings here - the joyous meetings there -
god's waves and winds drive onward to that rest;
tossed home, as children to a Father's breast.
there comes an hour, when, every tempest o'er,
the harbour lights are reached, the golden shore:
never, o never more to fret or fear -
Christ, give us faith to praise Thee even here.
Mary Gorges
MY CREED - Henry W. Frost
that God doth live, enthroned in heaven above,
existing in three persons and yet One,
the everlasting Father, Spirit, Son,
whom i may worship and forever love;
that Jesus died for me on Calvary's tree,
and then ascended to His Father's throne,
thenceforth for e'er to intercede for me
until He comes to gather home His own:
that God hath sent the Holy Spirit down,
to keep, to guide, to sanctify, to bless,
so i may wear, at last, a victor's crown
and reign with Christ, who will my name confess:
this -'spite of sin and failure's shadowing grief -
this I believe; Lord, help mine unbelief!
301 CAN GOD?
'Can God? the subtle Tempter breathes within,
when all seems lost, excepting sure defeat,
'Can God roll back the raging seas of sin?
'Can God? the fainting heart doth quick repeat.
'God can! in trumpet tones rings faith's glad cry,
and, david-like, it fears no giant foe,
for faith dwells on the Mount; serene, and high,
while unbelief's dark clouds roll far below.
'God can! His Saints of old did ever give
their fullest confirmation o'er and o'er,
and He Who made the long-dead bones to live,
e'en now can bring the dead to life once more.
'God can! then let us fear not, but arise!
our motto be this word that He doth give,
if we have faith, before our wondering eyes
A MIGHTY ARMY SHALL ARISE AND LIVE!
J.A.R.
GOD KNOWETH
i know not what awaits me,
God kindly veils mine eyes,
and o'er each step of my onward way
He makes new scenes to rise;
and every joy He sends me, comes
a sweet and glad surprise.
where He may lead I'll follow,
my trust in Him repose;
and every hour in perfect peace
I'll sing , He knows, He knows.
one step i see before me,
'Tis all i need to see,
the light of heaven more brightly shines,
when earth's illusions flee;
and sweetly through the silence,
came His loving 'Follow Me'.
O blissful lack of wisdom,
'Tis blessed not to know;
He holds me with His own right hand,
and will not let me go,
and lulls my troubled soul to rest
in Him who loves me so.
so on i go not knowing,
i would not if i might;
I'd rather walk in the dark with God
than go alone in the light;
I'd rather walk by faith with Him
than go alone by sight.
Mary G. Brainard and P.P.Bliss
302 BLESSED - Freda Hanbury Allen
Blessed is he whose faith is not offended,
when all around his way
the power of God is working out deliverance
for others day by day;
though in some prison drear his own soul languish,
till life itself be spent,
yet still can trust his Rather's love and purpose,
and rest therein content.
Blessed is he who, through long years of suffering,
cut off from active toil,
still shares by prayer and praise the work of others,
and thus 'divides the spoil'
Blessed art thou, O child of God, who sufferest,
and canst not understand
the reason for thy pain, yet gladly leavest
thy life in His blest Hand.
Yea, blessed art thou whose faith is 'not offended'
by trials unexplained,
by mysteries unsolved, past understanding,
until the goal is gained.
GOD MAKES A PATH - Roger Williams
God makes a path, provides a guide,
and feeds a wilderness;
His glorious name, while breath remains,
O that i may confess.
lost many a time, i have had no guide,
no house but a hollow tree!
in stormy winter night no fire,
no food, no company;
in Him i found a house, a bed,
a table, company;
no cup so bitter but's made sweet,
where God shall sweetening be.
FEELING, FAITH AND FACT
three men were walking on a wall,
Feeling, Faith and Fact,
when Feeling got an awful fall,
and Faith was taken back.
so close was Faith to Feeling,
he stumbled and fell too,
but Fact remained,
and pulled Faith back
and Faith brought Feeling too.
Author unknown
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