cannot lie like sons of men,
But will His purposes fulfill.
In Israel He sees no sin,
No wickedness and evil will.
Shouts of the King are in his camp,
And God will bless his dwelling still.
How fair thy dwelling, my belov’d!
How good thy tents all spread abroad!
No longer bound in slavery
But dwelling ever with thy God.
March 2012
Naaman’s Maid
(II Kings 5ff)
I would I were like Naaman’s maid,
The little captive unafraid
Who would her captor’s blessing see
More than her own sweet liberty.
No faith the king had like the child,
In Providence she rested mild,
Content to serve, a captured slave,
And longed the mighty man to save.
Her faith a fearsome valor knew,
And so the weak, the poor, the few
Can topple battlements so high
When stronger folk dare not draw nigh.
This little maid, so poor and mean,
Beheld the warrior made clean.
Her faith a blessing was to those
Whom in eternity God chose.
If Providence should seem to frown
Let me embrace the thorny crown
And know that He works all things well
Who has redeemed my soul from Hell.
March 2012
On Folks Joining the Church
Come ye sheep and come ye lambs
Out the darksome night and cold
To the Gentle Shepherd’s arms,
To the safety of the fold.
Strong the wolf’s ferocity
And the lion’s threatening roar,
You beside your mighty King
Shall be safe forevermore.
Fed and sheltered, safe and warm,
Free and freer yet to be,
Nestling in the refuge sure,
You shall Christ’s protection see.
April 2012
Hosea
(From Hosea and Romans 9–11)
He loved her, and He married her,
Though she would faithless prove to be.
He took her for His own again
In matchless grace and mercy free.
Those that rebelled were not His own,
No mercy could for them be found,
But He redeemed them for Himself
And made them stand on holy ground.
Not only Jews, but others too,
A wild olive’s fruitless tree,
Engrafted into covenant
That unto Him their fruit should be.
And God shall plant her in her place
Where she shall grow forever more.
What love is this bestowed upon
The weak and wicked, vile and poor?
Blest be the faithful God of Grace,
Beyond imagination kind,
Who paid Himself the awful price
That He His wand’ring ones might find.
April 2012
On Alexander Pope’s Essay on Man
Look not alone on earth’s bare fruitless span,
Nor fail the Holy Word in faith to scan,
Nor unto wretched humanism nod,
The proper study of mankind is God.
May 2012
For Mrs. David Smith, on Her Death at 92 Years of Age
She honor graciously retains,
The tribute that to her pertains,
Of mercy lover, and of truth:
‘Tis well your given name is Ruth.
May 2012
On the Curse: Thorns and Thistles
The Scripture says work is accursed.
I think there’s something to it.
If bother is the thing you want,
Most likely, thistle do it.
July 2012
Intercession
As Abraham before besought for Lot Your grace,
As Moses intervened before Your blessed face,
As Amos pled for Jacob, because he was so small,
The images of Jesus, Who pleaded for us all,
So we in measure tiny when for the lost we pray
