As the rain and snow

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

^“Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:6-16

All the Christian life is rigorous; the only rest is in Christ. Paul’s exhortation to young Timothy is to keep on as a good servant in constant training. As physical training for a sport is beneficial and necessary to enable competition, training in godliness prepares us for our days on earth and our eternity in heaven. Our goal as Christians is not victory here, but Christ Himself here and there. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Train, toil, strive, command, teach, set an example, exercise, practice, devote yourself, persist. Every command is active, dynamic. As Christ’s servants, we are never to be spiritually sedentary, given to apathy or sloth. As His children, we are bound by duty to obey, and our efforts reflect on the family name. There is no giving up, no retirement for His followers.

The Lord has appointed and anointed us each with gifts, and prepared good works for us to do. Every one of us is distinct, each has a job to do with what we have been specifically entrusted. We are here to serve Him and His will, not ourselves or our own, and our call is to be good at this service; excellence reflects Him. (Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 2:10)

Weariness may come if we set our own goals and exert our plans in our own strength. Paul reminds here that the goal is Jesus, who is our hope who strengthens us. We may grow weary in the work, but He will supply sufficiently in our weakness so we never need weary of His work. (2 Corinthians 12:9; Galatians 6:9; Philippians 4:19; 2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Are we as scrupulous in sacred training as we are for earthly endeavors? How conscientious are we in maintaining spiritual disciplines in order to know the Lord Jesus through His word and communion in prayer? Are we as careful to guard our time with Him as we are to keep other appointments, to do His kingdom work as we would work for our own benefit?

Lord, train me in godliness. Shape my will to do Your work, and with rigor and zeal, to be more like You. (John 4:34)

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14,16

“What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-6

“Be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.” Philippians 2:15-16

The vastness of blues of water and sky fills me with rapturous praise for their measureless Maker. Flecks and flicks of fish sprinkle up from the surface, splash to the right, to the left, in front. There is something almost humorous, certainly smile-inducing, about their happy exertion to flip up and reflect the early sun’s light like so much twinkling silver. Could I be such a fleck of light in my world? Would I be? 

So much conversation today, even air thick with unseen and unspoken tension, weighs the heart down. The enemy prince of the power of that air is constantly working to depress us, detract us, diminish or extinguish the light by which we see and shine. Bad news, worse news, foreboding dangers are said to loom before us, inviting reaction, and many surrender to their lure to dark and narrow thinking. (Ephesians 2:2)

Yet I, my Jesus within, have the opportunity not only to share His light when asked, but to shine it, breaking through the surface of fear and gloom to flicker its gleam into conversations, its smile into masked anxiety, its divine gems into earthly occupations and sullen absorptions. Would I seek out such opportunities? (John 1:4-5; 8:12)

Am I so continually filled with the Spirit that when I’m bumped by another’s rudeness or stress, or put on a spot, He splashes out? Do I ask the Lord to energize me to move among others, to inflect my speech with His joy, to sprinkle surprise tokens of genuine love and leave behind flecks of heavenly encouragement along my path? (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18-20)

What opportunities has the Lord given us that we might be ignoring because of self-absorption, busyness, or a calloused heart? What might change in our perspective, our prayers, our plans, so we can be deliberate and active in sparkling His silver for spiritual paupers to behold, and take hold? Are we willing to be made willing?

Lord, cause Your face to shine on me, and lift Your countenance upon me, that I may strew flecks of Your light wherever I go. (Numbers 6:25-26)

“Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, ‘Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.’ So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, ‘Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.’ And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, ‘My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.’ And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, ‘Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.’” 2 Kings 8:1-6

The Shunammite woman was known for her generous hospitality to Elisha, and he in turn looked out for her. Whether or not her elderly husband had died, the prophet knew years of famine would take their difficult toll, so he sent her off to sojourn for better supply. Only God could have maneuvered the intersection, after seven years, of knowledgeable Gehazi, the king, and the returning woman. This was no chance meeting. (2 Kings 4:8-37)

We breathe and stretch and organize and go about our days in selected dress and managed plans of our doing, and all the while our sovereign God orchestrates our movements and lavishes His loving care in ways we would never have conceived. How aware are we of His attentiveness? Of the times and ways He gives abundantly more than what we ask or imagine? Do we even expect, or pay attention to, His heavenly intervention in our banal living? Are we so independent and self-controlled that we neglect to consider or seek His guidance or favor? (Ephesians 3:20)

The Lord’s grace is always sufficient, and is in its nature divinely rich and undeserved. God loves without bounds, and delights to provide for His children, returning on them blessing for blessing. He is bountiful and generous, and His ways match His character. He knows what we need, and gives in response to our asking, liberally to all without finding fault. (Proverbs 11:25; Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:5)

How will we respond to God’s grace today? Will we trace it, relish it, and thank Him for it? Will we seek it, rely on it, and in turn offer it to others? How abundantly more can we live and give because of our Lord’s ‘abundantly more’ to us?

Father, You are good and do good, lavishly beyond my expectations. Thank you. Help me reflect Your abundance and love by extending, to all I meet, Your generous grace, for the magnification of Your glory. (Psalm 119:68)

“Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, ‘At such and such a place shall be my camp.’ But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, ‘Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.’ And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.

“And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, ‘Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?’ And one of his servants said, ‘None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.’ And he said, ‘Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him…’ He sent [to Dothan] horses and chariots and a great army by night and surrounded the city.

“ When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ He said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:8-17

The Syrian king considered himself at the top of intelligence and influence, so any conundrum must be the work of man. Eyes swelled with pride shifted to glares of suspicion; surely one among his ranks was a traitor if he could not get his way. He did not even consider that One higher and greater was at work.

When we like the pomp of a high position, we think too highly of man. When we think too highly of man, we limit our scope of understanding by failing to consider the supernatural. If man is master of the universe, then we see all threats, challenges, and competition as on relatively equal ground, man vs. man. Our focus is on how we can win. We restrict (even subconsciously) our thinking and planning and reacting to a horizontal, human plain.

Yet Almighty God, who is sovereign over the affairs of man, is vertically, actively involved in our every day. Knowing Him, delighting in and trusting Him, adds a dimension to life that is rich with power, expectancy, and hope.

Am I so inundated with the world that my view is limited by its antics? Time in worship, considering and praising the lofty King of kings, is a worthy spirit reset. It refreshes our perspective, enhances our confidence, and ensures unshakable peace in the midst of strife.

Lord, lift my eyes above the fray to Your Spirit realm. Give me eyes to see Your workings in daily struggles, and to trust absolutely that You are greater than any power in this world. (1 John 4:4)

“Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor,.. a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper… A little girl from Israel worked in the service of Naaman’s wife.  She said to her mistress, ‘Would that my lord were with the prophet! He would cure him of his leprosy…’

Elisha the man of God… [said], ‘Let him come now to me…’ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, ‘Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’… He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants said to him, ‘My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. Then he returned to the man of God,.. and said, ‘Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.'” 2 Kings 5:1-3,8-15

Naaman the Important spent his time looking around instead of looking up. In his puffery he placed too much value on his company and appearances. He wanted pomp and circumstance, but God used humble servants and the potency of their messages to heal him and open his eyes to Himself. Naaman finally recognized the true Powerful One, and that it was he who was His servant (2 Kings 5:17-18)

How often do we close our ears to God’s voice because we do not like the messenger? Because in our superiority we question credentials, manner, or presentation? Do we judge the package and dismiss the gift inside? God’s ways often confound our own, and he uses people that we would not expect to do His divine work. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)

Where am I more concerned with trappings rather than the truth? What would change if I closed my eyes and considered the real message, and what it was asking of me, if I set aside what others thought, if I answered only to my heavenly Father? How would this change the way I behave, and respond to the Lord’s authority and good intentions for me?

When we allow the Holy Spirit to apply His message to our mind, our heart, and our will, transformation comes, and we recognize it was all of Him in the first place.

Jesus the Servant uses his servants to proclaim His truth and exemplify His life-changing power. Are we serving others in such a way that they hear from Him and recognize His lordship? (Matthew 20:28)

How well are we discerning His voice in all of the messages available to us? Do we act upon only what His word verifies?

Lord, direct me to trust You better than any man, and Your word above theirs. (Psalm 118:8-9)

“Though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

^“For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.” 1 Thessalonians 2:2-12

Paul had every reason to hold back and protect himself from the persecution, difficulties, and fatigue that he would encounter spreading the gospel. But the Lord’s word in Him became a burning fire, a message that could not be squelched and had to be told. (Jeremiah 20:9)

Once we have been gripped and changed by the gospel, transformed in mind and direction, passion and pursuit, the gospel of Christ is an outflow of our new life. It goes forth propelled by pure love, deep gratitude, and great expectancy.

How authentically is the gospel going out from me? Is a heart of genuine love spilling over in words that proclaim unadulterated truth at all times, spoken with grace and boldness? Has my identity been so transformed and secured that I care not about flattery or approval, but only about what the good news of Jesus could mean for another? Is my compulsion to share the gospel stoked by wanting someone to change for my benefit or reputation, or by a heartfelt yearning that they know the freedom and joy of forgiveness? (Ephesians 4:15; 6:18-20)

How attractively is the gospel going out from me? Do I speak one thing, and live another? Do gossip, complaining, boasting pepper my speech and thus mar the beauty of the words of life? Does my face reflect self-pity, my eye rolling superiority, or does my countenance exude compassion and invite trust?

How affectionately is the gospel going out from me? Do I prefer only to preach and finger-wag, or am I willing to invest time to connect, listen, answer questions, and pray for a soft heart and spiritual understanding? Is my bent to exhort with harshness and impatience, or am I gentle and honest in sharing my own struggles?

Father, cause Your gospel that I love to go forth from me in love, so others will love and be changed by You.

“We know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit,  so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere… You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come... And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-10; 2:13

There is irrefutable evidence in the lives of God’s beloved children that the gospel of the Lord has had its way. Paul encourages the Thessalonians church that he sees the effects of God’s word in them. It came not just as a message, but in the Holy Spirit’s power and conviction it had altered their attitude, worship, and priorities. Though they were afflicted, he saw their joy and determination compel them to serve the living and true God and to hope in His coming. This gospel was real, alive, and was to be continually appropriated. (Hebrews 4:12)

We who have received the gospel of truth can continue to receive it, welcoming its fresh work in our dynamic day to day. When we receive God’s word in power and conviction, we repent of our idolatry and put away untoward habits. We come alive to the importance of turning from grudges to forgiveness, from sloth to active service, and our witness is identified by the Spirit’s contagious joy.

“O let your soul now be filled with gladness, 
Your heart redeemed, rejoice indeed! 
O may the thought banish all your sadness, 
That in His blood you have been freed, 
That God’s unfailing love is yours, 
That you the only Son were given, 
That by His death He has opened heaven, 
That you are ransomed as you are.

If you seem empty of any feeling, 
Rejoice, you are His ransomed bride! 
If those you cherish seem not to love you,
And dark assails from every side; 
Still yours the promise, come what may,
In loss and triumph, in laughter, crying; 
In want and riches, in living dying, 
That you are purchased as you are.

It is a good, every good transcending, 
That Christ has died for you and me! 
It is a gladness that has no ending 
There in God’s wondrous love to see! 
Praise be to Him the spotless Lamb, 
Who through the desert my soul is leading 
To that fair city of joy exceeding, 
For which He bought me as I am!” ~Peter Jonsson Aschan (1726-1813)

What difference is the gospel making in us today?

Lord, come, and come again. Apply Your gospel to me so I increase and abound in love for others. Establish my heart in holiness and glad preparation for Your glorious coming. (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13)

“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worship shall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead. When they enter, the prince shall enter with them, and when they go out, he shall go out.” Ezekiel 46:9-10

Moses’ face altered in appearance with its heavenly glow. David was renewed with strength for battle with sin and soldier. Nehemiah gained clear direction for what to do next. Daniel and John had visions of their majestic God and His kingdom plans. Once before their Lord, these men of God never returned or saw the same way, but went ahead with Him in new understanding, passion, and power. (Exodus 34:29,34-35; Nehemiah 1:4-11; Psalm 32:3-5; Daniel 2:19-23; Revelation 1:10-11; 4:1-11)

Every time we come before the Lord, we have opportunity to retreat unaltered the same way we entered, or to go out different. Spending meaningful time with the Prince of Peace, the King of kings, the Ruler of the universe, changes us, and this is our holy God’s intention.

When we go before our Lord in devotion, what is our desire and expectation? If our hearts are not malleable, and our ears deaf to all but our own voice, we will miss the opportunity for God to have His way. Are we checking the “Quiet Time” box off our list, or are we seeking genuine worship and communion? Do we bring a list of requests we’ve tallied, or ask Him to search our hearts and speak to us with conviction and instruction? Do we allot a hurried amount of time, or converse, and wait, until He is finished with us? (Genesis 17:22; 18:33)

Do we approach the feast He has prepared and sup in such a way that when we enter weary, we leave refreshed? When we enter bitter and angry, do we leave cleansed and emboldened to forgive? If we enter confused over relationships, decisions, finances, future plans, do we leave trusting the Spirit to guide one step at a time?

What has God revealed about Himself and His manner of work in individuals, the church, and the world, in recent time together? How has He reshaped our thinking, or assuaged our fears? What niggling sins has He removed, what new resolve has He prodded, what changed attitudes and transformed affections has He created?

When we want much from Him, He will never disappoint. Our prayers may not be answered how and when we desire, but Almighty God will not fail to bring about His intentions for us and for His kingdom. (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Father, create proper expectation for my time at Your table. Feed and nourish my spirit so I am daily changed and growing, to the praise of Your glorious grace and purpose.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
    praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
    from this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,
    and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God,
    who is seated on high,
who looks far down
    on the heavens and the earth?” Psalm 113:1-6

The wind has strong arms this morning, swaying palm fronds with pronounced grace, deep bows and curtsies before their unseen King. Wind chimes ring melodically over a background of high pitched crickets. A lone star shines white in the midnight blue sky, reminding me that in God there is no darkness, even in the cloudiest times. I feel His wind today. What He’s blowing I do not know, but I know it is from Him. (Psalm 112:4,7-8; 1 John 1:5)

So as the sun ascends, lift my sail I must. There is a sense, a palpable knowing from the Holy Spirit, of an unseen battle, a swashbuckling fight in the invisible realm. And though the feeling is ominous, I know who wins, and do not fear. I know the One who blows these winds with greater force to the end that we bow before Him. Trust Him I do, and will. (Ephesians 6:12; Philippians 2:9-11)

So Lord, this day, blow me to prayer, to that place of stillness before Your awesomeness. To kneel before Your throne that is far above the heavens, a position I cannot fathom, a place You cannot be contained. To cast my cares on You, and place absolute trust in You, whose throne cannot be shaken. (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 57:5; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7)

And Spirit, blow me to action. Compel me to redeem my time. Direct my steps. Every moment and through the hours cause my plans, endeavors, and works to honor You, exalt Your excellence and beauty, and bring You praise. (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 5:15-16; 1 Peter 2:12)

Would we daily secure ourselves under God’s wing? How deliberately do we cling to Him, so no matter what structures of culture sway, or tempests of emotion blow, we will not be shaken? Our Victor has already carried the worst for us. He’s on our side, sailing by our side, to the end. (Psalm 46:1-3; 91:4-6; Romans 8:31-39; 1 Corinthians 15:55-57; Revelation 21:4)

“I feel the winds of God today; 
today my sail I lift,
though heavy oft with drenching spray
and torn with many a rift;
if hope but light the water’s crest, 
and Christ my bark will use,
I’ll seek the seas at his behest, 
and brave another cruise.

It is the wind of God that dries 
my vain regretful tears,
until with braver thoughts shall rise 
the purer, brighter years;
if cast on shores of selfish ease 
or pleasure I should be,
O let me feel your freshening breeze, 
and I’ll put back to sea.

If ever I forget your love 
and how that love was shown,
lift high the blood-red flag above; 
it bears your name alone.
Great pilot of my onward way, 
you will not let me drift;
I feel the winds of God today,
today my sail I lift.” ~Jessie Adams (1863-1954)

Lord Jesus, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, mightily blow Your Spirit to comfort our hearts and establish them in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

“I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge...

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh,.. having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” Colossians 2:1-3,6-13

As we received Christ– how was that? By faith, a gift from our pursuing Father (Ephesians 2:8-10). With joyful, humble recognition of His relentless love and redeeming grace. With gratitude for what was impossible in myself. With full knowledge that without Him I am nothing and have no hope. With confidence that He can be trusted. This is how we are now to walk.

I am forgiven, so playing the martyr as a victim or one unable to forgive myself has no place at the cross. Jesus bore my condemnation- it is finished- and living by faith is living in that freedom from sin and guilt. (Psalm 32:1-2; John 19:30; Romans 8:1)

I have new life, so clinging to old habits and mindset is a refusal to wear my new clothes. Since I am rooted and grounded in Christ, the truth of the gospel infiltrates my thinking, my desires; and continuously filled with Him, I follow my captain’s lead in priorities and choices. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1-15; 1 Peter 2:24)

How persistently am I pursuing a deeper knowledge of God? Am I walking at such a pace that I continually discover new spiritual and scriptural treasures? Am I in stride with my Lord’s view of history and creation, or the most ‘liked’ trends in humanistic philosophy? What evidence is there in my words, my mien, my gait, that I am vibrantly walking step by step with Him?

“I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.” ~Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Amen, and amen!