Someone quoted this hymn during a prayer at church today and I was really struck by the words:
Verse 1:
"We have not known thee as we ought,
Nor learned thy wisdom, grace, and power;
The things of earth have filled our thought,
And trifles of the passing hour.
Lord, give us light thy truth to see,
And make us wise in knowing thee."
Verse 3:
"We have not loved thee as we ought,
Nor cared that we are loved by thee;
Thy presence we have coldly sought,
and feebly longed thy face to see.
Lord, give a pure and loving heart
To feel and own the love thou art."
How often have I "coldly sought" His presence or feebly longed to see His face? Too often, I'm ashamed to admit. Later in the service we sang this song, and it made me tear up with a heart full of longing:
"Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver,
Purify my heart, let me be as gold, pure gold.
Refiner's fire, my hearts one desire is to be holy,
Set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy, set apart for You, my master,
Ready to do Your will."
My heart is in desperate need of being purified these days...so much clutter and unnecessary anxieties and worries that threaten my being. I'm sure many of you have heard the story of the silversmith; how he works to refine his precious metal, placing it in the fire again and again in order to remove the impurities, and then continuing to polish and refine it until his own reflection can be seen in his creation...as cheesy and "perfect email forward" as it may sound, this story makes me get a lump in my throat every time I read it, hear it, or think about it. It's encouraging to know that even when I feel like I'm being held in the fire, that it is with great purpose and for my own refinement--that He will continue to hold me there until I begin to reflect Him more and more--for is that not what I desire above all else? To be a reflection of Him to those around me? I believe that is what I was created for--to be His image-bearer...how quickly I forget my purpose,
His purpose, when I am in my Refiner's fire.
Another song has been really meaningful to me recently, "Calmer of the Storm" by Downhere. These words are exactly what is spilling over from my heart as of late...
When everything is wrong
The day has passed and nothing's done
And the whole world seems against me
When I'm rolling in my bed,
there's a storm in my head
I'm afraid of sinking in despair.
Teach me, Lord to have faith
That what you're bringing me will
Change my life and bring you glory
There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord, you are the calmer of the storm.
You rebuke the wind and the waves
Once again I find I'm amazed
at the power of your will
Cause I'm a child of little faith
I feel the wind and forget your grace
And you say, "Peace, be still."
Teach me, Lord to have faith
In what you're bringing me will
Change my life and bring you glory
There on the storm I am learning to let go
Of the will that I so long to control
There may I be in your arms eternally
I thank you, Lord, you are the calmer of the storm.
And oh when the torrent blows
In the middle of the sea
May I never trust, never trust in me
Cause there in your arms I find no tragedy.
There on the storm I am learning to let go
The white wave's high, it's crashing o'er the deck
And I don't know where to go
Where are you Lord, is this ship going down?
The mast is gone, so throw the anchor?
Should I jump and try to swim to land?
There on the storm, teach me, God, to understand
Of your will that I just cannot control
There may I see all your love protecting me
I thank you Lord, you are the calmer of the storm.
