God is preparing His heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they come from.
From James 1:17: “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
A. B. (Albert Benjamin) Simpson (1843-1919) was a Canadian-born pastor, theologian, and Christian author. He founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
From Psalm 107:1-2: “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those He redeemed from trouble.”
Facing journey’s many troubles
Wilderness darkness creeping in
Praying to heavens high above
God’s unshaken love, faith’s linchpin
Praising God for enduring grace
Thirsty hunger, now quenched and fed
Sharing thanks for every sunrise
Faith nourished with His daily bread
Witnessing God’s benevolence
His wondrous works shall never end
Turning deserts into rivers
Faithful courage shall now defend
Breaking free from sin’s chains of gloom
Salvation descends from heavens
Shattering enemy’s falsehoods
Taste of freedom, blessed with leaven
Redeeming from journey’s troubles
God’s mercy delivers His light
Covering landscape with His peace
Darkness gives up her final fight
From Psalm 107:8-9: “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to humankind. For He satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry He fills with good things.”
From Job 12:13: “With God are wisdom and strength; He has counsel and understanding.”
Creator’s morning scene
Always at work, His hands
Shaping, each masterpiece
All following, God’s command
Tranquility breathing
Always at work, God’s plan
Designing, each journey
All inviting, with each scan
God’s wisdom shadows truth
Always at work, strength speaks
Teaching, with every breath
All scaling, each mountain peak
Tomorrow’s story waits
Always at work, God’s script
Sketching, every new page
All leading, faith’s fresh transcript
Creator’s morning scene
Always at work, His light
Witnessing, darkness fades
All praising, Savior’s birthright
From the words of American pastor and Christian author, Charles Swindoll: “Mark it down in permanent ink: God is always at work.”
The Bible is a bottomless source of nourishment for becoming like Christ.
From Ephesians 5:8-9: “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
From Isaiah 30:15: “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
Father looks upon His design
His perfection draws each detail
Filling darkness with trusted light
Faith now strengthens, no longer frail
Father molds mercy’s truth to shine
His promises to be fulfilled
Sending Shepherd, care for His flock
Faith’s cornerstone, set to rebuild
Father plans enemy’s demise
His victory shall bring glory
Witnessing Teacher’s lesson plans
Faith refreshed with every story
Father pulls strings of righteousness
His forgiving love offers hope
Wiping away sin’s endless debt
Faith grips Savior’s eternal rope
Father calls out from Calvary
His boldness breathes with quiet might
Offering life through Jesus Christ
Faith’s peace, rising on heaven’s flight
From Isaiah 30:20-21: “Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any longer, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”
From John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?'”
Overwhelming with darkness
Tomorrow’s vision unseen
Out of life’s impossible
Wondering what faith will mean
Calvary’s light beams ahead
Today offers blessed place
Possible waiting in view
Powering toward Christ’s grace
Prince of Peace offers his hand
Hour of hope at last arrives
Redemption shall be fulfilled
Seeing faith coming alive
Bitter sorrow fades away
In Christ, mercy filled with love
Answers to prayer’s journey
Touching Spirit high above
From John 10:9-10: “I am the gate. Whoever enters by Me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
From Isaiah 53:9: “They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
Born before light breathes
God’s master blueprint
Only darkness exists
Waiting, His Son’s footprint
Sin breathes at Eden
Perfect light shattered
Tomorrow’s harsh darkness
Righteousness now scattered
From garden’s shadows
Bloody cross awaits
Savior’s light journeys on
From heaven’s open gate
God’s people wander
Darkness covers world
Divine plan’s fulfillment
Messiah’s light unfurled
Light moves against sin
Nailed to rugged tree
Every transgression paid
Saving grace sets man free
From Isaiah 53:10: “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with affliction. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.”
While we cannot escape our dark society, God has provided everything we need to live in the light of our all-sufficient Savior, Jesus Christ.
From Ephesians 5:8-9: “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.”
Thine to work as well as pray, clearing thorny wrongs away; plucking up the weeds of sin, letting heaven’s warm sunshine in.
From Isaiah 61:11: “For as the earth brings forth its shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.”
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) was an American poet. His Quaker background entrusted him to advocate for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Facing overwhelming odds
Single voice stating its case
Stepping out from shelter’s light
Today, darkness loses race
Standing alone with courage
At last, time for change arrives
Trampling down twisted darkness
Today, faithful light survives
Clinging to truth’s conviction
Multitude of pain erased
Extinguishing all darkness
Today, humble light embraced
Understanding life’s purpose
Human rights boldly proclaim
Recalling depth of darkness
Today, light forgives all blame
Learning from history’s past
Actions taking direct route
Offering nation new light
Today, darkness falls—no doubt
History has amplified the single voices shown below as a testament to taking a stand, respecting the value fellow man, and putting others above self. Top left and moving clockwise: 1989, Tank Man stopped tanks at Tiananmen Square in China; 1877, Nez Perce Chief Joseph surrendered to American cavalry near Bear Paw Mountains in Montana Territory; 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her front seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama; 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led peaceful protest during India’s Salt March; 1945, Anne Frank used her diary’s voice as her final witness of living under the brutality of war. (All photos courtesy of Pinterest)
Big Sky Buckeye 