Each one has a hymn: Jesus draw me ever nearer
In two previous posts, I asked how singing can be edifying to the church and offered one example of how we have attempted to make singing more edifying by attaching the lyrics of the songs to our lives. (See my posts “Each one has a hymn” and “Each one has a hymn: Singing for edification.”) In the next few posts, I’m going to share some examples of songs that have been shared in our gatherings over the last few weeks.
One morning, one of our brothers asked us to sing a song by Keith Getty and Margaret Becker called “Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer (May This Journey).” This is a fairly new hymn (from 2002), and I did not know it.
But, my friend shared that he had been struggling with trusting God lately, and this song kept coming to mind as a prayer to God during those tough times. These are the words that we sang together:
Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I’ll follow, though I’m worn.[chorus]
May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart’s testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go –
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.
Knowing that God had used this song in my brother’s life, that he had sung it personally as a prayer for God to strengthen his faith, and that he had shared it with us in order to encourage us to trust God helped us all to focus on the words as we sang them.
After we sang, and really throughout the time that we were gathered together, people continued to refer back to the words of the song and our friend’s confession that he was struggling with trusting God. In fact, other shared about their own struggles trusting God.
As we turned to Scripture, we continually saw the theme of trusting God pop up in our conversations, which again reminded us of our brother’s song request.
If he had not shared how God had used this song in his own life, the lyrics would not have been as meaningful to us as a community. Not only did we understand better about what was going on with our brother, we could also see how God was working in his life to strengthen and encourage him, then using him in the same way in our lives.
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Yes, releasing doubts, getting them out, is good medicine. relief to the soul. And through singing has a way of doiong that.
A beautiful testimony Alan.
I will be reading it to my family after dinner.
Thanx
Greg
There is no faith believing in this Hymm. Its filled with placing on Christ what is our responsibility, let me let me let me is like whose stopping stopping stopping you.
Instead Lord though the things meant to make me doubt your word I stand upon and you make your grace to abound toward me always , yes even in every place in you i can do all things because you are my strength. HERE IS THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH VERSES 2Cor2:17 Phil4:13
Your precious blood HAS DRAWN ME NEAR TO YOU AND YOU HAVE FILLED ME WITH YOUR SPIRIT IN BAPTISM INTO CHRIST, I sense strongly your presence in me for you dwell in me, Eph2:13, 1Cor12:13, Colo1:27
Howard,
Thanks. Yes, it was a very encouraging and challenging time… and comforting as well.
Greg,
That’s great. I hope it’s beneficial.
Ed,
Actually, the song is all about trusting (faith) Jesus to do what we can’t do ourselves. It’s about asking him for help because we realize we can’t do it on our own. But, thanks for the encouragement anyway.
-Alan
I say, everyone is differant, so to you there is no faith encouragement in that hym. Yet to the brother Alan spoke of it was to him. This is what fellowship is all about and considering our neighbors needs as one is called to them, and not of self. Edwahzj The disciples were to wait for who , the Holy Ghost to come upon them. When the Holy Ghost came upon them, the Holy Ghost took over those willing vessels 100%. So there was no work on their part, none. That is what has called us into his rest Hebrews 3 and 4 chapters explain these. And Yes brother I love the verses you jotted down. Just I am at rest, it is finished and God does the work through the believers, believers get out of the way and rest, rejoice, thank, and God uses us like a water glass when God decides to, Our responsibility is to trust the living God. Until one believes complete without works, that one will rest and true works will begin
I have heard this for over forty four years that we all start somewhere and come from different mind sets; But the truth is, when God gave His Son to us, He was giving everything He vested in Him. And we are complete in Him not my starting place of my mind set or yours.
Its about being set apart by the truth of God His Word is truth, John 17:17 our inheritance is there Acts 20:32 confirms this, “Now brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of HIS GRACE which is able to BUILD YOU UP (INTO CHRIST) and to give you an inheritance, among all them who are sanctified; here–>John 17:17.
1John5:7 reveals the oneness with God the Word and the Spirit has with the Father,God, ELOHIM. the ONENESS Jesus spoke of in John 17:17 and the sanctification we have in the truth is with the Spirit also, 2Thessalonians 2:13..” through sanctification of the Spirit “UNTO THE BELIEF OF THE TRUTH.
Its not about God helping us with any old mind set; it is about us knowing the way God does what He does in sanctification , a setting apart to Him THROUGH Truth His Word is Truth, and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit that brings us to the TRUTH.
It sounds great for David who said create in me a right spirit and take not your Holy Spirit away. But we who are in Christ have drank into the Spirit of the LORD and are members of His Body, here—> 1Corinthians12:13, HERE we are declared new creations 2Corinthians 5:17. By the glory of the Father , through the Faith of the OPERATION of God,Romans 6:3-4 Colossians 2:12 We are created in Christ Ephesians2:10 , 4:24 in righteousness and true holiness. IN THE FACE of these REALITIES anyone who says they are in Christ born of the Spirit born of God would them ask God (because David did and they account it to be a beautiful thing) to do the same is to repudiate the truth of God’s workmanship in them by reason of Baptism into Christ.
You can fluff up a prayer but if it is asking God to do what He has already DONE, THAT IS IGNORANCE AND UNBELIEF AND WITHOUT REVELATION KNOWLEDGE
Howard and Ed,
Both ideas of God working and us working are found throughout the New Testament in the lives of those who are followers of Jesus Christ and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. These are not contradictory concepts but complementary ones. It’s easy to throw out passages of Scripture to prove one side or the others, but both sides are there and both sides should be embraced in Christ:
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (1 Peter 1:3-7 ESV)
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:7-10 ESV)
The passages above – along with many, many others – points to this two-way aspect of our life in Christ. Yes, all power, ability, and energy comes from God and only from him. In the same way, we who are in Christ and who are indwelled by the Spirit work in that power. There is no contradiction in these two aspects. As Paul said in another letter, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…” (Colossians 2:6 ESV)
By the way, Ed, I hope you also noticed that the idea of drawing near to God and him drawing near to us (i.e., the point of this hymn) was found in the passage in James that I quoted.
-Alan
Brother you are going astray from the reason I commented. You were talking about hymms and edifying. You can edify anyone if you stoked their flesh. You can edify anyone with poems and fluffy rhymes prayer.
If anyone is not in Christ and prays for truth God will teach them as I have shared with you and if anyone IS in Christ they should already know the WAY LIFE OF THE TRUTH.
Read your posted hymn and consider it with the knowledge of the truth I shared and see if it is a prayer of ignorance as one without Christ seeking ; from one who is in Christ and should already know the WAY AND LIFE OF THE TRUTH.
This will be my last comment on this subject. You can have it your way and I pray the LORD reveal even this of which I shared, THIS IS NOT MY OPINION IT IS OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD. Your answered so quickly you didn’t seem to bother reading and looking up the verses of scripture I listed. I’m not trying to run some vain race of wisdom with you, I am a prophet of the LORD, and don’t give out opinions
Ed,
You wrote, “[I]f anyone IS in Christ they should already know the WAY LIFE OF THE TRUTH.” Yes, they should already know. And, we know from Scripture, that many, many, many times those of us who are in Christ need to be reminded of what it means to live in that way of truth. This is the reason that most (if not all) of the books of the New Testament were written. Again, there is no contradiction.
Yes, I do know the passages that you cited, and I know the context in which they were written, and I know the remainder of those same books.
I don’t know you, and I don’t know your life. I’m surprised that you expect me to accept what you say at face value. That doesn’t sound like a prophet of the Lord of to me.
I’m kinda surprised you still hang around here if you are truly a prophet of the Lord, especially since you haven’t found anything to agree with or anything positive to say about this site yet.
-Alan
The LORD says all the more reason Alan. Love has TRUTH attached to it. How about yours Alan.
Did God tell you to start this bog of YOURS and because it is YOURS you could just say anything, you know, like your personal personal take on the infinite mind of God?
Ed,
I see you decided to make another comment on this subject. I guess that wasn’t one of your prophecies?
Like Paul, I do not believe the word of God came to me only, and like Paul, I offer anything that I write and anything in my life to the discernment and testing of others. I thank God for the brothers and sisters he has placed in my life who constantly show both a love for God and others and a concern for his truth.
God bless you in your life and service to our Lord. May he use you to demonstrate his love and grace.
-Alan
Ed, gloryt haleluah, truth is what you said, and truth that is. The acronyms fro grace to me are:
G od
R aises
A
C hild
E ternally
And we are to edify another believer, receiving children of God, but not to disputes over doubtful things Romans 14 read the whole chapter, we are not to shove our eating of all things onto the in mature, For who are we to judge those that eat only vegetables and who are the ones that eat only veghetables to dispise us that eat all things, For GOD has received them. To Their own Master thet, we, you stand or fall period brother. Not sure if you are trtying to edify or force your understanding onto the weak. Either way I love you and you are forever Holy in From God’s sight, vantage poinr, and so are the inmature.
Love you Howard
AMEN Alan
Brother, i see your fleshly sword, please put it back in the sheaf, as Jesus did with Peter that did not understand and healed that guards ear
Experience this personally, and one knows the truth of Love
Howard
I was going to comment, but I think everything has pretty much been said.
Howard and Stephanie,
Thanks for your comments!
-Alan