Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The Avenger



High as the heav'ns above the ground
Reigns our Creator, God;
Wide as the whole creation's bound
Extends his awful rod.

Then let the rulers of this globe
Not dare to plague the just;
He puts on vengeance like a robe,
And treads their bones to dust.

God will give justice to his elect,
who cry to him day and night?
Will he delay long over them?
He will swiftly make it right!

Ye judges of the earth, be wise,
And think of heav'n with fear;
The meanest saint that you despise
Has an avenger there.

Know that his kingdom is supreme,
Your lofty thoughts are vain;
No matter what you dream and scheme
Your death is still ordained

God will give justice to his elect,
who cry to him day and night?
Will he delay long over them?
He will swiftly make it right!

For them there is no mercy seat
He will own their every crown,
He’ll trample them beneath his feet,
And cast their glories down.

The Lord God will avenge his saints
God's wrath will see them slain
Vengeance belongs to God alone
He does not bear the sword in vain.

God will give justice to his elect,
who cry to him day and night?
Will he delay long over them?
He will swiftly make it right!

Romans 13:4; Luke 18:7-8

After Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
July 31, 2018

Unshakeable Faith


Lord let me be shaken
Let my resources be taken
If it means I may gain an unshakeable faith
Stress me to the limit
As long as you are in it
If it means I may gain an unshakeable faith

When my faith is threatened and tested
And stretched to the point it might break
The result is greater endurance
He forms steadfast faith for His name’s sake

Take what is feeble and frail
Steadfast faith will never fail
Oh Lord may I gain an unshakeable faith
It is on God alone we rely
He raises the dead though we die.
Oh Lord may I gain an unshakeable faith

Bridge:
Whom have I in heaven but you?
There’s nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But steadfast faith will prevail
For God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
And my portion forever and ever

So keep it strong and pure
Steadfast faith will endure
Oh Lord build in me an unshakeable faith
Take every voice I might heed
For Jesus will be all that we need.
Oh Lord may I gain an unshakeable faith
Oh Lord build in me an unshakeable faith
Oh Lord build in me an unshakeable faith

James 1:2–3
Psalm 73:25–26

Anthony Foster
July 31, 2018


Sovereign Call



In darkness souls are languishing
Our sin, how deep it stains!
And Satan binds man’s captive minds
Fast in his weighty chains.
But there's a voice of sovereign grace
Sounds from the sacred word:
Come to me, sinners in despair
And trust upon the Lord!
Each soul that obeys His sovereign call,
May run to this relief;
I would believe your promise, Lord;
O help my unbelief!

Chorus:
I hear your sovereign call Lord
I rise at your command
I hear and heed your sovereign call
Write my name upon your hand!
I hear your sovereign call Lord
You chose to seek and save
You give the grace to follow you
Just as you raised me from my grave!

So to the fountain of your blood,
Incarnate God, I fly;
Here let me wash my spotted soul
From crimes of deepest dye.
Stretch out your arm, victorious King
My reigning sins subdue;
Drive the old dragon from his seat,
And give me life anew
This guilty, weak, and helpless dust,
On your kind arms I fall;
Now be my King of righteousness,
My Jesus, be my ALL!

Chorus:

I hear your sovereign call Lord
I rise at your command
I hear and heed your sovereign call
Write my name upon your hand!
I hear your sovereign call Lord
You chose to seek and save
You give the grace to follow you
Just as you raised me from my grave!


After Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
July 31, 2018


Pardon Me


Though your mighty guilt extends Low as the deeps of hell:
And has its cursed foundations laid Within your soul as well
See here an endless ocean flows See never-failing grace increase;
Behold a dying Savior's veins The sacred flood release.
It rises high, and drowns the hills, Has neither shore nor bound:
Now, if we search to find our sins, Our sins can ne'er be found.
Awake, our hearts, adore the grace That buries all our faults;
And pard'ning blood, that swells above Our follies and our thoughts.

Chorus: Lord pardon me, pardon me, pardon me, pardon me
Forgive my sins and cleanse my soul And set my spirit free
The guilty wretch that trusts thy blood Finds pardon at the cross;
The sinful soul, averse to God, To gain Christ Counts all as loss.

He makes the great salvation known, He speaks of pardoned sins;
While grace divine, and heav'nly love, with its glory enters in,
Yes we are washed in Jesus' blood, We're pardoned through his name;
And the good Spirit of our God Has sanctified our shame.
He renews our mind and heals our heart and devastates our pride,
The law gives sin its damning power; But Christ, my ransom, died.

Chorus: Lord pardon me, pardon me,pardon me, pardon me
Forgive my sins and cleanse my soul And set my spirit free
The guilty wretch that trusts thy blood Finds pardon at the cross;
The sinful soul, averse to God, To gain Christ Counts all as loss.

Bridge:
Lord, how secure and blest are they
Who feel the joys of pardoned sin!
Should storms of wrath shake earth and sea,
Their minds have peace within.

Lord, I believe thy heav'nly word, I would have my soul renewed;
I mourn for sin, and trust the Lord To have it pardoned and subdued.
But Lord, your final sacrifice Hath answered these demands:
And peace and pardon from the skies Came down by Jesus' hands.
Now, sinners, dry your tears, Let hopeless sorrow cease;
Bow to the sceptre of his love, And take the offered peace.
Lord, we obey thy call; We lay an humble claim
To the salvation thou hast brought And love and praise thy name.

Chorus: Lord pardon me, pardon me, pardon me, pardon me
Forgive my sins and cleanse my soul And set my spirit free
The guilty wretch that trusts thy blood Finds pardon at the cross;
The sinful soul, averse to God, To gain Christ Counts all as loss.

Some words after Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
July 31, 2018

Monday, July 30, 2018

Great God, Almighty


Great God! Your glories shall employ
My holy fear, my humble joy;
My lips in songs of honor bring
Their tribute to the eternal King.
Earth, and the stars, and worlds unknown,
Depend upon your royal throne;
All nature hangs upon your will,
And grace and glory the earth fill.

His sovereign power what mortal knows?
When He commands, who dares oppose?
With strength he girds himself around,
And treads the rebels to the ground.
Who shall pretend to teach him skill,
Or guide the counsels of his will?
His wisdom, like a sea divine,
Flows deep and far beyond our time

Great God, Almighty, most Holy One
Your love conquers all when the day is done
Above all others you reign alone
Now you bid us to stand before your glorious throne!

The eternal law before him stands;
His justice, in His righteous hands,
Divides to all their due reward,
Either by the sceptre or the sword.
His mercy, like a boundless sea,
Washes our guilt and sets us free
Filled with your love, I dare proclaim
The brightest honors of your name.

Great God, Almighty, most Holy One
Your love conquers all when the day is done
Above all others you reign alone
Now you bid us to stand before your glorious throne!

After Isaac Watts
July 29, 2018
Anthony Foster

I Do Not Lose Heart


I look to the things I cannot see
I will walk by faith and not sight
Fixing my gaze on the invisible truth
I will continue to fight the good fight

So I do not lose heart, I do not lose heart
I renew my inner man as I learn to see
I’ll look beyond my senses, perfecting the art
Of apprehending the most precious realities.

God said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’
He has shone in our hearts to give the light
Of the knowledge of the glory of God
In the face of or Lord Jesus Christ”

So go on seeking with new eyes
Seeing with the eyes of the heart
The truth that sets you free will make you wise
Though your senses fail it will never depart.

Bridge:
I am being renewed day by day.
Though the things that are seen are passing away,
For our affliction in time for us will prepare
An eternal weight of glory beyond all compare
The things that are eternal are also unseen
Neverending, persisting,and evergreen
Eyes of this kind will set us apart
The unseen light will strengthen the heart

I look to the things I cannot see
I will walk by faith and not sight
Fixing my gaze on the invisible truth
I will continue to fight the good fight

2 Cor 4: 6, 16-18
Anthony Foster
July 28, 2018

Sunday, July 29, 2018

Good Shepherd


Lord be my Shepherd and my Guide;
And through this barren desert land
Still draw and keep me near your side:
Guard me by your protecting hand!

O let my feet never run astray,
But should I wander from the fold
If I rove, or seek the crooked way
Carry me over the gate’s threshold.

My Great Good Shepherd, he shall keep
My wandering soul among his sheep;
He calls their names, He feeds his flock
And sets their feet upon the Rock.

The lion with his dreadful roar
Strikes fear within the feeble sheep:
Reveal the glory of your power,
And cast and chain him in the deep.

Our Shepherd hears our sore distress;
Our sins attempt again to reign;
Stretches His rod of conquering grace,
And all the wolves of Sin are slain.

Chorus:
I love my Shepherd, he shall keep
My wandering soul among his sheep;
He calls their names, He feeds his flock
And sets their feet upon the Rock.

After Isaac Watts
Isaiah 40
John 10:11-18
Anthony Foster
July 26, 2018

Beautiful Glorious Child


You are my beautiful glorious child
Plucked from the dust where you were growing wild
Castaway from grace that has been reconciled
My beautiful glorious child

Oh my beautiful glorious child
You walked a way that was dark and defiled
And by your very own tribe you were reviled
My beautiful glorious child.

You were created for so much more than this
I chose you and claimed you from that deep abyss
Now in the beloved and covered by grace
You’ll discover that love fills your empty place.

Oh my beautiful glorious child
Orphaned by a world where you were exiled
Chosen to be one on whom love has smiled
My beautiful glorious child.
My beautiful glorious child.
My beautiful glorious child.

Anthony Foster
July 29, 2018








Monday, July 23, 2018

Hope in God


How oft have sin and Satan tried
To rend my soul from thee, my God!
But everlasting love abides,
And Jesus seals me with his blood.
The oath and promise of the Lord
Join to confirm the wondrous grace;
Eternal power performs the word,
And fills all heav'n with endless praise.

So Why are you downcast, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!
He holds the future, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!

Amidst temptations sharp and long,
My soul to this dear refuge goes
Hope is my anchor, firm and strong,
While billows rise and tempests blow
The gospel bears my spirit up;
A faithful and unchanging God
Lays the foundation for my hope
In oaths, and promises, and blood.

So Why are you downcast, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!
He holds the future, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!

When I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
I bid farewell to every fear,
And wipe my weeping eyes.
Though cares like a wild deluge come,
And storms of sorrow fall,
May I but safely reach my home,
My God, my hope, my all!

So Why are you downcast, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!
He holds the future, oh my soul Hope in God! Hope in God!

Anthony Foster
After Isaac Watts
July 22, 2018
Psalm 42:5


The Triune One



Blessed be the Father of all grace, To whose eternal source we owe
Rivers of joy in His embrace, And the balm of comfort here below.
We give immortal praise To God the Father's love,
For all my pleasures here, And better hopes above:
He sent his own Eternal Son
To die for sins That man had done.

Glory to the great Son of God, From whose dear wounded body flows
A precious stream of vital blood, Pardon and life for dying souls.
To God the Son eternal glory goes
Who bought us with his wounds From everlasting woes
And now he lives, And now he reigns,
And sees the fruit Of all his pains.

We give the Holy Spirit praise, Who in our hearts of sin and woe
Makes living springs of grace arise, and into boundless glory flow.
To God the Spirit's precious name unending worship give,
Whose new-creating power Makes the dead sinner live:
His work completes The great design,
And fills the soul With joy divine.

Thus God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, we adore;
That sea of life and love unknown, Without a bottom or a shore.
Almighty God! To you be all honor and service done,
The undivided Three, And the mysterious One:
Where reason fails With all her powers,
There faith prevails And love adores.

Adapted from Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
July 22, 2018



We Will Behold the Glory


Where our poor mortal eyes are blind
Eyes of faith will apprehend
For glory overwhelms our minds
Pure majesty our souls would rend
Unless our maker veils our eyes
Until we rise that glorious day
And behold him coming in the skies
And with remade eyes we see His day

Then we will behold the glory that is His and His alone
We will behold His glory in His presence at His throne

Infinite leagues beyond the sky
The Ancient of Days reigns supreme
Where neither wings nor souls can fly,
No angel may climb the mercy seat
Yet, glorious Lord, thy gracious eyes
Search to and fro from heights above
Beyond our praise thy grandeur flies,
Yet we adore, and yet we love.

For we will behold the glory that is His and His alone
We will behold His glory in His presence at His throne

Tell how he shows his smiling face,
And clothes all heav'n in bright array;
Triumph and joy run through the place,
And songs eternal as the day.
Proclaim his wonders from the skies,
Let every distant nation hear;
And while you sound his lofty praise,
Let humble mortals bow and fear.

For we will behold the glory that is His and His alone
We will behold His glory in His presence at His throne
Then we will behold the glory that is His and His alone
We will behold His glory in His presence at His throne.

After Isaac Watts
Anthony Foster
July 21, 2018

Draw Us oh God




There is a greater comfort- much greater than our pain
Our suffering is real enough- how do we count it gain?
We can find good courage and find that strength we must
To walk by faith and not by sight and for our future life to trust

So let’s live for God’s glory Let Jesus write our story
Open our eyes and ears Brighten my mind so I might hear.
The perishable shall pass away but clothed with a victor’s crown
Emblazoned for God’s glory being light where truth is found

When days run thoughtlessly along,
Without a moment's stay;
Just like a story or a song
We pass our lives away.
God from on high invites us home,
But we march heedless on,
And ever hast'ning to the tomb,
Stoop downwards as we run.

So let’s live for God’s glory Let Jesus write our story
Open our eyes and ears Brighten my mind so I might hear.
The perishable shall pass away but clothed with a victor’s crown
Emblazoned for God’s glory being light where truth is found

How we deserve the deepest hell,
If we slight the joys above!
What chains of vengeance should we feel,
That break such cords of love!
Draw us, O God, with sovereign grace,
And lift our thoughts on high,
That we may end this mortal race,
And see salvation nigh.

Anthony Foster
After Isaac Watts
July 22, 2018

Friday, July 20, 2018

The Great Exchange


His righteousness replaces my all my Sin
He exchanged His Glory for my guilt
His joy has displaced my mourning with rejoicing
What my turmoil has destroyed he has rebuilt

Goodness and mercy are becoming my new trait
His kindness overcomes my enmity
A heart of Love is beating now where there once was hate
And His Patience has replaced anxiety.

And by his wounds our wounds are healed
By his wounds our wounds are healed
He became my substitute, God’s perfect spotless lamb
His sacrifice has taken all our sins
The obedient sin-bearer bears the sin of ev’ry man
When he laid down his life true life begins

He was forsaken I was forgiven
Faithfulness is now exchanged for infidelity
Self-control resides now where my chaos reigned before
And God’s riches have repealed my poverty

And though Death was due me I was given life anew
Christ atoned for sins when His blood was spilt
A reconciliation realized by what he was born to do
And His sacrifice has overcome my guilt.

And by his wounds our wounds are healed
In this great exchange true mystery is revealed
He became my substitute, God’s perfect spotless lamb
His sacrifice atones for all our sins
The obedient sin-bearer bears the sin of ev’ry man
When he laid down his life true life begins.

Anthony Foster
July 20, 2018