THE POND BY THE WOOD

I hiked to the pond early Friday morn,
through rain and mist and woods forlorn,
for the winter had torn limbs here and there,
and a heaviness clung to the morning air.
 
I stood on the bank by the meadow bleak,
with my head hung low, down and weak,
for what have I done to deserve great love
from such a Savior and King above?
 
Circles spun on the water’s face
when raindrops fell softly to their place,
and clouds swirled free in the pool’s dark depths
when winds encircled off Heaven’s steps.
 
Then there on the water, the sun came shining!
His words of love to me reminding;
pledging gladness through oaks as the sky turned blue
and encouraging wonder in all things new!
 
What grace shines upon the pond by the wood!
What joy restored and understood!
For I know Jesus loves me with all His heart,
and from me, it never, nor ever, will part.
 
 
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3

THE POND BY THE WOOD

Fallen branches and debris from winter’s harshness litter the woodland floor. It's not a pretty time in the woods. There isn't any greenery to speak of and the imperfections in the domain are clearly seen. As we trek to the pond up a gnarly path, we remember the road to the cross taken by Jesus Christ.

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

Isaiah 53:1-3

As we stand beside the pond by the wood, we contemplate these verses. The Man of Sorrows took upon Himself our sorrows for our sin debt. The Man acquainted with grief knew our grief. Only the innocent blood that was sacrificed by God's anointed could pay the price for our eternal redemption. Only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, could solve our sin problem.

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 

Isaiah 53:4-5

Why would Jesus die for us? The answer is this: He loves us! In the light reflecting on the pond from morning sunshine, it is clear to see Christ's grace. Because Jesus loves us so much and went to the cross for us, should we not strive to repent of our wrongs? Because He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, should we not obey the command to repent?

Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways," says the Lord GOD. "Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies," says the Lord GOD. "Therefore turn and live!"

Ezekiel 18:30-32

Now is the time to get a new heart and a new spirit. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to repent of not praying for our nation and president. Now is the time to repent for wasteful spending. Now is the time to repent of storing up treasures on Earth instead of in Heaven. Now is the time to repent of ill-gotten gain. Now is the time to repent of unfaithfulness. That conniving devil wants to erase any need we think we have for repentance. With this motive, he works continuously to deceive people. He is a deceiver; that is his title. He doesn't love creation because he's not the Creator. He works to destroy God's creation; that is his job. But listen to Creator God who speaks truth when He says He loves us and gave His only Son. Walk in truth. Turn and live. Repent and live.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Psalm 23:3

What joy comes from restoration of the soul! Joy comes with the dawn! Only Jesus can restore the human soul. As the sun shoos away clouds of darkness, we feel ugliness dissipate from us. As the sun beams to the woodland floor to restore the greens shoots that will come up with April rains and more sunshine, we stretch our roots and bask in the nourishing sunshine and gentle rains. Spring returns, in the woods and our souls. Renewal returns from repentance.

Delight yourself in the LORD

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything,

by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

May you spend time at the pond by the wood to contemplate and repent.

THE WATERFALL

Down in the gorge of mist and cold

pours out a gushing, strong and bold,

that makes the hemlocks surge up tall—

the power of the waterfall.

The water dances as it sings

and off the trees, its echo rings

to fill the woodland concert hall—

the music of the waterfall.

The flow that washes like a sea

removes the mud and creek debris

and smoothes the jagged, rocky wall—

the cleansing of the waterfall.

The Lord of Heaven gives the might

with mercies pouring day and night

to send my wrongs cascading all—

the beauty of God’s waterfall.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

THE WATERFALL

The good amount of snow we had this past winter is melting, and the waterfall is ripping, here in Veery Glade. The male chickadee is singing his two-note courting song and we've seen red-winged blackbirds and robins. Spring has sprung!

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

John 5:14

Sin no more. Jesus had healed a sick man beside the pool of Bethesda, the site where an angel went into the pool at a certain season and troubled the water to heal the first person who entered. This sick man couldn't get to the pool in time. But Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, healed him. Then later, Jesus told the man to sin no more.

When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

John 8:10-11

Sin no more. The Pharisees had brought a woman caught in adultery before Jesus, who was teaching in the temple. They wanted to have her stoned to death, as the law required. Jesus had knelt down, wrote on the ground, and then stood and said that anyone without sin could cast the first stone. Being convicted by their own consciences, one by one, the accusers left.

"Go, and sin no more."

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13

Forsaketh sin. What does this mean? It means to leave it! Renounce wayward ways that will not bring prosperity (including eternally). Abandon the vice that prevents God's abundant mercy. Give the sin up, which is already known. There is a command bird dog owners use when training. When the dog that is trekking beside its master stops and sniffs something the trainer doesn't want the dog to stop and sniff at, he snaps, "Leave it!" and the dog obeys.

God knows what's best for us. His commands are best for our good. Jesus told the sick man to sin no more lest a worse thing would happen to him. Jesus knew the woman's adultery wasn't the first time. He was telling her to quit committing adultery. Stop and repent. Change. Transform your mind. Then, mercy flows, like the flow from the cascading waterfall near Veery Glade.

And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.

Hebrews 10:11-12

The above verse is talking about Jesus. Oh, what tremendous joy to have the criminal slate of the sin condition wiped clean! Oh, what love and compassion that our Savior, Jesus Christ, God's only Son, left His crown and glory in Heaven, became one of us, and paid our sin debt with His innocent, eternal, payment resources!

He's the only one who could have done it!

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 8:12

Satisfied, God will choose to remember the sin of the believer no more.

For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Pray for peace in our world, particularly between Russia and Ukraine, and for persecuted Christians, even those affected by those who were murdered. Pray for wisdom and the safety of our president and his team. Pray for the needs of family members and friends, remembering to lift up gratitude for answered prayer. And, if you're struggling beside the waterfall, pray for help to repent.

FROM A PURE STAND

Jesus, the Christ, suffered,

like what falls from a pure stand;

with majesty stripped and beauty no more, 

bearing sin and hurts and a whipping strand—

the punishment humbly He bore.

Jesus, God’s Son, perished,

like what dies low on the ground;

left to waste and decay, where the grave takes back,

cast away, disowned, but not making a sound—

obedience, none did He lack.

Jesus, our Lord, descended,

like what goes under the floor;

where there is no esteem in the length of the day,

smitten and stricken, where shadows grow more—

the price He did willingly pay.

He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces 

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Isaiah 53:3                                                      

FROM A PURE STAND

A wooded area that is not mixed with any other type of tree is said to be a ‘pure stand’. There are pure stands of oak, pine, beech and maple trees. In these splendid groves, one can be reminded of our Creator who sent His Son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, from the realms of Heaven to commune with mankind by way of sacrifice.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Jesus willingly went to the cruel cross for us and poured out His life for the remission of our sin, a great cost for a great debt. He could have called a thousand angels to His side but He didn’t. He humbled Himself and obeyed His Father’s command to go to Calvary, to the shedding of His own innocent blood for us, the guilty, knowing not everyone would believe in Him. In a sense, He left His pure stand of the Heavenly realm to die for us. Creation itself speaks of the holiness and determination of our Creator to have a relationship with us.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

Be born again! Be saved! Not all will see the kingdom of God.

All the illustrations in the Bible about Jesus separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the wrath like pressed-out grape juice from a winepress point to the fact that God makes distinctions.

Enter repentance, which accompanies salvation.

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:10

Basic sorrow is just a feeling. But godly sorrow causes us to turn away from the things that God is against, both in our flesh and spirit. Godly sorrow produces diligence, a clearing of our guilt and shame before God, indignation, a healthy fear of sin, vehement desire for purity and dependence on God through prayer, zeal for the Lord, and vindication. (2 Corinthians 7:11)

The stain of sin remains with regular, worldly sorrow because it didn't produce anything for our souls. When we sin, there is pleasure that passes quickly but the sorrow remains. But when God works in our hearts in conviction and there is sorrow at first, it quickly passes away from God's pouring the oil of gladness into us as the stain of sin is removed!

The Man of Sorrows took our sorrow. Now, apply that to your soul if you haven't already done so.

I don't often mention (actually, I don't think I have yet!) a book other than the Bible, here on my Poems and Prayer blog, but I think it is good to look at the novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte. The main character Jane tells her employer Rochester that repentance is said to be the cure for error in life (chapter 14). But his curt reply is that repentance is not the cure. We then read a story that includes Rochester's struggle to change his heart, mind, and life until chapter 37. Finally, he experiences remorse. His desire to be reconciled to God drives him to change his mind, pray, and repent of his wrongdoings, much to Jane's joy.

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God.

Ephesians 2:6-8

Dear forest dweller, let us echo our Lord's words to repent.

JOY IN THE HOLLOW

Joy, that blissful state to keep,

is met in a winter hollow,

where tracks lead in, both wide and deep,

by the edge of the firs on landscape steep,

and where I, with wonder, follow.

Over head, the sun shines perfect light

on the snowy altered tree,

and the downy bridesmaid’s hearty flight

is joined by grouse in peaceful sight,

where the woods are hushed for me.

You, Maker of my spirit’s smile

by the marriage you impart,

declare a goodness for my while.

With a skip, I’ll go another mile,

having joy within my heart.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David 

a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 

And this shall be a sign unto you: 

Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 

lying in a manger.

Luke 2:11-12

JOY IN THE HOLLOW 

And an highway shall be there, and a way,

and it shall be called The way of holiness;

the unclean shall not pass over it;

but it shall be for those:

the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.

No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast

shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there;

but the redeemed shall walk there:

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy

upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 35: 8-10

Only the Spirit of the Living God can satisfy the empty space in the hollow of the heart. God’s Spirit communes with the human spirit of the believer, assisting and instructing, and rooting joy. Once wayfaring and foolish, no continuation of such persons will walk the highways in Heaven.

The redeemed sing songs expressing joy! Their hearts know redemption, the result of repentance, which is remission of sin, being made white as snow. Because of Jesus, there is joy now. “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!”

In my last post, we looked at the king of Nineveh who had declared to the people that if they would repent, God might relent and not destroy them. They mourned from real heartfelt sorrow at wrongs committed, wore sackcloth, and sat in ashes. This outward sign demonstrated a change within their hearts, like baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision for Christ. God was moved and chose not to destroy them.

Sackcloth is rough. I imagine it's rougher than coarse wool, uncomfortable to wear. It's sack feed material. Shepherds in the days of Jesus often wore it. And sitting in ashes is, of course, dirty and humbling, showing ruin.

Mordecai, Queen Esther's cousin, wore sackcloth and sat in ashes by the king's gate, displaying his sorrow for hearing about the plight of his people at the hands of the evil Haman. Mordecai would not accept clothes that Esther sent but kept wearing the sackcloth. When she found out the evil plan for her people to be killed, she prayed and fasted and then approached the king. He would let her live and speak, and the Jews were saved.

We continue to live in a fallen world.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:20

The look of their countenance witnesses against them, and they declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.

Isaiah 3:9

We are all sinners, as the Bible states. Forgiveness is for those who believe and accept the payment made on the cross by innocent Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But those who do not, who parade their sin, who seek an audience for the evil they display that is contrary to God's clear Word, woe to them!

Scoffers of God's Word place no emphasis on repentance. No sorrow for sin shows no evidence of change. Condoning sin places no need for turning away from it. Without the removal of sin, sin remains.

The Man of Sorrow, Jesus, took on the coarseness of our sins when He died on the cruel cross. God's way for the removal of sin is through His precious Son, which was costly. Forgiveness is remission of sin. Forgiveness is pardon, exoneration, absolution, mercy, and amazing grace! Only Jesus can cancel our sin debt and take away our penalty.

So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Hebrews 9:28

Likewise, I say unto you,

there is joy in the presence of the angels of God

over one sinner that repenteth.

Luke 15:10

Remember the uplifting passage of Isaiah 35 about the joy of the redeemed. Heaven’s joy has been bought and paid for by Jesus Christ, the Living Word, the Son of God. 

Give joy to the angels from true repentance. 

Give joy to God from the decision to repent.

SNOW ON THE EVERGREEN

Jesus, Jehovah, Immanuel.

Abundant joy rich to tell.

There is a love that fills my heart,

like snow in the deepest part.

El, Creator, Merciful, Love.

Blessed assurance from above.

There is a peace from Heaven’s crown,

like snow gently falling down.

Savior, Messiah, Adonai.

Blood outpoured to sanctify.

There is a grace from only Him,

like snow coating every limb.

Unspeakable Gift, Redeemer, King.

Sing the song the ransomed sing!

There is a life made wholly right,

like snow turning woodlands white.

Spirit, Counselor, Author, Friend.

Kingdom wonders never end.

There is a seal forever clean,

like snow on the evergreen.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power

to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,

nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 1:12-13

SNOW ON THE EVERGREEN

In the woods, here in Veery Glade, snow comes straight down and gently coats an evergreen. As I continue to think about this year's word, which is repent, I am drawn to the words sackcloth and ashes. I remember reading and learning about this but let us take a closer look, my fellow forest dweller.

Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me."

Jonah 1:1-2

Jonah had been sent to Nineveh to proclaim that God was going to destroy them for their wickedness and we know Jonah went running the other way. But his three days in the belly of a great fish caused Jonah to change his mind and do what God told him to do in the first place. The Nineveh people might not have believed that God was about to destroy them due to their wayward ways but they did believe. They expressed repentance and humility by wearing sackcloth and sitting in ashes, which signified desolation and ruin. Their outward sign demonstrated change within their heart and a desire to do right. God saw the genuine change in the people's hearts.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.

Jonah 3:5-6

Expression of repentance from true repentance made God change His mind and not destroy Nineveh. Mourning from real heartfelt sorrow at wrongs committed moved Almighty God. Covered faces with hands of true remorse before Creator God for sinful life impacted His decision to be merciful.

Here, the psalmist declares his happiness in the morning after spending time in the night weeping:

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalm 30:11-12

The psalmist gives praise to the One who removed the sackcloth and clothed him with joy. That would be God! Forgiveness in response to genuine repentance lifts the heart and restores the soul. Today, any time is the time to confess before the Lord, to turn from wicked ways, to resolve to change, obey and honor God. His work through His Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins, has been done. Know His work. Trust His work. Let His work help you.

Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Acts 2:38-39

Belief in prayer can bring about change. Prayer can avail much. Pray believing. Praying while not believing is useless.

To receive the promise, the gift of the Holy Spirit, like snow of the evergreen, repent.

THE ICY GNARLY ELM

The icy, gnarly elm alone
in the dell, just beyond the spruces,
has taken on to moan and groan
and wonder of her uses;
to worry in the winter scene
where none but harshness grows—
and the cold wind blows.
 
Yet even so, the elm stands firm,
though the weighted ice is building.
And there lies at core a diseasing worm,
as the branches soon are breaking.
Forbidding is the winter scene
in which all things are made weak—
where the plight looks bleak.
 
But there is remembrance of who one is,
as the sun shines on and sparkles.
Even through the strain and brittleness,
there is reason yet for marvels.
Hostile may the winter scene become
and the stressful toll long—
but her trust is strong.

 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

 

THE ICY GNARLY ELM

Winter has arrived, here in Veery Glade. Ice and snow covers the branches of maple, beech, and old gnarly elm trees. Only evergreens provide a dash of green color against the white backdrop of land and sky. We are locked in the grips of winter.

Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Psalm 51:9

The battle with sin involves true repentance, which is turning away from sin. When there is no regret or remorse for one's wrongdoing, a submissive heart and mind to the Lord is not happening. When life continues in a sin-bent way and there is no sorrow for it, the opportunity for a change to a clean heart and renewed mind won't occur. The old has not gone away but remains. Nothing has been blotted out but is seen.

But there is hope. Remember the words Paul spoke as revealed to him by God?

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 Corinthians 5:17

Change. That, my dear forest reader, is what being saved is all about! Like a butterfly becoming a fluttering flowery figure from a gravelly ground-crawling caterpillar, a change occurred.

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

The heading of Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him after he had sinned with Bathsheba. David expressed sincere confession before the LORD. He defined his sin and appealed to God's mercy. He acknowledged that God was right and he had been wrong. (Trying to justify a wrong is not the thing to do.) Looking to the Author of his faith, he asked for healing. He was comforted by God and rejoiced and announced truth. And then, he resolved to obey. Obedience would be David's way instead of making the same mistake again.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalm 51:17

Here's a reaching analogy but it makes sense to me: in physical training and wanting to become stronger, exercise breaks down muscle. In recovery, the muscle has a chance to rebuild. To lose that proud heart and the heart who thinks no sin is in them, a breaking point must be reached, which includes an admittance of error. We cannot enter Heaven on our own merit. Honor God with a contrite heart. He will not despise it.

I encourage you to read all of Psalm 51! It is a Psalm of repentance. With no heart change because of what Jesus, the Son of God, did on the cross, the unchanged heart will go to where unchanged hearts go. And that is hell. 

 

An elm tree holds up in the winter landscape. So we endure trials. We trust through prayer and lean not on our own understanding. Even when others scoff at us, we keep on praying. We know it is written that maintained confidence in the Lord will be richly rewarded. God is the Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him—who pray believing.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

 

God waits/suffers long for as many as will willingly choose to repent.

Here is a book trailer for The Long Skip Home.