Today, around noontime, I enjoyed singing Hymn #394 with YEP at the table.
- Unto him that hath Thou givest
Ever more abundantly;
Lord, I live because Thou livest,
Therefore give more life to me,
Therefore speed me in the race,
Therefore let me grow in grace. - Deepen all Thy work, O Master,
Strengthen every downward root;
Only do Thou ripen faster,
More and more Thy pleasant fruit;
Purge me, prune me, self abase;
Only let me grow in grace. - Let me grow by sun and shower,
Every moment water me;
Make me really, hour by hour,
More and more conformed to Thee,
That Thy loving eye may trace
Day by day my growth in grace. - From Thy fulness grace outpouring,
Show me ever greater things;
Raise me higher, sunward soaring,
Mounting as on eagle-wings.
By the brightness of They face,
Ever let me grow in grace. - Let me, then, be always growing,
Never, never standing still,
Listening, learning, better knowing
Thee and Thy most blessed will.
Till I win the glorious race,
Daily let me grow in grace.
Maybe it’s late and my mind is mush, or there’s too many thoughts to process at once, but I’m not able (at least as of right now) to put into words my appreciation of the sentiments borne by the words of this hymn.
Yesterday, BVH told his story. And one part that resonated went something like this — “Sometimes, we want something so badly that it causes things to become more cloudy” (paraphrased). When we’re so hung up on whatever it is, we begin to have a difficult time figuring out whether it’s of ourselves or of the Lord. And there is no clarity, because we may be unwilling to come and really open to the Lord regarding the matter, even though the Lord’s response is a “Yes,” because we’re afraid of hearing the “No.” Which is silly, because whatever the Lord’s response is, even if it’s “No,” is where we want to be, since only in His perfect will is real rest. But there’s usually that disconnect between what we know and how we actually are, although to some degree we have seen something through the Lord’s operation in us and on us.
But as to the matter of clarity, back in May 2007, the first excerpt on L&ER’s program from Life-study of Revelation, message 65 made quite an impression on me:
The fact that the water of life is bright as crystal means that it has no dimness or opaqueness. When this water of life flows in us, it purifies us and make us transparent. Nothing is more clear than the flow of life within us…
We all must submit ourselves to the Lord and walk the golden way of the divine nature. There is only one way—the golden way. We must submit to the headship of Christ and say, “Lord Jesus, You are my head and my sovereign Lord. I submit myself to You.” What an inner flow there is when we do this! And what an inner supply! Immediately, the flow makes us clear, and we are assured of the Lord’s will.
“Deepen all Thy work, O Master, strengthen every downward root…
Let me, then, be always growing…listening, learning, better knowing Thee and Thy most blessed will…”