Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life in death O Lord abide with me
Abide with Me 1847
By: Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847)
Listen to this lovely version of this hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.
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Everyone enjoy this podcast and transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
As we conclude our journey through this hymn which encourages us to be amazed at God’s love for us prepare to respond and give Him praise. Let’s think about this.
Morning
Morning brings with it the promise of fresh beginnings, starting over, another chance to get things right. Morning also points us to an even greater dawning, the one where the darkness and troubles of this age come to their end in the eternal light of Jesus Christ. The longing for that day gives us hope to face the challenges of this life, even as it gives us a reason to long for more.
What are the shadows in your life? What are you waiting for heaven’s morning to chase away? In the light of that morning all the shadows that have plagued us here will effectively evaporate. Until then though they cast a darkness over our lives. Look to heaven and the coming light of that day.
Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 2 Peter 1:19 ESV
We long for the day when Heaven’s morning breaks chasing away earth’s vain shadows. Until then we immerse ourselves in His word which in some ways is His presence to us, shining light in dark places. What shadows need chased away in your life today? Look to Jesus.
That upward gaze helps us to anticipate the dawning of Heaven’s morning and see through the fleeting vanity of the shadows of earth. We must cultivate this upward gaze. Is there anything that is discouraging yours? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you lift your eyes.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and think about the shadows in your life. Now think of the light that is coming, and is available even now in Christ. We make His presence applicable as it becomes real through His word. Pray the simple prayer, “Spirit, help me lift my eyes.“
Abiding
We long for the abiding presence of Jesus that will be ours in heaven. The awareness of His nearness then will be so clear. He is just as present with us now, but in some different mystical sense that is more elusive.
Honoring Him there will not be a problem because sin and the grave will be dealt with completely. Even still, we long to honor Him here and now. It takes perseverance and courage but He will supply it if we will simply ask.
In life in death O Lord abide with me
As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 ESV
The next verse continues, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Whether living or dying our ambition must be to honor Christ in our bodies. We can only do this as we cultivate an ever-increasing awareness of His presence in our lives. How will you do that today?
Certainly we need God to abide with us in life because that is when we develop the confidence that He will also be with us in death. Do you need help developing that? Ask God to help you abide with Him now by learning to live in His presence moment by moment.
RESONATE!
Take a few moments and thank God for His presence. It is what makes the difference in every circumstance and assists us to honor Him in every moment. Pray this simple prayer, “God, help me abide with You moment by moment.“
Jesus, thank You for helping me to live in Your presence. I want to honor You in life and death. Help me by making me more aware of You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Constant Thinking!
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Podcast 45.5 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 ESV
The cross informs and instructs in every situation, be it waking or sleeping, living or dying. When we determine to associate with Christ and His cross in all things it transforms our perspective of everything. What are facing today that you need to see in light of the cross?
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 ESV
He suffered, and so shall we. Our suffering is never the end but the gateway. Even death, the greatest suffering, is just a doorway into resurrection life. If we join Him in His suffering, we will join Him when He rises. We follow His example and look through the gloom to the skies.
Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 2 Peter 1:19 ESV
We long for the day when Heaven’s morning breaks chasing away earth’s vain shadows. Until then we immerse ourselves in His word which in some ways is His presence to us, shining light in dark places. What shadows need chased away in your life today? Look to Jesus.
In life in death O Lord abide with me
As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 ESV
The next verse continues, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Whether living or dying our ambition must be to honor Christ in our bodies. We can only do this as we cultivate an ever-increasing awareness of His presence in our lives. How will you do that today?
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies
Heav’n’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life in death O Lord abide with me
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time,
Be Resonant.
The post Learning to Abide Continually, Eternally appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Heavn’s morning breaks – https://pixabay.com/photos/mountains-sunrise-morning-travel-6073948/
In life in death – https://pixabay.com/photos/autumn-cemetery-cross-death-fall-2182010/
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