Cleanse and comfort bless and save me
Bathe O bathe my heart and brow
Thou art comforting and saving
Thou art sweetly filling now

Fill Me Now 1879
By: Elwood H. Stokes (1815-1897)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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 continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

Comfort

Comfort is something we all need. We do not simply enjoy it, we need it. Whether it be pain, distress, loneliness, or some other discomfort the Spirit is the true source of any comfort we recieve.

We may receive if from a parent or a child. It may come from a friend. In some situations even a stranger can bring it.

Can you identify the area where you need comfort today? It probably was already on your mind. Ask the Spirit what it is if you are not sure, then tell the Spirit what it is. Name it either quietly or out loud. It may have been pushed deep down for some time but in these moments let it find its way to the surface.

Thou art comforting and saving

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 ESV

The Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God, and certainly including the depths of me. Knowing me that intimately allows Him to comfort me unlike any other ever could, and that follows His saving work. Invite Him to come and comfort you where you need it today.

Interestingly, the writer revisits two of the works of the Spirit from the opening line of this stanza, comforting and saving. Maybe they are the two most crucial, or the ones He needed most. Either way, they are essential. Echo that prayer from deep in your soul today.

RESONATE!
We acknowledge the comfort and saving work of the Spirit once more. This is not a one time prayer, or even an occasional one. It must become a regular one as we become familiar with the destructive habits of others and ourselves. Pray this simple prayer, “Spirit, comfort and save me.”

Filling

Of course the filling of the Holy Spirit is much sweeter than any eclair, but I want to challenge us to think about this a little differently as we close out our reflections on this hymn.

Imagine this pastry without the filling. It would still be delicious, but not as delicious. Truly the nature of it would change. Certainly our nature is different without the Spirit.

The pastry is sweeter with the filling. There is already sugar in there, but not as much. The taste would be much different. We are not as sweet without the Spirit.

It would even look very different without the filling. It is still a work of art, but not quite as much without the filling. The same is true of us. Though people can not see the filling of the Spirit they can certainly see the effects of it.

The sweet filling simply helps the eclair taste better. The sweet filling of the Holy Spirit helps us be better. Now that is some confection conviction if I ever heard any.

Thou art sweetly filling now

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever…John 14:16 ESV

The Spirit comes, fills us, then stays with us forever, always ready to help us as we may need it, and oh, how we need it. He does not only come to teach us, and empower us but to help us. Thank Jesus for the sweet work of His Spirit in you every day.

How sweet is the work of the Spirit! He fills us and does so with an astounding blend of power and gentleness. Invite Him one more time here to come and fill you. Then repeat that simple prayer every day until your work on earth is done.

RESONATE!
The filling and work fo the Spirit are so sweet, yet we often fail to welcome them. Take a few moments today to do that. Pray simply, “Spirit, sweetly fill me now.“

Spirit, thank You for Your filling work and the difference it makes in my life. Teach me to ask for it regularly, making it a habit to welcome your influence. Come, o come and fill me now. In Jesus name. Amen.

Comforted Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Thou art comforting and saving – https://pixabay.com/photos/portrait-model-portraiture-4550039/
Thou art sweetly filling now – https://pixabay.com/photos/eclair-pastry-cake-eclairs-5052481/

I am weakness full of weakness
At Thy sacred feet I bow
Blest divine eternal Spirit
Fill with pow’r and fill me now

Fill Me Now 1879
By: Elwood H. Stokes (1815-1897)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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 continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

Sealed

Us

• Weakness
• Full of weakness
• Bowed down

The Spirit

• Blest
• Divine
• Eternal

Our great need creates the perfect contrast to put the power of our God on display. He is so different from us and this stanza shows that very clearly. Still, our fate is intrinsically connected to His person and work.

The Spirit is the One who reveals the truth, and imparts with to us. He seals us, and guarantees our inheritance. He even empowers our praise.

A key part of that work is his sealing us. A seal on a letter had two important functions in ancient times. It verified who the sender was which is very important. It also proved that there had been no tampering with the content ensuring it remained intact from the sender.

The Spirit does this remarkable work in us. He verifies that we being to God. He also proves that there has been no tampering with us, but that we arrive at our location in the condition He intended. He has the authority to do that because of who He is.

Blest divine eternal Spirit

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV

He is blessed and blesses us by sealing us as a guarantee of our eternal inheritance from God. Give praise to the Spirit for helping you believe and then sealing your faith.

The Spirit is also eternal, and divine. He always was and always will be. He is God, plain and simple. He is also holy, without fault or blemish. These characteristics put Him in a position to bless us. Declare to the Spirit you believe His is eternal, divine and blest.

 

 

RESONATE!
Our faith does not permit God to do His work in us, but it does position us to receive that work. We need it as we have confessed in the earlier part of this stanza. Acknowledge that you believe the Holy Spirit is the One who can do that work in you and prepare yourself to receive it today.

The Sealer

If we are to be sealed then the Holy Spirit will do the sealing. If we are to be filled then he Holy Spirit will do the filling. Those these are two very different illustrations both very clearly bear the marks of the Holy Spirit.

When wax is going to be sealed on a letter it must first be melted. As it drips onto the envelope it is soft and ready to receive the pressure of the seal. The same thing happens in our spiritual lives. The heat is turned up and we are prepared to receive the indelible impression of the Spirit.

When a vessel is going to be filled it must first be emptied. As it is emptied it is ready to receive the substance that will fill it. The same thing happens in our spiritual lives. We are emptied and prepared to receive the holy habitation of the Spirit.

To be melted and emptied are certainly not pleasant experiences but what can come afterwards can prove extremely useful. Confessing we are weakness and full of weakness is similarly not a pleasant experience either, however, it does prepare us to be full of power instead. That is very useful.

When we are melted or emptied in can be a pretty terrible feeling. The melting prepares us to be shaped and sealed. The emptying prepares us to be fill. When those things happen we are filled with hope. But we must continue to learn the discipline of hoping even as we wait on the filling.

Fill with pow’r and fill me now

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13ESV

He fills us with His power and from that power ushers belief. When we believe, God brings joy, peace and hope abundantly into our lives. Without His filling none of that would be possible. Ask for that filling again today and every day until you see Him face to face.

He empowers us to reflect God with our lives and deflect glory to Him. This is miraculous when you consider we start out full of weakness and is another expression of His incredible work in us. Only with His power could that work occur.

RESONATE!
Do you feel melted or emptied? Maybe God is preparing you to receive His hope. Maybe He is readying you for something else. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit again today and the hope that flows from that filling. Pray simply, “Spirit, fill with power and fill me now”.

Spirit, thank You for revealing how weak I was, and not leaving me there. You revealed Your power to me and then made it clear how You wanted to fill me with the power. Thank You Spirit. In Jesus name. Amen.

Sealed Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Blest divine eternal Spirit – https://pixabay.com/vectors/seal-ancient-badge-wax-emblem-152801/
Fill with pow’r and fill me now – https://pixabay.com/vectors/buffer-seal-office-281337/

Thou canst fill me gracious Spirit
Though I cannot tell Thee how
But I need Thee greatly need Thee
Come O come and fill me now

Fill Me Now 1879
By: Elwood H. Stokes (1815-1897)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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 continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

Great Need

We come with open, empty hands.

This admission does not come easy for most of us. We have needs. It is rather difficult for most of us to readily admit we have need of assistance beyond our own capacities. In short, we are not naturally a humble bunch.

To admit that we need help, that we need some intervention can be a challenging thing to acknowledge, no matter the scenario. This is especially true at the root of our deepest need, peace with God. The Holy Spirit is the One who meets that need by revealing to us our need of a Savior and the reality that Jesus wants to be that for us.

Among all our other needs, even the most spiritual ones, this is the most crucial. We need strength to live daily for God’s glory. We need patience to deal with the difficult people in our lives. We need peace in the midst of our conflicts. But most of all we need need the Spirit of God to dwell in us marking us as those who belong to Christ.

But I need Thee greatly need Thee

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Romans 8:9 ESV

We need the Spirit because He is the one who imparts Christ to us. It is imperative for our salvation that we have Christ and thanks be to God the Spirit makes Him ours and us His. Ask Him to help you live in the Spirit instead of the flesh, then make that choice again every day.

RESONATE!
Have you ever acknowledged this deepest of needs, your need for a Savior? If you have, rejoice that it was the Spirit in you that allowed you to do so, and that same Spirit who revealed Christ to you. If not, do so today. Pray, “Spirit, I confess my need of a Savior and pray you will make me His and He mine.” 

The Gift

God fills those open empty hands with light and love, with Himself.

When we acknowledge our need to God, whether for a Savior or for any other need which He reveals to us, He delights to fill that need. He reveals it so that He can meet it and in doing so allow us the privilege of knowing Him more. The need becomes a way for us to come to know God and His goodness to us.

If you have a need in your life today do not hesitate to bring it to God. Bring it in your open hand and give it to Him. Then wait patiently to see what He will do with it.

Allow that practice to remind you of your greatest need to routinely come to Him for filling. That filling enables you to live or abide in Him and He in you. This is the work of the Spirit. Thanks be to God!

Come O come and fill me now

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 1 John 4:13ESV

He has given us of His Spirit so we abide in Him. We must make that choice every day, the choice to live in Him as He lives in us. It seems so simple and in many ways it is, but we make it difficult. Ask the Spirit to help you make abiding in Him simpler every day.

RESONATE!
Are you abiding or living with a continual awareness of God’s presence? The Holy Spirit and He alone is the one that will help you cultivate that kind of awareness. That is precisely why it is so important to routinely pray simple prayers that acknowledge your need and ask Him to meet it. Pray, “Spirit, come, o come and fill me now.”

Jesus, thank You for the gift of your Spirit. He reveals You to me and helps me realize how much I need You. Help me to welcome His work in my life every day. In Jesus name. Amen.

Continual Thinking!

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Image Attribution
But I need Thee greatly need Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/hands-two-palms-light-hand-in-hand-1044882/
Come O come and fill me now – https://pixabay.com/photos/hand-bokeh-give-gift-offer-open-3889288/

When He shall come with trumpet sound
O may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before the throne

The Solid Rock 1834
By: Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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 continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

Dressed Up

Getting dressed up for special occasions is fun. Having those special clothes on that you may only wear that one time immediately sets the occasion off from daily living. For instance, this time of year there are caps and gowns donned for graduation ceremonies.

When we think of getting dressed in righteousness, we approach it with this mindset. We are going to put something on. But there is obviously something more fundamentally transformative in this instance. We are not just covering one thing up with something different. This covering intrinsically changes the one who put it on.

We will put on the very righteousness of Jesus Christ. It has already transformed our standing, but in those moments the working out of our salvation complete, we will be transformed in our experience. We will still be ourselves, but we will also be fully in Jesus.

Dressed in His righteousness alone

And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— Philippians 3:9 ESV

We will rejoice that day, not because of our rightness but because Jesus covered us with His righteousness. That righteousness comes through faith in Christ. Ask the Spirit to reveal if you are in Him, trusting in His righteousness alone to make you right with our Holy God.

If you have tried to live in Christ you have come to realize that you can not do it in your own strength. It is impossible. The only way to achieve that righteous living is for Christ to dress you daily in His righteousness. Even still that is only a foretaste of what is in store on the day of His return.

RESONATE!
While we look forward to the glorious day of His appearing and the righteousness we will experience that day, we long to live in it every day.  Ask the Father to clothe you with the righteousness of Christ today. Pray, “Father, clothe me with the righteousness of Christ.“

Stand Up

So other worldly will the end of all things be, when all creation will give praise to our King, it is difficult for us to fathom. When we think of standing before His throne we imagine a chair, but maybe it will be very different than what we have in mind. Just as different as being dressed in His righteousness will be from every other uniform or attire we have worn so will be that throne from every other we have ever seen.

Even still, to think of being faultless or blameless is almost inconceivable. If we are honest with ourselves we are aware of our imperfections. To think they will not simply be covered with the righteousness of Christ, but will actually be eradicated. To our deepest core, we will be without blemish. All the work of Christ.

Faultless to stand before the throne

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy… Jude 1:24ESV

If you are trusting Jesus alone then you are trusting the One who is able to help you stand before the throne because you will be dressed in His righteousness. That makes you blameless, faultless, by no merit of your own. Give Him praise for that incredible work.

Faultless. How well do you know yourself? If you have any self-awareness at all and any knowledge of who Christ is, you know the only way to be faultless is for Christ to cover all your faults. Thanks be to God that is exactly what He does, now and forever more.

RESONATE!
Take a few moments and thank Jesus for His work of making you faultless. You could never have done that yet He graciously does it for you. Pray, “Jesus, thank You for making me faultless.”

Jesus, thank You for dressing me in righteousness and making me faultless. I could never have accomplished either, yet you graciously accomplish both for me. In Jesus name. Amen.

Faultless Thinking!

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Image Attribution
Dressed in His righteousness alone – https://pixabay.com/photos/christian-jesus-painting-great-1119744
Faultless to stand before the throne – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/lion-king-night-stars-throne-5982571/

His oath His covenant His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay

The Solid Rock 1834
By: Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Listen to this modern version of this classic hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the podcast below.

Here is podcast content always available as part of an extensive archive of resources. We have lots of tools and options designed to help you be Resonant!  Check them out today and please consider becoming a Subscriber to support our mission of providing these tools to everyone with access to the internet!!

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 continue our journey through this penitent text and hymn, make each stanza your own by praying through it. Let’s think about this.

All Gives Way

Again the writer creates another layer of imagery with the impact of the storms of life.  In this line there is the concession that sometimes everything around us fails us. From the parable Jesus told, the winds blew and the rains fell and the house that was built on the sand collapsed with a great crash [Matthew 7:24-27].

The only way to be certain we will still be standing when the storms have passed is to build our lives on Jesus. If we do not, we will finish the thought after this line very differently. When all around my soul gives way…I collapse hopeless and helpless as well. But that is not how we finish. When the storm has passed and the waters of the sea of life become calm once more the masts of our ship will still be standing tall, by God’s grace.

When all around my soul gives way

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Psalm 42:11a ESV

Stop for a moment and think about a time when it seemed as though everything around your soul was giving away. We have all experienced those disorienting times when turmoil plagued our souls. Did you turn to God then? Are you ready to turn to God the next time?

Desperation and despair. We have all felt some degree of both when things in our lives begin to crumble. Sometimes it seems like everything is falling apart. In those moments our souls have a choice to make.

RESONATE!
When the storms come it is too late to think about the foundation of your soul. Think about it today. Build on Jesus. Know His word and do it. You have a choice. Ask the Spirit to remind you that you always have a choice. Choose to build your life on the rock of Jesus. All other ground is sinking sand.  Pray, “Spirit, remind me that I always have a choice.”

Hope and Stay

Here is another example of a word in hymn that might not be well understood by many who sing it. When I have sung the word “stay” in the context of this stanza it has meant to be that Christ is certain, an unshakable hope when everything else fails. While that is true, it is likely that Mote understood a different meaning of that word that is wrought with imagery.

A stay is a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast. In the image here you can see those ropes holding the mast in place. There are many of them, each placed strategically to provide an incredible amount of support to the mast as it withstands the force of the winds against the sail. Without the support of the stays a mast could never stand.

Think about how Christ does that same work for our souls. Though they are beat against by the storms of life, He supports us and allows us to stand strong against them. Without the support of Jesus we could never stand. Without the stay that Jesus provides, our souls would give way with everything else.

He then is all my hope and stay

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 42:11bESV

We can turn to Him in the most dire of dilemmas and find hope in Him even then. As you wait for the next one to come, are you committed now to praising Him even when it does? He is and will be your salvation. You simply have to trust in Him, placing all your hope in God.

And that choice is to trust Jesus to be your hope and stay. He is secure when all else is failing. Will you trust Him? Will you determine today to believe He is your hope and stay when all around your soul gives way?

RESONATE!
Jesus wants to be your hope and stay. He wants to support you when the fiercest of winds tear at the sails of your life. Tell Jesus your hope is in Him alone. Pray, “Jesus, my hope is in You alone.”

Jesus, I want you to be my hope and stay. Teach me to trust you on the calm days, so when the winds pick up I am prepared. Then I will be able to stand when all around my soul gives way. In Jesus name. Amen.

Stayed Thinking!

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Image Attribution
When all around my soul gives way – https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-ship-sails-boat-sea-ocean-675847/
He then is all my hope and stay – https://pixabay.com/photos/mast-rigging-ship-sailboat-983904/