O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Early 12th Century)
By: Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153)
Listen to this version with a single solo voice as you prepare to ponder this hymn.
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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.
We begin our journey through this ancient hymn originally written in Latin, but still true today. There truly is no name like Jesus, no matter the century. Let’s think about this.
How Kind?
Here is some good news….God does not treat us as our sins deserve.
Every single one of us, starting with Adam and right down through the entire human race, has missed the mark of God’s sinless perfection. We have esteemed our desires over God’s will countless times. Those decisions have sent us down paths where we have stumbled and fell, ended up bruised and broken, and often so embarrassed by our choices that we have felt guilty and ashamed.
Those feelings have left us hesitant to reach out to God. Reluctant to admit our wrong. Even afraid of how God might respond.
But we should not let our failures to live perfectly keep us from approaching Him. He knew the end from the beginning, which includes everything you have ever done wrong, AND all the things you have yet to do. Knowing all that, He chose to make a way to make it just as if we had never sinned. That’s what justification by His grace does.
But it does not do so without a cost. We can find redemption when we fall only because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. How kind of Him to offer us this incredible gift!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23-24 ESV
In response to our sin, God continually offers us His grace as a gift. Once would be extravagant, but He keeps offering. We all fall, but His kindness is readily available.
We have each experienced the kindness of Jesus, but we can wonder if we have exhausted His kindness when we fall again. We can also become acutely aware of just how kind He is when we fall, as we all do. We tend to be hard on ourselves, but Jesus is ever kind.
RESONATE!
Have you fallen lately in some way you have not confessed? He is kind, so very kind, so why wait? Acknowledge your fall to God today and taste the kindness of His redemption again. Maybe it is a sin that habitually trips you up. Ask the help of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome that struggle by learning to seek Him in the midst of it. We will focus more on this in the next section. Give Him praise for His endless kindness to you, especially when you do not deserve it.
How Good!
The very best way to overcome the things that make us fall is to seek God in the midst of them. That is not an easy thing to do, but it is indeed possible. His help is there for all who will call on Him for it.
Think of it this way. You have determined to follow Jesus, so He has put you on the tracks that lead to His light. The darkness presses in, but the light is unmistakable. It is not always easy to stay on track, but Jesus will help us, if we look to Him.
Have you made that decision to be on track with Jesus? To seek Him and His ways, even when it is not easy? Never will we see the goodness of God more clearly than when it is set against the darkness of walking away from His path for us.
How good to those who seek!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, none of us would ever seek after Jesus, yet He helps us, and when He does, we find out just how good Jesus is, especially set against the reality of how bad we are, or can be. Thank the Father for giving you the ability to seek Jesus.
RESONATE!
When we seek Him, He has promised we will find Him, if we simply seek Him with all our hearts. We can only do that at the prompting and with the help of the Holy Spirit. If you are inclined to seek Him today, thank Him for that prompting…and do it! You will again find that He…is…good!!
Jesus, thank You for the redemption that is available to me through the gift of grace which flows from Your cross. Help me respond today and every day to that great kindness as I endeavor to seek You with all of my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Good Thinking!
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Podcast 21.2 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.
O hope of every contrite heart,
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15 ESV
The Presence of the Most High promised to the low in spirit, and from it revival. Do you feel like you are almost gone, your hope ebbing away? You are in a perfect place to encounter the Holy One. Bring your broken heart and ask Him to be your hope again today.
O joy of all the meek,
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19 ESV
Could you use some fresh joy today? Then simply confess your willingness to gently, quietly submit to God’s will and obtain it. He has promised, and He will do it. Seek and show your elation in the Holy One right now.
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:23-24 ESV
In response to our sin, God still offers us His grace as a gift. Have you fallen lately in some way you have not confessed? He is kind, so why wait? We all fall, but His kindness is readily available. Acknowledge your fall to God today and taste the kindness of His redemption again.
How good to those who seek!
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
When we seek Him, He has promised we will find Him, if we simply seek Him with all our hearts. We can only do that at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If you are inclined to seek Him today, thank Him for that prompting…and do it! You will find that He…is…good!!
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, with the refrain.
O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
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 What To Do When You Fall appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
To Those Who Fall How Kind Thou Art – https://pixabay.com/photos/lost-place-concourse-old-2723541/
How Good to Those Who Seek – https://pixabay.com/photos/beyond-death-faith-gleise-2753576
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