Much Fruit--Annie Johnson Flint

It is the branch that bears the fruit that feels the knife;
To prune it for a larger growth, a fuller life;

Though every budding twig be lopped, and every grace
Of swaying tendril, springing leaf, be lost a space.

O thou, whose life of joy seems reft of beauty - shorn,
Whose aspirations lie in dust, all bruised and torn;

Rejoice! Though each desire, each dream, each hope of thine,
Shall fall and fade; it is the hand of Love Divine,

That holds the knife, that cuts and breaks with tenderest touch,
That thou, whose life has borne some fruit may'st now bear much!

-Annie Johnson Flint-

John 15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit...Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

A stronghold...

Eg Veit I Himmerick Ei Borg (I Know a Stronghold in Heaven)
Hallingdal, tysk kest for 1600, oversatt av Bernt Stoylen
(Hallingdal, German text before 1600, translation by Bernt Stoylen)

Eg Veit i himmerik ei borg, (I know a stronghold in heaven)
ho skin som soli klare, (which shines as brightly as the sun,)
der er 'kje synder eller sorg, ( where there is neither sin nor sorrow,)
der er 'kje grat og tare. ( nor tears, nor weeping.)
Der inne bur Guds eigen son ( There within dwells God's own son)
i herlegdom og aera. (in splendour and in glory,)
Han er mi troyst og trygge von ( he is my comfort and my surest hope;)
hja honom eg skal vera. ( I will rest with him.)
Eg er ein fattig ferdamann, (I am a weary traveller; may my paths lead me)
ma mine vegar fara (may my paths lead me)
herferfra og til mitt fedreland, ( from here to my fatherland;)
Gud, meg pa vegen vara! ( God, protect me on my way!)
Me takkar deg til evig tid, (We give you thanks for evermore,)
Gud Fader, alle saman, (God the Father. [always the same?])
for du er oss sa mild og blid ( For you are gentle and mild to us)
i Jesus Kristus! Amen. ( in Jesus Christ! Amen.)

(Norwegian)

from cover notes from Trio Mediaeval CD "Folk Songs"

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound that Jesus' name,
The Saviour of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who ask how kind Thou art,
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, This
No tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize wilt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity.

From the Latin 12th century, translated by Edward Caswall (1814-1878)

Jesus, Lover of my Soul

Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer water rolls,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviours, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none;
Hangs my helpless soul on Thee.
Leave, ah! Leave me not alone;
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed,
All my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenceless head
With the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find!
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy name,
I am all unrighteousness:
False and full of sin I am,
Thou are full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
Grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound;
Make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
Freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.


~Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Pursuing Love

Pursuing Love of God,
A deep grace so profound:
He woos and wants me.

The dark is for my good,
To teach me trust and calm:
He moulds and makes me.

(c) Petrel Marijn 2008

Trust

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Ps. 143:8

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

Ps 52:8

For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Ps 71:5

The only way we can ever be happy in our relationship with God is to trust him completely. We must be able to say with Job (13:15a), "Though he slay me, I will hope [alternately translated "trust"] in him." Doubt and anxiety shows our lack of trust in God--our lack of surrender to His Will. We must lay ourselves in His hands in trust, obeying His desires for our lives. In order for God to make us effectively, we must be soft and pliable to His hand; if we are hard and inflexible, He will have to soften us, breaking and melting us to His specifications.
Too often we have a hard time trusting that God's will, God's timing is right, and like Abraham and Rebecca we want to get our own hands in there to shape the mold of our lives. Too often we complain against the Master Artisan--"You're making a mistake there, God, I should be painted a different colour, I need a handle here, and I really don't think that blobby bit there is going to do me much good..." All our denial of His vision for our lives will make it more difficult for us to finally to submit to His will.
Our doubt, anxiety, and refusal to trust completely in God is just as much sin as disobeying His commands. By refusing to trust that God knows what He's doing, we imply that He is untrustworthy, i.e., fallible, and in so doing, deny His very divinity.
Failure to trust God is very serious indeed!!

The Finish Line