There Is a Fountain
It sounds gory and archaic. But it sums up the message of the Bible.
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins,
And sinners plunged beneath its flood lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
This old hymn says what many Christians don't like to say: It states the unglamourous truth that sacrifice had to be made to satisfy God's wrath against sin. In this day and age, the word "sin" is subject to all manner of redefinition. But it remains true that the human soul has an emptiness that aches for something beyond this life, and a sense of guilt that longs for a resolution to wrongs done.
It's up to us whether we place our trust in Christ's substitution for us.
Click to listen to There is a Fountain.Labels: Music, Podcasts
How Firm a Foundation
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor will rivers overflow it....
~Song of Solomon 8:7
This week's podcast (yes, there finally is one!) is dedicated to my friend Tamara and her family. Tam's husband passed away of cancer this spring. I had started uploading and mixing these tracks already when I visited her blog. As I finished the sound engineering, I thought of their family. It's easy to think words like these turn out true when we watch others suffer loss and hardship; it's much harder in the midst of many waters. (2 Samuel 22:17-20)
Tam, here's a June song for you.
How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word.
What more can He say than to you He has said--
To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
"Fear not, I am with you, oh, be not dismayed;
For I am your God, I will still give you aid.
I'll strengthen you, help you and cause you to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
"When through the deep waters I call you to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow
For I will be with you, your trials to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress."
"The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to her foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."
Click to listen to How Firm a Foundation.Labels: Music, Podcasts
