My God Is Near

Jeremy and I have the privilege of singing the special this Sunday morning at our church. We get to sing quite often though, since our church is so small. Anyway, a lot has been happening all around us. Struggles with our Nation, in our jobs, in our church, with our friends, with our families outside of the home, within our homes, and, sometimes (okay--MOST of the time), even spiritually. I'm not just speaking of me and Jeremy. I am sure that there are many of you out there who are struggling in many of these areas as well.

The song that we will be singing on Sunday is titled: My God Is Near (written by a friend of ours, Mac Lynch). I won't go into detail about why this is so special to me now. I am sure you might understand when you read the words. Below the words to the song, I will add a verse passage that I recommend you all to read in which this song was based.

My God Is Near

Make me know Your presence, Lord, the King of glory here.

You know each thought and action, hope, anxiety and fear.

How can I hide from Thee? Can darkness hide iniquity?

Oh, how can I unfaithful be, when You are very near to me?

When God is near, all the world seems far away.

When God is near, every fear is set aside.

When God is near, how can I stray, how can I falter?

I'll stay upon the altar. I know my God is near!

Make me know Your presence, Lord, when I feel so alone.

You know each trial and testing, pain, the hurt that is "unknown."

Oh, why can I not see Your hand so firmly guiding me?

Oh, how can I untrusting be, when You are very near to me?

When God is near, all the world seems far away.

When God is near, every fear is set aside.

When God is near, how can I stray, how can I falter?

I'll stay upon the altar. I know my God is near!

Based on Psalm 139:1-12

Bow the Knee

This past Sunday evening our church had a singspiration and a time of testimonies. One of my friends sang a solo. I wasn't able to be in there during it because I had to go to the fellowship hall to get the food ready for afterwards. Our church just recently starting recording the services digitally so Jeremy let me listen to the part of the service that I missed. When I heard the second verse of this song, it fit perfectly into my life the last few months. The words are below and you can listen to the song here.

There are moments on our journey following the Lord

Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;

We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King,

Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King,

Bow the knee, bow the knee, bow the knee.

Bow the knee . . . . .

Our life prayer

Lately we have been thinking about how long we are going to be here on the earth. We thought it might be a good opportunity to explain why we have chosen Our Vapor as the title for this blog. Don't ask us why we never took the time to explain it before, I guess maybe we just thought everyone would search every inch of our blog to find out why we do what we do. Then I started asking myself, Do I do that on every blog that I read? Sadly, the answer is no.

We chose Our Vapor because that is exactly what life is . . . a vapor. If you read James 4:14 (at the top of our page), you will understand why we say that. We are only here on this earth for a short time and we don't know what tomorrow holds for us. (Coincidentally, our pastor spoke on this very thing Wednesday evening.) We don't want to be downers, but we realize that one of us, or both, might not wake up tomorrow. If that should happen, we want to be prepared to meet our Savior.

So, with that being said, here is our prayer for our lives:

O Lord, Thou art my King, and who am I to question Thy way? Whatever the loss, whatever the cost, draw me closer to Thee everyday.

O Lord, Thou art my life, and who am I to understand why you died on a tree for a sinner like me? Lord, to self make me willing to die.

O Lord, Thou art my all, and who am I to walk without Thee? My sin I forsake, Thy cross I will take. Now Thy servant, dear Lord, make of me.

He knoweth the way that I take. A knew heart within He'll create. That I may walk worthy and come forth as gold. He giveth and taketh away. -- Mac Lynch

Don't Be Afraid

Mac Lynch

When deep water curls around you and fear replaces faith,

When the floods would seem to overwhelm God's promises of grace,

When the fires seem overtaking and all seems torn and tossed,

Trust His Word, O truly listen, here Him say, "All is not lost."

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.

I have redeemed you; you are mine; don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.

You are a precious child to me; don't be afraid."

I am with you thru the water, I'm with you thru the flood.

They will never overwhelm you: I have bought you with My blood.

Even though you walk thru fire, I'll go with you all the way.

I'm your Savior, truly listen, here Me say, these words I say:

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid.

I have redeemed you; you are mine; don't be afraid.

Don't be afraid, don't afraid.

You are a precious child to me; don't be afraid."

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I feel that songs or books must never be a replacement for scripture. However, sometimes God uses a them to encourage us, remind us, or bring us back to Him. The song above is a song that God used to encourage me in the last few weeks. No matter how overwhelming life can be, all I need to do is trust His Word because He has promised to go with me through every trial and test.

The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

by S. Trevor Francis

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!

Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!

Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love

Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!

How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!

How He watches o'er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;

How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o'er them from the throne!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!

'Tis an ocean full of blessing, 'tis a haven giving rest!

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'tis a heaven of heavens to me;

And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!

I Shall Know Him!

One of my all time favorite hymn writers is Fanny Crosby. She is the blind American poetess of more than 8,000 sacred hymns. Fanny Crosby wrote on a great variety of many subjects but the themes of heaven and the return of Christ seem to have been her favorites. At the age of eight, she wrote these words:

Oh, what a happy soul am I!

Although I cannot see,

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't.

Once she was talking with a Scottish minister and he remarked to her, "I think it is a great pity that the Master, when He showered so many gifts upon you, did not give you sight." Without hesitation, she rebuked, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition to my Creator, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because, when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior." Later, Crosby penned the words to one of my favorite hymns:

My Savior First of All

When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,

When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;

I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,

And His smile will be the first to welcome me.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,

And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;

How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,

That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I Shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,

And our parting at the river I recall;

To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home;

But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

Through the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,

He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;

In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight;

But I long to meet my Savior first of all.

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

And redeemed by His side I shall stand,

I shall know Him, I shall know Him,

By the print of the nails in His hand.

His Way is Perfect

I know! I already wrote for today but I HAVE to share this story: Jeremy and I just got a new piano keyboard for really cheap on Sunday. It is a HUGE blessing. Just a few minutes ago, I went out to the living room to play it. (Keep in mind, Jeremy is the pianist...I just play.) Anyway, our Wilds songbook was open to this song. It fits in perfectly with a Christian's life...especially today. I hope that these words can be a comfort to every Christian out there.

His Way is Perfect by Betsy Kistler

When my way seems dark and drear and the future I don't know,

My heart feels so empty as the tears unending flow.

When my heart breaks with sorrow and a tempest fills my soul,

This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

His way is perfect, His way is perfect.

Though I don't understand His wise and loving plan,

His way is perfect. His way is perfect.

Take my life and make a vessel purified.

God makes no mistakes; His way is best.

When the toils of life are come and my heart is worn with care,

I faint 'neath the burden of a cross I cannot bear.

When the joy has departed from my sorrow stricken soul,

This one thing I know for sure: my God is in control.

His way is perfect, His way is perfect.

Though I don't understand His wise and loving plan,

His way is perfect. His way is perfect.

Take my life and make a vessel purified.

God makes no mistakes; His way is best.

In my weakness...

In My Weakness by: Cary Schmidt

When living life for Jesus Christ becomes too hard a task,

When obedience means sacrifice that seems to much to ask;

That's when I learn that my own strength isn't really strength at all,

And I find rest in humbleness when I surrender all.

In my weakness He is strong;

In my need He leads me on.

When I come to the end of all I am,

And I place my trust in Him;

That's when His strength begins-

In my weakness.

When failures in my human strength have weakened all my pride,

Andy ruined hopes in fallen dreams have crumbled me inside;

It's then by grace I fin'lly see the strength of Jesus Christ,

His victory is real in me when weakness fills my life.

In my weakness He is strong;

In my need He leads me on.

When I come to the end of all I am,

And I place my trust in Him;

That's when His strength begins-

In my weakness.

II Corinthians 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.