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“Sitting at the Feet of Jesus” by J. Lincoln Hall; Imagery of the fullness of God dwelling in Christ and our union with Him as the channel for every blessing
Hymnal Page Scan: Evening Light Songs 175. Sitting at the feet of Jesus | Hymnary.org
Audio Recording:
1 Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
Oh, what words I hear Him say!
Happy place! so near, so precious!
May it find me there each day;
Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
I would look upon the past;
For His love has been so gracious,
It has won my heart at last.2 Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
Where can mortal be more blest?
There I lay my sins and sorrows,
And, when weary, find sweet rest;
Sitting at the feet of Jesus,
There I love to weep and pray;
While I from His fullness gather
Grace and comfort every day.3 Bless me, O my Savior, bless me,
As I’m waiting at Thy feet;
Oh, look down in love upon me,
Let me see Thy face so sweet;
Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus,
Keep me holy as He is;
May I prove I’ve been with Jesus,
Who is all my righteousness.This is a hymn we can use when we are working on developing an awareness of Jesus’s presence with us. I have been working with grounding exercises and often struggle with orienting myself to the present moment. If you are familiar with them, they are exercises where you focus on several objects in your environment…or focus on the chair beneath you and feel it supporting you…or focus on the feeling of your feet touching the floor. When you do these exercises, they bring the present moment into your awareness. And if you are like me, and parts of your mind are frozen in the past…frozen in times before I got sick…still trying to freeze time and get a different outcome… then becoming aware of the present moment actually causes stress instead of relieving stress like it is supposed to do. But if I remember to scan the invisible spiritual realm with an eye of faith, I can see that Jesus is there with me. That awareness can make it feel safe enough to start updating to the present moment. And we can use the words of this hymn to keep our focus on Him.
The 1st verse begins by saying, “Sitting at the feet of Jesus, Oh, what words I hear Him say!” So we will start by becoming aware of our visible environment, and then we will scan the invisible spiritual realm. Visible realm: Take time to feel the chair or the floor you are sitting on underneath you. Notice several objects in your environment that help you connect to your present-moment environment. Notice several sights and sounds and feel the floor underneath your feet. Notice what information your five senses are picking up on. Invisible realm: Then, scan the room with an eye of faith. See yourself seated at the feet of Jesus. Take time to listen for His voice. What would He be saying to you? Feel how happy a place it is to be sitting so near to Him. Feel the joy of being in His presence. Then from that place of safety, you can look over the past with Jesus’s help and remember how gracious He has been to you.
The 2nd verse says, “Sitting at the feet of Jesus, Where can mortal (humans) be more blest?” Take time to think about that – How blessed you are to b in His presence…in His care. There is nowhere you could be more blessed…this is the most blessed place a human can be. You are being watched over by the Good Shepherd. See Him looking at you like He knows who you are…He calls you by name. He knows what you need before you ask. Now, as it says in the 2nd verse, lay your sins and sorrows before Him. He will provide sweet rest for the weary. You can weep before Him if you need to. Envision yourself gathering grace and comfort from His fullness.
Let’s take a minute to talk about what “His fullness” means. Colossians 1:19-20 (NIV) says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Christ), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” The Berean Study Bible says the term “fullness” means “the entirety of God’s nature and attributes are fully present in Christ…This affirms the full deity and humanity of Christ, essential for His role as mediator between God and humanity.” So, Christ is fully God and fully Man, which is essential to…or, uniquely qualifies Him for His role…as mediator between God and man – He has both natures. The Berean Study Bible says that, “Christ’s divine fullness makes Him supreme over all creation and sufficient for our salvation and spiritual needs.” The Amplified Bible (AMP) is a translation that gives meaning, definitions, and explanations of the text inside of brackets. If we read through the AMP for v.19, we will see an explanation of the term “fullness” in the brackets that goes along with what the Berean Study Bible’s notes were saying. The AMP says, “For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son).” Colossians 1:19 Commentaries Biblehub.com
So “fullness” means fullness of Deity. Jesus is fully God and fully man. He has both natures. And He is mediator between God and man. Remember, that even after we are regenerated (saved), our sin natures are not completely taken away. That will happen when we are made perfect after death. Until then, we are still sinful. So we still need a mediator between ourselves and God. Jesus is our mediator. And what we are learning about here is that all of our spiritual blessings are mediated through Him. It pleased God for all the fullness of God to dwell in Christ. We are blessed out of that fullness.
Let’s look at 2 more verses that will help us understand this:
1) John 1:16 (NIV) says, ““Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.”” The Berean Study Bible’s note on this verse says, “The term ‘fullness’ suggests the abundance and completeness of God’s attributes and blessings available through Christ.” Later in the notes it also says, “John 1:14 says, ‘The Word became flesh … full of grace and truth,’ so the fullness spoken of in verse 16 points to the limitless supply resident in Jesus Himself. The phrase ‘grace upon grace’ suggests a continuous and overflowing supply of grace. It emphasizes that God’s grace is not a one-time gift but an ongoing provision…… John 1:16 assures believers that the limitless fullness of Christ continually pours out into our lives, so that every one of us receives an unending cascade of grace. Saved by it, strengthened by it, and supplied forever by it, we stand secure in the boundless generosity of our Lord.” The Amplified Bible’s translation of this verse is very helpful. The way I study is that I look at the study notes and learn about the meaning of the phrases in the verse. Then I read back through the verse and think through the meanings while I’m reading it…or try to think through the verse in those words. So the AMP is helpful because it puts those meanings in brackets inside the verse while you are reading it. Let’s look at both translations for John 1:16 and you’ll see how it helps. The NIV reads, ““Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” The AMP reads, “For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” So you see how it helps by having the expanded meanings written out in the verse inside the brackets. It can also help to read through the AMP first, to get an idea of the expanded meanings before reading the study notes. John 1:16 Commentaries Biblehub.com
2) Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” The Berean Study Bible says that the use of the words “in Christ” is significant because it “reflects the New Testament teaching that Jesus is the source of all spiritual life and blessings… Union with Christ is the channel of every gift. Outside of Him, none of these blessings are available (John 15:5). In Him, we are “accepted in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) and share His status as sons and heirs (Romans 8:17).” It also points out that “We don’t strive for these blessings; we receive them.” And it references 2 Peter 1:3 which affirms, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” So as we are sitting at the feet of Jesus we are not striving for blessings, but waiting to receive them out of the fullness of Christ, through which He has “given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Ephesians 1:3 Commentaries Biblehub.com
Take time to envision that. Look to Jesus and see the fullness of God dwelling in Him. Then see that you are united to Christ…and as you sit at His feet, see that union as the channel for every blessing you receive from Him. Envision blessings flowing to you as you are patiently and expectantly waiting by faith to receive them.
I was reading through hymns today and saw that the hymn “The Just Shall Live by Faith” by William Gadsby talks about this in the 1st verse which says, “The just by faith shall live, Nor fear the powers of hell; All blessings that a God can give, In Christ most richly dwell.” I thought the way he said that is very helpful for getting the imagery in our minds. All the blessings God can give us are dwelling in Christ and will flow from Him to us. I don’t have a recording of it posted on here yet. Here is a link to it so you can read through all the words if you have a chance – they are very beautiful: The Just Shall Live by Faith Hymnary.org.
Now that you have the imagery in your mind of you sitting at the feet of Jesus and the fullness of God dwelling in Him, we will look at the words to the 3rd verse, which is a prayer to God asking for a blessing out of that fullness. It says, “Bless me, O my Savior, bless me, As I’m waiting at Thy feet; Oh, look down in love upon me, Let me see Thy face so sweet; Give me, Lord, the mind of Jesus, Keep me holy as He is; May I prove I’ve been with Jesus, Who is all my righteousness.” At the end, he is saying…after I have spent time with You and received a blessing from You, may I prove it…may it be clear that I have been changed by the time I spent in Your presence. May I be made more and more like You each day. As you finish your prayer and stand up to continue on with your day…remember to stay close to Jesus…and may others be able to see that you have spent time with Him by the changes they see in You. And may they long to join you at Jesus’s feet.
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“Bend Low” by Hattie H. Peterson; Imagery of walking on the pathway with Jesus through a fallen world filled with storms
Hymnal Page Scan: The Gospel Hymn Book: a collection of new and standard hymns for Sunday Schools, Young People’s Societies, Gospel and Social Meetings page 124 | Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
1 The tempests of life sweep o’er thy soul,
And thy strength is failing fast;
Bend low thy head while the thunders roll,
For the storm will soon be past.Chorus:
Bend low till the storm passes by,
And the darkness of night has fled;
Till the sun shines out in a cloudless sky,
And the Lord lifts up thy head.2 The lightnings obey our Lord’s command,
And the winds his word fulfill;
Oh, bow thee low ‘neath his chast’ning hand,
Nor resist his holy will. [Chorus]3 He watches above; the stars shine on,
And the spheres their courses keep;
He whispers, “Peace,” and the clouds are gone,
And the winds are lulled to sleep. [Chorus]4 Look upward, sad soul! The storm is past;
See the bow of promise shine!
The sky above thee is bright at last,
With a glory of love divine. [Chorus]This hymn gives us helpful instructions for what to do when the tempests of life sweep over our souls. I have been writing on here about the Polyvagal Theory and fight, flight, and freeze. If something registers with our nervous systems as a threat, we first try to fight…if that’s not going to work, we try to flee…and if we’re not going to be able to get away, we freeze. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to stay in a freeze. You are staying still, but you are not in a restful state. Think of the different energy that would be involved in just quietly resting beneath a tree in the woods and the energy involved in having to run from under those trees and having to hide in some large rocks from a tiger that was chasing you. You would be trying to stay quiet so the tiger wouldn’t find you and you would be waiting for an opportunity to flee to safety. But your heart would be distressed and your breathing would be restricted.
If you were frequently in a triggered state when you were little, you weren’t able to develop a baseline for being able to relax. Being still felt more like hiding in the rocks rather than resting under the trees. It felt more like a freeze than real rest and relaxation. So we are trying to develop some new options for our nervous system to use other than always just being triggered into fight, flight, or freeze. This hymn, “Bend Low,” was really helpful to me in starting to see what it means to remain calm and not be triggered when something stressful is happening. The new option we can learn is how to “bend low” until the storm passes over. Instead of going into freeze, and experiencing all the stress we would feel while hiding in the rocks from the tiger, we can bend low in prayer before God and let the storm pass over our heads. Our hearts can remain calm in His presence.
The 1st verse describes how the tempests of life sweep over your soul, causing your strength to quickly fade. Then it says, “Bend low thy head while the thunders roll, for the storm will soon be past.” Envision yourself doing that…the sky starts to get dark and you see that a storm is sweeping through. You bend low under the shelter of God’s wing. He shields you from the storm. Your heart remains calm. You cry out to Him in prayer and you feel His comforting presence with you.
The chorus says to “Bend low till the storm passes by.” Envision the darkness of night fleeing and beams of sunlight starting to shine in the cloudless sky. You see a rainbow. And God says to you that the storm has passed and He gently lifts up your head. You stand up and begin walking with Him again.
The 2nd and 3rd verses talk about how Jesus has sovereign control over the storm. It says, “The lightnings obey our Lord’s command, And the winds his word fulfill;” “He whispers, ‘Peace,’ and the clouds are gone, And the winds are lulled to sleep.” This is referencing the time that Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8:23-27. It reminds me of the 2nd verse of the hymn “Be Still My Soul” which says, “Be still my soul, the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.” Hattie Peterson is talking about the same thing here in this hymn. When a storm sweeps through, we can be comforted by the knowledge that Jesus has sovereign control over the winds and waves. See how they were immediately calm after Jesus rebuked them:Jesus Calms the Storm
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27 NIV)
The 2nd verse talks about how some of the storms of life are part of God’s discipline of His children. I wanted to write a little bit about that today. It’s something we can talk about more over time. The 2nd verse says to us when the disciplinary storm is passing through, “Oh, bow thee low ‘neath his chast’ning hand, Nor resist his holy will.” So, a disciplinary storm is one kind of storm. There are afflictions/storms that happen for different reasons, and God’s purpose in a storm is not always revealed to us now. Some storms are disciplinary. And some storms are a part of our cross we are carrying…part of the suffering and trials we will face in a fallen world. But God is sovereign over all of it.
When you are thinking about this concept that God allows the storms in our lives for righteous purposes, it is important to remember that God is not a human being. He is infinitely higher than us. He is God. God operates in higher ways that are beyond our understanding. So, when you are working with the imagery and envisioning the storms, be careful not to envision a human being sending storms at you because he is angry. It is revealed to us that God allows storms, but we do not understand how He operates because He works in ways that are beyond our comprehension. But we know that He is holy, righteous, and good, and, therefore, He cannot do anything that is mean or cruel to us. So as you are envisioning God on His throne, sovereignly controlling the storms, take time to contemplate with awe that there is a higher process going on in everything and remember that we must wait to learn more about it in heaven. Be in awe of how God is watching over us as our loving Father and is guiding us through this world below. There is a purpose in everything that happens.
Also remember that this world is not as it should be. God created it perfect…the Garden of Eden was a paradise. There were no storms. That is what God wanted for us…to live in paradise with Him. And everything that happens to us here in this fallen world is fitting us, or preparing us, for life in heaven – which will be paradise restored. So what I’m saying is that storms are part of life in a fallen world. Sin brought in suffering. Sin leads to imbalances in your body and in the energy of your environment. Sin creates disharmony…dissonance…it creates a negative energy…it creates a chaotic, stormy energy. Sometimes God allows us to experience these storms in order to bring us to repentance. One important thing to remember is that although God’s ways and processes are beyond our comprehension, He will explain what we need to know of them to us when we call out to Him in prayer. So when a storm of life sweeps over your soul, don’t go into freeze. Rather, bend low in prayer before God and ask for His wisdom and guidance and help to know what is going on. What kind of storm is it? Listen for the words of instruction and comfort that He speaks to you. There are many Bible verses about how the Lord will direct your path. He will be with you and guide you through the storms.
While I’ve been writing this devotional, I started seeing imagery in my mind to go along with this hymn. I started seeing the earth like a globe…an aerial view of the earth…and I started seeing the pathway that I am walking on with God through this world. I see that this fallen world is filled with disturbances and storms. And sometimes the pathway God is leading me on has a storm on it. Sometimes it’s a disciplinary storm intended to bring me to repentance about something…sometimes it’s a storm that is part of suffering in a fallen world. I see myself in the midst of a storm of chronic illness. If the storm you are encountering is a chronic illness like what I am experiencing, it might not completely clear until you reach heaven. Your pathway might stay cloudy in a certain sense. But I just recently found a hymn called “Jesus Is My Sunshine.” And we can rejoice in the knowledge that as Christians, Jesus will still be our sunshine on a cloudy, stormy pathway. We can still have happiness and joy. So I see Jesus walking we me as my light, guiding me through the storms each step of the way.
I wanted to share some study notes with you that will help explain the concept of God allowing storms in our lives for disciplinary reasons. It will help us see how God is disciplining us as a loving father disciplines his child. His purpose is correction, not destruction. He is calling out to us when we have wandered from His pathway with the intention of getting us to return to Him. And writing that made me think of more imagery…sometimes we encounter storms while we are walking on the pathway with Him, and sometimes we encounter storms because we have wandered away from His pathway. Maybe that is a way we can differentiate between disciplinary storms and storms that are part of suffering in a fallen world. Storms we encounter on the pathway are part of our cross we are carrying, and storms we encounter when we are wandering away from Him are disciplinary. You might even encounter a storm when you have only taken a slight step off the pathway…remember, God is trying to keep you close to Him.
Psalm 103:8-14 (ESV) says:
8The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.Matthew Poole’s commentary on verse 14 says, “So the sense is, He (God) considereth that if he should let loose his hand upon us, and pour forth all his wrath, we should be suddenly and irrecoverably destroyed, and therefore he spareth us.”
And one of Barnes’ Notes on this verse are: “He remembereth that we are dust – Made of the earth. Genesis 2:7; Genesis 3:19. In his dealings with us he does not forget of what frail materials he made us, and how little our frames can bear. He tempers his dealings to the weakness and frailty of our nature, and his compassion interposes when the weight of sorrows would crush us. Remembering, too, our weakness, he interposes by his power to sustain us, and to enable us to bear what our frame could not otherwise endure. Compare the notes at Isaiah 57:16.” Psalm 103:14 Commentaries Biblehub.com
So what they are saying is that when God is disciplining us, He does not let loose His full wrath on us. He is correcting us in love to us. He will show mercy to us. There will be limits to the storm.
Barnes’ Notes said to look at the note on Isaiah 57:16. In Isaiah 57:16 (NIV) God says, “I will not accuse them forever, nor will I always be angry, for then they would faint away because of me— the very people I have created.”
The Berean Study Bible’s notes on this verse say:
“For I will not accuse you forever – This phrase reflects God’s merciful nature and His willingness to forgive. In the context of Isaiah, God is addressing the Israelites, who have repeatedly turned away from Him. Despite their rebellion, God promises not to hold His accusations against them indefinitely. This aligns with His character as described in Exodus 34:6-7, where He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” The temporary nature of God’s accusation is a reminder of His covenantal faithfulness and His desire for restoration rather than perpetual judgment.
nor will I always be angry – God’s anger is a response to sin and rebellion, yet it is not His permanent disposition. This phrase reassures the faithful that His wrath is not eternal. In the broader biblical narrative, God’s anger is often depicted as a tool for correction rather than destruction, as seen in the story of Jonah and Nineveh (Jonah 3:10). The temporary nature of His anger underscores His ultimate goal of reconciliation and peace, as seen in the New Testament through the work of Jesus Christ, who embodies God’s love and forgiveness.
for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me – Here, the “spirit of man” refers to human frailty and the inability to withstand prolonged divine displeasure. This phrase acknowledges human limitations and the need for divine compassion. It echoes Psalm 103:14, which states that God knows our frame and remembers that we are dust. The recognition of human weakness is a call to humility and dependence on God’s grace, emphasizing that without His mercy, humanity would falter under the weight of divine judgment.
Isaiah 57:16 paints a portrait of a holy God who confronts sin yet refuses to prosecute endlessly. His anger is real but brief, calibrated to our frailty so that our spirits do not collapse. He acts this way because He is the Creator who treasures the breath He placed in us. His ultimate intention is restoration, leading us from accusation to forgiveness, from wrath to mercy, and from weakness to renewed life in Him.”
And Barnes’ Notes on this verse are:
“For the spirit should fail before me – Critics have taken a great deal of pains on this part of the verse, which they suppose to be very obscure. The simple meaning seems to be, that if God should continue in anger against people they would be consumed. The human soul could not endure a long-continued controversy with God. Its powers would fail; its strength decay; it must sink to destruction. As God did not intend this in regard to his own people; as he meant that his chastisements should not be for their destruction, but for their salvation; and as he knew how much they could bear, and how much they needed, he would lighten the burden, and restore them to his favor. And the truth taught here is, that if we are his children, we are safe. We may suffer much and long. We may suffer so much that it seems scarcely possible that we should endure more. But he knows how much we can bear; and he will remove the lead (or load), so that we shall not be utterly crushed. A similar sentiment is found in the two following elegant passages of the Psalms, which are evidently parallel to this, and express the same idea:
‘But he being full of compassion,
Forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not;
Yea many a time burned he his anger away,
And did not stir up all his wrath.
For he remembered that they were but flesh;
A wind that passeth away and returneth not again.’ (Psalm 78:38)” Isaiah 57:16 Commentaries Biblehub.com
These study notes can help us see that if we are experiencing a disciplinary storm, it is important not to be overwhelmed by it. God is not allowing the storm in order to destroy us. He wants us to call out to Him and let Him show us what needs to be changed…what we need to repent of. And once we have a humble and contrite heart and have repented and returned to Him, the storm will lift.
As you are listening to this hymn, take time to envision this fallen world that is filled with storms. See Jesus walking on the pathway with you and remember that He is lovingly guiding you on the pathway that is marked out for you all the way to heaven. God is our loving heavenly Father. His eye is always on you. He understands all of the reasons why things happen the way they do…He knows the purpose of every storm. And we trust in His goodness, wisdom, love, mercy, holiness, and righteousness, and we eagerly await the day when we get to heaven and Jesus sits down with us and looks back over the pathway we walked in this life and He explains to us why that was the pathway He designed for us through this world. Keep working on developing that closeness to Him…keep learning to trust Him…and you will be able to rest in His care more and more each day.
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“O Holy Savior, Friend Unseen” by Charlotte Elliott
Hymnal Page Scan: O Holy Savior, Friend Unseen Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
This is a hymn we can use when we are working on developing an awareness of Jesus’s presence with us and we can use it as a prayer to Jesus when we are asking for the healing of a broken spirit. In the 1st verse, Charlotte Elliot starts her prayer by calling Jesus, “O Holy Savior, Friend unseen.” I thought that was very interesting and helpful that she calls Him her unseen Friend. It helps us remember that Jesus really is here with us, we just can’t see Him. He is invisible to our physical eyes, but we can scan our environment with an eye of faith and get a sense of Him standing next to us. Before you start singing through this hymn, take time to do this…take time to meditate on how Jesus is there with you until you get a sense of His presence.
This hymn is a prayer to Jesus. It’s written in older English. In order order get an idea of what she is talking about, we can think of it in the following words and add a prayer for the healing of a broken spirit: Holy Savior, Friend unseen, since You have told me to lean on Your arm, help me by faith to cling to You through all the changes of life. Help me remember You are with me, watching over me. We are far from our heavenly home, traveling through this world as strangers- tired, weary, and oppressed. You are our place of rest…we can cling to You. Without murmuring, we dismiss our former dreams of earthly bliss and find our joy in each hour spent with You on our journey home. We rejoice knowing You are taking us to heaven to live with You forever. Although our faith and hope are often tried, we don’t ask for anything or need anything besides because our souls are so safe, so calm, so satisfied in You. Help us rememebr to lean on You and we thank You that we can know You will always be there with us.”
Again, take time to envision Jesus standing next to you. Remember that He really is there…so you are not trying to use your imagination…instead, when you are meditating it’s like your using a scanner to get a sense of where He is actually standing. Feel Him standing next to you, and envision yourself leaning on His arm for strength and comfort. Then sing through the hymn and pray that He will help you always cling to Him like this by faith.
In the hymnals on hymnary.org, there are different verses in different hymnals if you have a chance to look through them. Sometimes, an original version of hymn has 8 or 10 verses to it and different hymnals will include 4 or 5 different verses of the hymn. I will post 2 versions here. The 1st version has the verses we’ve already talked about. The 2nd version has the same 1st verse. Then the 2nd verse talks about how if earthly comforts are removed, we will still cling to Jesus. The 3rd verse is very beautiful. It talks about how although we often seem to walk alone through dreary, thorny places, we still hear Jesus’s gentle voice saying, “Cling to me!” letting us know He is there with us. The 4th verse is the same. When you are singing through this version, you can envision those sad and dreary times on the pathway where it seems like you are walking alone, and then take time to scan your environment with an eye of faith and see that Jesus is still there with you and you can still lean on Him for comfort and strength. Here are the words to 2 versions of the hymn:
1st version:
1 O Holy Saviour! Friend unseen!
Since on Thine arm Thou bidst us lean,
Help us throughout life’s changing scene
By faith to cling to Thee.2 Far from our home, fatigued, opprest,
In Thee we’ve found our place of rest;
As strangers still, yet not unblest,
While we can cling to Thee.3 Without a murmur we dismiss
Our former dreams of earthly bliss,
Our joy, our consolation this,
Each hour to cling to Thee.4 Though faith and hope may oft be tried,
We ask not, need not aught beside;
So safe, so calm, so satisfied,
The souls that cling to Thee.O Holy Savior, Friend Unseen sermonindex.net
2nd version:
1 O Holy Savior! Friend unseen,
Since on thine arm thou bid’st me lean,
Help me, throughout life’s changing scene,
By faith to cling to thee!2 What though the world deceitful prove,
And earthly friends and joys remove?
With patient, uncomplaining love
Still I would cling to thee.3 Tho’ oft I seem to tread alone life’s dreary waste, with thorns overgrown, Thy voice of love, in gentlest tone, still whispers “Cling to me!”
4 Though faith and hope awhile be tried,
I ask not, need not aught beside:
How safe, how calm, how satisfied,
The souls that cling to thee. -
Children’s Hymn: “The Kind Shepherd” by Giardini
Hymnal Page Scan: The Kind Shepherd Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
This is a children’s hymn we can use to meditate on how Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Remember, we are learning to listen to His voice and follow His guidance. The 1st verse tells us to look and see Jesus standing there looking at the lambs with all-engaging charms. Jesus is “altogether lovely” (Song of Solomon 5:16). The Berean Study Bible’s note on this verse says, “The term ‘altogether lovely’ suggests that every aspect of his being is admirable and desirable.” These words of the Bride represent the believer’s admiration of Christ, “who is seen as the ultimate expression of love and beauty.” In the hymn “The Lily of the Valley” it says Jesus is “the fairest of 10,000 to my soul.”
So, take time to envision Jesus standing there with His all-engaging charms, looking at the lambs. Contemplate how wonderful He is and rejoice that we have a gentle, kind shepherd who is altogether lovely. He calls the lambs to Him tenderly. And when they run to Him, He picks them up in His arms. He leads them to the heavenly streams where living waters flow and to the fruitful fields where trees of knowledge grow. While He carries His lambs in His arms, they are safe from every snare. As you are going through your day, envision yourself as one of Jesus’s lambs. Feel Him carrying you and guiding you through your day. Practice listening for His voice and wait for Him to speak tenderly to you. Here are the words to the hymn:
1 See the kind Shepherd, Jesus, stands,
With all-engaging charms;
Hark, how he calls his tender lambs,
And folds them in his arms.Permit them to approach, he cried,
Nor scorn their humble name;
For ’twas to bless such souls as these,
The Lord of angels came.2 He’ll lead us to the heavenly streams
Where living waters flow.
And guide us to the fruitful fields
Where trees of knowledge grow.The feeblest lamb amid the flock
Shall be its Shepherd’s care;
While folded in the Saviour’s arms,
We’re safe from every snare. -
Prayer Request
I wanted to let you know that my Uncle Harold passed away on July 8th. He had been having health problems in recent years and then he fell earlier this year. He was not doing well, so we were preparing ourselves for him to pass away but we were hoping he was going to have more time. Then last Sunday night, he had a stroke. He passed away Wednesday morning. Please keep all of his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Here is a link to his obituary: https://www.watsonmathewsfuneralhome.com/obituaries/harold-ham
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Children’s Hymn: “Silver Bells” by Ettie A. Revere
Keyboard Recording:
I have been listening to children’s hymns recently and it’s been really helpful. We can use these hymns to re-parent our inner child and establish a new baseline for being calm. I had colic as a baby and had trouble resting and sleeping. So it’s helping my mind learn how to gently unwind and relax.
The words to this hymn uses the sound of silver bells to represent Jesus’ words. I thought that was really interesting. We have been working on developing an awareness of Jesus’ presence with us as we are going through our day. We are trying to get a sense of Him walking beside us. Jesus’ words to us are sweet, gentle, and loving…so sweet that it’s like hearing silver bells when He talks to us. As you are working with the imagery of meeting Jesus in the valley of prayer…or with the imagery of walking along a pathway with Jesus…take time to listen for the sound of silver bells ringing gently…and let that remind you that Jesus is there with you.
In this hymn, one chime of the bell represents Jesus saying, “Little children, love each other” and then it is followed by a longer chime of the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as ye would that they would do unto you.” See what other words of Jesus you can hear in the silver bells. Maybe you will hear, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11 NIV) Or, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Those are some of the wondrous tidings that are there in the music of the silver bells.
In the 1st verse, take time to envision how the ringing of those silver bells causes the world to blossom as the rose…to be filled with life energy…to bloom and grow. And then envision how taking the words of Jesus with you is like carrying sunshine with you wherever you go. And in the 3rd verse, envision the sweet bells soothing your every trouble and calming your every strife. Here are the words to the hymn:
1 Oh, the sweet, sweet words of Jesus,
Silver, silver bells!
Listen, children, for their music wondrous tidings tells;
How to make this world of ours blossom as the rose;
How a child may carry sunshine wheresoe’er it goes.2 “Little children, love each other,”
This is one sweet chime;
Then a little longer message comes another time.
Do you know it? “Do to others as ye would that they
Should do unto you,” comes sounding through your work and play.3 Let the sweet, sweet bells of Jesus ring through all your life;
They shall soothe its ev’ry trouble, calm its ev’ry strife.
Oh, the sweet, sweet words of Jesus, silver, silver bells!
Listen, children, for their music wondrous tidings tells. -
New Song: “Calmly, Quietly Sleeping” A Children’s Sleep Meditation
PDF: Words to Calmly Quietly Sleeping
Audio:
This song is a children’s sleep meditation that I wrote that I want to share with you. In the first verse, the child asks God to calm her mind and heart as she is laying down to sleep. She starts to meditate. She feels the angels are there with her and that God is watching over her. Then she envisions a healing stream flowing throughout her body…releasing tension…soothing fiery pains away…renewing her strength. She sorts through the day – keeping what she needs to keep and releasing the stress. She is processing the day. She asks God to stay with her through the night…to never let her go…then she can drift off peacefully into sleep, knowing that God will be there with her when she wakes up to guide her through each new day. Then she starts to fall asleep…and then she’s calmly, quietly sleeping.
I hope you find this song helpful. Adults can use it as a meditation, also. It’s helpful in trying to establish a new baseline for resting and sleeping. There is a link at the top of this post to a PDF with the words and vocal melody. And I’ll post the words here, too:
1 Calm my mind, calm my heart,
As I lay down to sleep;
As I rest underneath the shelter of Your wings.Chorus:
Angels guard me while I sleep,
My soul is in Your care.
All my fears melt away
For I know You are near.2 A healing stream starts to flow,
It fills my soul with peace.
It travels through each part of me
And helps tension release.Chorus:
Gently sorting through the day while my mind’s at rest.
Keeping what I need to keep,
Releasing all the stress.The waters freely flow within,
Healing any wounds.
It soothes fiery pain away
And my strength renews.3 Stay with me while I sleep,
Never let me go.
Then when I begin to wake
My heart will surely know:Chorus:
You’ll walk with me through each new day,
Guiding ev’ry step.
Pointing out the way to me,
For You know what is best.Thank You, Lord, for loving me
And helping me tonight.
I gently start to fall asleep,
Resting by Your side.Calmly, quietly sleeping.
Calmly, quietly sleeping.©2026 Lisa A. Weidley
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“Search Me, O God” by J. Edwin Orr; Imagery from Jeremiah 17:9 of the heart as a great, turbid deep
Hymnal Page Scan: Our Great Redeemer’s Praise page 343 | Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
I have been writing about heart energy on here. In my last post, I wrote about how we do not know what is in other people’s hearts or our own heart. God alone can truly search the human heart and know it. I was reading through the Biblical Illustrator Commentary of Jeremiah 17:9 and found some imagery that we can use.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV) says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Here are 2 quotes from the Biblical Illustrator Commentary:
1) Albert Barnes says, “The human heart is a great deep: a deep so turbid (cloudy; thick or opaque with or as if with roiled sediment) by sin and agitated by passion (strong and barely controllable emotion) that we cannot look into it far; a deep which no line yet has been long enough to fathom.” The Deceitfulness of the Heart
Take time to envision that. The heart is so stirred up by sin…so agitated by uncontrolled and dysregulated emotions…that you cannot see into it. This made me think of the hymn “Jesus, I Come to Thee Longing for Rest” by Fanny Crosby – Learning to Live by Faith in which Fanny Crosby compares the heart to a raging sea. She says, “Now let the rolling waves, bend to Thy will, Say to the troubled deep, ‘Peace, Peace, be still.’” That’s what we are praying for God to do…to calm our troubled hearts…and to search them and cleanse them.
2) J. Griffin says, “Nature seems to have some self-rectifying provision within her, so as to subdue some partial disorders of our constitution; but this is not the case in radical defects and fatal diseases. So it is here. There may be some propensities even in human character which may go to counteract the operation of certain others, yet these do not reach the innate character of the heart, and never will they tend to purify it.” He goes on to say that the grace of God alone can do the work of purifying the heart. Deceitfulness of the Human Heart
I thought it was really interesting that he pointed that out. As we think about and envision the corruption that is within our hearts…and the dysregulation that goes throughout our bodies…we must remember that our body cannot heal itself from this disorder caused by our sin nature. We must call on God for help. So, take time to envision that. Think of how the body can heal from a cold or other ailments…envision those natural healing processes taking place. Then envision the sin nature within us…and think about how the body does not have natural healing mechanisms for it. We must call on God for help to subdue it. Then envision the light of God going throughout your heart and purifying it…and feel the peace that brings.
These are 2 AI images that were generated based on the words in this post. Sometimes it’s interesting and helpful to see what’s automatically generated based on the post so I thought I would share these with you. This one I think was focusing on the words about the darkness that is in the heart…and having our hearts cleansed…and then your heart has a better energy:
This one focuses on the words about cleansing the heart:
We can sing the words to the hymn “Search Me, O God” by J. Edwin Orr as our prayer today to God asking Him to cleanse our hearts. Here are the words:
1 Search me, O God, and know my heart today;
try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me;
cleanse me from ev’ry sin and set me free.2 I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within.
Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame;
grant my desire to magnify Thy name.3 Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self, and pride;
I now surrender, Lord— in me abide.4 O Holy Spirit, revival comes from Thee;
send a revival– start the work in me.
Thy Word declares Thou will supply our need;
for blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead. -
“Thou Thinkest, Lord, of Me” by Edmund S. Lorenz
Hymnal Page Scan: Hymns for Worship 419. Amid the trials which I meet | Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
This is a hymn we can sing to God when we are walking with Him in the quiet valley of prayer. The message of this hymn is that there is something that can lift our spirits when we are tired and weary, and that is the knowledge that God thinks about us. He knows our names and He knows what we need before we ask. He has watched over us our entire lives. Take time to develop this imagery in your mind…envision God seated on His throne in heaven…see Him watching you with a loving eye. Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV) says, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Try to envision that…when you look up to heaven, you see God rejoicing over you with loud singing…as a loving father over his child. Feel the comfort that brings. As you are going through your day, remember to look up to heaven…as you are walking, try singing with each step the chorus of this hymn…”Thou thinkest, Lord, of me!” and try to feel His presence there with you. Here are the words to the hymn:
1 Amid the trials which I meet,
Amid the thorns that pierce my feet,
One thought remains supremely sweet:
Thou thinkest, Lord, of me!Refrain:
Thou thinkest, Lord, of me,
Thou thinkest, Lord, of me!
What need I fear when Thou art near,
And thinkest, Lord, of me?2 The cares of life come thronging fast,
Upon my soul their shadow cast;
Their gloom reminds my heart at last:
Thou thinkest, Lord, of me! [Refrain]3 Let shadows come, let shadows go;
Let life be bright or dark with woe;
I am content, for this I know:
Thou thinkest, Lord, of me! [Refrain] -
“Cleanse Thou My Heart” by Edith Tillotson; Notes on Chapter 14 of The Expositor’s Bible: The Book of Proverbs by Robert F. Horton; Imagery of God cleansing the heart in order to heal a broken spirit
Hymnal Page Scan: His Worthy Praise page 77 | Hymnary.org
Keyboard Recording:
Todays’ post begins after the words to the hymn, so please keep scrolling.
1 Cleanse Thou my heart from secret sin,
From any hidden wrong,
That to a loyal child of thine,
O Lord, must not belong.Refrain:
Oh, make me white and pure within,
A temple bright and fair;
Cleanse thou my heart from secret sin,
And dwell forever there.2 Cleanse Thou my heart from secret sin,
From thoughts that lead to ill;
For such, unchecked, unbridled bring
Defiance to thy will. [Refrain]3 Cleanse Thou my heart from secret sin,
Thus only can I be
Secure from great and open wrong,
And true, O Lord, to thee. [Refrain]Today’s post:
In my last post about what a broken spirit is, I included a quote from Robert Horton (1855-1934) that said, “the spirit which so long bore a man’s infirmity, and then at last broke because it could bear no more, and became itself intolerable.” I looked up the chapter that the quote was from and read it. It was very interesting. Here is the link to the full chapter if you have a chance to read it: Robert Horton: Expositor’s Bible: The Book of Proverbs – Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The title of Chapter 14 is “The Inward Unapproachable Life.” And the verses Horton is writing about are:
“The heart knoweth its own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with its joy.” Prov. 14:10.
and
“Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of mirth is heaviness.”—Prov. 14:13.
I thought the title sounded interesting – the inward unapproachable life. Horton writes about how no one can really know what is in another person’s heart…and we can’t even know everything that is in our own hearts. But God searches the heart and knows our hearts. And we can go to Him for help…for cleansing and renewal of our hearts.
Horton begins by saying, “We know each other’s appearance, it is true, but there for the most part our mutual knowledge ceases. Some of us unveil nothing of ourselves to anyone; some of us unveil a little to all; some a good deal to a few; but none of us can unveil all even to the most intimate friend……We are quite startled to discover how absolutely alone we live, how impossible it is for a stranger, or even for an intimate friend, to meddle with more than a fragment of our inner life. This is not because we have any wish to conceal, but rather because we are not able to reveal, our silent unseen selves; it is not because others would not like to know, but because they have not the instruments to investigate, that within us which we on our part are quite helpless to express.”
I thought it was interesting that he pointed out that there are things within our hearts that we are not able to express because we are not able to reveal our silent, unseen selves. This means that we need help knowing and expressing what is in our own hearts. There are a lot of hymns that are prayers for God to search our hearts. The imagery in “Cleanse Thou My Heart” will be really helpful for our meditation time. It is a prayer to God. We need to remember that we need help with this. And we need to remember to spend much time with God…asking Him to search our hearts.
I wanted to share with you the paragraphs around the quote from yesterday’s post so you can see what he was talking about. Horton writes about how it is difficult for us to know what another person is feeling because only the person who had the direct experience knows what he feels like. He first talks about this in terms of feeling another person’s joy. Next, he will talk about it in terms of feeling someone’s bitterness. The examples of joy he gave were of a man who had labored for many years trying to provide for his family and then was finally able to get to easier circumstances, an artist who was finally able to paint the painting he had been envisioning after many years of toil, a mother’s joy in her newborn child, a poet, and several other examples. He is saying that only the person who felt that joy really knows what it feels like. He paints a picture of a person who is feeling great joy within his heart looking around him and wondering why other people do not feel it, too. Next, he talks about how someone can be feeling great bitterness and heaviness of heart, but the people around him do not feel it and are unaware that he is feeling it. This next paragraph has the quote in it from yesterday. I want to share the full paragraphs with you because there is some imagery we can work with and I think it is important for you to hear it the way he wrote it. Horton says,
“But this thought (of realizing other people do not feel what we feel) becomes very pathetic (in the sense of “pathos”…meaning becomes deeply moving or deeply affects the heart) when we think of the heart’s bitterness, which the heart alone can know,—the hope deferred which makes it sick, the broken spirit which dries up the bones, the spirit which for so long bore a man’s infirmity, and then at last broke because it could bear no more, and became itself intolerable. The circumstances of a man’s life do not give us any clue to his sorrows; the rich have troubles which to the poor would seem incredible, and the poor have troubles which their poverty does not explain. There are little constitutional ailments, defects in the blood, slight deformities, unobserved disabilities, which fill the heart with a bitterness untold and unimaginable. There are crosses of the affections, disappointments of the ambitions; there are frets of the family, worries of business; there are the haunting Furies of past indiscretions, the pitiless reminders of half-forgotten pledges. There are weary doubts and misgivings, suspicions and fears, which poison all inward peace, and take light out of the eye and elasticity out of the step. These things the heart knows, but no one else knows.
What adds to the pathos is that these sorrows are often covered with laughter as with a veil, and no one suspects that the end of all this apparently spontaneous mirth is to be heaviness. The bright talker, the merry jester, the singer of the gay song, goes home when the party separates, and on his threshold he meets the veiled sorrow of his life, and plunges into the chilly shadow in which his days are spent.”
So, there is a lot of imagery we can work with from those paragraphs. First, we can work with imagery for bitterness. Horton says that there are things that happen in life that fill a person’s heart with bitterness…so take time to envision that happening. A person has a healthy heart…and then something happens…and his heart becomes filled with bitterness. I see something like a toxic energy filling the heart…it burns…and makes the person feel tired. You can envision the energy/vitality in the person’s bones drying up. His spirit is heavy…and it sends a dysregulated energy throughout his body. When someone’s spirit breaks…his spirit itself becomes a torment to him if I am understanding it correctly. So that dysregulated energy is going throughout his body.
Look again at the part where Horton says, “There are weary doubts and misgivings, suspicions and fears, which poison all inward peace, and take light out of the eye and elasticity out of the step. These things the heart knows, but no one else knows.” And then take time to envision that. The person might have had inward peace to begin with. See what color and image comes to mind to represent peace. Then see doubts and misgivings poisoning that peace. The color that represented peace becomes murky and bitter. The light in the person’s eye becomes dim and cloudy. The elasticity is taken out of his step and he now walks with a heavy, painful step. So again…start the imagery with the person feeling relatively ok…and then doubts and fears poison his peace…bitterness fills his heart. Once the bitterness fills his heart, that toxic energy goes throughout his body…drying up his bones, dimming the light in his eyes, and giving him a heavy, painful walking step.
This is how that person feels in his heart. Then take time to work with what Horton was talking about in the next paragraph. Oftentimes people have to hide what they are feeling. So envision the person putting a veil over his heart…covering over his broken spirit…and then he starts smiling and laughing. But that dysregulated energy is still flowing throughout his system…he’s just acting like he doesn’t feel it. When he gets home, the veil is taken off…his begins to feel that veiled sorrow more profoundly now…all the stress of the day starts to hit him…and he feels all of the pain that his wounded spirit is not really able to bear. He plunges into that chilly shadow.
I think it will help to work with the imagery like this…alternating between how we feel when we are veiling our emotions…and then how we feel when things get quiet and all of our emotions bubble up. Sometimes it feels good…or like some kind of relief…to stuff everything down and walk around smiling. But we know that later, we are going to feel everything we are suppressing. So we are trying to develop another setting…a new pathway for our emotions. We will still need to be able to contain our emotions…at times we will still need to set them aside to process them later. But that will be the new setting…learning how to actually process them rather than just suppressing them and then later feeling them in an overwhelming way and then refreezing them. And for that new setting, we will go into the quiet valley of prayer and ask God to cleanse our hearts. I want to share a few more things from Horton’s Exposition of the Book of Proverbs before looking at the words to “Cleanse Thou My Heart.”
One thing that Horton said that I thought was really interesting was this… “Here is a cheerful heart which enjoys a continual feast, and finds in its own merriment a medicine for its troubles…” So as we are wondering what can help our hearts, he gives us this picture of the merriment within a cheerful heart being a medicine itself. Take time to envision that…the cheerful energy has a radiant glow…the energy is joyful in a way that the joy flows throughout the heart and throughout the entire body like a healing medicine…regulating any stressful energy…flowing easily, gently, and pleasantly…restoring that poisoned peace…bringing calmness to the body.
Horton has been talking about how we cannot know what is in someone else’s heart and we cannot even know all that is in our own hearts. Next, he talks about the pain of not feeling understood. He says, “Our sorrow yearns for comprehension, and is constantly doubled in quantity and intensity by finding that it cannot explain itself or become intelligible to others. This rigid and necessary isolation of the human heart, along with such a deep-rooted desire for sympathy, is one of the most perplexing paradoxes of our nature; and though we know well that it is a fact, we are constantly re-discovering it with a fresh surprise.”
Although there are limits to the human understanding of the heart, we can always turn to God – the One who searches and knows everyone’s hearts. Horton says, “‘The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.’ (Proverbs 20:12) How obvious is the inference that the Maker of the ear and the eye hears those silent things which escape the ear itself, and sees those recesses of the human heart which the human eye is never able to search!……He sees in the heart what the heart itself does not see.”
Horton points out that this means that God will see our sins when He searches our hearts. But we can rejoice in knowing that the One who searches our hearts is our loving Father, who longs to purify us and make us more and more like Him. We can trust Him with our hearts. Horton says, “He delights to turn His knowledge of our nature to the purpose of cleansing and transforming the sinful heart: ‘By His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many,’ He says. He is ready, too, to shed abroad His own rich love in our hearts, leaving no room for the hankering desire, and creating the peace of a complete fulfilment.”
In an earlier paragraph, Horton talks about how turning to God is the answer. He says, “Have we not found a solution of the paradox? The human heart is isolated; it longs for sympathy, but cannot obtain it; it seems to depend for its happiness on being comprehended, but no fellow-creature can comprehend it; it knows its own bitterness, which no one else can know; it broods over its own joys, but no one can share them. Then it makes discovery of the truth that God can give it what it requires, that He fully understands, that He can enter into all these silent thoughts and unobserved emotions, that He can offer an unfailing sympathy and a faultless comprehension. In its need the lonely heart takes refuge in Him, and makes no murmur that His coming requires the searching, the chastisement, and the purging of sin. No human being needs to be misunderstood or to suffer under the sense of misunderstanding. Let him turn at once to God.”
Horton concludes by talking about how we can not only share our sorrow with God, but our joys also. He says, “Finally, no human being need be without a sharer of his joy: and that is a great consideration, for joy unshared quickly dies, and is from the beginning haunted by a vague sense of a shadow that is falling upon it. In the heart of the Eternal dwells eternal joy. All loveliness, all sweetness, all goodness, all truth, are the objects of His happy contemplation; therefore every really joyful heart has an immediate sympathiser in God; and prayer is quite as much the means by which we share our gladness as the vehicle by which we convey our sorrows to the Divine heart.”
Now lets look at the words to “Cleanse Thou My Heart” by Edith Tillotson and work with the imagery we will use in our meditation time. In my last post, we used the imagery of the quiet valley of prayer. So take time to bring that imagery to mind. Envision heavenly sunlight shining in the valley and feeling the presence of God’s peace there. Then remember the imagery of the person with a broken spirit…how they have that toxic energy pulsating through them. I will think about my own heart energy and you can think about yours if you would like to. Envision yourself getting ready to walk into the valley of prayer. See Jesus looking at you tenderly…waiting with open arms…eager to hear from you…longing to help you. We will sing the words of this hymn as our prayer. The words in the verses ask God to cleanse our hearts from secret sin…to search the recesses of our hearts…and show us the things we might not be able to see ourselves. The chorus is really interesting. Tillotson uses the imagery of our hearts being a temple for the Holy Spirit. She prays for God to make her “white a pure within, a temple bright and fair.” So try to work with that imagery when you are singing it…envision your heart as a temple…and see God working within it to cleanse it and make it shine before Him with radiant light. And remember, as you are walking into the quiet valley of prayer…that you are going to see your loving heavenly Father. His purpose in searching your heart is not to hurt you, but to cleanse you of things that are blocking you off from Him and to draw you closer to Him. Step out of that chilly shadow that Horton was talking about and step into the warmth of God’s loving presence.
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