"The doctrines of grace humble a man without degrading him and exalt a man without inflating him." ~ Charles Hodge

I tend to be someone who doesn’t dodge their emotions, but deals with them head on--if I am sad, I sit down and cry it out until the tears are dry; if I am angry, I process what has made me this way to seek the root and remove it, etc.--and then I move on.

But I do not wallow in these emotions alone. I always bring the Word.

I tend to really resonate with Psalms. One of the things I love about them is that they capture the real emotions of a human and show what happens when in those painful places you speak Truth to yourself. In a single Psalm, you find psalmists who, pushed to the point of despair because of their circumstances, after their encounter with the Lord (pouring themselves out before Him and glorying in the Truth of Him) find themselves lifted to their feet with hands upraised in joyful praise. Their circumstances didn’t change, but they did. That is such a wonderful example of the relevance and importance of knowing the Bible, knowing the testimonies and promises inside, and the character of the God who made them.

So, in my sadness yesterday, sitting in the presence of the Lord and bringing to Him my sorrows, I found myself in David’s Psalm 21:1–7:

“O Lord, in Your strength the king rejoices, and in Your salvation how greatly he exults! You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. For You meet him with rich blessings; You set a crown of fine gold upon his head. He asked life of You; You gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through Your salvation; splendor and majesty You bestow on him. For You make him most blessed forever; You make him glad with the joy of Your presence. For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.”

Do you ever read scripture and feel yourself physically humbled, slowly sinking into your chair with each word as strength leaves your body? This passage does that to me. 

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” I am often struck by the realization that in seeing the ways in which He has exalted me, I am increasingly humbled. I mean, look at this verse, it is the declaration of the lavish love, blessing and favor given us by our God! In reminds of these Truths: In Christ, I have been given God’s strength in my helpless weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and salvation in the face of deserved destruction (1 Peter 2:24); in Christ, I am richly blessed with every Spiritual and eternal good thing (Ephesians 1–3); in Christ, I am royalty, to reign with my King (2 Cor 2:11–13); in Christ, God has given me more than I could ever think to ask for (Eph 3:20-21); in Christ, I will stand before the Father blameless and holy (Eph 5:25–27); in Christ, I have a hope while on earth and an eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3–5); in Christ, I have fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), an open invitation into the presence of the Lord (Heb 4:14–16), and the word of a faithful God on which to plant my unsteady feet (Deut 7:9).

So as I came to the Lord, curled up in His arms with tears falling on “the broad expanse of who He is," I read the words declaring His love for me, and my tears turned into those of joyful humility as I bowed to Him in praise. 

I praise You, Lord, that to glory in You is to bask in the beauty of the eternal, which never ceases to overshadow the gloom of all that is temporary. You are more than enough and I praise You.

when words fail, You prevail

You are real
©10-19-11 hannah mclean

You are real
i bank my life
now and eternally
on the realities of You
You hold me up
You hold me up

what would I be
if You didn’t see
my tears?
how could i stand
were it not for Your hand?
where would my head lie?
in the dust

o my Lord,
i know
You are real
You feel what I feel
Your touch heals so much
Your face lends such grace
Your arms fend for me

when words fail
You prevail
You lift me up
You lift me
closer to You
lest i sigh alone

engulfed in Your presence
i am free to be
frail
fragile
fumbling
in safety

You are real
faithful Comfort for the one who is
Your own

For the sake of 10.

I am studying the book of Daniel, and if you have ever discussed scripture with me, you know that my mind is constantly jumping to other places in the Good Book that come to mind and seem to connect to what I am reading. This is my detour today.

Daniel 7:9–10 holds a meditation concerning the righteous Judge that I will write about soon, but only after this short jaunt to Abraham’s conversation with God in Genesis.

Genesis 18:20–33 Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know." So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham answered and said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." Again he spoke to him and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." He said, "Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Genesis 19:27–28 And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

This passage of scripture makes me weep. Not just for one reason, but for many.

Look at Abraham’s interaction with God, he draws near to Him and acknowledges Him as the righteous Judge of the whole earth; he appeals to His perfect justice and His love for His people. He came to the Lord and says, “What if 50 of Your people live in this place You are going to destroy? Do they deserve a punishment not due them?” And God, with gentleness and sadness knowing there are only four, tells Abraham that for their sake He would spare the entire valley filled with wickedness. And Abraham keeps coming back, tiptoeing, it may seem, but approaching none-the-less, until he reaches a number he seems to believe is almost absurd; to reach so low for such a great mercy:

“For the sake of 10?”

And the Lord, in compassion for the heart of Abraham that appeals to and reveals His own so vividly, gives a response that moves me with awe and wonder and pain:

“For the sake of 10, I will not destroy it.”

What a patient and compassionate God. This interaction surrounding Sodom and Gomorrah displays the heart of God from two sides, I truly believe that Abraham is articulating God’s desire and sorrow over a wicked people to be lost for eternity (Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?"). And as they speak, we also have the opportunity to observe God patient, long-suffering, loving heart as He gives a merciful answer to Abraham’s every request.

There were not even 10 people who loved the Lord in the valley. Not even 10.

By the faith of another

Matthew 15:21–28: And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But He did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But he came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

The Lord has used this passage in powerful ways in my life; I was saved under a sermon from this place in Matthew. It is dear to my heart.

One thing I love about the bible is that it never gets old. You can read it a million times, and still find new treasures of great worth inside every verse. I like to refer to meditation and study of the texts as “wringing out the Word”...drawing all that can be found from every word.

So I was delighted that when my husband and I were reading this chapter together this week, I was struck anew by what I saw within these precious verses. Here is my meditation:

Healed by the faith of another

I have often considered this Canaanite woman’s interaction with Jesus. I resonate with her persistent approach of Him despite what appeared to be continual rejection. I resonate with her acknowledgment that while she is deserving of nothing, there are crumbs of grace to be had and she knew she could be satisfied by even a drop of what the Lord had to offer. I resonate with her in her unwavering pursuit of mercy from the giver of mercy, and the joy of receiving the desire of her heart.

But this time, what struck me about this Canaanite woman is the content of her plea to the Lord. She came on behalf of her demon oppressed daughter. She came crying, plowing through silence, past those who sought to send her away, claiming her pitiful status and the rights that came with it...all to kneel before the Savior on behalf of another. Nothing could hold her back from the One who promised, “Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.” (John 6:37)

And though it wasn’t the daughter who persisted through what appeared to be the silence of being ignored, or what sounded like the disapproving requests of those who surrounded the One she needed; though the daughter did not kneel, look into the Lord’s eyes and plead, “Help me!”; though the daughter never approached Jesus at all...these words were written of her, “And her daughter was healed instantly.”

Sometimes when Jesus healed, freed and redeemed people throughout His life and ministry, He did it because of their faith. But sometimes when Jesus healed, freed and redeemed people, He did it because of the faith of another.

“O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.”

O Lord, strengthen my faith! Strengthen my hands, my knees, my lips and my heart that I may pursue the good of those who cannot, will not or do not know how to come to You. May I be like this Canaanite woman who will let nothing hold her back from the crumbs of Your grace, whether they be gathered for myself or for another. And I praise You for those who have come to You with the faith through which You have healed, freed and redeemed me. It says in Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God...” Lord, may my prayers, pleas and persistence in Your presence bring about the eternal good of many that they may obtain Your grace through my unwavering faith. It is only faith in You that can keep us firm to the end, Lord. I ask that You strengthen my faith for Your glory, the joy of Your people and the furthering of Your kingdom. In the worthy name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

my worshipful morning

glorying in You
©10-6-11 hannah mclean

caught up
in the worship of You
my bible open
but untouched before me
my eyes closed
my hands open
my heart entwined
with the music that redounds
around and through me

my soul longs for You
reaching heavenward
with deep benevolence
at the burning blaze of Your worth
i am undone

Father, hold me
Hope, console me
Spirit, overflow me

poured out
but filled by the
brightness of You
i yearn for nothing
but Your eternal presence
beautiful and supreme

glorying in You alone
i am caught up
in worship



how are You so good to me?
how is it that You hold nothing back in Your love of me?
how are my lips so silent in
the face of One so worthy of praise?

RING OUT
RING OUT
RING OUT

The result of a look into the book of Ecclesiasties

Almighty in sufficiency
©10-2-11 hannah mclean

You ARE
all i need
almighty
in sufficiency
You ARE
You ARE all i need

i have wandered
in my seeking
but in all of the places
i have not found
what can only
be known in You

You ARE
all i need
sovereign
for eternity
You ARE
You ARE all i need

in my wanting
in my waning
in my doubt and
in my pain
in my coping
in my longing
in my pride and
in my shame

You ARE
all i need
You ARE
all i need
Lord, You ARE
all i need

You ARE glorious
You ARE holy
You ARE strength and
You ARE worthy
You ARE hope and
You ARE majesty
You ARE
all i need

You ARE
You ARE all i need