in Christ alone

my hope is found.

one word

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, 

even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33:22

My "one word" for 2011 is hope.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,

and why are you in turmoil within me? 

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Psalm 43:5

(I think this verse is extra-important, 

because it's repeated almost identically twice in chapter 42)

He Will Act

Fret not yourself because of evil doers; 

be not envious of wrongdoers!

For they will soon fade like the grass 

and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; 

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord, 

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord; 

trust in Him and He will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, 

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

 over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! 

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 

For the evildoers shall be cut off, 

but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 

Psalm 37:1-9, ESV

Martin Luther

I have held many things in my hands,
and lost them all, but whatever I have placed in God's hands,
that I still possess.


image via we heart it

In your name I will lift up my hands

O God, you are my God;

 earnestly I seek you; 

my soul thirsts for you;

 my flesh faints for you,

 as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, 

beholding your power and glory. 

Because your steadfast love is better than life, 

my lips will praise you. 

So I will bless you as long as I live; 

in your name I will lift up my hands. 

Psalm 63:1-4

Calvin on the power of music

Excerpt to John Calvin's Preface to the Psalter.

"Moreover, in speaking now of music, 

I understand two parts; namely the letter, 

or the subject and matter; 

secondly, the song, or the melody. 

It is true that every bad word (as St. Paul has said) 

perverts good manner, 

but when the melody is with it, 

it pierces the heart much more strongly, 

and enters into it; in a like manner as through a funnel, 

the wine is poured into the vessel; 

so also the venom and corruption is 

distilled to the depths of the heart by the melody."

Wait on the Lord

{image source}

Have you not known? Have you not heard? 
The LORD is the everlasting God,

   the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

   his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

   and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

   and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the LORD 

shall renew their strength;

   they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

   they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV