Sunday's Hymn

William Cowper’s homeThe Saints Should Never Be Dismayed

The saints should never be dismayed,
Nor sink in hopeless fear;
For when they least expect his aid,
The Savior will appear.

This Abraham found, he raised the knife,
GOD saw, and said, “Forbear;”
Yon ram shall yield his meaner life,
Behold the victim there.

Once David seemed Saul’s certain prey,
But hark! the foe’s at hand;
Saul turns his arms another way,
To save th’ invaded land.

When Jonah sunk beneath the wave
He thought to rise no more;
But God prepared a fish to save,
And bear him to the shore.

Blest proofs of pow’r and grace divine,
That meet us in his word!
May every deep–felt care of mine
Be trusted with the Lord.

Wait for his seasonable aid,
And though it tarry wait:
The promise may be long–delayed,
But cannot come too late.

—William Cowper in Olney Hymns

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Lord’s Day 33, 2009 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Day Is Dying in the West at The Happy Wonderer
• In the Hour of Trial, Jesus, Plead for Me at Fieldstone Cottage
• Morning from The Valley of Vision at The Upward Call
• When Morning Gilds the Sky at Hiraeth
• My Hope is Built at Tapestry of Graces
• Your weekly dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: How to Ward Off the Hornets of Heresy

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Public Service Announcements

1. Our friend Terry Stauffer will be on Wretched Radio sometime after 2pm PDT today. You can listen live—well, the radio is live, the interview isn’t—here. Terry is the pastor in Edson, Alberta whose young daughter was murdered last September.
2. I’m going on vacation and so is this blog. I’m not sure what being on vacation means for the blog, but we’ll find out over the next three weeks, won’t we? I’ll still be available by email (see contact button under header).

Round the Sphere Again

Queen of Sciences
Learn a little theology at iTunes U. (Tim Irvin)

Top Five Books
Nancy Guthrie, author of Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow, which I’ll be reviewing shortly, gives us a list of top Christian books on suffering and loss. (Christianity Today)

My list of top 5 books would be a little different. There’s no way I’d have C. S. Lewis’ A Grief Observed on my list, although I’ve heard that many people find it helpful. Me? I wanted to throw it against the wall because I felt there was no hope in its pages. I’ve had other people tell me that they felt the same way when they read it.

I’m mentioning this because if you’re looking for books for a grieving friend, you’ll want to use a little wisdom when giving (or suggesting) this one. It could be just the right thing for exactly the reason that Nancy Guthrie gives: It might help someone feel less alone in their despair. But then again, it might not. The last thing you want to do is make someone who is grieving see things more darkly than they already do.

I’d second her suggestion of the books by John Piper and Joni Eareckson Tada. Both are strong on God’s sovereignty over our losses, and that, really, is where all our hope in suffering lies.

I haven’t read the other two on her list. I did find The Bend in the Road by David Jeremiah, mentioned by one of the commenters, to be quite helpful. I’d also recommend Faith, Tried and Triumphant by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

For a Variety of Reasons
Why do people embrace error? (Against Heresies)

Not As Boring As One Might Think
Here’s a whole blog devoted to photos of cat ladders.

Because It Looks Good
Why are new watches set to 10:10? (mental_floss Blog)