Do you ever feel down hearted or discouraged?
Do you ever think your work is all in vain?
Do the burdens thrust upon you make you cheerless,
And you fear that you shall never the victory gain?

Have faith in God, the sun will shine,
Though dark the cloud may be today,
His heart hath planned your path and mine:
Have faith in God, have faith alway.

May Agnew Stephens

Will not the End explain?

Will not the End explain
The crossed endeavor, earnest purpose foiled.
The strange bewilderment of good work spoiled.
The clinging weariness, the inward strain;
Will not the End explain?

Meanwhile He comforteth
Them that are losing patience; 'tis His way.
But none can write the words they hear Him say,
For men to read; only they know He saith
Kind words and comforteth.

Not that He doth explain
The mystery that baffleth; but a sense
Husheth the quiet heart, that far, far hence
Lieth a field set thick with golden grain,
Wetted in seedling days by many a rain;
The End - it will explain.

Amy Carmichael in Toward Jerusalem

An hour of waiting!
Yet there seems such need
To reach that spot sublime!
I long to reach them--but I long far more
To trust HIS time!

"Sit still, my daughter"--
Yet the heathen die,
They perish while I stay!
I long to reach them--but I long far more
To trust HIS way!

'Tis good to get,
'Tis good indeed to give!
Yet is it better still--
O'er breadth, thro' length, down length, up height,
To trust HIS will!

F. M. N.

Nehemiah Chapter 13

Separation of the People of God (Neh 13:1-3)
Corruption of the House of God (Neh 13:4-9)
Desertion of the Work of God (Neh 13:10-14)
Desecration of the Sabbath of God (Neh 13:15-22)
Contamination of the Priesthood of God (Neh 13:23-31)

Nehemiah - Administration of the City

The Distribution of the People - Neh 11
The Dedication of the Wall - Neh 12
The Discipline of the City - Neh 13

*Hamilton Smith*

Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1)

Shelter for refuge (Ps 31:2-3; Ps 61:2-3)
Supply for refreshment (Ex 17:6; Num 20:8)
Shadow for rest (Isa 32:2)
Stability for resilience (Ps 40:2)

The Great Sin

The great sin is not the sin of being wicked and immoral but the sin of trying to be good without God, the sin of rebelling against God and saying,"I'm going to be like God, without God."

Lo! He comes, with clouds descending, Once for our salvation slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending, Swell the triumph of His train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! God appears on earth to reign.

Every eye shall now behold Him, Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him, Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, Shall the true Messiah see.

Yea, Amen! Let all adore Thee, High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory, Claim the kingdom for Thine own:
O come quickly, O come quickly, Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!

Charles Wesley

DRAMATIM Hand Mime Easter Outreach (1st Performance)

Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace, or wash away its stain.
But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, took all our sins away,
A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they.

Isaac Watts

Nehemiah - Application of the Word

The Word of God (The Lord's commandments) - Neh 8
The Worship of God (The people's confession) - Neh 9
The House of God (The remnant's covenant) - Neh 10

Tempters seek to lure astray,
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I've an anchor that shall hold.

W. C. Martin

Nehemiah Chapter 6

The enemy:
Insists friendship (Neh 6:1-8)
Instills fear (Neh 6:9-19)

The enemy attacks Nehemiah's:
Concentration and his work (Neh 6:1-4)
Character and his word (Neh 6:5-8)
Confidence and his will (Neh 6:9-19)

Neh 6:1-4 The enemy's persistence
Neh 6:5-9 The enemy's perversion
Neh 6:10-14 The enemy's prophecy
Neh 6:17-19 The enemy's persuasion