{"id":195,"date":"2007-01-22T00:58:00","date_gmt":"2007-01-22T04:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/?p=195"},"modified":"2013-06-28T11:48:28","modified_gmt":"2013-06-28T15:48:28","slug":"if-thou-but-suffer-god-to-guide-thee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/?p=195","title":{"rendered":"If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee"},"content":{"rendered":"

I came across this hymn this week (found it here<\/a>), and it has ministered to me much. It seems to me that I grew up hearing far more “life is getting better & better”\u009d songs and not enough “persevering”\u009d kind of songs. These honest hymns that point us to rest in the sovereignty and goodness of God are so helpful. I am really blessed by the fact that our church uses many songs like this. The sentiment is similar to the poem, “Do The Next Thing,”\u009d<\/a> which I mentioned previously.<\/p>\n

If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee<\/p>\n

If thou but suffer God to guide thee,
\nAnd hope in him through all thy ways,
\nHe’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
\nAnd bear thee through the evil days;
\nWho trusts in God’s unchanging love
\nBuilds on the rock that nought can move.<\/p>\n

What can these anxious cares avail thee,
\nThese never-ceasing moans and sighs?
\nWhat can it help if thou bewail thee
\nO’er each dark moment as it flies?
\nOur cross and trials do but press
\nThe heavier for our bitterness.<\/p>\n

Only be still and wait his leisure
\nIn cheerful hope, with heart content
\nTo take whate’er thy Father’s pleasure
\nAnd all-discerning love have sent;
\nNor doubt our inmost wants are known
\nTo him who chose us for his own.<\/p>\n

Sing, pray and keep his ways unswerving;
\nSo do thine own part faithfully,
\nAnd trust his Word – though undeserving,
\nThou yet shalt find it true for thee;
\nGod never yet forsook at need
\nThe soul that trusted him indeed.<\/p>\n

Georg Neumark, 1621-1681
\n(you can hear the tune here<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I came across this hymn this week (found it here), and it has ministered to me much. It seems to me that I grew up hearing far more “life is getting better & better”\u009d songs and not enough “persevering”\u009d kind of songs. These honest hymns that point us to rest in the sovereignty and goodness …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17,39,16],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=195"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3591,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195\/revisions\/3591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rayvanneste.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}