Ad Fontes!

Ad fontes! Ad fontes! The source of all Good—
  To streams of pure learning,
  To God understood!
To God who alone will dismantle falsehood,
  To God and His Scriptures,
  Where on we have stood.

Ad fontes! Ad fontes! The source of all Light—
  To rivers of Mercy
  That flow from Him bright!
To God who alone every evil will smite;
  To God and His Bible,
  Our goal and delight.

Ad fontes! Ad fontes! The source of all Truth—
  To courses of knowledge,
  To Peace that will soothe!
To God, who defends against error uncouth;
  To God and His Word
  Which renews now our youth!

Ad fontes! Ad fontes! The source of all Life—
  To rivers of blessing
  That flowed from that strife!
To Jesus who conquered Hell, Death, and dark night;
  To that Living Word
  Which is sharp as a knife!

Ad fontes! Ad fontes! The source of all Grace—
  The Law and Commandments
  Marked out for our days!
To good works prepared from most ancient of days;
  To God, holy, triune,
  Be all endless praise! 

- D. Benning

Upon Thinking New Thoughts

"If God is most perfect and most wise, then how could I ever hope to have a thought that is good that He hadn't thought of already?  It must be a bit of pride to think that you could come up with an original thought that God didn't think of before."

Journals from Before,  p. 422. (c) 2017 (D.B.)

Praise God for Change — Pray to God for Change!

 They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”  And they praised God because of me.
Gal. 1:23 - 24

   This scripture encouraged me this morning.  Look around and see the lives changed by God's intervention.  See that life?  It once was in darkness but now is walking in light.  The life that once reveled in wrong now delights in right!  That is a miracle!  God's power displayed in frail vessels of clay, redounding to His glory and the good of His people.  We should praise God for conversions!  Praise Him for change!

   But I was encouraged by this as I read it to pray for change!  God is mighty!  He, who was able to change a church-hating Saul of Tarsus into a stalwart Apostle and bond-slave of Jesus Christ, can certain still change sinners into saints.  

   Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest.  Not just for workers to go out, but pray to Him that there would be harvest!  Miraculous harvest!  Abundant harvest!  Harvest that will redound again to God's glory and the good of His church.

The Cleft of Love

O Lord,

          again I sit here with my Love

As dead as dirt—my senses numbed by hurt

Of my very own devisings that were

From selfish whims—not from up Above.

My soul is dry and parched, is empty deep

Within.  I looked up and I thought You faded—

That You were gone: of this I was persuaded,

With nothing left in life, I’d lay me down to sleep.

But You have not dimmed nor have You left;

So pull away the sullen clouds that hide

Me in the empty night of sin where cry

I to You to bring me to that Safe Cleft:

Where anointing me with Your Grace and Righteousness,

You breathe into my dust Your Love and Loveliness!

- D. Benning

Praise

Psalm 93

David Benning, 30 Sep 1982

I hear the rushing-rushing water roar:

The mighty sound of voices lifted up.

They swell and well and gushing forth erupt

And dash about a thousand times before

They bound and sound around again no more;

And silence stills the echoing air with awe

Then majesty—so perfect, without flaw—

Flows down. O, hear again those mighty voices soar.

The Lord is clothed with Majesty and Power:

O Lord, how excellent Your Perfect Name!

Yet You have recognized our lowly frame

And thought of us in Love and did us shower

With the Gift of Your Son—to show that You cared;

And the Promise of Heaven—the Home You’ve prepared!

- D. Benning

Son Splendor

In regal splendor Light from everywhere shines bright
Upon the earth in hues of vividness:
Running, skipping, sliding—gleeful sheerness
From reds, greens, sodden browns, whites—crystallites!—
Reflecting, runjumpingly, from off His Crown with might.
In glory ‘round us streams, beams—does opalesce—
His Righteousness (shimmering, fathomless)
Drapes ‘round us, caresses us with Son Light.

     Angles, brightly clothed in radiance,
     Now lost in dazzle of His gold pavilion,
     Minist’ring in blur of rainbow-spangled dance,
     Blend with praise and upward raise
          The glittering of gold-vermillion!

- D. Benning
July 1981

Do Not Deny Love

Do not deny Love

   nor quench its strong embrace.

Love beckons and it calls;

   Love woos you with its grace.

 

See how many times, ere you had known,

   this Love had borne you softly:

   protected, directed, corrected;

and kept you from your own

   harm that you had imagined “lofty.”

Oh see with what tender heart Love broods over you

   to reck, to check, to beck and bend

   and blast your gourds that grow not true—

All in love to bring you to that glorious end!

But, O! How strong the pull that opposes,

   interdicts and imposes fallacies and lies!

Do not deny Love

   nor chafe under its gentle care.

Do not be drawn back to feeble lights

   whilst Love its sunlight shares!

Do not be drawn to sin and darkness

   like moth to harmful flame.

   like pig to dirt and wallow, filth and shame.

Is it in your nature to be thus drawn?

   To fritter, flitter, fob and fawn?

Then ask why this may be!

   And if you still be moth within,

   then turn, yearn and churn within,

   and call, fall, and recall Love’s mercies new again each morn.

It is not within your strength to change your nature,

   but Love, in its strong embrace,

   will change, exchange—think not strange!

   So that no longer moth but His child reborn!

Do not deny Love

   but hasten to submit, admit and bend;

And there with shall bloom forth a thousand gifts—

   All crowned with Love who is your Friend.

- D. Benning

The Unseen Commander

 

Before me was encamped the enemy.
  His hosts were ready and prepared for war.
  I cried to my Lord and my Captain for
A plan of counsel to leave them with no plea
Except their ultimate destruction. But he
  Responded, "Wait." "Wait?!" cried I, "Whatever for?
  The enemy is arrayed right now for war
And you say 'Wait'? "Yes," said he, "by this tree."

So I waited there amid the trees of balsam
  And wondered what my Lord had thought to do.
  The enemy began to march. "I'm through,"
I thought; when there above me stirred a calm.
      He was marching in the tops of the trees
      And said: "Rise up. I've given to you your enemies!"

---II Sam 5:22 - 28

- D. Benning

Hallowe'en

The world has dressed up with their painted fa-
ces, celebrating the Goblins of the Dark,
The Kingdom of the Underworld, embark-
ing on a Masquerade, being led astray.

Satan has deluded them that a veil
Is better than the Truth; that hiding be-
hind walls where no one sees is a guarantee
To live in security without fail.

But God is the God of Truth, not disguise:
Eternal Living God of Honesty
Purge from us our fraud, our hypocrisy
And help us flee from the Devil’s lies.

Heavenly Father, we pray, cause us to see that Heaven’s spacious,
Not walled nor hidden with a mask—O! be Thou Lord of naked faces.

- D. Benning

written 31 Oct 1982