grieving our sin

Samuel Zwemer, poet, scholar, missionary to Islam carried The Private Devotions of Lancelot Andrewes from country to country as he traveled.   It was his favorite devotional.   Lancelot Andrewes had both a deep sense of his sin and a deep love for Christ and his sacrifice.   These two go together and are the perfect antidote to the Muslims' excusing of sin and dismissing the need for a blood sacrifice. I want a deeper repentance too.  Here is a quote from one of the prayers of Lancelot Andrewes:

To Thee, O Lord, I confess, because, if I would, I cannot conceal: to Thee my very many, my very great, my very heinous sins. I profess also to grieve, as Thou knowest. But I need more grief: I plainly need it. I am far from that which I ought to have. I can sin much; I cannot repent much. Woe is me for my dryness, my dryness; I cannot much: I would much. I know that even much is not enough. Would that I had such grief, or even more; but of myself I cannot obtain it: I am dried up, I am dried up like a potsherd: woe is me. Thou, O Lord, increase the fountain of tears that I have; supply that I have not; give me a molten heart, unutterable groans. Meanwhile, since my mind is willing, accept me according to that I have, not according to that I have not.

Warts and Sin

I am inching my way through Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen (eds. Kapic and Taylor), enjoying each bite the way I would a Godiva chocolate.   One thing that the book is doing for me is making me more suspicious of the deceitfulness of my own heart.  Jesus calls us to "Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation."  This watchfulness must be continual,  for our deceitful heart remains with us meddling in every resolve and desire to be obedient.
Indwelling sin is like a wart between the toes.  The roots are deep, and wider inside than on the surface.  It grows.  You can trim it back so that it doesn't press so painfully, but it lives on and will grow again.
Warts sometimes die but our deceitful heart will be with us until we die.  Only then will we be free of the battle.  Until then, press in for the fight.  John Owen's book is a manual for the hand-to-hand combat.

Zwemer, poetry and a call to open our eyes

Here is a poem Zwemer wrote in his book A World of Muslim Childhood:   

The great world's heart is aching, aching fiercely in the night, 

And God alone can heal it, and God alone give light;

And the men to bear that message and to  speak the living word,

Are you and I , my brothers , and the millions that have heard.

Can we close our eyes to duty?  Can we fold our hands at ease,

While the gates of night stand open to the pathways of the seas?

Can we shut up our Compassions?  Can we leave our prayers unsaid

Til and lands which sin has blasted have been quickened from the dead? 

 

 

 

From Hand to Mouth.

Who said,that a missionary "often lives from hand to mouth"?

Samuel Zwemer,On various occasions in later life he made the remark, "I have always lived from hand to mouth, but it has been the Lord's hand and my mouth."

Zwemer gets a wife and a good one.

Bachelors Zwemer and Cantine were in Basrah when two Christian nurses came through on their way to Baghdad.  One, Amy Wilkes, was very attractive and was asked to pour tea.   Zwemer called her to see a passing caravan.  As she arose her foot caught on the shawl that was covering the packing case used as a table.  Most of the dishes came crashing down and she fled to the balcony in tears.  The report is that Zwemer "suggested it would be fine should she stay on and break the remainder of the dishes at her convenience."  In resolved pursuit, he arranged to be the Arabic teacher for the young ladies and you can guess the rest.
Amy was an amazingly suitable wife for Zwemer.  He said of her: ...she worked under "circumstances and in an environment of untold discomforts and physical hardships.  Naturally strong and self-reliant, she triumphed over everything bravely and hopefully.  Our small, uncomfortable, three-room leaky house, without screens in the midst of the town became a center of hospitality for Arab women and children....Looking back on those early years, what she patiently endured now seems incredible."

This is a poem he wrote about her:

"Her love was like an island
In life's ocean, vast and wide,
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the wind and rain and tide.
'Twas bound on the north by Hope,
By Patience on the west,
By tender Counsel on the south
And on the east by Rest.
Above it, like a beacon light,
Shone faith and truth and prayer;
And through the changing scenes of life
I found a haven there."

Zwemer zinger

Samuel Zwemer was a Dutch American who poured out his life in love for his Savior and for Muslims.  I am  thrilled to the bone to be reading his biography Apostle to Islam.  Higher criticism of Scripture, especially in Europe, wrecked havoc on the church and weakened the stream of missionaries going out. Zwemer hated that higher criticism and likened it to "ants in Africa who would bite the life-germ out of a seed before they took it underground in their anthill, so it could not sprout."

Three Cheers for Reading Aloud.

Reading aloud is inexpensive. It is highly portable. It teaches language skills. It makes history come alive and gives hope. It can build character and implant faith. It gives us laughs. What’s not to love about it?
Recently I expanded on the benefits of reading aloud at 
http://www.visionarywomanhood.com/the-joy-of-reading-aloud/