Poems
13 Selections
Buried
Buried? Yes, but it is seed
From which Continents may feed;
Millions yet may bless the day
When that seed was laid away.
Buried! hidden! out of sight!
Dwelling in the deepest night;
Losing, underneath the sod,
Everything, except its God.
Buried, unremember'd, lost-
So thinks man: but all the cost
God has counted to display
Life abundant one glad day.
Art thou buried? God's pure seed
Doth thy heart in silence bleed?
Change thy sighing into song,
Thus alone can harvests come.
Delivered through Death!
Art thou delivered unto death?
He was; and still He reigns!
Death only can unloose thy bonds,
And snap the tightening chains.
Fear not to die, for only thus
The power of God can free
Unto undying, glorious life,
Thy spirit-ministry.
We die, to find that death is life,
That suffering is power;
That death brings victory, that our foe
Is robbed of all his power;
We die to rise in endless life,
For evermore to be
In conflict, undismayed and calm,
For death has set us free.
Dead, yet delivered; die, O soul,
Trust God to bring thee through;
Wrecked on thy God, e'en death is gain.
Fear nothing; die; and go
Through death to prove God's mighty power
To deal with such a foe;
To die in faith, a risen life
By faith, henceforth to know.
Dead, yet delivered; short of death,
The power must be restrained
Which else would snap self's iron bands,
And break the tightening chains;
So die; and dying, God will loose
His power to set thee free,
And thou shalt then, through Calvary's Cross,
In Christ, a conqueror be.
"Filled"
Blessed mighty Holy Ghost,
Fill me to the uttermost;
Let my life Thy channel be,
Just a channel, Lord, for Thee;
Through me all Thy fullness pour,
Give me ever more and more.
Blessed, mighty Holy Ghost,
Fill me to the uttermost;
Be it unto me, O Lord,
Now, according to Thy word,
Let the life of Jesus be,
Ever filling, even me.
Blessed, mighty Holy Ghost,
Fill me to the uttermost;
Cleansed and holy, pure and clean,
Let the life of Christ be seen,
Hold o'er me Thy gracious sway,
Every hour of every day.
Blessed, mighty Holy Ghost,
Fill me to the uttermost;
For Thy love, Thy light, Thy power,
Just a channel hour by hour,
Till my Saviour's Face I see,
Fill me, Lord, fill even me.
The Fourth Watch
The roaring sea of nations in upheaval,
The Church afloat upon the angry foam,
The LORD, a Watcher, sees her toil, her peril,
And in the fourth watch of the night He'll come.
Midnight has passed: eyes strain thro' inky darkness,
But see not yet the shining of His face:
Lest hearts should faint, or Hope should fold her pinions,
The morning star in yonder heavens we trace.
The morning star gleams on the rolling billows,
A radiant light amid the angry storm:
Within its beams we toil in rowing, saying,
"In the fourth watch, perchance, we'll see His form."
In the fourth watch-so toil a little longer,
Battling against the storm, the wind, the tide.
How soon we shall forget it all, beloved,
When, with our Lord, we reach the other side!
(Mark 6:47-50; Rev. 2:28)
God's Word
I worship and praise and adore
And glorify Thee, blessed Lord;
Tho' the foe may his uttermost do,
He never can alter Thy Word.
It stands! though the heavens may fall,
It stands! though the earth pass away,
And on it, I'm standing in triumph today.
I'm trusting in what Thou hast said,
As my barque ploughs her way thro' the sea;
Her chart and her compass Thy Word,
All glory, Lord Jesus, to Thee!
I rest on Thy promise divine,
And smile at the gathering storm;
My barque cannot sink, for I know,
Thou wilt hasten Thy Word to perform.
I worship and praise and adore,
For ever Thy Name I will bless;
Thy Word is sufficient for me,
However prolonged life's distress,
I triumph in all Thou hast said,
It stands, whatsoever betide;
I glorify Thee, blessed Lord,
For this, my infallible Guide.
(Matthew 4:4)
God Will Answer
God will answer when, to thee,
Not a possibility
Of deliverance seems near;
It is then He will appear.
God will answer when you pray;
Yea, though mountains block thy way,
At His word, a way will be,
E'en through mountains, made for thee.
God, who still divides the sea,
Willingly will work for thee;
God, before whom mountains fall,
Promises to hear thy call.
If the Lord Still Tarry
If the Lord still tarry,
He will undertake;
Mountains may be shaken,
Billows o'er me break;
But His word of promise
Ever will endure;
God, our God, is faithful,
And His help is sure.
Holy Spirit, Flow through Me
Holy Spirit, flow through me,
Let my life Thy channel be;
Let no doubt obstruct Thy way,
Flow through me, O Lord, today.
Flow in rivers, not a rill,
All Thy word to me fulfil.
Holy Spirit, flow through me,
I would just a channel be
For Thy mighty living tide,
Reaching souls both far and wide.
Flow in rivers, not a rill,
All Thy word to me fulfil.
(John 7:38)
Cherith
Beloved, should the brook run dry
And should no visible supply
Gladden thine eyes, then wait to see
God work a miracle for thee:
Thou canst not want, for God has said
He will supply His own with bread.
His word is sure. Creative power
Will work for thee from hour to hour,
And thou, with all Faith's Host, shalt prove
God's Hand of power, God's Heart of love.
(1 Kings 17:3)
"Is Thy God Able...?"
Thou servant of the living God,
Whilst lions round thee roar,
Look up and trust and praise His name,
And all His ways adore;
For even now, in peril dire,
He works to set thee free,
And in a way known but to Him,
Shall thy deliverance be.
Dost wait while lions round thee stand,
Dost wait in gloom, alone?
And looking up above thy head
See but a sealed stone?
Praise in the dark! Yea, praise His Name,
Who trusted thee to see
His mighty power displayed again
For thee, His saint, for thee.
Thou servant of the living God,
Thine but to wait and praise;
The living God, Himself will work,
To Him thine anthem raise.
Though undelivered, thou dost wait,
The God who works for thee,
When His hour strikes, will with a word,
Set thee for ever free.
(Dan.6:20)
"That No Man Take Thy Crown"
Be content to be despised,
Be content to bear the shame.
Seek no earthly sordid prize,
Ye who bear His Holy Name!
'Wait in faith that glorious day
When, before the Father's Throne,
Jesus will your name confess,
All your tears and labours own.
Be content whate'er your lot
With no settled dwelling here;
Be a pilgrim with the Lord,
Let Him dry the secret tear,
Let Him be your heart's delight,
His approval your reward;
Till in Heaven's unsullied light
You shall stand with Christ your Lord.
Be content to win your prize
At the cost of tears and blood;
Earthly loss or gain despise,
Tread the path that Jesus trod.
Never take a look behind,
Keep the promised crown in view;
Thus, unmindful of the cost,
Thus, come gloriously through.
"We which Live"
LIVE, in the love of God,
Deal with the Lord alone!
Live in the blaze of that white light,
That beats about God's Throne.
LIVE, cleaving to His Word,
Its faithfulness to prove;
Live, looking for thy Lord's return,
Live, feeding on His love.
LIVE, so that life on earth
A foretaste shall become
Of perfect life where God is king,
Thou heir of Jesus' throne!
LIVE, counting all but loss,
Save that which draws thee in
To that great heart which broke for thee,
Because it bore thy sin.
LIVE, counting nothing gain,
Save that which makes Christ dear;
Live, set apart to prove to men
That earth and heaven are near.
LIVE till thy life on earth
Shall so unearthly be
That Christ shall catch thee to His Throne,
Child of eternity! (2 Cor. 4:11)
"The Will of the Lord Be Done"
"No!" to the will of the devil,
"Yes!" to the will of the Lord,
So, Lord, Thy purpose shall triumph
Through Thine omnipotent Word.
With Thine authority clothe me
Now, as I stand in Thy will;
With Thine own Spirit empower me
All Thine own plan to fulfil.
"No!" to the will of the devil,
"Yes!" to the will of the Lord.
This be my attitude always;
Saviour, protection afford
Lest, as I move at Thy bidding,
Satan should close up the way;
Stand with me, Blessed Lord Jesus,
As I Thy precepts obey.
"No!" to the will of the devil,
"Yes!" to the will of the Lord,
Over the mountains so rugged,
Over the seas at Thy Word.
Naught shall deter or molest me,
If, Blessed Lord, Thou wilt be
Saviour, Defender, and Keeper,
As I go onward with Thee.
Other Poems by M.E. Barber
Glorious, mighty Name of Jesus (Hymns, 73)
Lift that Name high! That glorious Name (Hymns, 77)
O Lord, with Thy Holy Ghost (Hymns, 269)
In the wilderness for God! (Hymns, 352)
Thou Magnet of my soul! (Hymns, 356)
If the path I travel (Hymns, 377)
There is always something over (Hymns, 595)
Via Bethlehem we journey (Hymns, 628)
"Wrecked outright on Jesus' breast" (Hymns, 637)
Can you be obedient? (Hymns, 657)
"On toward the goal!" Press on! (Hymns, 662)
Deep down into the depths of this Thy Name (Hymns, 671)
The days may yet grow darker (Hymns, 710)
In the mighty Name of Jesus (Hymns, 775)
"Ask in faith," the Name of Jesus (Hymns, 776)
Keep up the song of faith (Hymns, 778)
"Keep the incense burning" (Hymns, 790)
I dare not be defeated (Hymns, 877)
Hallelujah! Christ is Victor (Hymns, 890)
Not where we elect to go (Hymns, 907)
Watch! for the morning is breaking (Hymns, 957)
He looked for a city and lived in a tent (Hymns, 974)
To the foe my word is always, "No" (Hymns, 880) (Adapted by Watchman Nee)
