Our Need for Renewal (Renewing Our Hearts This Easter Week 2)
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O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1, ESV
By embracing these four things—daily reading God’s Word, praying consistently, allowing our hearts to be pruned of sin, and rejoicing in where we are—we will find ourselves renewed in our faith and able to better weather the storms of life.
Jesus saw the need for renewing in his parable of the vine and branches in John 15. He reminds each of us that we will need renewal by pruning and by remaining firmly attached to the tree in order to bear fruit. Let us keep ourselves ready and willing to be renewed by the Master Gardener.
Fanny J. Crosby wrote the hymn “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” as a Sunday school song. William Bradbury published it in Bright Jewels for the Sunday School in 1869. This hymn speaks of our constant need to be close to the cross of Jesus in order to have our hears continually renewed under its precious flow. The heavenward theme of “Near the Cross” showcases the joy and hope of our eternal resting place so prevalent in Crosby’s hymns.
Jesus, keep me near the cross; there is a precious fountain,
Free to all—a healing stream—flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.
In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star shed its beams around me.
In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day with its shadow o’er me.
In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait, hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand just beyond the river.
In the Cross, in the Cross, be my glory ever,
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Next week, we’ll tackle how God provides for our renewal.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Sinenkiy
