Although the state of reservedness can be described in a negative sense (e.g. aloof, non-committal, misanthropic, offish,
cold, standoffish etc), it is nonetheless a timeless christian (and
non-christian) virtue over the centuries.
For those of us who are seeking
biblical womanhood, this neglected virtue and disposition should be a hidden
treasure. The state of reservedness is a natural flow from a feminine fountain called
; the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit (1 Pet. 3:4, KJV), which isἄφθαρτο(imperishable,
incorruptible).
But let it be the hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price.[KJV]
but let your adorning be the hidden person
of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which
in God’s sight is very precious.[ESV]
but let it be the hidden man of the heart,
in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight
of God of great price.[ASV]
The feminine reservedness is lovingly considerate;
it avoids being a showy bloom but seeks to cover her glory in order to uncover
the indescribable beauty of her heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus; it prefers to be retiring
and withdrawn, hidden from the public gaze, so that it can enjoy sweet and
melodious communion with Him in her inner sanctum unreservedly and
perpetually. It is firm but never loud. Its door is cautiously closed to
any "strangers" who might loose her heavenly/earthly fidelity.
The disposition of feminine reservedness is
soul-soothing. It stays her place calmly and speaks by being silent...as an
innocent little flower does to forest-hikers.
O fellow pilgrims, let us seek and preserve
this treasure and ever cherish it!
Providences may even seem to be getting
darker- merging like declining day into the shadows of twilight. But, contrary
to nature, and to the Christian's expectations, "At evening time it shall
be light!" The gathering cloud will then be seen to be fraught only with
blessings, which will burst on the believer's head. My soul, be still, and know
that He is God! "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him." The
mysterious "why" you have so long been waiting for, will soon be
revealed. The long night-watch will soon terminate in the looked-for,
longed-for morning.
O God, Almighty God everlasting! how
dreadful is the world! behold how its mouth opens to swallow me up, and how
small is my faith in Thee! . . . Oh! the weakness of the flesh, and the power
of Satan! If I am to depend upon any strength of this world – all is over . . .
The knell is struck . . . Sentence is gone forth . . .
O God! O God! O thou, my
God! help me against the wisdom of this world. Do this, I beseech thee; thou
shouldst do this . . . by thy own mighty power . . . The work is not mine, but
Thine. I have no business here . . . I have nothing to contend for with these
great men of the world! I would gladly pass my days in happiness and peace. But
the cause is Thine . . . And it is righteous and everlasting!
O Lord! help me!
O faithful and unchangeable God! I lean not upon man. It were vain! Whatever is
of man is tottering, whatever proceeds from him must fail. My God! my God! dost
thou not hear? My God! art thou no longer living? Nay, thou canst not die. Thou
dost but hide Thyself. Thou hast chosen me for this work. I know it! . . .
Therefore, O God, accomplish thine own will! Forsake me not, for the sake of
thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, my defence, my buckler, and my stronghold.
Lord – where art thou? . . . My God, where
art thou? . . . Come! I pray thee, I am ready . . . Behold me prepared to lay
down my life for thy truth . . . suffering like a lamb. For the cause is holy.
It is thine own! . . . I will not let thee go! no, nor yet for all eternity!
And though the world should be thronged with devils – and this body, which is
the work of thine hands, should be cast forth, trodden under foot, cut in
pieces, . . . consumed to ashes, my soul is thine. Yes, I have thine own word
to assure me of it. My soul belongs to thee, and will abide with thee forever!
Amen! O God send help! . . . Amen!
“Time was when the Psalms were not only
rehearsed in all the churches from day to day, but they were so
universally sung that the common people knew them, even if they did not know the
letters in which they were written.
Time was when bishops would ordain no man
to the ministry unless he knew “David” from end to end, and could repeat
each psalm correctly; even Councils of the Church have decreed that none should
hold ecclesiastical office unless they knew the whole psalter by heart.
Other
practices of those ages had better be forgotten, but to this memory
accords an honourable record. Then as Jerome tells us, the labourer, while he
held the plough, sang Hallelujah; the tired reaper refreshed himself with the
psalms, and the vinedresser, while trimming the vines with his curved hook,
sang something of David.”
Martin Luther
“The Psalter ought to be a precious and
beloved book, if for no other reason than this: it promises Christ’s death and
resurrection so clearly – and pictures his kingdom and the condition and nature of
all Christendom – that it might well be called a little Bible. In it is
comprehended most beautifully and briefly everything that is in the entire Bible...
In fact, I have a notion that the Holy Spirit wanted to take the trouble himself
to compile a short Bible and book of examples of all Christendom or all
saints, so that anyone who could not read the whole Bible would here have anyway
almost an entire summary of it, comprised in one little book.”
John Chrysostom
“Do you wish to be happy? Do you want to
know how to spend the day truly blessed? I offer you a drink that is
spiritual. This is not a drink for drunkenness that would cut off even meaningful speech.
This does not cause us to babble. It does not disturb our vision. Here it is:
Learn to sing Psalms! Then you will see pleasure indeed. Those who have learned
to sing with the psalms are easily filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Andrew Blackwood
“Perhaps our other denominations would
have greater love for the Bible if we sang from the Psalms as often as our
fathers did after the Reformation. Many
of those songs came out of the fiery
furnace, and so they brought our fathers a
mighty sense of God’s holiness, as well as
a keen awareness of his laws.”
Ours is a time when the church has
forgotten a primary role for which God intended the Psalms. At least in
America, the Psalms are not so much sung as read. While reading the Psalms is
certainly beneficial, God uniquely gave His people these words to lead us into
His praise. Michael Lefebvre has given the church a stirring call to again take
up the Psalms in our worship, led in singing by our Mediator, Jesus.Singing the Songs of Jesus challenges
churches of every stripe to consider introducing Psalms back into
congregational singing. This is not a polemical book that focuses on
internecine debates about how Psalms are used (e.g. the exclusive singing of
Psalms), but it is instead a universal plea that God's inspired hymns be
allowed to form us and our worship.
Lefebvre gives the reader a chance to
understand the benefits of singing the Psalms beyond the devotional role to
which they are so often relegated. He achieves this by considering the king-led
construction of the Psalms, the way in which Jesus led His people in singing
the Psalms, their Christ-centered nature, and how they carry us along from even
sorrow into praise.Lefebvre chose not to employ confessional
or historical arguments, but he has instead presented a thoroughly biblical
case in order to make this book more useful to those outside of his confessional
Presbyterian outlook.
His strong grasp of the Old Testament narrative helps to
shine a light on many questions that surround the creation of the Psalms. He
answers the difficult questions that the new Psalm-singer will have about the
imprecations in the Psalms and will cause them to gain new insight on this
necessary part of the Scripture. At the end of every chapter, he also gives
practical resources on how one might begin singing the Psalms in worship.If you have never considered singing the
Psalms or if you desire to understand the Psalms better, you should not miss
this immensely helpful book!
