1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
FACE TO FACE
I had a friend whose face I had not seen,
Although I knew her heart, for we had been
Exchanging letters for so many years.
She told me all her joys and hopes and fears,
And I told mine, and so we felt that we
Were just as close an any friends could be.
And then one day my friend came through the door!
And I have learned that there was something more
I had not known about her - how her face
lights up, a certain dignity and grace,
Her quick responsiveness, her tender smile,
Though tears were shining in her eyes the while,
Her sensitiveness - this I understand
Since I have felt her touch upon my hand.
I find that I had never dreamed nor guessed
How much of soul and spirit is expressed.
By this strange envelope of flesh we wear,
So will it be when I am standing there
Before the throne of Him I love so much,
It may be I shall never feel His touch,
Lest I should swoon before His very feet;
But through my blinding tears my eyes shall meet
My SAVIOUR's eyes - deep wells of tenderness
Which court my heart and all my soul possess.
And I shall hear His voice, as of a bell;
And listening, its every tone will tell
The glory of His love; and I shall see
Those scars which He will bear eternally.
And written there upon His lovely face,
In plainest print, the story of His grace
Which was so dear within His written Word,
But now, the living Word Himself, the Lord!
O ye who wait with longing hearts, shall not the Bride,
When she beholds her Bridegroom's face, be satisfied?
by Martha Snell Nicholson
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Painting: "Summer Evening" by Childe Hassam
DEAR SISTER: SALUDOS DESDE ARGENTINA. ¿CONOCE UN ANTIGUO HIMNO QUE SE LLAMA CARA A CARA? ES UNO DE MIS PREFERIDOS, CREO QUE ALGUIEN ME COMENTO QUE FUE ESCRITO HACE MUCHOS AÑOS POR UNA HERMANA EN CRISTO QUE ERA INBIDENTE, QUE HABIA PERDIDO LA VISTA. MIS OJOS SE LLENAN DE LAGRIMAS CUANDO CANTAMOS ESE HIMNO EN NUESTRA CONGREGACION ¿USTED LO HA ESCUCHADO? LA ESTROFA PREFERIDA ES LA QUE DICE: CUANTO GOZO HABRA CON CRISTO, CUANDO NO HAYA MAS DOLOR, CUANDO CESEN LOS PELIGROS Y YA ESTEMOS EN SU AMOR. CARA A CARA ESPERO VERLE, MAS ALLA DEL CIELO AZUL, CARA A CARA EN PLENA GLORIA, HE DE VER A MI JESUS. IMAGINE USTED CUANTO GOZO EXPERIMENTAREMOS ESE GRAN DIA, CUANDO CRISTO VENGA A SU ESPOSA A BUSCAR, ¿NO CREE USTED? EN ESTE MUNDO QUE VIVIMOS, QUE SE CAE EN PEDAZOS, SABER QUE TENEMOS ESA GLORIOSA ESPERANZA, DE QUE ALGUN DIA NO MUY LEJANO, ESTAREMOS ALABANDO Y EXALTANDO EL NOMBRE DE NUESTRO SALVADOR GLORIOSO. BENDICIONES.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a reply to this, but then I checked the facts about this hymn and I had made a mistake.
DeleteI do know the hymn you speak of, and it is beautiful and full of hope. Fanny Crosby, who was blind, did not write this as I thought. It was written by Carrie E. Breck. She was physically a weak person and had to rest often in the midst of her chores. She wrote many, many poems. I will see about writing a post and sharing a video of this hymn soon. :-)
Mary, thanks for sharing this poem, it's so beautiful! I'm visiting you today from Soul Survival Linkup!
ReplyDeleteHi, Debbie. I'm so glad this poem blessed you. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
DeleteSuch a beautiful poem. Your heart so tenderly expressed a love so great. Thank you for this inspiring poem. Such anticipation!! Beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteVisiting from Grace & Truth linkup..blessings
Lureta, Thank you for stopping by and commenting. That poem by Martha Nicholson is beautiful. I'm glad that it blessed you too. :-)
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