Introduction To This Blog

Welcome to my new blog. The goal of this site is to be able to post solid, Christian, Bible-based poems and hymns to edify and strengthen others, to be a witness of the love (and salvation) of God, and to exhort others to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ more.

The name is based on the following passages:

Job 35:10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night.

Psalms 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Psalms 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

I have found through personal experience that only the Lord Himself can give songs in the night - only He can give His perfect (complete) peace and joy to His children in the midst of their trials and sorrows. It is only through Him that songs can spring up out of troubled hearts - and it is those same songs that truly can touch and minister to the hearts of others.

Not only does the Lord Jesus Christ gives songs, He also is our song. In light of eternity and all that He has done for us, truly He is the only song worth singing about.

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Psalms 118:14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.

Not only should God's Word be our songs:

Psalms 119:54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

Our songs should be filled with His Word!

When we are to:

Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

It is tragic that so many sing songs that are either void of the Word of God, or that contradict or confuse it.

One thing I have always found interesting, is that when we have the Scriptures dwelling in us, there is a song in our hearts - and when we look at this passage:

Ephesians 5:18b-20 ...but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

We see that being filled with the Spirit of God produces the same effect - that is because the Holy Spirit always leads according to the Word He inspired and wrote.

When your focus is steadfast on the Lord, meditating on His Word, He surrounds you with His songs.

Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

If you are saved, I hope that you use your songs to praise the Lord Jesus Christ who saved you.

Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Psalms 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Our songs should be a testimony of our trust in our Saviour.

Psalms 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

Whether songs of praise, songs of deliverance, or songs of joy - whatever the song, they should be all about the Lord!

Is your tongue the pen of a ready writer - and are your songs about Him?

Psalms 45:1-2 A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

May you glorify and honour Jesus Christ through all your songs!

Jerry Bouey
July 17th/06

I have been wanting an avenue to be able to post sound poetry and hymns/songs for a while. I do have my own personal poetry site (Home Of The Real McCoy), and one of my webpartners has a section on her family site where we keep poems by others (Trenholms Of Kelowna) - but there is never enough time to make new pages for these two parts of EarnestlyContending (plus so many of the free graphics sites keep disappearing - so it is hard to always find an appropriate background). You can view most of the poems I have online by visiting Home Of The Real McCoy (I find bookmarking the Table Of Contents helpful, as any new poems added to my site will be listed there), but I also wanted to draw your attention to two specific pages within my site - I have put together two poetry books and their contents can be viewed online, including some poems by others (which are not listed in my TOC). The books are: Refuge In The Storms Of Life, and The Seasons Of Your Pilgrimage. From time to time I will be posting poems from those books and other areas of our sites here.

This new blog gives me an opportunity to share poems with others on a regular basis, without having to send them out on a mailing list or make pages for them. Lord willing, I hope to post a new one each day - whether by myself or others - including sometimes little notes as to where the poems came from, how they influenced me, etc. I will also make up a Table Of Contents page where I can list them alphabetically, for those who later want to look for a particular one. When one of the poems I send out also has a page on EC, I will link the title of the poem to the appropriate page, so you can also view it with graphics and sometimes music.

I hope it is a blessing to you. Feel free to email me any of your favourite poems (with author's name, if possible), and I'm sure I will use some of them as time goes on.