My Heart Cries Out E-Book

Paul David Tripp

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 190

Beschreibung

This ebook edition contains artwork adapted from the print edition to fit the digital format. "My hope is that this volume will help you to see the Savior more clearly, to understand his grace more deeply, to confess your struggle more honestly, to worship him more fully, and to find in these meditations the motivation to continue to follow the Savior even when he's leading you into unexpected and hard places." —Paul David Tripp Best-selling author Paul David Tripp invites you into his personal reflections on his experience of God's ever-present grace through the ups and downs of his life. He shares his celebrations, disappointments, cries for help, confessions, and confusions in the form of 120 meditations that were written over many years through various joys and struggles. Vulnerable yet pastoral and wise, these meditations in the form of verse showcase how God's amazing grace intersects with the mundane, unexpected, messy, and beautiful moments of everyday life.

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“Poetry is the expression of the heart and mind of a person. When that person reflects on the person and work of Jesus, the expression is hopeful and redemptive. As an artist who uses words as expression, I found joy in reading My Heart Cries Out. This work connects with the human condition in a unique and awesome way.”

Lecrae, hip-hop recording artist

“For some years now, Paul Tripp has delivered soul-reaching wisdom and timeless encouragement centered around the gospel and grace of Jesus, from which I have greatly benefited. It doesn’t take much reading of Tripp’s work to recognize that under his skin there is an artist lurking. In this collection of meditations, he artfully paints pictures that resonate deep in our souls as he walks with us through the pain and struggles of this world while also helping us see the glory of God’s grace.”

TobyMac, hip-hop recording artist; music producer; songwriter

“As with a timeless hymn lyric, Tripp has the great ability to grasp the vast riches of biblical truth and distill it for us in creative, compelling, and wonderfully practical ways. His writing has regularly shaped how we think as individuals, parents, and songwriters.”

Keith and Kristyn Getty, hymn writers; recording artists

“One of Paul Tripp’s great gifts to us is his ability to communicate profound truths in ways that are not only clear and searching, but also beautiful. With this collection of poems and meditations, he leans in to that gift to give us something that is, on the one hand, completely new, and on the other, familiar in its wisdom, insight, and honesty.”

Russ Ramsey, Pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee; author, Retelling the Story series

“As I read these meditations, I couldn’t help but wonder if they are the types of prayers the Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf when our groans are too deep for words. My Heart Cries Out is a beautiful, honest, and grace-filled collection of reflections from a heart that has been near to the Lord for many years. Your heart will cry out indeed—cry out for joy and thanksgiving as you read the pages of this wonderful book.”

Trillia Newbell, author, Sacred Endurance; If God Is for Us; and God’s Very Good Idea

“So often these days, Christianity is presented solely as an intellectual enterprise, a faith that speaks only to the mind. But the Christian faith is so much more. God wants more than your thought life; he wants your emotional life too. He wants and demands all of your life. That is why Paul Tripp’s My Heart Cries Out is such a needed project for today. Not only are the words in this book beautiful, they are beautifully honest. In My Heart Cries Out, Tripp will help you think, feel, and live out your love for God.”

Thomas J. Terry, Executive Director, Humble Beast; member, Beautiful Eulogy; Lead Pastor, Trinity Church of Portland

“As a sage with scars, Paul Tripp offers us contemplation, transparency, beauty, and verse spoken straight from his soul. But the impact of this book surfaces not in the scope of Tripp’s gifts or weakness but in the page-by-page celebration of God’s unrelenting grace. If you’re looking for a daily, creative, and soul-­nourishing drip of gospel truth, feast upon the pages of this book!”

Dave Harvey, Teaching Pastor, Summit Church, Fort Myers, Florida; author, When Sinners Say “I Do” and Letting Go

“Art and poetry allow truth to enter the mind through the imagination where intellect often builds a wall of resistance. In this relatable anthology, Paul Tripp explores the tension between the ‘already’ and the ‘not yet’ in such a way that comforts the conscience and highlights the sweetness of God’s forgiveness. In each meditation, you will find yourself. In each meditation, you will find Christ.”

Flame, Grammy-nominated recording artist

“This book is theologically rich, biblically faithful, and devotionally nourishing for the soul. My heart was stirred, and my love for the Savior inflamed! Read and be blessed. Read and worship.”

Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

My Heart Cries Out

Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life

PAUL  DAVID  TRIPP

My Heart Cries Out: Gospel Meditations for Everyday Life

Copyright © 2019 by Paul David Tripp

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover and interior design: Jordan Singer

Cover image: Tim Kellner

First printing 2019

Printed in the China

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked KJV is from the King James Version of the Bible.

The Scripture quotations of Hosea 14:1–3 in “Something in My Hands I Bring” (p. 54–55) is taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-5681-4 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-5684-5 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-5682-1 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-5683-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Tripp, Paul David, 1950- author.

Title: My heart cries out : Gospel meditations for everyday life / Paul David

Tripp.

Description: Wheaton : Crossway, 2019. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019001650 (print) | LCCN 2019013495 (ebook) | ISBN

9781433556821 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433556838 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433556845

(epub) | ISBN 9781433556814 (hc)

Subjects: LCSH: Devotional literature. | Christian poetry.

Classification: LCC BV4832.3 (ebook) | LCC BV4832.3 .T75 2019 (print) | DDC

242—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019001650

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

TO JESUS

You have done what nothing or no one has been able to do.

You have turned my life into verse

and my journey into song.

Contents

Preface

My Heart Cries Out

Hope

First

But I Can’t

But Never

Hard Moments

Everyone Preaches

Unfailing Love

Like You

Not Like David?

Weak (1)

One Thing

The Rejection of Rejection

The Wrong Guys

Beauty

Somebody Else

You Are

Forgetful

Identity Amnesia

Too Much

Celebration

Something in My Hands I Bring

Not Always

No Question

Mercy Prayer

Rest

When God Is Glad

Fearless Forever

Hearts at Rest

Here

In the Way

Traces

Weak (2)

A Light in His Hands

The Good Life

Black Friday

The City

Immanent Sovereignty

Spiritual Schizophrenia

Grace

Tired

Nathan’s Legacy

Wanting

Run and Hide

Boast in You

Judgment Day

The Worship of Another

Two Words You Never Want to Hear

Moral Vulnerability

Need

Walk Away

The Shoulders of Jesus

Tough Moments

Secret Wish

Awake Again

God’s Pleasure

Thankful

Legacy

Revelation

Saving Grace

Afraid

Theology

Romans 7

Uber Music

By Myself

Psalm 73 (Remix)

Why I Hate to Wait

Family Forever

Safe

Me and Mine

Set Free

You Chose

Eavesdrop on Eternity

Functional Blindness

My Calling

The Swindle

Salt and Fire

Good and Angry

Joy

Rescue the Perishing

The Quest

Hoping for a Broken Heart

Time

The Holy of Holies

Goodness

Under Attack

Wait and War

No More “If Only”

The Dance of Redemption

Life View

Broken-Down House

To Be You

Sign Beauty

You Are Not Like Me

The Theology of Beauty

Light and Darkness

Listening to Luther

Psalm 47 (Remix)

The Wisdom of Pain

Ready, Willing, and Waiting

Days of Beauty

My Story

Surrender

Watch Out for the Flesh Eaters!

A Matter of the Heart

Sacrifices

Not Yours

Grace Comes Down

Temptation

Your Law

Sleep

You’re Not

This One

Why Bother?

Dissatisfied

You Came!

Death of Death

What You Want

Wait

Forevermore

Previously Published Poems

About the Photographer

Photo Index

Scripture Index

Back Cover

Preface

I am not a poet; I am a pilgrim.

I am not attracted to formal, overly romantic Christian verse, but I think that we do not train our eyes to see enough, our hearts to consider enough, and our emotions to celebrate enough the glories of the grace that is showered down on us in a thousand ways every day. What you are about to read are notes from my journey through the struggle of God’s amazing grace. These are my meditations on the intersection between God’s ever-present grace and my ever-present battle to live out of the resources of that grace while I walk my way through this sadly broken and dysfunctional world.

You may be wondering why I used both the words “glories” and “struggle” to describe a life of grace. Well, God’s grace is glorious. It is the single stellar glory of the life of God’s children. There is no glory in this created world, no matter how beautiful, that can compete with the beauty of God’s rescuing, forgiving, transforming, empowering, and delivering grace. There is no human achievement, no personal accomplishment, and no community victory that can do for us what God’s grace can do. There is nothing that we can be given that can accomplish in us and for us what God’s grace can. There is no other love that has the power to do what the amazing grace of God’s boundless love can do for us. This grace really is so counterintuitive and mind-blowing that we will spend all of eternity performing exegesis on it, celebrating it, and worshiping the giver for it.

Yet, between the “already” of our conversion and the “not yet” of our home-going, God’s grace doesn’t always look like grace. Instinctively we think that God’s grace will be a warm hug, a cool drink, an encouraging word, or a motivating insight. We look for grace to relieve and release us, and sometimes it does, but God’s grace regularly comes to us in uncomfortable forms. God’s grace causes us to face things in ourselves that are hard to see, consider, accept, and confess. Often God’s grace takes us into things we would like to avoid, things that are hard, discouraging, and sad. God’s grace will not only give us wonderful gifts, but it will also take precious things away from us. It will not only tell us the best news ever, it will also force us to accept the worst news we could ever be told. It will not only tell us that God is strong, but it will remind us of how weak we are without him. It will not only gift us with incredible wisdom, it will require us to face the fact that sin reduces all of us to fools. God’s grace will not only introduce us to the only one in the entire universe who is truly worthy of our worship, but will also expose the catalog of God’s replacements that regularly capture the affections of our hearts.

One of the primary struggles of the Christian life is this: grace doesn’t always seem attractive to us. You see, there is often a difference between what we think we need and what our God of grace knows we need. And even if we are right in knowing what we need, we fail to understand what is necessary to produce that needed thing in us. So often we’d rather have a season when life is easy, predictable, and the people around us are drama-free than a season where transforming grace takes us to new depths of humility, understanding, maturity, and worship. So in each of our lives grace is both a glory and a struggle.

What you are about to read are my honest meditations on that struggle. They are my spontaneous responses to my journey through glory and struggle. They are:

celebratory hymns

disappointing cries

pleas for help

groans of confusion

shouts of joy

theological meditations

desperate requests

heartfelt confessions

hope for help in temptation

quiet contemplations

honest notes along the journey

They were not written as I sat looking out the window of my country cottage (I don’t have one of those) over a pastoral scene on a poet’s retreat. They were written:

early in the morning

late at night

in physical suffering

waiting for tea at Starbucks

on the plane

in the car

in the middle of a meal

when my heart was broken

when my heart was filled with joy

when I was at the end of my rope

when what was around me was hard

when what I saw in me caused grief

when God seemed distant

when I saw my sin clearly

when I basked in God’s forgiveness

when weakness seemed in me and all around me

when I knew God was near

when resting in grace was a struggle

when I knew I’d have strength for the battle

when grace seemed glorious after all

These meditations have been generating and marinating for years. They are the transparent interactions of one man with the Savior of grace. My hope is that this volume will help you to see the Savior more clearly, to understand his grace more deeply, to confess your struggle more honestly, to worship him more fully, and to find in these meditations the motivation to continue to follow the Savior even when he’s leading you into unexpected and hard places. My prayer is that these meditations will stimulate a worship, rest, and celebration in you that the difficulties of life, this side of eternity, will not have the power to end.

My Heart Cries Out

My heart cries out,

but I am not

afraid,

discouraged,

panicked,

forgotten,

alone,

dismayed,

or doubtful

because in the din

of a million voices

from every place,

in every situation,

young and old

crying day and night

in weakness,

in alienation,

in fear,

and in distress,

you are not

overwhelmed,

you are not

distracted,

you are not

disgusted,

you are not

discouraged,

you are not

exhausted.

But you listen,

you hear,

you attend to

my cry

in tenderness of

mercy,

in patience of

spirit,

and with generosity of

love.

You listen to my

plea

and you never

turn

away.

But with power and wisdom

and the tender heart of a

Savior,

you do this amazing thing—

you answer.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayer. (1 Pet. 3:12)

When do you cry out to the Lord?

Do you ever slip into thinking that the Lord might be “overwhelmed,” “distracted,” “discouraged,” or “exhausted” by your situation?

For further study and encouragement, read Genesis 16.

Hope

The only hope,

the only help,

the only rescue,

the only healing,

the only solace,

the only balm,

the only redemption,

the only restoration

for a broken,

dysfunctional,

sin-scarred,

evil-infected,

morally fallen,

dark, and dangerous

world

isn’t found in

information,

socialization,

education,

political solution,

psychological insight,

or personal reformation,

but in the willing

birth,

righteousness,

humiliation,

suffering,

sacrifice,

and resurrection

of a God-man Redeemer.

No idea can liberate,

no power can save,

no institution can redeem,

restore,

resuscitate,

or recreate

what sin has destroyed.

So a Son had to come.

Son of God.

Son of Man.

The Creator

came to recreate.

The Savior came to be

the sacrifice.

The blessed one

came to suffer,

and in suffering

to bless the world with hope,

help,

rescue,

healing,

solace,

balm,

redemption,

and restoration.

The cost of it all was

his life.

It was his birth mission,

his resurrection victory.

History marched toward his coming;

there was no other way.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Rom. 15:13)

What common things do you turn to as a source of hope? How do these things fall short when compared to the hope Christ offers you?

Meditate on and journal about the ways Christ has brought you hope.

For further study and encouragement, read 1 Corinthians 15.

First

It’s not first about my

religious acts,

my spiritual duty, or the

degree of my obedience.

It’s not first about what

I believe,

the precision of my theology,

or the truthfulness of the creed

I embrace.

It’s not first about what

I give,

the regularity of my charity,

or the amount of my benevolence.

It’s not first about

my teaching, my preaching,

or the truths I have shared with others.

It’s not first about

my humility, my faithfulness,

or the extent of my obedience.

It’s first about you—

your righteousness,

your wisdom,

your power,

your authority,

your grace—and how

you have unleashed all of them for

my forgiveness,

my rescue,

my redemption.

My life is no longer about

me;

it is first and foremost about

you.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8–9)

What elements of your spiritual and religious life are you most likely to pride yourself in?

How can you go about today making sure that Jesus is first in your life?

For further study and encourage­ment, read John 13:1–20.

But I Can’t

I wish I could commend

my righteousness to you,

but I can’t.

I wish I could brag of

my strength to you,

but I can’t.

I wish I could boast about my wisdom to you,

but I can’t.

I wish I could point you to my track record,

but I can’t.

I wish I could tell you that I have no regrets,

but I can’t.

You know me better than

I know myself.

I never escape your eye.

You search the deepest

regions of my heart.

You know my thoughts before

they are conscious to me.

You know my words before

I hear myself speak them.

You examine my desires before

they move me to action.

So without pretense or inadequate excuse,

stripped of pride and self-defense,

I bow before you,

devoid of demand or argument,

and I make one plea.

It is for your mercy.

I have come to accept

what you know of me,

and I cry for one thing—

grace.

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.” (Isa. 57:15)

Pray and search through your heart—are there sins you excuse or defend, is there pride or pretense, or do you demand something from God because of your self-righteousness? Humbly offer your discoveries to God.

Review your knowledge of various biblical heroes, particularly considering the moments when God revealed sin in their hearts. How did they react? (To help get started, see Job 38–42:6 or 2 Samuel 12.)

For further study and encouragement, read Psalm 139.

But Never

You humble me,

but never humiliate me.

You confront me,

but never mock me.

You warn me,

but never abandon me.

You call me,

but never leave me alone.

You discipline me,

but never beat me up.

You command me,

but never fail to enable me.

You see into my heart,

but never reject me for what you see.

You teach me your mysteries,

but never make fun of how much I don’t know.

You stay near to me,

but you never tire of me.

You place your love on me,

but never withdraw it when I fail.

So I love you,

but I have come to understand that

my hope and security,

my present and my future,

my acceptance and identity,

my ability and potential,

are not in my love for you,

but in your shocking,

unfailing,

faithful,

wise,

and powerful

love for me.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Rom. 8:35–37)

Recall as many times as you can where God promises to “never” do something in Scripture.

Do you fully base all of your life in God’s love for you?

For further study and encouragement, read Ephesians 2.

Hard Moments

Hard moments

between the already and the not yet.

Hard moments

in a world gone bad.

Hard moments

when temptation seduces.

Hard moments

with body weak and mind tired.

Hard moments

when friends promise, but betray.

Hard moments

when unexpected difficulty surprises.

Hard moments

when discouragement blinds vision.

Hard moments

when once again sin rules the heart.

Hard moments

with so many things broken.

Hard moments—

but I am not alone.

Hard moments—

yet I am never left to my limited resources.

Hard moments

in your hands become

hard moments of transformation.

Hard moments

in your hands become

hard moments

of amazing grace.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Try to recall a past “hard moment” in your life and consider how God’s amazing grace helped you through that time.

Take some time to pray that God will transform today’s hard moments in ways that leave you singing his praises.

For further study and encouragement, read 1 Samuel 1–2:10.

Everyone Preaches

Every one of us is a preacher.

We are always preaching

some kind of gospel to

ourselves.

Every one of us is a theologian.

We are always repeating

some kind of belief system to

ourselves.

Every one of us is a philosopher.

We are always discussing

meaning and purpose with

ourselves.

Every one of us is an archaeologist.

We are always digging through

the mound of experiences

that is our life,

making sense of

where we have been,

what we have done,

what you have done, and

who we’ve been with.

We are always doing this

because we are all

image bearers.

We are created to

think,

interpret,

feel,

know,

desire,

understand,

and worship.

In our seeking to

know

we are searching for

you.

Every one of us is a worshiper

because every one of us is made

for you.