Closer to Jesus

Words and music by Abigail Miller

She stood before the rows of empty vessels.
One little pot of oil was in her hand,
And though she may have never seen a miracle,
She willingly obeyed the Lord’s command.

She bent and poured the oil into each vessel.
It flowed out in a full and steady stream,
And did not cease until they said, “There’s not a vessel more,”
And then she saw that what she’d had was more than what it seemed.

Chorus:
Pour out your life, freely now,
See what the Master can do.
Though it seems unbelievable,
He can use me, He can use you!
Though all you have seems weak and poor,
He sets before you an open door,
One pot of oil becomes so much more
When you pour it out to the Lord.

Each day I face my rows of empty vessels,
I’m conscious of the weakness of my hands,
And though I know I can’t perform a miracle,
By His grace I follow His commands.

Lord, pour Your life through me into each vessel,
Each one that You would place within my care,
And let me not cease giving, ’til there’s not a vessel more,
Father, let my life be poured out–may it ever be my prayer!

Chorus

Though all you have seems weak and poor,
He sets before you an open door,
One pot of oil becomes so much more,
When you pour it out to the Lord.
Won’t you pour it out to the Lord?

Words and music by Abigail Miller

I think this is the hundredth time I’ve said, “Don’t slam the door,”
And I know I’m getting tired of sweeping Cheerios off the floor.
There’s peanut butter on the kitchen curtains I just made,
And finger-printed windows in every room where they have played.
Sometimes I feel like changing diapers is all I’m living for,
But Lord when I’m before You, I know there’s ever so much more.
Please help me to remember these words that You have said,
That I may see my children through Your eyes.

Chorus:
Whatever you do unto one of the least of these,
You have done it unto Me.
A cup of cold water, a kiss on the knee,
Whatever you do, you’ve done it unto Me.

There are toys everywhere I look, there’s laundry in the hall,
There are schoolbooks in the kitchen, colored pictures on the wall,
Sometimes I grow to envy those whose house is always clean,
Who have time to do the projects of which I can only dream,
Sometimes it seems like motherhood is a never-ending chore,
But Lord, when I’m before You, I know there’s ever so much more,
Help me to see that everything I do can be a way
To offer up my services to You.

Chorus

“Suffer the little children to come unto Me,”
Like little children is what You wanted us to be,
There’s so much that we can learn, dear Lord,
When we see our children through Your eyes.

Chorus

Whatever you do unto one of these, you’ve done it unto Me.
Whatever you do, you have done it unto Me.

Words and music by Abigail Miller; Sung by Christiana Miller

Jesus wants me to follow Him,
He wants me to serve and obey.
He alone can wash me from sin,
And help me to please Him each day.
I want to please Him more than anything,
I want to be known as a daughter of the King!

Chorus:
The King’s daughter, all glorious within,
Pure and white, washed from sin.
I want to be just like Him,
He’s making me all glorious within.

Though I’m so young, and very small,
Right now is the time to begin
To give to the Lord my life, my all,
He calls me to come unto Him.
I want to please Him more than anything,
I want to be known as a daughter of the King!

Chorus

He’s making me all glorious within.

Words and music by Abigail Miller

These little hands are miracle of grace.
Your shining eyes and your sweet and smiling face.
All that you are, and all you’ll grow to be
Is evidence that God is ever merciful to me!

Chorus:
Oh, I see mercy in the miracle you are,
A gift to me sent straight from Heav’n above.
God the Father has made me a mother,
What a miracle of mercy and of love.

Looking at you, I’m amazed at what I see.
A bright, living miracle looking back at me.
Perfect according to God’s divine design.
Oh, I know that I’m unworthy, but I call this treasure mine.

Chorus

I am a child of the Father above,
You are a gift of His mercy and love,

Chorus

What a miracle of mercy and of love!

Words and music by Abigail Miller

He leads His flock like a calm, gentle Shepherd,
He takes the lambs in His arms, to His bosom,
He ever keeps, never sleeps, never slumbers,
Calling His own as He tenderly woos them.

Chorus:
He will gently lead those with young,
He will gently lead them with a song.
He will hold your hand, give you strength to stand,
‘Til the better land is in sight.
He will gently lead you through the night.

Who knows His pow’r, who has given Him counsel,
He holds the seas in His hand, in its hollow,
He weighs the mountains and hills in a balance,
His the great pow’r we exalt as we follow.

Chorus

Bridge: Who can comprehend such gentleness?
Who can measure such great pow’r?
The One who has created the universe
Is mindful of you–every hour.

Words and music by Abigail Miller

Uriah was a mighty man of valor,
He was strong, and he was brave, and he was true.
He had won so many battles, he was faithful to the end,
Until the day he met betrayal at the hand of a trusted friend.

Uriah pressed forward, Uriah pressed hard,
And he was strong in the battle for the Lord,
But when the enemy was nearest, and the fighting grew too hot,
The army withdrew, and . . . Uriah was lost.

We too are fighting in a fearsome battle,
We must be strong, we must be brave, we must be true,
But after oh, so many battles, when a brother gets a wound,
Do we blame him, ’cause he’s careless, do we leave him all too soon?

The soldier pressed forward, the soldier pressed hard,
And he was strong in the battle for the Lord,
But when the enemy was nearest, and the fighting grew too hot,
The army withdrew, and . . . the soldier was lost.

There are soldiers all around us who have fallen.
They were strong and they were brave and they were true,
But now because they’re weak and wounded, we turn our hearts to stone,
We watch them drop their weapons, exposed and all alone,

Bridge: Oh, who upon the field of battle leaves a friend alone,
When the enemy is strongest, who would dare desert their own?
Oh, who will stand beside their brothers, watch and weep and pray,
Who will raise a wounded soldier, to fight another day?

Oh, soldiers press forward, oh, soldiers press hard,
And be strong in the battle for the Lord,
And when the enemy is nearest, and the fighting grows too hot,
May we fight as one man, may we fight as one man,
May we fight as one man, that not one soldier may be lost.

Words and music by Abigail Miller

Crushed, shaken by wind,
Darkened within
Staggered by sin,
I was afraid.
Bruised, covered with shame
Until He came,
Calling my name,
Lifting me–tenderly,
Changing my wounds for the good,
As only He could.

Chorus:
For the bruised reed He shall not break
And the smoking flax, He will not quench
For He loves and tenderly cares for His own.
He will not leave me alone.

A flame–once burning bright,
Shining through night,
Flickering light–
Now it is gone.
Smoke rises like a sigh
‘Til He draws nigh.
Light’ning the eye.
He will heal and reveal
All He has worked for the good
As only He could.

Chorus (He will not leave you alone.)

If you are weary and heavy within,
Trampled by pain,
Bruised by your sin,
He will not leave you or cast you away.
He turns the midnight to glorious day.
He’ll exchange ashes for beauty again,
He’ll replace sorrow with joy in His name!

Chorus

He will not leave you alone.

Words and music by Abigail Miller

The king had planned a wedding feast,
To honor his dear Son.
He sent his men to tell the honored guests
The time had come.
But the foolish men made light of it
And went, each one, his way,
And the king was told, “There are no guests
To bless this wedding day.

The king, in anger, sent his men–
“Go out into the streets,
And call the lost, the blind, the
dumb, the lame with broken feet,
And still when this was done,
the servant said, “Yet there is room.”
The king replied, “Go out once more–
Compel them all to come.”

Chorus:
Compel them, compel them to come in.
Far too long they have wandered in the darkness of their sin.
There is rest at my table,
There is peace and joy within,
So compel them, compel them, compel them to come in.

And now the King of Heaven
plans the Supper of the Lamb.
We have a special
invitation from the Great I AM.
He bids us go to every creature,
Spread the Gospel word,
Go out into the highways to the ones
Who’ve never heard.

Oh, the highways and hedges are so filled with lost and blind,
He said, “Go and bring as many as ye find!”

Chorus

End (interlude) — “compel them to come in…”

Words and music by Abigail Miller; Sung by Daniel Miller

God has given Christian armor to the ones who follow Him,
For without His strength and power we can never conquer sin,
So with peace and truth and righteousness we stand against the wrong,
God is making me a soldier brave and strong!

Chorus:
So I’ll march to the battle with the Sword of the Lord,
And I’ll face every giant by the power of His Word,
Through His might, I will conquer and I’ll sing His triumph song
God is making me a soldier brave and strong.

With the helmet of salvation and the mighty shield of faith,
I must fight until the evil cannot find a hiding place.
With all prayer and perseverance, though the battle seems so long,
One day we will join the great victorious throng.

(Chorus x2)

God is making me a soldier brave and strong!

Words and music by Abigail Miller; Words for What a Friend We Have In Jesus by Joseph Scriven 1855; Music by Charles Converse, 1868; Public domain

In this life we often face fears we can’t ignore,
And in our need we find that there’s a hand we’re reaching for.
Our dearest friends may fail to understand, try as they may,
But there is One who never fails us, day after day.

There is a Friend who will never forsake you,
There is a Friend who forever will take you
Just as you are, He knows every need of your heart.
There is a Friend who is ever beside you,
Loving you, leading you, safely He’ll hide you,
In every trial and trouble, He knows what to do,
For He cares for you.

There are always feelings deep inside we can’t express,
Words are often not enough to show the heart’s distress,
But there is One to whom we go, who needs no words to know
The secret inner workings of the heart, and of the soul.

There is a Friend who is closer than a brother,
There is a Friend unlike any other,
He knows what you’re feeling before you ever speak a word.
There is a Friend who is greater than sorrow,
There is a Friend who holds your tomorrow,
No matter what comes He will never leave you alone,
For you are His own.

What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer.

There is a Friend who will never forsake you,
There is a Friend who forever will take you
Just as you are, He knows every need of your heart.
There is a Friend who is ever beside you,
Loving you, leading you, safely He’ll hide you,
In every trial and trouble, He knows what to do,
For He cares for you.

For He cares for you.

Arranged by Abigail Miller © 2003; Words for Jesus Loves Me by Anna Warner and David Rutherford McGuire; Music by William Bradbury; Words for This Is My Father’s World by Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901; Music by Franklin L. Sheppard, 1915.
Sung by Lydia, Daniel, Christiana, and Abigail Miller

Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so,
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
Yes, Jesus loves me,
The Bible tells me so.

This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears,
All nature sings and ’round me rings
The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world,
He shines in all that’s fair,
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world,
O, let me ne’er forget,
That though the wrong seems oft’ so strong,
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heav’n be won.

This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and heav’n be won.

The Bible tells me so.