Just as I am
I find your embrace
You’ll use me here
In this very place
Not by my merit
But by your grace
“From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” John 1:16
Month: March 2022
Hope Beyond all Reason
If the Lord wills it, it will come to pass
Although his timing looks different than mine
While in the waiting, I can rest assured
Knowing at his determined time, his promises I’ll find
“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” Romans 4:19-21
In Want and in Plenty
Let my hunger drive me to You, to bow at your throne of grace
But when I’m full and satisfied, may I remain in that place.
Let my blindness lead to a renewed and strengthened faith
But once my vision is clear, may I continue to see your face.
How and When to Go
It was time to go, but I stubbornly stayed
Even when the land around me went dry
Abandoned to this wasteland
Endlessly searching for signs of life
But no sustenance would be found
Only drought and silence would abound
In this dry and fallow ground
With reluctance and tiny steps
And a good bye to all buried below
I gathered up my belongings and heart
And found His footsteps to follow
““ ‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit.” Leviticus 26:18-20
Confidence
I will not wait for You to rescue me
For You already did so on the cross
You’ve given me everything I need
To thrive, succeed and not be lost
My heart and my life
Are under the blanket of your care
I have freedom to move in confidence
And strength for all trials to bear.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
A Love Letter
I love you more then you can grasp. My love is unwavering, unchanging.
And, nothing you can do will alter it or take it away.
When you walk or run away from me, I hurt because I long to be with you.
I chose to face death to be with you.
I chose to see your sins no more.
I chose to speak until you heard me.
I chose to never close the door.
Healing
Let my tears melt the grief
Let my steps erase the memories
Let your truth destroy the lies
Let my prayers heal the sadness
Let your grace remove the regret
Let my faith give thanks for the goodbye
The Real Enemy
Our enemy, the deceiver
Always with something up his sleeve
Seeks to destroy and divide
And works to steal our peace
—
Be on the lookout, be alert
Hedge your heart so he can’t get in
Once inside the disguise is greater
And manipulates our lean to sin
—
Remember who the enemy is
Before his attempts begin
Our fight is not against each other
But principalities of darkness around and within.
“Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” John 13:34
Deep Roots
I was blinded
because I chose not to see
I didn’t want to acknowledge
The sin in me
I let it’s roots take hold
And what a grip they grow
But thank God, He sets me free
Illustrations of Love
The truth of our redemption
Is the perfect picture of beauty
It embodies the fullness of your grace
To all who will receive and believe
—
It represents a new covenant
Through your Spirit and sacrifice
It is You ending our lawless attempts
And uniting us as your bride
Savior
He’ll take the leftovers, the cast aways, the ones forgotten and thrown away
He’ll take the hopeless cases, the given up, the accused, the strays
He’ll take them all, bandage their wounds, love them fully and still have room.
He’ll stand beside them as their proud bridegroom and offer them life outside the tomb.
Where to Then?
When He doesn’t raise the dead
But stays longer on his journey instead
When He doesn’t end the suffering
Or the drought with a fresh lain spring
When He allows the boat to capsize
And sits silently while we cry
Where does our faith, then, abide?
To the tomb, to the inner room
To the cross where He was forsaken
To the moments before victory
Where his believers sat unshaken
Iron, Silver & Fruit
We sharpened each other
Like an axe to the grind
Bearing down all the edges
Smoothing sin we tried to hide
Our weaknesses surfaced
But in grace we loved anyway
As little by little his righteousness
Burst forth and took the stage
For you, my friend, bore fruit in me
And I the same in you
I’ll never forget and always be thankful
For the refining we went through
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
“This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’ ” Zechariah 13:9
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2
Believe
Let not my pride rob me
Nor my unforgiveness blind me
But my eyes of faith provide me
Vision to hope and believe
Let not my doubt corrupt me
Nor my selfishness drive me
But my call of grace guide me
To more than I can think or dream
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,” Ephesians 3:20
Sweet Surrender
To walk with You is my greatest desire
Receiving the wisdom of my faithful Father
No other fortunes or earthly ways
Satisfy this heart like your embrace
You humble every lofty idea
Reminding me I am but dust
All while loving and blessing me here
What a gift! The simplicity of trust
“More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” Philippians 3:8
Wind or Will
It will disappear with the wind
If it is something I want to make believe
Unless it is God-breathed
If it is his will
And of this, I’m convinced
I no longer need to see the evidence
His Will, Way and Timing
I envisioned the path I wanted, so I toiled day and night to prepare it. I cleared out the brush, smoothed the gravel and started to put on my shoes.
I knew exactly what this path would bring, or so I conceded: love, long life, happiness, everything a girl could dream.
So I began my petition “Please Lord, oh bless this road I built. Let me have it. You see how perfect it is to be used for your will.” But He just kept telling me “Be still”.
The brush kept growing over. Soon barriers started popping up. “Lord what are you doing? Are You saying no to my request?” So, I’d clear it again, pray harder this time, keep working, never to rest.
Until the brush grew so tall, there was no way around it. My way was blocked with no recourse. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. So, I sat and mourned, questioned and screamed.
Then one day the brush shriveled up, the weeds crumbled to dirt and the path was clear. But now it looked like a brand new road – a tree lined path with a refreshing breeze. And this is what the Lord said to me:
“While you were toiling and spinning your wheels, I saw just what was in need. I saw the undergrowth that would be popping up on your way. I saw hazards and choking weeds. I allowed the brush to stop you, so I could finish my work and make this path the best it could be. Now go on my dear, we’ll journey from here on this path you’ve entrusted to me.”
The Flood
You’re working in each of our lives
For You know all the changes needed
Still in the storm, clinging to the one branch left
You’ll let us know when the waters have receded
“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.” Genesis 8:11
God of Certainty
He is not a God of confusion
He clearly lays his plans out
He whispers his intentions
And is faithful to bring them about
So don’t let the waiting or the shadows
Fill your heart with doubt
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3
Don’t trade what you know for what you don’t know…
Maybe this part of the past
Won’t be reconciled
Looking back
there may still be gaping holes
But time to let go of the questions
And focus on the truths I know
Although many days
seemed meant for evil
He’ll use them to produce good
Though oft it appeared
the enemy was winning
I’ll see his purpose in the end withstood
Battlefield
With an increase in wind
All my doubt rushed in
Harder pressure on all sides
Surfaced my pride
Humbled to find
The battlefield
In my mind
“The greatest challenge in receiving great things from God is holding on for the last half hour” selected from Streams in the Desert
under cover
Broken,
Missing a beat
Defeated,
Can’t even weep
Faithless,
With no sight
Wishing for answers,
Night after night
Hope is gone
You can’t be found
Only darkness surrounds
“He has blocked my way so I cannot pass; he has shrouded my paths in darkness.” Job 19:8
Christian Poetry, Thoughts & Analogies 