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
Category: Poetry
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
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
Beware
Every bright light
Has to be tested and tried
Held up to your Word
So the darkness can’t hide
“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14
“We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
Not My Will
I don’t need to make a plan or design my life
My best laid plans are mere rags in His sight
For if I know what He wills will surely come to be
I have nothing to worry as my Savior leads me
On the Way
Closer closer, Lord to Thee
My spirit gets every day
Trusting You for the desires of my heart
And my earthly needs while on the way
To an ever after in glory bright
Where I’ll behold You, your beauty
Your radiant light
Stop, Drop and Pray
The weight of my heart
Pulls me down to my knees
Where I cry out to You
And in faith, I believe
You hear and You’ll answer
When and how You please
Raised to Walk
Crucified with Christ
My heart will remain
All my sins buried
My old self lay slain
He could leave me here
In defeat to face my doom
Wait, His outstretched hand I see
Lifting me out of the tomb
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
Tunnel Vision
Shine Your light on my heart
In the corners that need You most
Permeate my spirit
So I don’t misplace my hope
“And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7
Better Tomorrow
When the turmoil of this day goes away
When healing trumps this sorrow
I will love you better tomorrow
As the lines on my face deepen
And past troubles I learn not to borrow
I will love you better tomorrow
Betrayed
And when He was betrayed, He spoke not a word
For He knew it was all in His Father’s hands
To bring about the worst of earthly conditions
As a backdrop to marvel at His glorious plan
“Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Mine on the table. Indeed, the Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but woe to that man who betrays Him.” Luke 22:22
“If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me,
I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers.” Psalm 55:12-14
Gifts of Deficit
Thank You for my sorrow
For it is in the night
I best see Your light
Thank You for my questions
For it is within doubt
My faith finds it’s sight
Thank You for my hunger
For it is the pain of my need
That seeks filling from Your hand
Thank You for keeping my eyes under cover
For it is not knowing tomorrow
That keeps me surrendered to Your plan
Vision
Sorrow only seen with our own mind’s eye
will continually tear us apart.
We have to look to Him and ask for the sight
to view life and tragedies through His heart.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Heaven
Maybe it is a gift
When You don’t make things here
The way that we want
Because here is not the purpose
Or the goal
Our unrequited requests and desires
Refuse to make us whole
And instead point our eyes towards home
A home where all our troubles
Will be washed away
Our tears forgotten
No more dreams tattered and frayed
But all of our hopes finally realized
And our joy completed
On that fateful day
Humbled
Does Christlike to you mean perfect?
Does it mean proud for all you give
Is it a list of your accomplishments?
Just another boast for how you’ve lived?
Or does it mean humble?
Does it mean sick and dependent on His grace?
Is it awareness of your weakened condition?
And finding peace in His embrace?
His Grace Along the Way
My sin has caused me to stumble
My failure causes much pain
But Your loving grace and discipline
Puts to death my own thinking and ways
Each season I rush to reach the end
Of the lesson at hand on my own
Instead of trusting the timing
In Your omniscient Hand is known
“If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins-and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”
1 John 1:10- 2:2
A Thorny Way
Not near the rose pedals
Or lavished with ease
But fighting with the devil
And down on your knees
Trust Him, Trust Him
In bitter tears and strife
His peace He’ll give
As you surrender your life
I Self Identify as…
I am the daughter of a King
Richly blessed, redeemed
I am a warrior, clothed in grace
Equipped and strengthened for this very place
My rags are removed, washed in His blood
Replaced with a crown sealed with His love
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18
Photo credit: https://www.artstation.com/irinaplachkova
Dusty Road
Living in mansions of gold
May have turned my heart to stone
Traveling a carefree road
May have left my need for You unknown
Instead many troubles were designed
Further deepening my search for You
Delivered at specific times
For reasons only Heaven knew
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Uncomfortable
If God leaves you in a place you don’t like, you can either stay miserable or find ways to experience peace and joy in the midst of it. And where is our only source of eternal joy that rises above our circumstances? In Him alone.
My earthly mind says
Make it all the way I want
Just do as I please
Don’t inconvenience or burden me
But His heart says
I’ll cause you discomfort
Uncertainty and unease
Until You place all your trust in Me
Home With You
I don’t need fame or busy-ness
I don’t need success
Just a roof over my head
And Your rest
I don’t need recognition
Or constant activity
I don’t need to be seen
Just Your Spirit
Surrounding and indwelling me
I don’t need to join the crowd
Or make everyone hear my voice
I just need Your promises
Your truths not muted
By the competing noise
Peace like a river invades
When You get me alone
Seeking no one and nothing else
In Your presence, I am home.
His Presence
You’re here with me today
Refreshing and guiding
Reassuring and confiding
Plans You have for me
You’re here with me today
Tangible and not hiding
Whispering and providing
Strength I hadn’t seen
You’re here with me today
Don’t take Your presence away
Stay with me always.
Sovereign Steps
I say I will go this way
But You direct my steps
In my head, all my plans are made
But only You see what’s next
My vision is oft filled
With self-centeredness or fear
Directed by my instinct
To survive and thrive here
Your plans are grander
than I can conceive
Designed with a purpose
Linked to eternity
I know not the path
Nor the way
So close to You
I’ll stay
Christmas
A Silent night as any other
While a miracle was born
Lowly laid in a manger
The very first Christmas morn
Could they hear on that night
His cries that would save
The wrath He would bore
As God set the stage
A fragile babe
Our heavenly King
God’s Light shining down
Erasing death’s sting
In the Arms of God
Fall into my arms
You’ll find a safe haven here
I’m a Father who sees and cares
I’ll wipe away every tear
You don’t need to scramble
To self resolve or heal
My tender arms will do it
Just trust me and be still
In The Heat of the Day
May my joy be found in You
On the long and scorching days
May Your peace overrule
When despair says there’s no way
May my heart learn to wait
When patience has all but gone
May my lips continue to praise You
When my ears can’t hear the song
Scandalous Grace
Scandalous grace
Because no one can earn it
And it can’t be taken away
The lowest of us can wear it
As the proud look on in dismay
Scandalous grace
Because you can’t contain it
And it can’t be sold your way
Bought for us as a loving gift
At a price only He could pay
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” 1 Peter 3:18
Selfish Fears
What if this path brings misery
And I wake up in tears?
What if I wander around in boots of lead
While looking for a clearing to appear
The daunting task of this journey grips me
With threats of pain that may be endured
With no guarantee of how long it will take
And my fragility now underscored
Would the right way bring so much suffering
Is a conflict that lurks in my mind
I must endure the course, come what may
Instead of turning to my instincts this time
I’ll hold onto the hope one day it’ll be over
The work will have accomplished it’s intend
The perils of the journey left behind me
As I look up and behold this path’s end
“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:14
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5
Dependence
You create beauty from all the pieces of our lives.
In our own strength we can do nothing. Our hands just wriggle and writhe
With this knowledge we come before You limited yet sincere
In our dependence on Your mercy and Hand to act mightily here.
Joy Comes in the Morning
This night is long
My requests play on repeat
Do you hear me? Are You answering?
I circle the same bleak scene.
My mind is tired, my spirit despaired
I try to conjure up gratitude
But none is found here
Then in the darkness, I hear His whisper in my ear.
Jump for joy, rejoice in your faith!
You’ve held onto my Hand and have not lost your way.
Through this storm, your character was born.
Be encouraged for my joy comes in the morn!
“O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.” Psalm 13
Overhaul of My Heart
It had to be done, You say
There was no other way
I was sick and in need of repair
Each piece taken apart
Examined and decided
The remedy would come through despair
I may not understand
I may not like it
But there’s purpose in the troubles I bear
Written
Uncertainty need not lurk in our minds
Obsessing about allowed or forbidden
He’s won the war and determined our course
The end has already been written
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:37-39
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Phillipians 1:6
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4-5
Calling all Sinners
I desire mercy over sacrifice
I paid the highest price
For an open door to commune with you
So bow your knee, confess your sins
Follow Me and walk in truth.
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:13
‘”Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”’ John 8:10-11
For further discussion on this scripture, check out: https://www.christiantoday.com/article/what-does-it-mean-when-god-desires-mercy-over-sacrifice/88736.htm
Don’t be a Crybaby
He will always respond to a repentant heart with grace
But come to Him with an argument
and you’ll fight and kick to defend your case
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Captain God
This restless sea inside of me
Tries to pull me under
But I’ve learned to sail by the winds of Your Word
Unmoved by strike nor thunder
My compass spins out of control
Guided by worry and doubt
But my Captain aboard anticipated the course
And lovingly steers the route
I cannot see what’s ahead of me
But certain treasures I know will be there
His companionship and peace sustain me
As I sail with my God in prayer.
Hope
Look up ahead! There is a clearing
A beam of sunlight past the bend
Can you see it? Do you feel it?
Heavenly hope streaming in
From a source so grand
Beyond our understand
It’s bubbling, now overflowing
Gifts pouring from His hand
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19
Pleading
Is my self deception too great for Your spirit?
My ears too clogged to hear Your Word?
Is my spirit too strong willed to sense your direction?
My vision too tainted to understand all observed?
If I have no ears to hear nor eyes to see
If all of my ambitions center around me
Then stop me in my path, turn me around
Whatever Your judgement, let it be.
But if I have sought and believed Your Word
If I have surrendered my will to Yours
Confessed my sin and trusted Your grace
Let not my prayers go unheard.
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9
“Now, will God not judge in favor of his own people who cry to him day and night for help? Will he be slow to help them? I tell you, he will judge in their favor and do it quickly. But will the Son of Man find faith on earth when he comes?” Luke 18:7-8
Overruled
With a contrite heart, I come before You
Confessing all I’ve tried to control by my will.
With my troubled mind, I’ve justified
With my sinful flesh, I’ve refused to be still.
I’ve hoped beyond all human reason
That Your hand would still provide
A way out of this wilderness
Out of the mess we’ve contrived
Is it Your grace I have hoped for
Or my selfish desires to come true
Is it Your plan I envision
Or am I forcing my plan on You?
Roll in with a thunder
Strike with Your mighty hand
May Your will be done, not mine, I cry
But not let my tears thwart Your plan.
Christian Poetry, Thoughts & Analogies 