Because in each day, no matter how dark or how long, there is a praise to be found. Sometimes our hearts are too weary or too frightened to voice them, but our souls cry out to God... and He is there.
The sun sets on another year.
Still, joy lights up the skies,
For I have faith that very soon
A new year’s sun will rise.
And Your plans will prevail.
Upon that truth, I stand in faith
That Your love cannot fail.
Your mercies, Lord, are vast.
Greater even than the heavens,
Is the love that will last.
Until they burn away,
But Your love is eternal love,
And it is here to stay!
Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your
faithfulness to the clouds.
Today was not an easy one,
It had ups and some downs,
But at the end of it I’ll say
There was more joy than frowns.
And, also, from relief,
But, in the end, Your plan prevailed,
Despite my disbelief.
Assure I hit my knees
Each time I come to a day’s end,
To say thank You and please.
Your grace is without end.
Your plans are always far better
Than what I may intend.
For all the joy today,
And even for the tears I cried.
I prefer life Your way!
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He
who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts
of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
The time to pause and to reflect
Has come around once more.
Both my blessings and my failures,
A review, not a score.
Barely even a trace
Of Your patience and forgiveness,
And precious little grace.
More than there was last year.
I’m heading on the right path now,
Though I have not drawn near.
A faithful reflection
Of You and all Your loving grace,
But still, the work’s begun.
Lord, that’s where they should be.
If I’m to grow to reflect You,
It’s You I need to see.
As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man
reflects the man.
The wind that whistles in the eaves
Is calling through the night.
The warmth of the daylight now fades,
Frosting all within sight.
Balancing dark and light.
The nights are long, the days are short,
Though often crisp and bright.
The summer’s warm delight,
And winter’s cold, quiet beauty.
Each season is just right.
For everything there is a season, and a time for
every matter under heaven
I feel the Sabbath settle in,
The pace of life slows down,
And all the world within my sight
Reflects Your golden crown.
You are my peace within the storm,
My path when I am lost,
The shield between me and my sins.
For You have paid the cost.
Your mercies and Your grace abound,
Blessings beyond my due,
And I will rest upon Your Word
Knowing that I’m with You.
My soul sings out its praise to You
In joy that will not cease,
For this world reflects Your glory
And fills my heart with peace.
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
All glory to
the Lord on high,
Praises I sing
to Him.
He called my
name and I am His.
All praise I
sing to Him.
Praises I
sing to Him.
He redeemed
me from the darkness.
All praise I
sing to Him.
Praises I
sing to Him.
He keeps my
feet upon God’s path.
All praise I
sing to Him.
The three,
the perfect one,
Creator, Guide
and Redeemer,
Father, Spirit,
and Son.
Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
For unto us a child was born,
The Everlasting King,
The Good Shepherd, the Redeemer
Of whom the heavens sing.
To lead us back to grace.
He paid the price we could not pay,
By dying in our place.
He gave up heaven’s throne
To be born in a cold stable,
His crib, a trough of stone.
Wonderful Counselor,
Born to bring Light to a dark world,
And our lost souls restore.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the
government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
We speak of peace at Christmas time,
The dark night, soft and still,
But mine has never been that way.
I doubt it ever will.
A silent night on earth.
Travel weary, without a place,
Then having to give birth.
Shepherds sent on the run,
A stable filled with animals,
And a new life begun.
But one of gratitude
That washed away the noise and pain
In joyous attitude.
I’ll be with family,
And grateful my Christmas will be
Both joyous and noisy.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him
in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for
them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with
great fear.
I had my plans all set in place,
My day laid out just right.
Then, without warning, it all changed
And my plans all took flight.
With no hope they’d return.
I don’t know why I still make plans…
You’d think, by now, I’d learn.
I did as I was asked.
I can’t complain if I am blessed
Each time I find I’m tasked.
It seems each chore You hand to me
Is filled with such delight
That I have no complaints to make,
No wrongs to be made right.
They were of small value,
And reminding me that Your plans
Are what I want to do!
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the
purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Just be still and hear His voice,
He’s speaking straight to you.
He knows the weight you’re carrying
And all that you’ve been through.
And also of your tears.
He’s waiting for you to be still
So He can calm your fears.
You cannot hear His voice.
Be still and know that He is God.
In Him you can rejoice.
His love, the tempests calm.
For His mercy heals every wound,
His peace, the perfect balm.
Sit down and just be still.
He is the Lord who loves you, child.
Always has, always will.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
The seasons
change as God has planned,
The universe
aligns.
Yet, all were
called forth by His hand.
His wonders
and His signs.
But, with
tomorrow’s dawn,
The light
half of the year returns
And darkness
will move on.
That lingers
on my mind,
But, instead,
love and awe for Him
Who can,
such forces, bind.
Was not a one
time thing.
For man can’t
always comprehend
The gifts such
love can bring.
Then turned
back to the dark,
He sent His Light
once more to us,
To rekindle
the spark.
To be a
child of man,
And bring us
back into God’s Light.
Fulfilling God’s
own plan.
Upon the lives
of those
Who wandered
through the cold, dark hills.
Yet, they were
who He chose.
Across the
dark of night
And call His
children back to grace
By following
His Light.
We’re
reminded again
Of love so
great, it’s redemptive.
He Is the
Light of man.
In him was
life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and
the darkness has not overcome it.
There is a
whisper of sorrow
Nestled into
my heart.
It’s always
there, soft, but present,
When the
holidays start.
And each
year they both grow.
Yet, I know
that, tucked in my heart,
Lingers that
small sorrow.
More a sweet
memory
Of those
with whom I’ve shared these joys,
Who, now,
aren’t here with me.
They would
not want it so.
It’s just
enough to remind me
That such
love won’t let go.
As they are
meant to be,
And I will hold
my loved ones close,
In life or
memory.
The Lord is
near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Quiet moments and gentle thoughts,
The week draws to a close
As I find what I’ve been seeking.
Your peace is my repose.
And, as the night draws nigh,
I find I am content to spend
This time, just You and I.
With new chores on my list,
But, for tonight, my world is still.
Its chaos is dismissed.
To get done every day,
But, even more, I thank You for
Time to be still and pray.
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the
mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
Tonight, I seek
the joy and peace
That rest within
Your Word.
The world has
spoken, all day long,
And noise is all
I’ve heard.
Can weigh upon
my heart
Until I feel the
stress born tears
Slowly begin to start.
And rest upon
the rock.
Read Your words of
hope, peace, and joy,
In which my soul
takes stock.
The insights of
old kings.
I speak the words
You spoke to us
And feel the
hope it brings.
When I focus on
You
And listen with heart,
mind and soul,
As You taught me
to do.
I feel the joy
unlock
Until Your hope,
Your peace fill me.
I dance, Lord,
on The Rock!
And again Isaiah
says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in
him will the Gentiles hope.” 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.
Be careful who you choose to serve
As you walk through this life.
Serving the Lord, sharing His grace,
Or serving satan’s strife.
Of hatred and of wrath,
Will find yourself unsatisfied
At the end of the path.
The hunger in your soul.
You will just magnify that lack
With hate and sin, your goal.
To turn from that dark way.
The price for serving satan takes
Eternity to pay.
That Christ’s grace can make right,
But only if you turn back from
The darkness to the Light.
You seek to sow in life.
Eternity is a long time
To live beneath that knife.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My heart grows heavy, now and then,
When I look at the world.
The anger and the violence,
Both stones and slanders hurled.
And our thoughts more unkind.
That light that’s at the tunnel’s end,
Is difficult to find.
I feel Your perfect grace
Fill up the darkness with Your light
‘Til hope reclaims its place.
Returns to me once more.
There is no joy this world may take
That Your love can’t restore.
That faith will heal my pain.
With Your love as my guiding Light,
Faith, hope and joy remain.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the
greatest of these is love.
Each time I seek to hide away
I hear You call to me,
You have a task for me to do,
Somewhere I need to be.
To hide from the world’s eyes,
But You know what is best for me,
Despite what I surmise.
I tend to panic, just a bit,
But I have learned one thing…
When You tell me it’s time to go,
I go with rejoicing.
Enough time to be heard,
Then send them off while I head out,
Grateful and undeterred.
But I am so blessed, too,
For You trusted me to get done
What You sent me to do.
I’m always in Your sight.
When You call me to stop hiding,
I dance, Lord, with delight!
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot
see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
Lift up your voices to the Lord,
Rejoice in His blessings,
And never let your hearts forget
All that His mercy brings.
His promise never fails
To lift us up and lead us through,
Even life’s worst travails.
To praise His name in song
And let the joy of thankful hearts
Rise up all the day long.
And let that joy increase
Knowing His love for you is fierce
And His love will not cease.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break
forth into joyous song and sing praises!
My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.
I never heard the angels sing,
Nor followed a bright star,
But I too found Emmanuel
Without travelling far.
But I still heard His call.
His quiet voice said “follow me”,
And so I did. That’s all.
All that He asked of me
Was that I follow where He leads,
And that’s where I will be.
Just as those who were called before,
I don’t know what I’ll face,
But I know who I’m following
Into the Lord’s embrace.
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am,
there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
When we stand in the maelstrom
We often curse and cry.
Instead of asking for Your help
We blame You and ask why.
Thinking we’re in control.
It’s almost as if we can’t see
The picture, clear and whole.
Are meant to teach us to
Stop thinking about “poor old me”
And turn our thoughts to You.
Of most that this life brings,
That we need You to guide us through
This life’s arrows and slings.
Instead of rage or pride,
We find that we can withstand life
With You there by our side.
And we find our way through.
Maybe the storms are meant to teach
Us how much we need You.
Who’s in control each day,
But, He who is, stands close enough
To help us find the way.
That pop up in this life,
But You will always be the peace
We need to brave such strife.
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face
to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon
you and give you peace.
Wherever I may find myself,
I call out to the Lord.
For He it is who redeemed me
And all my hope restored.
And celebrate His name,
But when troubles rise around me,
It’s His refuge I claim.
And turn my eyes to Him.
I follow Him as He leads me
Along the rock’s high rim.
My refuge in despair.
In Him I find respite and peace,
For His love’s always there.
Though my heart’s faint within.
For my faith rests within the grace
That healed me of my sin.
from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is
faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a
strong tower against the enemy.
I try to share
with all I meet
The grace I live
each day,
And demonstrate
the truth I’ve learned
To others on
my way.
As You’ve
called me to do.
Yet, even
more than all of these,
I hold in
faith to You.
Other than through
Your grace.
All my good
works won’t be enough,
Your mercy,
to replace.
And hold in
faith to You,
Believing in
the promise that
You hold onto
me, too!
For we hold
that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
However dark the world may seem,
However deep the night,
I’ll find the path I need to take
When I follow Your Light.
And climb steep, rocky trails,
But I will keep my eye on You
Throughout this life’s travails.
I’ll praise You with delight,
For You kept me upon the path
And lead me by Your Light.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
This sweet photo of the sun lighting a dark path is a blessing from DE
What seems coincidence to man,
Has always been His plan.
For He has seen both start and end,
As only the Lord can.
Awaiting winter’s frost.
The branches upon which they hung
Shaped much like my sin’s cost.
Upon the cold fir bough.
The image, vivid in my mind.
I see it even now.
Reflected on that limb
Which bore the shape of that old cross.
Father, Spirit and Him.
Pinecones upon a tree.
The blessing comes in knowing that
He set them there for me,
In just that place, at just that time,
Where He knew I would be.
I and the Father are one.”
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
We speak of peace when all is still,
The peace that’s of this world.
Far greater still it is to live
His perfect peace unfurled.
And often hard to find,
But that born of the Father’s grace
Is the eternal kind.
To those who walk His path,
It holds them even when they stand
Within this cold world’s wrath.
Despite what you walk through,
And keeps you focused on His Word.
His peace will not leave you.
Fickle and petulant.
It is the peace poured out from Christ.
Indeed, it’s heaven sent.
What you have learned and received and heard and seen in
me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I’ll finish on a note of hope
With a bright splash of joy.
Meet life’s challenges with all of
The faith you can employ,
And let your heart be not troubled
By what each day may bring.
Stand in the hope He’s in control,
And you have cause to sing.
He will not let you go.
Keep your hope fixed upon that truth
And just let your joy grow.
Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe
also in me.
The stillness of a winter’s eve,
The snow brushing the bough,
And quiet time to spend with You,
If just for here and now.
That slip in every day
To distract me from time with You,
All to my great dismay.
In this season of noise,
To make time to spend in the peace
Which my soul so enjoys.
Open my heart to You.
While this world’s distractions grow old,
Your peace is ever new.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord.