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.
I’ve stumbled and I’ve fumbled, Lord,
Trying to find my praise.
I think this might be one of those
“Just be still” kind of days.
And listen for Your voice.
While I’m waiting, I’ll use my time
To sing out and rejoice.
That speak to my heart’s praise,
My soul never hesitates to
Rejoice in You always!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand
As it was in the early days,
When His voice still echoed,
And those who’d heard it understood
The truth His words bestowed,
Sharing with each other
The words He spoke, the bread they ate,
And grace for one another.
That same breaking of bread,
Though sharing seems a bit harder
With stiff neck and hard head.
To pride in what we give
Instead of trying to inspire,
To live as we should live.
Who had much less to share,
But shared it gladly, nonetheless,
Because they felt You there.
With loving hearts these days,
For Your Spirit still lives in us.
Let us break bread and praise.
And day by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous
hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added
to their number day by day those who were being saved.
We live in frictious times, that’s true,
And some are prone to wrath,
But I am trying to live life
Walking along Your path.
Though truth is still a must.
Yet there are so many who choose
To speak rage and disgust.
Responding out of ire,
But You’ve called us to speak from love,
So I must quench that fire.
Please remind me to pause
And seal my lips until I’m calm
In respect of Your laws.
Before I speak harshly.
Then give me wisdom to speak truth,
But do so graciously.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the
door of my lips!
Those still waters were hard to find
I thought I never would,
But then I listened with my heart,
As You had said I should.
Beneath the day’s wild rush.
It held a gentle note of joy,
So soft, almost a hush.
Rustled upon the shore
And I followed that gentle sound
Where I’d not been before.
My old soul felt brand new,
And it was then I realized…
The water flowed from You.
Yet, I had failed to see
That I’d been standing all my life
In Your love and mercy.
But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.
The cold is coming back again,
The dark night settles in,
The air is filled with chimney smoke.
Let the long night begin.
Take time to count blessings,
Then rest until the dawn calls me
To all a new day brings.
A hope to see me through,
And, as a new week commences,
I’ll fix my thoughts on You.
Hebrews 4:9-10
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of
God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God
did from his.
I give to You my thanks, tonight,
For watching over me.
You kept me from the harm ahead,
Which I could not foresee.
And then, abundantly,
You poured it back into my life.
I praise You thankfully.
That once haunted my life.
Though this world hasn’t changed, I have.
I no longer fear strife.
To those who need a hand,
For I’ve received from You more grace
Than I can understand.
In everything I do,
And, in the name of my Savior,
Grow closer, Lord, to You.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Where do I find the courage, Lord,
To speak to You at all?
You are the creator of worlds,
while I am weak and small.
The heavens ignore me,
And there are no commands I know
That will calm a wild sea.
And call Your name anew,
Praying that You will hear my heart
As it cries out to You.
In words I understand,
Assuring me that I still rest
In the palm of Your hand.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are
mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
The Lord is my strength and my song
I will not be afraid.
Though this world lives in upheaval
My soul is not dismayed.
And curse the ways of man,
But I will choose to trust in You,
And rest within Your plan.
My soul would quake with fear.
Instead, I walk within the peace
Of knowing You are near.
My salvation’s in You.
Therefore, since You bid me fear not,
Then, Lord, that’s what I’ll do.
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not
be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my
salvation.”
The first step in our repentance
Is recognizing sin.
You can’t heal from the evil lived
If you still let it in.
We may simply dismiss.
Yet, that makes them dangerous, so
Let us consider this:
Telling those “small white lies”,
Giving the laws that He gave us
Our “updated” revise.
Which we don’t count as sin,
But His instructions matter, not
The preferences of men.
Which one we hold most dear,
His laws or those of mortal man.
For me, that choice is clear.
It’s not easy to do.
Yet still, it matters that we try
And not just pretend to.
Can become very large
If we place our values before
Those of Him, who’s in charge.
His blood shed to restore,
But He also admonished us
To go and sin no more.
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of
God over one sinner who repents.”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I
condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
I feel I’m carrying a weight
That’s too heavy to bear,
But, I will carry it to You.
Then, Lord, I’ll leave it there.
I cannot heal the lame,
I cannot give hope to the lost,
But I can share Your name.
Nor mend what’s torn apart,
But I’m not too proud to ask You,
For I’m lowly of heart.
Who cry out in despair
Are more than I can bear or heal.
I’m grateful, Lord, You’re there.
Then fall upon my face
And give to You what I can’t bear.
My hope lies in Your grace.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will
hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks
him.
You called our names and we are Yours,
And it is by Your grace
That, when our lives on earth are done,
We too may see Your face.
And walked beside You then,
Who heard Your voice and saw Your face,
Were the most blessed of men.
Until You rose again,
That they were walking at the side
Of heaven’s Son of Man.
The face that they all knew,
We still can hear You call our names
And turn our hearts to You.
To walk within Your light.
You redeemed us and we are Yours.
My heart bursts with delight!
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called
you by name, you are mine.
There has been sorrow enough, Lord,
To fill my past few days,
And mourning has drained all my tears.
Tonight, I’ll dance in praise.
And praise Your holy name.
Let sorrow slip away for now,
Your peace and joy, I claim.
Your blessings, not the tears,
For they are what I’ll remember
With joy through all my years.
So, that’s what I will do.
The world may scoff, but I will dance
And sing my praise to You.
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to
mourn, and a time to dance
Lord, guide my heart and mind each day,
Set my eyes on Your Word
And help me share Your way, Your truth
With any who’ve not heard.
Focused upon my plan
And not, as I know I should be,
Upon my fellow man.
Nor the love You give me,
But I tend to overlook those
Who You want me to see.
Or those met now and then.
Though I may not know who they are,
They’re still my fellow men.
Ask some to forgive me,
And show to all the patient grace
That my soul longs to see.
Your followers to do,
But I know I will need Your help
To become more like You.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this
all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one
another.”
Earth’s mountains reach up to the sky,
The clouds reach higher still.
However vast, your creation,
It all moves by Your will.
And washed them in Your light.
When I feel overwhelmed by life,
I remember Your might.
To do what You have done,
Nor hope to ever unravel
The work You have begun.
Whatever I may face,
For You who formed heaven and earth
Sheild me in Your embrace.
And heaven’s crown above
Are manifestations to me
Of Your glory and love.
Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of your hands.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the
earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
You’ve called upon me to give grace
To those along my path,
But why does it have to include
Those who deserve my wrath?
Or drive too close behind.
Don’t You think it would be okay
To share what’s on my mind?
Thinks that they know it all,
And hasn’t figured out they don’t.
Is that not a fair call?
That I deal with each day,
It has to be okay sometimes
To speak out, have my say!
Or thoughtless, now and then,
But I’m deserving of some grace….. ohhhhh,
Just like my fellow men.
From others every day
And stop looking for reasons to
Let my ego hold sway.
Who I find annoying,
Then offer them the forgiveness
For which I am asking.
You instructions were clear,
Loving my neighbor as myself
Means forgive and hold dear.
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Let me start out tonight with thanks!
Though sometimes things got rough,
And by the end some stress remained,
This day’s grace was enough.
But I knew You were there.
So, I picked up and tried again.
There’s no need for despair.
Over the past few days,
But each time I started to quit,
Some new grace caught my gaze.
And trip more times than not,
But You’ve taught me how to rejoice
No matter what my lot.
Avails me not at all,
But lifting my voice up in thanks
Frees my heart from its thrall.
Than one blinded by tears
For everything that has gone wrong,
Or might in coming years!
I’m just human, it’s true,
But, when I get lost in the dark,
Your Light comes shining through.
The way I started out.
Thank You for helping me see joy
Instead of fear and doubt.
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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
I need to leave behind the noise,
And seek that peaceful place
Where I can hear the voice of God,
And feel His perfect grace.
And He can hear my call,
But often I cannot hear His
Through the noise of it all.
Where wind sings in the trees,
And rivers laugh as they rush by
On their way to the seas.
My mind at last can hear
The voice for which my soul has longed
Growing vibrant and clear.
His words refresh my soul
Until even my weary heart
Has been healed and made whole.
The noise that this life brings,
Still hearing His voice, soft and clear,
Speaking as my heart sings.
Beside me every day,
But now and then I need to go
Away, listen, 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,
All praise be to the Father who
Feeds me, body and soul,
Who gathered up my shattered parts,
Redeemed, and made me whole.
And lead me home again.
He is my shelter and my strength.
I rejoice in His plan.
Until He called my name.
Now, even when the way is hard,
His mercy’s mine to claim.
Who feeds body and soul
With loving mercy, healing peace,
And grace that makes me whole.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever
comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Today there are not words enough
For all the grace I saw.
Those miracles and those mercies
Leave my heart filled with awe.
And the great big things, too.
The world tried hard to trip me up,
But Your love saw me through.
To so many blessings,
Until You gave me eyes to see
The gifts that Your grace brings.
When things fell into place,
But now that I see more clearly,
I recognize Your grace.
Those gifts of boundless love,
That, in the past, I might have missed
As blessings from above.
The blessings in each day
And that my heart now understands
That You send them my way!
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears,
for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and
did not hear it.
Last year is past, it won’t return,
Fix your eyes on the dawn.
Rise up in faith in the new year,
Rejoice, and carry on.
But harder to live out.
Though past, last year still adds its weight
To this year’s hope and doubt.
Not what we were before.
We cannot cling to what we were,
When we’re now so much more.
Pick up your Savior’s grace
And go, rejoicing, into the life
He gives you in its place.
He’s doing something new.
Let your heart sing with joy knowing
That something new, it's you!!
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things
of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not
perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.