Feeling Pensive Today

 

I’m feeling pensive today, Lord,
My thoughts weigh heavily.
I needed to stop and recall
What You have said to me.
 
In this world there will be trouble
But You have overcome
All that the world can throw at us.
You’re where our strength comes from.
 
Your plan was in place long before
You commanded the light
To shine down upon this dark world.
Your design’s always right.
 
All these things that now weigh on me,
The evil taking place,
The ever growing willingness
To seek out sin’s embrace.
 
You’ve seen it time and time again.
Yet, in such vast array,
This is the first time I have seen
It all on full display.
 
I know I can’t fix what is wrong,
And I know that You can.
I also know You’re in control.
This is all in Your plan.
 
I just needed to talk to You
To get my thoughts in line,
And give to You what’s beyond me.
Then I can handle mine.
 
Thank You, Lord! I love You.
 
Ecclesiastes 1:9
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
 
James 1:5-6
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

Aches And Pains And Rejoicing

 

My weary bones don’t like mornings,
But I rise, just the same,
And step out into what comes next,
Rejoicing in His name.
 
Some days He is my only strength.
Despite the aches and pain
He gives me the will to get up,
Though I might still complain.
 
For each day is another chance
To serve Him just once more,
And I’m excited to find out
What each day holds in store.
 
He never yet has let me down,
There’s always a surprise.
Some brand new blessing waiting to
Appear before my eyes.
 
So, even if I wake in pain
I thank Him for this day,
Get up, get dressed, and get ready
For what He sends my way!
 
Psalm 118:23-24
This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
 
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

For His Name's Sake

In His name there is redemption
In His name there is joy
In His name is a truth, a hope
That this world can’t destroy.
 
He called us to walk beside Him,
Then share the path we walk.
To teach the wisdom He taught us,
Not simply talk the talk.
 
As He has led us, we should lead
Others to seek His light,
For that is what we each will need
To find the path that’s right.
 
Why should He care that we might live
After what He went through?
I’ve no idea, but I know
His loving grace is true.
 
For He has called me from the dark
And, for His grace, I came.
Though I was without hope back then,
Today I praise His name.
 
So, I will walk His path each day
Rejoicing as I go
For it is leading me to Him.
That’s all I need to know.
 
Psalm 23:3
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
 
Romans 3:23-24
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

This sweet photo is a blessing from AC on her trip to Africa a few years back. 

Sweeping Streets In Heaven

 

When I walk in through heaven’s gate
I’ll do so wrapped in sin.
Yet, when my savior calls my name
I’ll be washed clean again.
 
I haven’t done one thing in life
To earn that cleansing grace,
But because I know He is Lord,
He’s made for me, a place.
 
I don’t care if it’s sweeping streets,
As long as they are His.
It’s not the work, it’s who it’s for,
And that’s just how it is.
 
Please, hear me when I tell you, friend,
Reach out to Him today,
So that, when you reach heaven’s gate,
They don’t turn you away.
 
For there is no place that compares
To living in His Light,
And He’s the only path that leads
You to that holy site.
 
I can’t say how grateful I am
That He’s saved me a room,
But I can tell you I will dance
When He hands me that broom!
 
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
 
Psalm 145:20
The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Not Coincidence, But Providence

I often hear people remark,
“What a coincidence”,
When, in fact, they’ve just walked in grace,
His plan, His providence.
 
We see the world through human eyes
Without understanding
The magnitude of what we’ve seen.
Human viewpoint branding.
 
We need more than just eyes to see
What’s happening these days.
We need a heart that understands
What it sees and obeys.
 
This we should pray with each new day
And when the stars arise,
That we may not just see, but know
What’s there before our eyes!
 
Lord, please give me eyes that can see,
A heart to understand,
That I may recognize the Grace
Which comes straight from Your hand.
 
Proverbs 20:12
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both. 

Matthew 13:15-16
For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 

My Recharging Station

The gull flew down to settle on
The solar charging block.
It sat there hunkered down, fatigued.
What’s next has left me shocked.
 
For, after it had charged a bit,
It stood up tall and proud,
It raised its head and sang a praise.
Its voice renewed and loud!

 

Now you may think I’ve missed a fact,
Or even two or three,
But I was there when this went down.
And it’s happened to me.
 
I’ve sat down in my Savior’s peace
And cut out all the noise,
Until I felt weariness flee
Leaving behind fresh joys.
 
I’ve rested in His living grace,
The mercy He pours out,
Until I’ve found my strength, once more.
Then I stood with a shout
 
And praised His name with all my heart
Rejoicing that, at length,
He renewed me so I could soar
On the wings of His strength.
 
A parable as old as time,
From a new perspective.
Recharging’s one thing we all need
In this world where we live,
And we are blessed, His peace and rest
Are gifts He’ll gladly give.
 
Isaiah 40:31
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
 
2 Corinthians 4:16
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

The Proof Of What's Unseen

 

The ridgeline blocks the mountain’s face
While the sun’s on the rise.
Yet its reality is clear,
As it has marked the skies.
 
The fact that you can’t see its face
Won’t disprove that it’s there,
For it has cast its shadow on
The cloudy, morning air.
 
The same is true of the Lord’s face.
You can’t see it from here,
But His shadow’s across the earth,
Present, distinct and clear.
 
It’s on the grace He gave to us,
That we now pass along.
It’s on the helping hand we give
To one who’s not as strong.
 
It’s on the lost lamb we lead home,
And on the words of hope
We offer to one who seeks peace
As they struggle to cope.
 
As the mountain’s shadow is proof
It’s there, though out of sight,
So, our lives should be the shadow
Of His eternal Light.
 
Romans 1:19-20
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
 
2 Corinthians 4:18
as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

My Heart Trusts In You

 

I’d stressed about it through the day,
How things could all go wrong.
I heard You tell me to trust You,
To let my faith grow strong.
 
At some point I chastised myself,
And vowed to trust in You.
I knew, however bad it got,
That You would see me through.
 
Maybe that should have been the clue
I was still holding on
To all my worst imaginings.
You can’t fear what is gone.
 
I said, “Forgive me”, tried again
To let go and have faith
That my worries would prove to be
No more than a mere wraith.
 
I walked in and walked out in joy
For everything went right.
I thanked You for being my peace,
My strength, and my delight.
 
When all was said and done I sang
In praise and gratitude
That You love me and taught me to
Make faith my attitude.
 
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
 
Psalm 112:7
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

Affliction And Joy

 

The struggles we faced yesterday
Were just as He had planned,
That we may help those who now face
What we can understand.
 
We may not know it at the time,
But, looking back, we’ll see
That, if we’d not learned that lesson,
How helpless we’d now be.
 
That hard earned wisdom, we apply
To aid our fellow man
By helping to ease their struggle
In ways we know we can.
 
Sometimes we need to just step back,
Stop complaining, and sing
In thanks for struggles we have faced,
The help we now can bring!
 
James 1:2-3
Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
 
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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.

A Memory And A Smile

A few years back a friend dared me
To write a praise for her
Using an accidental shot
She took. I did concur.
 
The accidental photo popped
Up in my memories,
And I’m feeling nostalgic now.
I ask for patience, please.
 
I’m re-posting the praise I wrote
Because it made me smile
And because I still miss my friend.
Which I’ll do for a while.
 
So here it is, that praise from old.
Two things that still hold true,
We miss you here, we’ll see you soon.
To C, this one’s for you!

 

The world’s gone topsy turvy, Lord.
What once was up is down,
And I would try to smile on through
But, like this, it’s a frown.
 
I don’t know what to make of this,
The world’s all wrong somehow.
I’d love for You to set it straight….
And, by the way, right now.
 
I guess I’ll have to be patient.
That’s harder than you’d think,
And if I rise to carry on
While upside down, I’ll sink.
 
Oh yes, the world’s topsy turvy,
It’s all gone to my head.
And I could give up without shame,
But I’ll trust You, instead! 

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

We love you, my friend!