Restored In His Peace

 

Some days can be overwhelming
And I wanted to hide,
To find that place far from the noise
Where stillness can abide   
 
My weary soul, my fearful heart,
Needed to know His peace.
I longed go where all the noise
Of this loud world would cease.
 
It’s as if He knew what I’d need,
Time to sit and be still,
Since all the plans made for today
Failed, as if by His will.
 
The world fell back, peace settles in
To heal my weary soul.
That which the world tried to shatter,
He’s restored and made whole.
 
Isaiah 38:16
O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live!

Lessons Learned Today

 

Why do I have to make complex
The simple things in life.
Even that which is made for joy
I fill with my own strife.
 
It could be that the problem’s me,
Indeed, that does make sense.
I tend to see an open gate
And focus on the fence.
 
Most times the process is simple,
The bloom becomes the fruit
Without any input from me.
I have no horn to toot.

 

The Lord has put His plan in place
And life follows His plan.
Though I want to add my two cents,
I don’t think that I can.
 
The lesson that I learned today
Is I’m not in control.
I also learned the One who is,
Still loves my rebel soul.
 
I may be just a blossom now,
Yet, with His plan in place,
Someday I’ll bear fruit He can use,
But only through His grace.
 
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
 
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

What Matters Most

The question stands, what matters most,
Where do I place value?
Does it rest in today’s delight,
Or being close to You?
 
The two can both be true, I know,
But my priority
Is doing that to which I’m called,
Being who I’m to be.
 
I’ll gladly work at many things,
If they fit in Your plan,
But serving You as You’ve called me,
Outweighs the plans of man.
 
Therefore, I discipline myself
To work diligently,
And not let things that don’t matter
Divert or distract me.
 
I still rejoice in all life’s gifts,
Give it all that I can,
But when I must choose play or serve,
I’ll serve within God’s plan.
 
1 Corinthians 9:27
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
 
Hebrews 12:11
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. 

Nor Anything In Creation

 

No matter how far or how fast
The world lures us away,
We’ll never outrun His mercies,
Nor get so far astray
That He can’t find us when we’re lost,
Then lead us home to stay.
 
I’ve stared in awe at heaven’s lights
Spread out across the skies.
I watched a mountain exploding
Before my very eyes.
 
I’ve stood within the forest’s depth
And heard the wind’s soft sighs.
None of these places are too far
For Him to hear my cries.
 
Heaven and earth were formed by Him,
Where do you think I’d go
That He would not see every step.
There’s no place that I know.
 
That doesn’t mean I’ve not been lost,
Running off now and then,
But when I cried out to my Lord
He led me home again.
 
This world has many traps and snares,
But I have Heaven’s Son,
And He won’t let this world destroy
The good work He’s begun.
 
No matter how far off His path
I find that I might stray,
I’ll never be so lost that He
Won’t hear me when I pray
And come to find me, by His grace,
Then lead me home to stay.
 
Romans 8:38-39
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.

Entering Like A Child

I hear the wise scholars speaking
In terms proud and profound
Of all the wisdom they have learned,
The answers they have found.
 
Yet, He did not say “let them come”
In respect to the sage,
But to the children, great in faith,
Though still so young of age.
 
Our children are not lost in pride
For all they think they know.
Instead, they take His words to heart
And in those hearts, they grow.
 
The young can understand some things
That we, the old, cannot.
For they hold on to what they’ve heard,
Long after we forgot.
 
Our thoughts are often distracted
By lists of things “to do”,
And we set His words to the side
Until those lists are through.
 
I think that those children may be
Wiser than you or me.
It seems they have a clearer grasp
Of who we’re called to be.
 
They don’t listen and say I will,
But after I am done
With all these things that matter less
Than following The Son.
 
We’re called to teach our children well
All that they need to know,
But maybe we need to take time
To learn from them, also.
 
Luke 18:16-17
But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 

Impatiently Awaiting Patience

 

Lord, I need patience, and right now,
I need it on demand.
I’ve just run out of all I had.
I hope You understand.
 
Those “little things” keep piling up
And my patience runs thin.
Would You please give me more right now?
Just let it pour on in.
 
I’m not sure I can take much more
Of anything today
If I can’t find the recharge port
For patience right away.
 
I know we’re to wait patiently
For what we can’t yet see,
But patience is what’s out of sight.
I can’t wait patiently.
 
Alright, I’ll breathe and just listen
To what You’re telling me,
And hold fast to the promise that
Your grace will recharge me.
 
For You bear patiently with me
Despite my attitude,
And I’ll try hard to pass along
That grace, in gratitude.
 
Until then, I’ll hope in what I
Cannot yet clearly see,
That You will restore my patience.
I’ll wait impatiently.
 
Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Proclaim The Gospel

 

He called His people to carry
His Word to all the earth
That no soul’s lost without the chance
At redemption, rebirth.
 
He wants each heart that beats today
To have the chance to sing
With all the choirs of heaven.
Life only He can bring.
 
The calling is to share His Word,
Not only when we speak.
But how we live and mirror Him
To each new soul we seek.
 
It’s true that we can’t change a heart,
But He can use our voice
To reach the hearts of those who will
Turn to Him and rejoice.
 
Go, then, each one and share His Word,
Everywhere, every place,
And let your voice, your heart, your life
Reflect His love, His Grace.
 
Mark 16:15
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

I Belong To Him

The storms are rolling through tonight,
But my heart holds no fear,
For I live knowing, good or bad,
My shepherd’s ever near.
 
The dark sky rattles with the winds
And thunder fills the air.
Yet, since I live within His grace,
My heart knows no despair.
 
I’ll settle in and watch the storm,
Ominous, dark and grim,
But all that I see is His Light.
For I belong to Him.
 
Isaiah 43:1
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. 

Humble Yourselves, Stand Firm

 

It’s easy to think we’re in charge,
But we never will be.
Our arrogance and our bold pride
Are wielded foolishly.
 
There is no hope outside of Him
To manage all life’s woes.
We lay our plans and do our best,
But life comes and it goes.
 
Stand humbly, then, before the Lord.
Place all your faith in Him
To shield you and to lead you through
When life grows harsh and grim.
 
Give Him your worries, then let go.
Do all that you can do,
Knowing that where your skills fall short,
His mercy’s there for you.
 
Your arrogance cannot help you,
Humble yourself, your pride.
Stand firm in the unfailing truth
That His love will abide.  
 
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

You Have Made Me Glad

 

You shaped each work of creation
With love in its design.
Some may not be “my cup of tea”,
While some are rare and fine.
 
The grand and great are hard to miss,
The simple things, less so.
Yet it’s often in the small things
Where Your greatest works show.
 
A simple bloom, tucked in the shade
In the back of the bed,
Until Your light touches its face
And it lifts up its head.
 
Just for that moment, in Your light,
I saw it shine with joy
And I, too, sang out with delight
That time cannot destroy.
 
I caught that moment years ago
And yet, even today,
It reminds me that Your sweet grace
Is always on display.
 
We simply need open our eyes,
And our hearts to Your grace,
To find there’s still joy and delight
That’s blooming every place.
 
Psalm 92:4
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.