Get Thee Behind Me

 

Satan’s calling to the world
And many hear his voice.
Thinking they will hold great power,
They make an evil choice
 
I see him upon the pulpit,
He’s smiling as he lies,
Twisting the truths that God gave us,
Working your soul’s demise.
 
I see his demons bow in the streets,
Demanding you do, too,
That their demonic overlord
Might take your soul from you.
 
I seem them screeching, condemning
All that God’s declared good,
Destroying what they do not own
Because they think they should.

 
Serving the darkness in the world,
Turning away the Light,
Will not lead them to earthly wealth,
But to eternal night.
 
So many voices crying out
In pursuit of his plan
Shall find that serving satan’s will
Does not end well for man.
 
For, if you serve him here on earth,
You’ll serve him, too, in hell.
That service is void of all hope.
Turn back, don’t heed his spell.
 
Put him behind you, walk away,
Take hold of God’s promise.
His is the Word, the Light we seek,
All satan’s calls, dismiss.
 
Matthew 4:9-10
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Two Are Better Than One

 

They worked in pairs, spreading His Word
As He'd called them to do.
He knew they’d be more confident
If they worked two by two.
 
So is it still, in many things,
Two are stronger than one,
And when we help each other out
We get so much more done.
 
Don’t spend your days asking for help
Reach out and lend a hand.
You’ll find what’s given out of grace,
Returns ever more grand.
 
God’s plan’s not that we walk alone,
But, walking two by two,
We help each other on the way
As He’s called us to do.
 
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

In Him I Am Strong

 

The butterfly spread out its wings,
Perfect in each detail,
Except that it was missing part
Of its bright colored tail.
 
We each have flaws or weaknesses
Born of our own travails,
And we may have faced ridicule,
Mocking those flawed details.
 
Yet, much like that bright butterfly,
Perceptions can mislead,
For He who formed us, loves us still,
And He will meet each need.
 
We live, not by our strength alone,
But by His perfect grace.
The power we lack in ourselves,
We find in His embrace.
 
It may not make each day easy,
But, what it does instead,
Is teach us to trust in Him first,
As Paul notably said.
 
Let us rejoice and carry on
In faith through each travail,
And, by the way, that butterfly
Flew blithely with no tail!
 
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The End Of The Pier

 

For most of us, the end will come
Outside what we can see,
But, for a few, the end’s in view,
As clear as it can be.
 
Whether by illness or design,
We see the end draw nigh,
And that can lead most to despair,
No matter how we try.
 
The storms of life can rise quickly
And fill our hearts with fear,
We see them rise up, sweep across
The far end of life’s pier.
 
I understand the fear some know
At the end of this road,
We count all we’d chose to re-do,
How we could shift the load.
 
We fall upon our knees in grief,
Regrets for what’s undone,
And wish we could have one more chance,
Once more around the sun.
 
Yet, those of us, who know Jesus
And recall Peter’s fate,
Understand, when we start to sink,
His mercy won’t be late.
 
When Peter first started to sink,
Jesus took hold of him
And lifted him back to His side,
Though Peter’s faith was dim.
 
I may not know just how it’s done,
But I harbor no doubt
That, when I step off of life’s pier,
Jesus will pull me out.
 
I’m in no rush to reach pier’s end,
My life’s full to the brim,
But, when I hear Him bid me come…
I’m running right to Him.
 
Matthew 14:29-31
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

You Do Not Forsake Me

 

The path before me lay obscured
By all the sins I’ve known.
There were so many, vast, varied,
All the bad seeds I’d sown.
 
I had become blind to the way
That would lead me back home.
I was without the hope of peace,
Condemned ever to roam.
 
I called out to You in despair,
Oh Lord, please lead me back
From this dark trail I’ve walked too long.
Get me back on Your track.
 
There in the dark, a soft light shown,
The path began to clear.
Though I could see just the next step,
I felt Your peace draw near.
 
I took that step, holding to faith
That You’d show me one more.
Each step marked my path back to You,
To redeem and restore.   
 
Though I’d let myself go astray,
You did not forsake me.
When I turned back, You heard my cry.
You love me patiently.
 
Isaiah 42:16
And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.

The Unexpected Delights

The party was well underway
When she came on the scene.
She watched from her seat, out of reach,
Hoping to go unseen.
 
Yet, one by one, the party guests
Noticed her arrival
And whispered with a hint or awe.
She held the crowd in thrall.
 
She wasn’t some grand movie star,
Some purveyor of song,
Yet everyone else who was there
Was glad she came along.
 
She didn’t stay for the whole night,
Just long enough to share
The sweet delight her presence brought
To everybody there.
 
I know you’re likely wondering
What praise this tale will raise,
But sometimes it’s not miracles
That delight and amaze.
 
It’s simply the fact that He knows
Just how to make my day
A little more delightful than
Any plan I might lay.
 
Psalm 37:4
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”   

This sweet photo was taken on my phone from across the yard, so it's a bit blurry. I hope it conveys the joy that we all felt when she joined the party for a while. 

My Heart Sings Out

 

I turn my face toward the Lord.
To Him I lift my praise,
For He has blessed my path in life
And will for all my days.
 
Though I may struggle now and then,
I do not fear my fate,
For His is an unyielding love
And it is never late.
 
He knew me before I was born,
He knows me still today,
And He will still call me His child
When this world melts away.
 
I turn my face toward the Lord,
And He keeps watch on me.
My coming in, my going out,
There’s nothing He won’t see.  
 
My heart sings out in praise to Him,
And it will all my days.
Let heaven and earth sing with me
In songs of joyous praise!
 
Psalm 67:1-3
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that our way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!

The Strength Of My Heart

 

Oh Lord, there’s so much I must face
Over the next few days,
But I have fixed my thoughts on You
And not on what dismays.
 
Each day will bring what it will bring,
But this I know is true,
I’ll walk through each day as it comes
Because I walk with You.
 
It sounds so trite to say it, Lord,
Yet You have assured me
That everywhere this life may lead
You will already be.
 
That’s why I can lay down tonight
Not fearing what I’ll face,
For I will rise up in the dawn
And hold fast to Your grace.
 
Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Not One Of Them Will Fall

 

Oh Lord, You see even small things
That happen every day.
The sparrows in the cedar trees
Sing with joy as they play.
 
As tiny as they are, I know
They rest within Your hand,
And not a feather hits the ground
That isn’t as You’ve planned.
 
So, You have said it is also
With my head’s every hair,
That’s why I sleep in peace each night.
I know that You are there.  
 
No sparrow falls outside Your sight,
And it’s also been said
That You know the number in full
Of each hair on my head.
 
As I’ve grown older I find joy
In knowing, most of all,
That You are watching me all day…
For that’s how fast they fall.
 
Those little sparrows have sweet chicks
And each add to the count,
But, at my age, my hair thins fast,
A swiftly flowing fount.
 
I know I’m being silly, Lord,
As I’m inclined to be,
But I’m grateful Your eye’s on both
Those small sparrows and me.
 
Matthew 10:29-30
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Renew In Me

 

I’ve walked this earth for many years
And seen all kinds of sin.
There have been far too many, Lord,
That I’ve partaken in.
 
Yet, I have returned to the fold
Of my Shepherd’s mercy,
And I would ask You, by Your grace,
To cleanse my sin from me.
 
Restore in me a loving heart
And a forgiving mind
That I may offer others, Lord,
The same mercies I find.
 
Teach me once more to seek Your will,
Let go my restless soul,
That I may never lose hold of
The peace that makes me whole.
 
Renew me, Lord, and cleanse my heart
Remove from me all stain.
May Your Light reflect from my soul
And no darkness remain.
 
Psalm 51:1-2,10
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.