Smoke And Joy

 

The fires burned across the hills
Hundreds of miles away.
Yet, born on winds, it swiftly flew
To tarnish this new day.
 
The smoke was thick enough to taste,
It stifled every breath.
It seemed as if the world punished
Me with the forest’s death.
 
I wanted to cry bitterly,
But, before the first tear,
I felt such awe burst in my heart,
I knew that He was near.
 
The sun started to rise up through
The smoke obstructed skies
And, as it rose, it reflected
Its joy before my eyes.
 
The sun shifted the colors of
The sky and water, too,
Until, instead of smoke and pain,
Colorful joy shone through.
 
That which the world meant for my pain,
He turned to my delight
Using nothing more than His love
And His reflected Light!
 
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

Deep Calls To Deep

 

Deep calls to deep, Your oceans roar,
Your rivers rush and spill.
Each calling to the other, while
Instead, I seek Your will.
 
I stand within the tempests, Lord,
And listen for Your voice.
Deep calls to deep, Lord, fill my soul
That I, too, may rejoice.
 
I know You now, as a child would,
But I know that someday
I’ll know and understand You more,
Until then I will pray.
 
Deep calls to deep, oceans to shore,
And rivers to the sea,
But I will listen for Your voice
When You call out to me.
 
Psalm 42:7-8
Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

Never-Ending Grace

 

Morning whispered on the inlet,
Soft colors filled the air.
The mountain, hidden out of sight,
Still cast its shadow there.
 
The sun lingered behind the trees,
Yet made its presence known.
In the glow above the tree line,
The new day’s seeds were sewn.
 
My heart rose up within the dawn
And sang to You in praise.
Glory, Glory to You, oh Lord,
Your creations amaze!
 
The light, the mist, mountain’s shadow,
Each detail in its place.
Still one thing shown brighter than all,
Your never-ending grace!
 
Psalm 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

I Bow In Awe

 

Oh Lord, Your mercies are boundless,
Your loving grace won’t end.
You pour Your blessings upon us,
And forgive all who’ve sinned.
 
I will bow in awe before You,
My soul washed in Your light,
I’ll sing Your praises from a heart
That’s bursting with delight.
 
You are the King of Heaven
No other king, I’ll claim,
And I will sing with all I am
The glory of Your name.  
 
Psalm 71:8
My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.

Just A Simple Praise

 

A simple heart, a simple praise
To Him, heaven’s true King.
My soul rejoices in His grace,
Of His wonders, I sing.
 
I rise up in the morning light,
And listen for His voice.
Knowing that He is always near,
My heart and soul rejoice.
 
I rest beneath the heaven’s stars,
Without fear, I will sleep.
Though this life may bring what it will,
My soul is His to keep.
 
Psalm 30:4
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name

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.”