Praying and Listening

Are you praying to the Lord, or
Merely praying at Him?
Lifting up demands for grace
Whenever life is grim,
 
Or a wish list of wants and dreams,
Not grounded in His word?
Too often we will prattle on,
Demanding to be heard.
 
I’ve found that He’s less likely to
Engage with such demands
From those who place small value on
His laws and His commands.
 
Instead, when I ask for His aid
As it fits what He’s planned,
Then He will often answer me
In ways I understand.
 
The simple act of listening,
Letting the noise go still,
Helps me to pray to Heaven’s King
And live within His will.
 
Even those days when I ramble,
Too lost to find a thought,
He lets me know He understands
The pain this world has brought.
 
A prayer is a conversation,
His answers are best heard
When I stop talking and listen
To Him and to His Word.
 
Matthew 6:7-8
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

This is one of the precious photos from AC and her trip to Africa a few years back. 

Rejoicing As It Rains

 

The gospel says we’re to rejoice
Even in grief or pain.
I never really understood,
But the gospel was plain.
 
Then came the time when, blow on blow,
The world beat down on me.
That was when my heart finally
Helped my mind clearly see.
 
When all that grief weighed down on me,
I heard His voice saying
Rejoice until the pain eases
For all the joy I’ll bring.
 
Rejoice for brighter days ahead,
For sunshine follows rains.
When all the tears you’ve cried are dry,
The rejoicing remains.
 
Life seems to bring more storms these days,
And age adds to their weight,
But it is to His word I hold.
I’ll rejoice while I wait!
 
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

More Friday Thank Yous

 

What is it about Friday nights
That’s leave me with one thought,
“Thank You for always being there
Through all this week has brought.”
 
It’s thank You this and “thank You that,
And Oh, Lord, I thank You….
But guess what, Lord, the truth remains,
I thank You, yes I do!  
 
You’ve kept my feet upon Your path,
And my heart fixed on You.
You’ve challenged me to offer grace
To all I run into.
 
You’ve held me when my strength gave out,
And also when I cried.
When I got lost along the way,
Your light has been my guide.
 
The storms roll in, my fears rise up,
But You just hold on tight
Until I realize I’m safe,
Sheltered within Your might.
 
Each week I hurry here and there
Trying to keep the pace,
Until, by Friday night I just
Want to rest in Your grace.
 
So, once again, I thank You, Lord,
For this week’s “things to do”
And for the time, this Friday night,
To just be still with You.
 
Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

I Praised You

I praised You when the sun rose up
And when the stars danced by.
I praised You with a grateful heart
For Your vast, wondrous sky.
 
I praised You from the mountain tops,
And from the valley deep.
I praised You with an awe filled heart
For Your promise You keep.
 
I praised You where the oceans roar
And where the forests rise.
I praised You with unending joy
For Your splendors surprise.
 
I praised You with a broken heart
And when I felt it heal.
I praised You with tears in my eyes
For Your mercy is real.
 
Oh Lord, I praised You, and still do,
And will for all my days.
You formed me, healed me, love me still,
Lord, Your blessings amaze.
 
Psalm 100:1-2
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 

Cleanse Me Of My Sin

 

When I was covered in my sin,
He cleansed me with His blood,
And lifted me up from a life
Of wallowing in mud.
 
I’m not the first one He’s redeemed,
I may not be the worst,
But there’s no doubt that He, the pure,
Died to save us, the cursed.
 
The sin that separates us all
From Him, the Lord of grace,
Could not be cleansed, by word or deed,
By us, the human race.
 
It took the perfect sacrifice
Of His life for our sin,
But, by His grace, we’ve been redeemed,
We’re not who we have been.
 
Pay honor to that sacrifice,
Stay out of sin’s thick mud.
Don’t turn back to the wayward life
That cost such precious blood.
 
Wrap your soul in His Word each day,
Fill your heart with His grace,
And share them both along the way
With all who seek His face.  
 
Psalm 51:2
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
 
Acts 22:16
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

This muddy water buffalo photo is a blessing from AC taken on her trip to Africa a few years ago. 

You See What I Can't

 

Each complication that arose,
You settled out of hand,
As if You’d seen them coming on
And had the answers planned.
 
You always see my bottlenecks
And find me a way through.
It seems You see more clearly, Lord,
Than I’m able to do.
 
I understand You are the Lord,
Creator of all things,
Yet, sometimes I cannot conceive
The differences that brings.
 
Not only do You see ahead,
You have plans set in place
To help me walk through everything
That I will have to face.
 
The way is not always easy,
But You provide me strength
Or someone who can help me walk
The hardest paths, at length.
 
I understand You have a plan,
And, though I cannot see,
Your plans are vast and they’re detailed,
And Your plans include me.
 
Knowing that truth, I will accept
That I won’t understand
The complex paths that I will walk,
But I’ll trust what You’ve planned.
 
Psalm 73:23-24
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

Take Refuge In Him

 

The days are getting longer now,
And spring is drawing nigh.
It almost seems as if I hear
The world begin to sigh.
 
The winter offers its delight,
But as the spring comes on,
I find I do not miss the cold
Now that it’s truly gone.
 
For some I know the snow lingers,
The days hold a hard chill,
And spring is a sweet promise that
The winter can’t fulfill.
 
I say to those still in the cold,
Hold on, spring’s on the way.
You, too, will soon feel its warm breath.
Don’t give in to dismay.
 
The Lord who formed you, loves you still,
Take refuge in His grace.
Trust that He knows each season’s path
And that His plan’s in place.
 
Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

For Those I Pray

 

Oh Lord, today I pray for those
Who have not found Your light.
Though they are trapped in the darkness
They’re not out of Your sight.
 
I pray for those who can’t concede
They are astray in sin.
Please give them the wisdom they need
To turn to You again.
 
I pray for those who still believe
That they are in control
Of all they’ve done and what will be.
Please heal each prideful soul.
 
I pray for those who can’t let go
Of the bad seeds they’ve sown,
The sins of yesterdays long past,
The shames that they have known.
 
Please help them to reach out to You
And find they have a place
Within the healing of the cross
And Your unending grace.
 
So many failures I have known,
Many scars my soul bears,
But You have always heard my cries.
Tonight, I give You theirs.
 
Proverbs 15:29
The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Shifting Sand

 

I’m not sure what to say tonight,
The world seems shifting sand,
Yet everything that startles me
Is just what You had planned.
 
I’ve seen You raise the sun each day,
And felt You shake this world.
I’ve seen comets shoot through the sky,
Their ion trails unfurled.
 
You know the name of every star,
The oceans heed Your call.
You see even the smallest birds,
And know if one should fall.
 
There is no plan laid out by man
Of which You’re not aware,
And nothing we might try to do
Happens outside Your care.
 
Though it seems my assumptions were
Built upon shifting sand,
Your plans are rock solid and I
Will hold tight to Your hand.
 
Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

When I Hear Your Voice

 

I find myself in need of rest
As each day’s end draws near.
I want to close out the world’s voice,
And hear Yours in my ear.
 
The world seems fixed on many things
That could lead me astray,
But all I want is time with You
At the end of each day.
 
Although I’m insignificant,
You have work I can do,
And I rejoice each time I’m called
To do something for You.
 
Though time has slowed my step a bit,
When I’m put to the test,
I work with joy, then, gratefully,
I seek Your peace to rest.
 
My work is done for today and
My heart longs to rejoice
Within the quiet peace I find
When all I hear’s Your voice.
 
Matthew 13:16
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.