Your Plans Are My Plans

 

You clearly had my day well planned
Everything right in place.
I just wish I’d had some inkling
That it would be a race.
 
Yet, even though I didn’t know
What all You had in mind
I’m grateful that You needed me
To step in and run blind.
 
I got to help out more than once
And offer up some grace,
Before coming back home to rest
In my own quiet place.
 
I had a feeling You had plans
When I woke up today,
So, I was grateful for the call  
And praised You on my way.
 
I know I promised I would walk
The path You’ve given me,
I’m grateful that I got the chance
To do so joyously.
 
Proverbs 16:3        
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
 
Proverbs 19:21      
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand."

The Birds Of The Air

 

My heart has rested heavily
Within me as of late.
Too many questions on my mind,
Worries running in spate.
 
There is no cause for such as these,
It’s just me being me,
But now and then I can’t help feel
Something bad’s bound to be.
 
Why do I let my mind drift thus,
Let false worries pile up,
When You have blessed me with Your grace,
An overflowing cup.
 
Birds of the air, don’t share my fears,
They live within Your plan.
They hunt and let Your plan unfold.
They’re more faithful than man.
 
I know I’ve faced some troubled times,
But You have brought me through.
Why do I cling to false worries
When I should cling to You.
 
Lord, help me be like those wild birds
Doing what I’m to do,
While letting go of doubts and fears
Because I trust in You.
 
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
 
Psalm 147:9 & 11
He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry…
the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

This amazing photo is a blessing from LLT. Wow! 

Seeking Him Always

 

How vast is Your grace, oh my Lord?
It’s beyond all I see,
And that grace, born of boundless love,
You have poured out on me.
 
Though I was broken, I am healed,
My sins, fallen away.
My eyes and heart are both open
To You every day.
 
There is no place that I can go
That You will not go, too,
That I might come through each travail
Holding tightly to You.
 
When I am weak Your strength is mine,
When I’m lost, You’re my light.
When my heart breaks, it is Your peace
That turns grief to delight.
 
Let my heart ever seek You, Lord,
And let me share Your Word
With those who are still searching for
The truth they’ve not yet heard.
 
Acts 17:27
that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us
 
Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us

My Answer Is Him

He who called light out of darkness
And knows each star by name,
Has power beyond all measure,
And it is ours to claim.
 
As vast as His power may be,
His grace is greater still
And it is by that grace I find
The faith to trust His will.
 
He’s called me to step out, follow
The path He set for me.
Though I may doubt me, I trust Him,
So, I’m where I should be.
 
I don’t always know why I’m here,
But His plans are in place
And, if He’s called me to be here,
Then I’ll serve in His grace.
 
He knows the names of all the stars,
And I can’t see all them,
So, when it comes to who I trust,
My answer's always, “Him!”
 
Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
 
Psalm 37:3
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 

One Nation Under God

 

He spoke His Word into their hearts,
Breathed His grace through the land.
Though they struggled throughout the years,
He held them in His hand.
 
They built their nation on His truth,
Taught His words to their young.
From shore to shore in their nation,
His praise was rightly sung.
 
Though faith has wavered now and then,
Through struggle and travail,
He kept them close, beneath His wing,
Without falter of fail.
 
Founded upon His Word and law,
The nation thrived and grew,
And He has blessed them boundlessly
In all they have been through.
 
Today they still stand in His grace,
Though some have turned away,
And His praise still rings out across
That nation to this day.
 
Psalm 33:11-12
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

His Blessings Abound

 

The blessings of the Lord abound,
I cannot count them all,
And still, this day, He poured out more.
New blessings, great and small.
 
They opened up before my eyes,
I could not help but see,
That all those paths You’ve led me down
Have brought Your grace to me.
 
What I once thought was a hope dashed,
Has now returned with joy,
And there’s no praise or thanks enough
That my heart can employ.
 
I’m blessed, indeed, to be a child
Of heaven’s gracious King,
And I will praise His name as long
As I have breath to sing!
 
Psalm 144:15
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
 
Psalm 84:12
O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

Mightier Than The Waves

They think they have authority,
But they have less than none.
The only power in control
Is the Father and Son.
 
Though they may rant and shake their fists,
They are but passing waves
That perish when they reach the shore.
They are the tempest’s slaves.
 
They roar and rage, frothing out loud,
Then, when they run aground,
They slip away, leaving behind
Nothing but shifting ground.
 
They slink away, seeking the chance
To rush ashore once more,
Hoping to create more havoc
Than they had done before.  
 
The world has seen them many times,
Suffered each time they failed,
Only to hear them promise more,
The next time they prevailed.
 
They have no power on the earth,
For they serve their own fame
And sacrifice all who follow,
Doing so without shame.
 
Call out upon the Lord on high,
Who rules the ocean’s waves,
And who, instead of lies and pain,
Offers a love that saves.
 
2 Samuel 22:4-5
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
“For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me
 
Psalm 93:4
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty! 

Every Good Gift

 

The blessings of the Lord are vast,
For boundless is His love,
And all good gifts that we receive
Are from heaven above.
 
He is the hope when we are lost
Within the dark of night.
His is the strength that helps us find
Our way back to the light.
 
He is the shield that guards our souls
And lifts us from despair
When this world seeks to break our hearts,
And no one seems to care.
 
Where in this world could we find all
The gifts that mark each day,
Those that we take for granted and
Those splendid in array.
 
Stop wasting time counting your woes,
Instead count each blessing,  
Then lift your praise to Heaven’s King,
Whose love, such blessings bring.
 
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Though I Am Stained With Sin

 

I count my disgraces each day,
My sins pile up and up.
I know it can’t take too much more
To fill my bitter cup.
 
I turn and call out in my shame
To Him who loved me first,
He listens as I count each one,
Deserving to be cursed.
 
I reach to pick up all the proof
Of each sin on my mind,
But an empty and shining cup
Is all that I can find.
 
He cleansed me of each sinful stain,
And told me try again.
Confessed, redeemed, and loved by Him.
It’s all part of His plan.
 
I don’t know why He loves me still,
I try, but always fail
To stay close by the side of Him
Who bore my soul’s travail.
 
I know I can’t walk perfectly,
But I trust in His light,
And though I stumble through each day,
I know He holds me tight.
 
Even today, though still in sin,
He calls me to His grace,
And walks beside me, holds me up.
He counts not my disgrace.
 
His love is patient, forgiving,
And His mercy’s divine.
Though I have stained my soul with sin,
By His grace it will shine.
 
Romans 5:8
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
 
Romans 6:14
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
 
Ephesians 1:7
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

This fun photo of a muddy Cape Buffalo is another gift from AC and Africa. 

In Spirit And Truth

 

I choose to step out on the path
That leads me close to You.
I know I won’t get there on earth,
But still, I’ll follow through.
 
You walk beside us in this life,
But we can choose to stray.
My soul bids me to turn back now,
Draw close to You today.
 
I do not need to heed the call
Of this world as I go,
But seek instead Your truth, Your Word.
That’s what I need to know.
 
My thoughts should echo with Your praise,
Your spirit should lead me,
Until the path that leads to You
Is all my soul can see.
 
Oh Lord, please help me stay on course
And draw closer to You.
Let Your Word lead and correct me
As You’ve set it to do.
 
Help me to love and follow You
With heart and mind and soul
Until I'm standing at Your throne
And, by Your Grace, made whole.
 
John 4:23-24
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
 
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.