Precious Time With Precious Friends

 

You told me to slow down my pace,
You had a plan for me
And it would place me somewhere else
Than where I’d planned to be.
 
It meant that I got to spend time
With precious friends tonight.
It might have set my schedule back,
But that will be alright.
 
For I don’t get to spend much time
With such a loving pair,
And I was grateful when I left
To have had the time there.
 
Their grace and joy, their loving words
Reminded me of You.
A reminder I took to heart,
As You knew I would do.
 
I thank You for the lesson of
Their kind and gentle way.
It may have set my schedule back,
But it sure made my day!
 
Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works
 
Proverbs 13:20 
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

A Moment Of Reflection

I get caught in the day to day,
The drama and the strife.
When I find I’m there, I step back
And reflect on my life.
 
The task You set before me is
Simple in many ways.
Yet, it can feel quite difficult
In the course of some days.
 
I look at me and see Your grace,
The blessings that I live
Only because of Your mercies
And the true hope they give.
 
I have a place to lay my head,
And food enough to eat.
When I stop to count my blessings,
The tally is replete.
 
Since You have blessed me so fully,
How can I withhold grace
For others who act as I might,
If I were in their place.
 
If I find I’m frustrated by
A knucklehead or two,
I need to recall that’s likely
How I must look to You.
 
Through this moment of reflection
I hope to find in me
Some of Your patience and Your grace
That others ought to see.
 
2 Corinthians 13:5 
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
 
Proverbs 27:19
As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

Doing His Father's Will

What wondrous things the Lord has done.
They outnumber the stars,
And greater than all of the rest
Are dark Golgotha’s scars.
 
The sins He carried were not His,
But He carried them still.
For He knew we would never be
Able to do God’s will.
 
He bowed before the punishment,
And bore God’s crushing wrath
That we, who sinned, might be redeemed,
That we might walk God’s path.
 
He chose to do His Father’s will,
That we might not be lost,
Despite knowing that He would pay,
For us, the brutal cost.
 
How wondrous is the grace of God
And how vast the array
Of its blessings poured out on us
From the cross that dark day.
 
Matthew 26  
39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
 
42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
 
44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 

Knee Deep And Praising Him

 

When I’m knee deep in rising tides
I may be tossed about,
But I am not without the hope
That He will hear my shout.
 
The waves may try to drag me down
And drown me in their wake,
But I will stand with faith in Him
That those waves cannot shake.
 
It may sound simple, said like that,
But it took years to learn
That His grace is already mine.
He gives what we can’t earn.
 
I tell You now to answer Him,
Reach out and take His hand.
You may feel strong enough right now…
One day you’ll understand.
 
Mark 4:39 
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
 
Psalm 93:4 
Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!

Free Indeed

 

I found myself, far too often,
With my thoughts fixed on me,
Instead of having them focused
On where they ought to be.
 
I counted sins, polished my scars,
And told myself I’m why
Christ had to face crucifixion,
So my soul would not die.
 
I’m not worthy of such great love,
Undeserving of grace,
And I could list all of the wrongs
That I should have to face.
 
Then I heard Him call out my name
And tell me to let go
Of the sins from which He’s cleansed me
Because He loves me so.

 

I raised my eyes up from myself
And looked into His face.
That was the moment when I knew
I’d turned to the right place.
 
This isn’t about all my sins,
Or those of anyone.
It’s about His love and His choice
To redeem everyone.
 
The sins I counted everyday
He will no longer see,
Because He chooses to forgive,
Because He still loves me.
 
When my eyes were fixed on myself,
Shame was all I could feel,
But now that they are fixed on Him,
His Word is all that’s real.
 
I can’t be His if I still hold
To what He’s washed away.
His is the truth I need live,
He is the only way.
 
Now, I no longer count my scars
Or let my past sins live.
I keep my eyes upon Him and
The grace He chose to give.
 
John 8:36
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
 
Psalm 32:1
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

I Will Wait Patiently

I cannot find the words tonight
That my heart wants to say.
It may be time to just be still,
To be patient and pray.
 
Some days I feel the praise forming,
But it is not yet whole.
I cannot write what I can’t hear,
Despite a faithful soul.
 
For I have learned, when it is time,
You’ll give the words to me.
I need to recall who’s in charge,
And to wait patiently.
 
Tonight, Lord, I will just be still
And wait for You to speak,
Knowing that, when You want it said,
I’ll have the words I seek.
 
Romans 8:25 
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
 
Psalm 130:5 
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope

Worthy Are You, Oh Lord

 

In the glory of each morning
When I hear Him call my name
I rise up with soul rejoicing,
His vast wonders, to proclaim.
 
It is for His work and glory
That He’s called me to arise.
There’s no greater aspiration
Than serving beneath His eyes.
 
Let, then, your heart rise beside mine,
Lift its voice in songs of praise
For the Lord who calls each morning
Is the keeper of our days!
 
Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
 
1 Chronicles 29:11
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

I Stand Apart, Not Alone

 

I have been called out more than once
Because I stand apart
And do not echo the voices
That say, “just trust your heart”.
 
I stand within the world’s boundaries,
And help out where I can,
But my eyes are fixed on the Lord
And not the works of man.
 
My soul is His who redeemed it,
I stand for Him alone.
My heart’s not fixed on worldly dreams,
But on the grace He’s shown.
 
I offer that same love and grace
To others in this world
Because He’s told me to do so,
Not for invectives hurled.  
 
Some may believe the choice I make
Is a foolish mistake,
But I have seen where their path leads.
That’s not a path I’ll take.
 
Let this world speak against me, Lord,
I’ll keep standing apart.
For I stand firmly on Your Word
In body, mind and heart.
 
Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
 
Isaiah 55:6-7
the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Blessed Indeed

 

The day was off to a slow start,
I missed a step or two.
Until I stepped outside the door
And got that gift from You.
 
The sun rising behind the trees
That I would not have seen
Had I’d been out the door sooner,
As I planned to have been.
 
Then, down the street, the second gift
Flitted across my sight,
A pileated woodpecker
Flew by in the soft light.
 
I’ve not seen one for many years.
In the blink of an eye,
He flew by me and settled on
A pole as I passed by.
 
The timing was perfect, of course,
That’s how I know it’s true,
That both were gifts of love and joy
Sent just for me, from You!
 
Thank You for so many blessings, Lord!
 
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
 
Jeremiah 17:7
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.

When Plans Get Changed

I wake up not knowing each day
What I will walk into.
The only confidence I have
Is that I walk with You.
 
The world has thrown a loop or two
In my path now and then.
It may cause me frustration, but
Such is the life of men.
 
I fuss and fume and then admit
It doesn’t change a thing.
Instead, I turn my eyes to You,
Lift up my voice and sing.
 
Simply changing my point of view
From me to You I find
Helps me step outside of the noise
That distracts heart and mind.
 
It’s easier to carry on
With a heart filled with hope,
Than with one full of frustrations
With which I cannot cope.  
 
I still start out with plans in place,
Those that are of my choice,
But now, when You change up my plans,
I'll concede and rejoice.  
 
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
 
Proverbs 21:30
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.