Out Of The Shadow Of Darkness

 
You have brought me through that valley
Out of darkness, sin, despair,
Into the Light of Your glory
For Your mercy’s ever there.
 
There is no path I can travel
That is not within Your sight.
There’s no place so lost in darkness
Where I cannot find Your light.
 
There is no fear I must face that
Stands defiant of Your might
If I rise up for the battle
In the armor of Your light.
 
Dark or light, the path before me
Leads me back into Your grace,
Where, rejoicing in Your glory,
I will rest in Your embrace.
 
Isaiah 9:2
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
 
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Your Sabbath Peace

 

Lord, lead us to Your Sabbath peace,
The place of Your Shalom,
Where every heart can turn to You
And find they are at home.
 
Let each of us turn our eyes to
The place before Your throne
Where we can stand within Your peace,
Knowing we’re not alone.
 
You gave the Sabbath to us, Lord,
To rest from all we do,
But, also, that we would have time
To just be still with You.
 
Let us seek You in each day, Lord,
With heart and mind and soul,
And thank You that Sabbath renews
The peace that this world stole.  
 
Mark 2:27
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
 
Psalm 23:2-3
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

A Stressful Day

 

This day tore at me more than once,
But I held on to You,
And by the end, though there were tears,
You helped me to walk through.
 
There were more than a few kind folks
Who helped along the way,
And one or two who’s cheerful words
Brought laughter to the day.
 
I dreaded what this day would hold,
But miscalculated,
For I failed to account for those
Who brought me joy instead.
 
Tonight, as I sat down at last,
I realized once more
Though I may worry, Your plans hold
Blessings, then more, in store.  
 
Though life is stressful, there is joy
Present along the way.
Thank You for guarding me and for
Your patient grace each day.
 
Exodus 33:14
And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
 
Psalm 42:11
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

Water, Bread, And Grace

 

You made the rivers flow down stream
From mountain peak to sea,
And with them they bring fresh water
That brings relief to me.
 
The plans You laid out long ago
Clearly included all
Who had not yet been born to life,
But would answer Your call.
 
Those rivers still run through valleys
Where forests reach the sky,
And You still hold close in Your grace
Thirsty souls such as I.
 
You feed my soul and quench its thirst
With the unceasing flow
Of living water, bread of life,
And the grace You bestow.
 
Psalm 104:10
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;
 
Psalm 78:16
He made streams come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Ears To Hear, Eyes To See

 

When it is time, Lord, call me home
And I’ll come right away,
But until then I’ll live within
Your boundless grace each day.
 
We often feel we’re overwhelmed
Or trapped in self-pity,
While You are reaching out to us.
Lord, give us eyes to see.
 
We cry out in our misery
When we should stand and cheer,
For Heaven’s King still comforts us.
Lord, give us ears to hear.
 
Too often we choose to lament,
Rather than to rejoice.
One destroys, the other comforts,
Which one we live's our choice.
 
This world will try to hold us down,
Distract us with worry,
But my ears hear and my eyes see
The blessings You give me.
 
Matthew 13:9
He who has ears, let him hear.”
 
Matthew 13:16-17
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

As We Sow

 

That which you sow, you shall then reap,
Advice we all have heard.
It matters in the farmer’s field,
But, also, in The Word.
 
For God has cautioned all mankind
To sow the fallow field
Of good intentions, unfulfilled,
With a crop that will yield.
 
Don’t sow a crop of mortal pride
For that harvest will fail,
But one sown in His Word, instead,
Will prosper and prevail.
 
Sow seeds of righteousness and grace,
That your harvest may be
A bounty of God’s perfect love
As far as you can see.
 
A harvest that you can then share
With all who pass your way,
That those who hunger may be fed
His love, through you, each day.  
 
Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
 
Galatians 6:8
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 

Trusting You With Each Step

 

Why do I still stand in Your grace
When I fall short each day
Of the person I’m called to be?
Much to my own dismay.
 
I bow my head in shame because
I’m not doing it right,
Yet, I’m still blessed to stand within
The wonder of Your Light.
 
I see the gifts others possess
And use each time they speak,
Yet I don’t possess gifts like that,
No matter how I seek.
 
I find myself wondering how
I’m ever going to serve
The Great Commandment You left us,
The grace I don’t deserve.
 
Yet, Lord, You called me to be Yours
I heard You loud and clear,
And each time that I fall You’re there
Telling me not to fear.
 
It is as if Your plans for me,
Though real, are beyond sight,
And what I need to do right now
Is trust that You are right.
 
I need to keep walking the path
That You’ve set before me
And trust that when the time is right
You’ll make them clear to see.
 
Maybe the gift I’m called to live
For right now is just faith.
To learn that when I’m weak, You’re strong
Is not a myth, a wraith.
 
Then walk forward as You command
And trust You as I go
To lead me to the next lesson
You’ve planned to help me grow.
 
2 Corinthians 12:9
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.

Isaiah 54:10
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

I'll Go Out On A Limb

So often we try to fit in
With those still of the world,
Only to find ourselves the brunt
Of their anger unfurled.
 
We’re called to love, yet are denounced
By those we’ve known for years
Because we hold fast to the Word
And not to this world’s tears.
 
They demand that we compromise
With the choices they make,
Yet they condemn the path we walk
As a heartless mistake.
 
I know that You lived this and worse
When You walked on the earth,
And I can never hope to be
The equal of Your worth.
 
Yet, I will go out on a limb
And live each day like You,
Doing my best to follow all
That You’ve called us to do.
 
I won’t listen to the voices
That tell me I am wrong
To follow the path of Your grace.
My faith in You is strong.
 
I’ll live as You’ve called me to live
Not as this world commands.
Though I may stand alone at times,
I’ll stand there in Your hands.
 
John 15:18-19
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Rejoice And Sing To Him

There is a song that fills my heart,
And it is seldom coy,
For it is born of gratitude.
A song of praise and joy!
 
I’ve walked the darkened valleys deep
And stood on mountains high,
But nothing can approach the awe
I feel when He is nigh.
 
Though I may stand within the storm
I’m also in His grace,
And there’s nothing that can pull me
Out of His fierce embrace.
 
Let all creation sing His praise
And rejoice in great glee,
For He who formed us, loves us still.
His grace has set us free.
 
No more the stain of sin prevails,
To Him renewed souls cling,
And, in His name, they will rejoice!
Let all praise Him and sing.
 
Psalm 47:6-7
Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
 
1 Corinthians 15:55
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Time To Laugh

 

I stood upon the weekend’s cusp,
Your grace whispered to me
Of peace and rest, of joy and light,
As I want it to be.
 
Opps, I must have heard You wrong,
The power just went out.
Oh yes, You have a sense of humor,
Of that, there is no doubt!
 
Okay, I’ll take this all in stride,
Like I did yesterday.
Knowing that I still get time to
Hang out with You today.
 
Six hours, I was being told,
But with humidity,
That isn’t quite as funny as
It otherwise would be.
 
I made my plans and packed things up
To go visit a friend.
Then, just before I hit the road
Power came back again.
 
I still can hear the laughter drift
Down from heaven above.
Okay, You’ve got me laughing, too,
As push comes down to shove.
 
Some days I have to just sit back
And admit once again,
The power to control our lives
Does not belong to man!
 
I love spending time in Your peace,
But now and then I do
Enjoy the chance to sit and laugh
As I spend time with You!
 
Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.