What's In A Tear

I wept for all that I had lost,

For those I’d never see,

And all the heavens wept along;

Tears splashed on cheek and tree.

I felt that there was no joy left,

Til it occurred to me,

That you had placed in every tear

A glimpse of what might be.

And that one glimpse of so much more

Woke up in me such glee,

That all my tears dried in the hope

That you would set me free.

1 Corinthians 16:13

Tonight I struggle with my thoughts,

I let my temper fray.

It feels like I have swerved off course

And I don’t want to stray.

I try to maintain vigilance,

I know you count on me,

But I am not as focused as

I know I ought to be.

So help me get back on the track,

To guard each thought and deed.

Help me stand firm in faithfulness,

Give me the strength I need.

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Each Budding Day

An offer of good things to come

Is each new budding day.

As yet unfurled, their promise held

Untarnished by dismay

Will, in your care, burst open wide,

Resplendent in array;

Their full potential recognized

When, your love, they display.  

A Cry In The Storm

I watch the storm rise around me

While I stand on the shore

Knowing I may well be swallowed

If they rise too much more.

Fierce winds batter me to my knees

Where I lift up a prayer,

That I can only hope you hear

Through the turbulent air.

My faith is tested in the storms

Which drive me to my knee,

But it is in a humbled state

That you reach out to me.

For until then my mind is filled

With too much worldly noise,

But when I’m hurt I’m more inclined      

To listen to your voice.

And so, while I am on my knees

Praying to face no harm,

Please help me listen all the time

And not wait for a storm.

Psalm 107:29
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

At Sea or Alone on Shore

Some days I’m not sure which is worse

Being stuck all alone

Or lost, adrift on stormy seas

Where I am tossed and thrown.

Perhaps it doesn’t matter which,

On shore or lost at sea,

As long as I remember that

You’re always right by me.

Thus, when I’m tossed in turbulence

You teach me to be calm;

And, when I feel I’m most alone,

Your love’s my healing balm.

So I will worry less today

About where I may be

And focus more upon the love

With which you’re holding me.

Before I Start the Day

Lord, with the dawn of each new day

I find that I am bound to pray

That my feet might not go astray

As I step out and make my way;

And that I might not fail a friend

Or leave someone at frayed rope’s end;

What I’ve done wrong, I hope to mend

And, with you, have some time to spend.

Before the day is underway,

I find I want to stop and pray

That, whatever might come my way,

It’s by my side, you’ll always stay.

Psalm 95:6

Come let us bow before the Lord

And praise His holy name,

For He has borne the sacrifice

And cleansed us of all blame.

Come let us bow before the Lord

And thank Him for his grace,

For He has formed the sun and stars

And cast them into place.

Come let us bow before the Lord

And thank him for his love,

For there is no love formed on earth

Like that spilled from above.

Come let us bow before the Lord

And worship Him with joy,

In humble adoration for

The blessings we enjoy.

Psalm 95:6
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

Reflections in a Darkened Pool

In shame I bowed my head to pray

My thoughts, tangled with sin.

I dared not raise my eyes to you

For darkness hemmed me in.

Yet even with my gaze downcast,

In that destructive place,

I saw, reflected in my sin,

Your true, redeeming grace.

I recognized that, in my shame,

I’d wandered far astray,

But you’d suffered too much that day

To let me slip away.

So if I would not raise my eyes

To ask you to forgive,

Then you would reach out one more time

To find me where I live.

Psalm 17:8

Oh lord, keep me in the shadow

Of your powerful wing.

For only in your shadow, Lord,

Can my heart truly sing.

You fill my heart with more gladness

Than life alone can bring,

When I live under the shadow

Of your eternal wing.

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings

Just Wanted To Say Thanks

Lord, let me just say thanks tonight

For all that you have done

To guide me through this busy day,

From dawn to setting sun.

For keeping me safe in your sight

When things were at their worst

And lifting me from selfishness

When I thought of me first.

As I was running through the day,

Out where the world is wild,

I thank you that you kept an eye

On me, your errant child.

Jeremiah 8:18

You comfort me when I am hurt

With peace that will abide.

When I’m my most unlovable,

You stay right by my side.

I don’t know how I’d face each day,

Through all the misery,

If you weren’t right here by my side

To love and comfort me.

Jeremiah 8:18
You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.

Seeking The Lord

It isn’t always clear to me,

The way that I should go,

I’ve tried so many different things

Without too much to show

But one thing that I’ve learned, My Lord,

In seeking you each day

Is that I have all that I need

When I seek to obey.

I may not have all that I want

But things fall into place

When I put myself on the path

Of living in your grace

Psalm 34:10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

Psalm 63:7

When I am ensnared in sorrow

Or bound by my despair,

I lift my voice in praise of you

And rise above each care.

When I am tangled in my fears,

When all my worries start,

I call you with a song of praise

And you lift up my heart.

I cannot weep when you’re my joy,

No fears darken my eye,

For, when I raise my voice to you,

My soul takes wing to fly.

So, let me not bind heart or mind

With fears of what might be.

Lord, let me work with faithful praise,

For you will set me free!

Psalm 63:7
Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

In God's Time Zone

I know that you have mighty plans,

Many of them for me,

And I can hardly wait until

I fill that destiny.

But, in the meantime, there are things

That I’d like you to do,

And, frankly there are several, Lord,

I need you to get to.

I know that you have your time line

And that it’s for the best,

But could you hurry up a bit,

Put mine before the rest?

It’s just that I’m impatient, Lord,

I have this perfect plan.

I need to get it done real fast,

I know you understand!!

It’s just so hard to have to wait,

It’s really untoward.

I’m hesitant to ask, did you

Forget to spring forward?

Oh Lord, I know your plan is best

And in your perfect time.

I’m working on my impatience

But it’s an uphill climb.

2 Peter 3:8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

The Spring of New Joy

From the bare and lifeless branches

Springs forth abundant joy;

Each tree, to make an impression,

Their best colors deploy.

As I sit lost in my winter,

With all my branches bare,

I know that soon my joy will flourish;

For your spring’s in the air.

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Proverbs 27:19

The winter sky was dark with rain,

It drove against the earth.

It hammered on the blooming trees

Where spring was giving birth.

It tore the tiny pink blossoms

As if to bring them pain,

And they hoped only to hold on

Until peace came again.

But then the rains began to ease,

The clouds began to thin,

And each small bud left on the trees

Felt spring return again.

The sun broke through the thinning clouds

While blue sky took their place

And on each bud a drop of rain

Reflected back His face.

Proverbs 27:19

 19 As water reflects the face,
   so one’s life reflects the heart.

Dark Beauty

Frames and frames of little blossoms,

Perfect in form and shade,

Filled my heart with awesome wonder

For all that you have made.

Then I noticed one last photo,

A dark spot at its heart,

Captured something unexpected,

That set it quite apart.

While I stared at what I’d captured,

I felt a little chill

Knowing that such fragrant beauty

Harbored such darkness still.

But, though it was a fearsome sight,

It had its beauty, too.

Both the darkness and the blossom

Were formed in love by you.

Luke 22:32

There are those, Lord, whose faith is weak,

Weaker than it should be.

For they are stranded on the shore,

While faith is like the sea.

While others wade just off the shore,

But dare not go too deep.

For, while they trust you’ll hold them up,

That trust is hard to keep.

Yet, as we move out in our faith,

We learn to trust in you;

To know that in the roughest waves

You’re there to see us through.

Still you have charged us not to just

Push our faith to grow more,

But that we also help the weak

Grow strength to leave the shore.

Thus I am not ashamed, my Lord,

That my faith is still frail,

For others wait, just off the shore,

To be sure I won’t fail.

Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”