Billowing in the Wind

The winds that circle round the earth
Can shatter the strong wall
And tear asunder all we’ve built,
Destroying each and all.
 
But in the fiercest winds we face,
While others twist and bend,
If we are anchored in his grace
We’ll billow in the wind.

Job 37:9
The tempest comes out from its chamber, the cold from the driving winds.

Thanks All Day

The quiet mists of morning pass,

Soon this day will begin.
And, whatever it holds for me,
With His love, I will win.
For His love lifts me through the worst,
And from Him my hope springs.
So I will praise Him all day long
Whatever this day brings.
 
Psalm 136:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

A Thankful Heart

Today I lift a thankful heart

To offer God this praise
For He has loved me all my life
And guarded all my ways.
He’s loved me in my weakest times
And strengthened me once more
He’s picked me up when my whole world
Had crashed upon the floor.
He held me in His healing arms
While I wept bitter tears
Then helped me to look forward to
The joy filled coming years!
 
For all these blessings, and much more,
I praise His holy name
And, to the nations of the world,
His glory I proclaim.
 
1 Chronicles 16:8
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

Light in Dark Clouds

Living in a frustrated haze

With so much that’s gone wrong,
It’s hard to face tomorrow’s craze
With a sweet cheery song.
 
But even in the darkest skies
There is a touch of gold
And that’s enough, in these rough times,
On to which I can hold.
 
So bring on all the storms of life,
Heaven’s gold streaks the night,
And I will make it through the storms
Following that bright light.

Shaken and Fragile

It seems so solid, like the rock,

From which it has been wrought,
And yet that mountain can be lost
Without a second thought.
 
It can be shattered to the ground
By fires at its core,
It can be shattered by its flaws,
To rise again, no more.
 
The greatest forces of the earth
Are fragile in their place,
But God has built for us a home
That’s safe in His embrace.
 
So let us praise him joyfully,
With reverence and awe.
Our God has built for us a realm
Without a single flaw.
 
Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,

Behind the Clouds

 

There are those days when all we see

Are black clouds in our sky,

But what God knows, that we can’t see,

Is sunshine drawing nigh.

So don’t let grey skies bring you down

Just lift your voice in praise,

For God has sunshine on its way

And He’s your brighter days!

 

Isaiah 60:19

The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Hidden Blessings

The trick to receiving blessings

Is recognizing them,
They aren’t always neatly packaged
With a note, “Sent from Him!”
 
They’re shrouded in the every day
That we don’t always see,
Often needing more awareness
Than we are wont to be.
 
For I’ve noted that blessings grow
When met with gratitude,
Though when you’re blind it’s hard to find
A thankful attitude.
 
The job that leaves you exhausted,
But provides daily bread.
The home, however humble, that’s
A roof over your head.
 
The car that runs, the noisy kids,
Don’t seem like blessings now,
But, if you had to do without,
You know you’d question how.
 
So look beneath the wants and dreams
To what you have today,
And pause to see what’s hidden there
On display every day. 

Then lift your voice in gratitude

For blessings that now flow,
And don’t be startled if you find
Those blessings grow and grow.

Rejoice at My Parting

Do not weep upon my parting,

For, though I’m gone from earth,
Rejoice that I am reveling
In heavenly rebirth.
 
Celebrate and dance with singing,
Lift high your joyful praise,
For I am gone through heaven’s gates
And into better days.
 
Let there be laughter and no tears,
May joy touch every face,
For I’ll be dancing in His garden,
Gazing upon God’s face.
 
So do not weep when I am gone,
Sing songs of thankful joy,
And praise Him who, through sacrifice,
Gives life death can’t destroy.
 
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Beneath His Gaze

The road may not be smooth each day,

The path may rise steeply,
But I know that, however rough,
He has His eye on me.
 
I cannot travel from His view,
His gaze is everywhere,
And though I stumble on the path
I know that He’ll be there.
 
I struggle, sometimes, in this life,
But I can face rough days
Because I know I’m walking still
Beneath His loving gaze.
 
Psalm 121:8
The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Signs Of Love

However bare or desolate

The world might seem to be,
God always leaves us some small sign
That we can clearly see;
The ray of light between the clouds,
A leaf still on the tree,
The friendly word that lifts the heart
And sets our spirit free.
 
Matthew 6:25-27
 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Hiding In Him

My enemy seems to be me,

Though I have faith in You.
I worry that I’m much too weak
To see the struggle through.
 
You have not asked as much of me
As many face each day,
And yet, I worry that’ll I’ll fail,
That my strength might give way.
 
I hide, in You, when I’m afraid,
You teach me not to fear.
And even my worst enemy
Is loved when you are near.
 
Psalm 143:9
Rescue me from my enemies, Lord, for I hide myself in you.

Moving On

Every day must come to an end

Before the next one can begin.
We bid farewell to what has been,
Then turn and start out once again.
 
We cannot linger in today,
Where all that’s past gets in the way.
Tomorrow can’t, its joys, display
If we’re still trapped in yesterday.
 
So do your grieving, then move on.
We must let go of all that’s gone,
Knowing that, in tomorrow’s dawn,
The face of a new life is drawn.

All Alone

I can see the joyful world,

It’s not that far away,
And yet I feel so all alone
At the end of this day.
 
I spend each day surrounded by
The chaos of this world,
And I have withstood all the pain
That every day has hurled.
 
Yet, in the end, I’m all alone
With just the tears I cry
As I watch all those I have loved,
One by one, say good-bye.

Psalm 31:9
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief.

A Different View

I’m trying not to think of it

As a drab, drizzly day,
But take the chance to look at life
In a different way.
 
For yesterday was such a rush
A chaos filled whirlwind,
And I’ll be past exhausted by
Tomorrow’s weary end.
 
So I am looking at today,
Though filled with rain and mist,
As that calm in between the storms
Which I’ve heard can exist!
 
So thank you, Lord, for time to rest
For time to spend with You,
And most of all for helping me
To look at things anew.
 
Psalm 62:1
Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.

Praise the Creator

It’s not the hope a new day brings

Which should light each new day,
But is, instead, our faith in Him
Who set dawn on its way.
 
For it is not that burst of light
That lifts our spirits high,
It is the hand that set its path,
Upon which we rely.
 
So rise within the fresh, clean light,
But do not praise the sun,
For it is but a pale display
Compared to what God’s done!
 
Deuteronomy 4:19
And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

The Golden Days

Just a simple thought today,

Less than real words of praise,
To say that I am grateful, Lord,
For all these golden days.
 
I know that all the world grows cold
The skies grow damp with haze
But still there is a vibrant joy
In all these golden days.
 
So thank you, Lord, for autumn’s chill,
The drizzle that dismays,
For with it comes the glory of
These perfect golden days.

Mother's Teachings

They grow beneath her loving eye,

Learning the way to live,
The way to hold their heads up high
And still reach out to give.
She shows them that they are strongest
When they stand side by side
To make the world a better place,
With their hearts open wide.
They grow in faith and honor God,
They lift His praises high,
For love is what she teaches those
Who grow beneath her eye.
 
Proverbs 6:20
My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

My heart Leapt

With joy, my heart leapt to the sky,

Singing with great delight,
For God has loved me beyond death
And healed me with His might.
 
With joy, my heart leapt to the sky,
Rejoicing as it rose,
For God has called me by my name,
A name only He knows.
 
With joy my heart leapt to the sky
And still it sings sweet songs,
For God has claimed me as His child,
To Him, my soul belongs.

This photo a blessing from BBB. With grateful thanks.

Tangled Mess

My life can seem a tangled mess

Despite the grace I’ve known.
In fact, I think the biggest thorns
Grow from the seeds I’ve sown.
I lay my plans, in all my pride,
Thinking I’ll see them through,
With never a thought given to
Stopping to talk with You.
 
But even though the tangles grow
With such abundant glee,
And I am caught within their grasp
With no escape to see,
I know that even then Your love
Will not abandon me;
That You will lead me through the thorns
Until I’m once more free.
 
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Obscured

I don’t know what tomorrow holds,

Today was not as planned,
But I don’t let that worry me
For I stand in His hand.
 
The way ahead may be obscured
The path too hard to see,
But I will keep on faithfully
For He walks next to me.
 
I may not see the best way out
Of all I’m going through,
But I trust that You know the way
So I’ll just follow You.

Though I am Small

I look to you when I’m afraid,

When I feel very small.
I look to you and call your name.
And you hear every call.
 
Although my voice is tiny, Lord,
When I’m besieged by fear,
I look to you. You hear my cry,
For you are always near.
 
Isaiah 38:14
I cried like a swift or thrush, I moaned like a mourning dove. My eyes grew weak as I looked to the heavens. I am being threatened; Lord, come to my aid!”

Through the Fog

There is a wall between the sun

And its reflected light,
But still its glory reflects back,
Much to heaven’s delight.
Thus it is so, when we feel lost
Within our daily plight,
That God will still get through to us
With love that’s shining bright.

Being Together

While I sought anxiously for words

That didn’t want to show,
I worried I’d miss writing this
Before I had to go.
But then I heard, within my mind,
A voice speak soft and low,
“It’s not the verse you write each day
That pleases My Heart so,
It’s knowing you spent time with me
That helps our love to grow.”

His Love Remains

Light at the end of the tunnel,

Cloud breaks after the rain,
Happiness after great sorrow,
Healing after the pain,
All stand as proof of the promise
That God’s love will remain.
 
Psalm 30:5
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

A Golden Tree

When all the world is lost in tears

That tumble from the sky
I look at this bright face of joy
And know that God’s close by.
 
Although the leaves will soon give way
To fall’s blustery roar,
The joyful image they convey
Will cheer me ever more.

Mountain Shadow

The colors burst across the sky

In pink and gold array,
And then I noticed a clear line
Cut through their bright display.
 
For, as the sun rose in the sky,
It brushed the mountain’s side.
Throwing some clouds in pale relief,
Casting its shadow wide.
 
Had I not known that it was there
To cause the pattern change,
I might have thought what’s beautiful
Was merely odd or strange.  
 
And thus it’s well to keep in mind,
Sometimes we cannot see
The things hidden in someone’s past
That impacts who they’ll be.

The Aftermath

However fierce the storm may seem,

With thunder clouds piled high,
There is no tempest, that, in time,
Will not blow on past by.
 
Thus it is not the storms we face,
Which test us day to day,
But how we face the aftermath
They leave along the way.
 
So while we pray to face the storm,
With strength to see us through,
Pray also for the faithful heart
To keep God close to you
When all the storms have blown on by
And there’s healing to do.

Reflecting on Grace

I have been called upon of late

To reflect on my life
And on the fact that I’ve been loved
Through triumph and through strife.
 
I look upon the face I see
Looking back at me now
And see so many scars and flaws
That I’ve survived somehow.
 
I gaze upon a face so marred
By doubt and fear some days
That I know I only got through
On Grace and songs of praise.
 
I see in me the palest shade
Of who I ought to be
And yet I see also the love
Of those who cherish me.
 
We’re all so blessed to know His love,
And count on His embrace,
Though we are but a reflection
Of His unending grace.
 
2 Timothy 2:7
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Misty Blessing

The blessings of a misty dawn

Are often hard to see,
But there are many joys to find
For those who look, like me.
 
The sunlight playing on the bay
Through ribbons of soft mist.
The dewdrops on the spider’s web
That morning’s light has kissed.
 
The autumn leaves in fine array
Splash color everywhere
And little birds sing sweet farewells
To summer’s warmer air.

So many blessings in the chill
Of misty morning’s light
That I am grateful, once again,
To leave behind the night.

A Light Has Dawned

In darkness, I opened my eyes,

The night lay all around.
My heart was trapped within its web;
No thought, no light, no sound.
 
I lifted up a hopeful prayer
To ward off the dark night,
Asking for strength to face the fears
That flourish without light.
 
I felt deep peace wash through my mind,
As my thoughts turned to You,
And all the darkness fled in fear
As dawn came bursting through.
 
Matthew 4:16
the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.