Watching Daily

I hear You’ve asked we be on watch,

Lord, I will watch for You.
Knowing that You will come for me,
That’s the least I can do.
 
I get the feeling, now and then,
That You’re just out of sight,
So I watch even closer, lest
You come by dark of night.
 
And while I’m watching, waiting, Lord,
I listen for Your voice.
For either way, I’ll know You’ve come
And my heart will rejoice.
 
Proverbs 8:34
Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

Psalm 56:4

The tides rise up, the storm sweeps in,

But I ride on His hand,
For this world answers to His word
And turns at His command.
 
There will always be storms to face
For this earth can be grim,
But God will hold us through them all,
So I will trust in Him.  
 
So I may dread the rising storm
And the pain that it brings,
Yet I know God will lift me up
On swift and faithful wings.
 
Psalm 56:4
In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

A Night Off

I’m taking time off for tonight

From writing today’s praise,
For someone needs some time with me
After these crazy days.
 
God gives us each our work to do,
But also those we love.
And right now she needs time with me,
A priority above.
 
She is the grace that lifts me up,
God’s gift when I was lost,
And I must honor that gift, too,
Though this praise is the cost.

Unnoticed Blessings

I worked and scurried through the day,

A busy little bee,
Failing to notice the blessings
I carried home with me.
 
The moment when I glanced quickly,
At blossoms on a tree
That splashed their colors in the sun,
So exquisite to see.
 
The warmth of spring on morning grass,
Still sparkling with the dew,
That made me pause and smile a bit
Before I hurried through.
 
So many blessings in the day,
To many now to count,
And yet I didn’t notice them,
No matter the amount.
 
Too often we focus on work
And never stop to see
How many blessings touch our life.
That’s not how it should be.
 
Psalm 21:6
Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Perspectives

Sometimes You seem so far away,

Just past the edge of sight,
And other times You are right there,
Clear as the moon at night.
I know that You have never changed,
The perspective is mine,
And I am grateful that Your sight,
Unlike mine, is divine.
For though I might lose sight of You,
It’s good to know You see
Your errant child, wandering lost,
Wherever I might be.

A Mother's Love

She watches them with loving eyes

Guarding them as they grow
Teaching them how to play and swim
And all that they should know.
 
It is an instinct and a gift
To love those she gave birth,
But it’s a mother’s obligation
To help them find their worth.
 
So she watches them carefully
And helps them on their way
That they might make a better place
Than the world of today.

Poppies and Remembrances

Red poppies and remembrances

Are everywhere today,
Reminding us of those we love
Who have been torn away.
So many faces, names we knew,
That we now speak in grief,
And there is nowhere we can turn
To find our heart’s relief.
 
They rose to stand against the dark
That we might live in light,
And, though they wanted to come home,
They fell in that great fight.
Though they have gone from us for now
We know we’ll meet once more
When God calls us to join them on
Heaven’s bright, deathless shore.  
 
Until then it’s the little things
That capture all we feel,
Like poppies and remembrances
And hearts that don’t quite heal.

Just For Me

I held my breath as they rose up

And passed me, flying by.
Their strong wings swiftly carried them
Into the morning sky.
 
It’s moments like that when I know
That You have me in mind,
For you set something that perfect
In place, for me to find.

Patterns and Chaos

The little matters of these days

Swirl dizzily about,
I’m sure that there’s a pattern there
That I’ve not figured out,
 
There must be something that makes sense,
Though what, I cannot see,
Yet here I sit still looking for
Patterns that may not be.
 
For though God has a plan in place,
It eludes me just now,
But I have faith the pieces fit
Perfectly well somehow.
 
So, though I do not understand
The patterns of these days,
I’ll trust that God is in command
And I will give Him praise!
 
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Woe Is Me

Oh Lord, my life has not been hard.

Though I have faced travail,

I’ve never lived life with the doubt

That I might not prevail.

 

There are so many who face death

Each day that they awake,

While I live in safety and ease

With every breath I take.

 

The woes I face are simple things,

Inconvenient at worst.

Yet “woe is me” still seems to be

The place that I go first. 

 

I don’t live with the threat of death

That many others know.

Yet, I tell myself life is hard

When, for me, that’s not so.  

 

So let me not lose sight of this.

When I fuss and complain,

Remind me that my life is free

Of the worst fear and pain. 

 

For self-pitying thoughts I had

Now and again today,

I ask You for forgiveness, Lord.

Help me cast them away.

My Thorns

Apparently I’m cranky, Lord,

I’m letting my thorns show.
I know I ought to trim them back,
But they just grow and grow.
 
I don’t know what set them off, Lord,
But out they came today
And try as I might I can’t seem
To make them go away.
 
My prayer tonight is that these thorns
Might disappear by dawn.
I’d like to be a happy me
And they need to be gone.

Looking in Faith

You caught me looking up for You

When things grew rocky here.
Though my eyes cannot see You there
Still I can feel You near.
 
I don’t know why I look around,
When I sense You nearby.
I know I will not see Your face,
However much I try,
 
But for some reason I still look,
Believing I’ll see You.
I just have faith the day will come
When that belief proves true!

Stillness and Storms

I’m at the lull within the storm

When everything is still.
The rest of the blast hasn’t come,
But I feel sure it will.
 
And that’s okay, I’ll face it then,
For now everything’s fine.
And I will take the stillness in
Until I make it mine.
 
For in the stillness lies the strength
That comes from knowing Him,
And with that strength I’ll face the storm,
However fierce and grim.  

The Mist

I know that You are out there, Lord,

Beyond the stress filled haze,
But sometimes I lose track of You
In the craziest days.
 
I know that You can still see me,
Though I lose track of You.
That’s all that I hold on to, Lord,
When the mist rolls on through.
 
But I need to admit the mist
Is not Your work, but mine.
It’s me that lets the worries cloud
The Grace that You let shine.
 
So if You’ll burn the mist away
Just one more time for me,
I’ll try to trust You faithfully
And keep my skies mist free!

Losing Peace

Lord, take me back to find the peace

That seems to elude me.
The peace that came from knowing You,
And who I’m meant to be.
 
There are so many demands now
That pull my peace apart,
And I feel that I am losing hold
Of some part of my heart.
 
I don’t want to be who I am
When I lose track of You,
So help me find my way back, Lord,
To that peace I once knew.

Generations

They snuggle close into her side,

Not ready yet to bloom.
Her petals curl out of the way
To give them enough room.
For someday they will spread their blooms
And she will watch them grow
Into a world that they will see,
But she will never know.
 
For her time on this earth is brief
And then she will be gone,
But those small buds, as yet unbloomed,
Will blossom and live on.

Psalm 33:11

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

Calling Me

His glory sweeps across the sky

Waking me from my sleep,

Reminding me of promises

That I still have to keep.

But I don’t want to turn away,

For He is calling me.

The world can wait a little while,

He’s where I want to be. 

Simple Proof

I needed something small tonight,

Something easy to pray,
For I am feeling a bit worn
By my long, busy day.
                       
I needed something filled with joy,
Some simple, sweet delight
With which to finish up my day
And ease me into night.
 
I needed just a moment’s peace
And then I saw them there.
Now, once again, I am convinced
You hear me, and You care.

Grateful To Be Me

Though I was born out of the place

That I was meant to be
I will not let that keep me from
Being the finest me.
 
I’ll sing a glory song to Him
For, though I’m out of place,
I’ve never been so far away
That I was out of Grace.
 
I may not have the room to grow
As big as others do,
But I am big enough to raise
A song of joy to You.
 
So Lord, You will not see me weep
For all that might not be.
I’m grateful for all that I have,
I’m blessed to just be me.  

Faith and Grace

The sky was touched with golden light

As I rose in the dawn
To pray that I would find the faith
It takes to carry on.
 
Some days are harder than others
To face with grace in mind,
But I have found that what I bring
Is often what I find.
 
So, as I stood within that light,
I let it fill my heart
And turned in faith to face a day
That had a grace filled start.

Unabashed

Their faces turn toward the sun

From which they draw their name
There is, in that small act of faith,
For them, no sense of shame.
 
Lord, that is how I want to be,
Turning my face to You.
For You love me and, unabashed,
Dear Lord, I love You, too.

Mother's Day, Without Her

I missed you today, more than most.

Though you’ve been gone a while,
I still expect to hear your voice
Or see your cheery smile.
 
Although my heart weeps with your loss
I’ll hope that you don’t see.
You never felt tears helped a thing,
Though mine still flow freely.
 
I know that we must carry on,
And there’s still joy out there.
You left a legacy of love
That we still need to share.
 
So, though I miss you every day
I’ll share your legacy,
And those you left behind you here
Will see your love in me.

Time With You

Today was crazy busy, Lord,

Without a single stop.
Each time I paused to catch my breath
Some new crisis would pop.
 
But now I have time to sit still
And lift a thankful praise,
I don’t know how You get me through
Some of these wilder days.
 
Yet here I sit in the still peace,
As evening settles in,
Enjoying this time spent with You…
Til it all starts again.

Mighty Works

The mountains are His handiwork,

The stars ranged through the sky.
Yet, so is the warm summer breeze
The fragile butterfly.
 
He can control the mighty winds,
Or shield the baby bird.
He is the songs the angels sing,
The silent thought unheard.
 
It isn’t that His works are grand,
Or often very small,
It isn’t the works, in themselves,
It’s that He made them all.
 
He formed them with a single thought,
The mighty and the frail,
And all the great deeds of mankind,
Beside His works, shall pale.
 
Psalm 104:24
How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Sufficient

I’m not what some would call wealthy,

But I have food to eat.

I have a roof to keep me dry

And, when it’s cold, there’s heat.

I have a job and loving friends

Who help me when in need.

So, though most folk don’t think it’s so,

I think I’m rich, indeed.

My car is old, my house is too,

But then, Lord, so am I.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed

All I can do is cry.

But that is when I count them up,

The blessings that are mine,

And I can’t help but realize

That my life is quite fine.

I have not lived perfectly, Lord,

Sometimes my life’s a mess.

And there are many who have more,

But many more have less.

So one more time, Lord, let me say

What I know to be true,

That Your Grace is sufficient, Lord,

And I’ve been Blessed by You.   

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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Thanks to DR for the wonderful photo with which she has blessed this praise! I'm so grateful!

Tonight

Tonight, Lord, I will leave the praise

For someone else to write,
As I am caught up, breathlessly,
In the grace of this night.
 
The first light of the rising moon
Drifting across the bay
Brings easing to this worried mind
At closing of the day.
 
The quiet breeze, scented with spring,
That rustles in the trees,
Whispers of the elusive peace
I find when on my knees.
 
And, as the sunlight fades away,
The stars peek through night’s veil
Offering their light against the dark,
Like Your love, they won’t fail.
 
No, I will leave the praise tonight
For someone else to write,
And I will simply rest a while
In the grace of this night.

Wisdom and Peace

How is it that the smallest bird

Seems much wiser than me?
I don’t like to admit it, but
That how it seems to be.
For it sits there in perfect calm,
Knowing it’s in Gods hand,
While I spent all day worrying,
Failing to understand.
 
And though my faith was just as small
As is that little bird
Still it was big enough to raise
My worries heavenward.
The answer came repeatedly,
But still I worried on,
Until He made His point so clear
That my worries are gone.
 
The problems still lie all about,
But they don’t worry me.
For God’s own peace now fills my heart
As He said it would be.
 

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I Heard You Call

I heard you call to me, my child,

And I answered your cry.
Although you thought you were alone
I was, in fact, nearby.
 
I came to help you when you called,
Though you might not have seen.
For that is how is with me
And how it’s always been.
 
I hear the voices of the lost,
The broken and dismayed,
And I will answer when they call,
However far they’ve strayed.
 
For all my children are beloved,
I forgave them all sin,
And I will not desert them now
If I did not back then.
 
So, though you did not hear my voice
Or know that I was near,
Please trust I heard and came to You,
For you are more than dear.

Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

By Faith

I said the words so many times,

But doubted what I know.
It took someone else telling me,
Before I could let go.
 
But truth is sometimes hard to see
When fear gets in the way,
And I was so caught in my fear
I couldn’t turn away.
 
So you sent me another’s voice
To tell me what I knew.
The truth is there’s nothing to face
That I can’t face with You.
 
I now believe life can be rough,
Some days even more so,
But it is in the hardest times
That our faith starts to grow.
 
I know I’ve said it many times,
Now I believe it’s true.
Though things may be hard for me now,
By faith You’ll lead me through.

Choosing Joy

The Grace of God is everywhere,

It is everlasting,
And that alone should be enough
To teach your heart to sing!
 
Don’t be the one who stands aside
When joy is on the wing,
Take every chance life offers you
To lift your voice and sing.
The painful times will come again,
But I promise one thing,
By opening your life to joy,
You’ll find what joy can bring.
 
The Grace of God is everywhere,
It is everlasting,
And that alone should be enough
To teach your heart to sing!
 
Psalm 145:7
They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Brambles

The brambles aren’t that far away

On any given day,
But if we keep our eyes on them
We give them too much say.
For we will walk where our eyes look
And mine are turned away
From all the brambles that grow up
Along my daily way.
That doesn’t mean they are not there
To be dealt with someday,
It just means they won’t change my path,
They can’t turn me astray.
For I keep my eyes fixed on Him
Who answers when I pray.