Because in each day, no matter how dark or how long, there is a praise to be found. Sometimes our hearts are too weary or too frightened to voice them, but our souls cry out to God... and He is there.
Oh Lord, I rest in You tonight,
My busy day is past.
Though tomorrow is on its way,
Some rest is mine, at last.
The evening’s drawing nigh,
And I am grateful, through it all,
That You were right near by.
More than a time or two,
But I always felt You close by.
My peace comes straight from You.
And rise in the new day,
For You’ve always watched over me,
And always will, I pray.
In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O
Lord, make me dwell in safety.
A bit weary, but so grateful,
Tonight, I lift a praise
Of thanksgiving, pure and simple.
Your mercies still amaze.
But it is clear to me
That it is far better than that
Which I’d thought it should be.
And given me much more,
I cannot wait to see what grace
Tomorrow holds in store.
Delivered at His pace,
And every day He fills our lives
With His unending grace.
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it
with patience.
The moon was rising through the mist
Behind the distant tree.
It wasn’t until it cleared both
That it was there to see.
That You set long ago.
Though we may calculate that path,
Its full course we can’t know.
Their own unique array
Of wonders and of mysteries
In breathtaking display.
The trees, the desert’s sand,
The sun, the moon, the milky way
All rest within Your hand.
That is Your grand design,
And each one wondrous to behold.
A gift, rare and divine.
Of their Creators plan,
And of the glory and the grace
He offers mortal man.
There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the
glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of
another.
You planted Your Word in my heart,
Watered it with Your grace,
And I have felt it slowly grow,
Even in that tight space.
The idea of change,
Nestled within my rough edges.
Something both real and strange.
I came to understand,
That what was blooming in my heart
Rested safe in Your hand.
You took this ragged soul
And held me close within Your Light,
Renewed me, made me whole.
In his hand is the life of every living thing and the
breath of all mankind.
Songs of sorrow, and songs of joy,
The songs that touch a soul.
Lift up your voices, sing your songs,
His love has made you whole.
Sing to Him in your pain.
Lift up your voices, sing your songs,
For His love will remain.
Let Him hear every voice.
He who redeemed you, loves you still.
Lift up your songs, rejoice!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
However long or hard the path
My refuge is in Him.
He shelters me within His peace,
When life grows dark and grim.
If I stood all alone.
Yet, when I stand within His strength
I’m more than flesh and bone.
And shields them with His might.
Blessed are the children of mankind
Who live within His light.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children
of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
Sometimes our pride gets in the way
Of who we ought to be.
We get tripped up in ego, then
Just fall out of the tree.
Are not on par with His,
But I can find no better way
To make my point than this.
Walk humbly, seek His grace,
Or you, too, might trip on your pride
And end up on your face!
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit
before a fall.
This delightful photo is another of those from AC. A bit of lighthearted joy today!
A day of errands, then of chores,
Far too busy for me,
But, now that the work’s all been done,
I can rest peacefully.
Tonight my thanks flow free
To You who gives me work and rest,
And watches over me.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your
right hand.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from
this time forth and forevermore.
This delightful moment is one form AC on her trip to Africa.
I try to count them every day,
The blessings of Your grace,
But they mount up so rapidly
I always lose my place.
The chance to share a laugh.
There are too many to keep track,
My count is short by half!
If that’s the way it goes,
For a blessing’s still a blessing,
Even if no one knows!
Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall!
Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!
Anger will stalk the heart of man,
Working to tear the soul
To which God gave new life and joy,
The soul His blood made whole.
At any peace we find.
Unless we cast it from our heart,
It will consume our mind.
A vulture with its prey,
Waiting for sin to answer rage
And seal the soul’s decay.
But forgive and move on.
Don’t let that evil eat at you
Until all life is gone.
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on
your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
There on the cusp of dark and light
I came to understand
How both are needful, of value,
And formed at Your command.
But it sharpens our view
And helps us to appreciate
The light of life in You.
The moon and stars shine true.
Even when swaddled in dark clouds,
We see them peeking through.
And sweep the dark away,
The heavens rejoice in delight,
A colorful display.
With dark and light in view,
My breath always catches in awe
To be so close to You!
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Be Still and let my words heal you,
Don’t talk, just listen please.
I formed you in your mother’s womb
And I can give you ease.
You run so fast, you cannot stop
Until, at last, you fall.
Why do you wait so long before
You answer when I call?
Listen to me, I’m telling you
That I am all you need.
Let go of all the ifs and buts.
Listen, my child, take heed.
This world is not an easy place,
But you still have a choice.
Go on as if you are in charge,
Or listen to my voice.
Be still and rest within the peace
That I have formed for you.
Be still and listen to my voice,
As I’ve asked you to do.
I hold all things within my hand
The heavens and earth, too,
And you, who are more precious yet,
Be still child, I’ve got you!
Isaiah 44:24
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from
the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the
heavens, who spread out the earth by myself
I cry out for Your strength tonight.
The day was long and rough,
But I’m still standing in the faith
That Your grace is enough.
Despite all that we do,
Leave me even more thankful that
I can find strength in You.
When I am strong, I praise
The King in whose strength I can stand
Even on these rough days.
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.
The beauty of His creation
Stands in joyous display
As winter melts and spring bursts forth
Into its bright array.
Reflect His perfect grace
As they lift their eyes, filled with awe,
Toward His holy face.
They’ll wither and grow dim,
So, they spend each moment of life
Rejoicing, praising Him!
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our
God will stand forever.
There is no wall to demarcate
Between dark and the light.
The line is drawn between the wrong
and all we know that’s right
with courage and with fortitude
and faith that will not swerve
by men who stand upon the line.
The men who choose to serve.
Freedom’s price is dearly paid,
Then paid and paid again,
by children and by lonely wives
and by those loyal men.
They hold, with flesh and blood and steel
and sometimes with raw nerve,
a line of hope against despair.
The men who choose to serve.
We sleep in peace, we pray in faith,
we work without the fear
that those who seek to do us harm
can ever draw too near
because they keep their faith with us,
with strength and calm reserve,
the men who stand upon the line.
The men who choose to serve.
We owe them more than we can pay
And yet no price is asked
Except for someplace safe to rest
When they’ve laid down the task.
For they know other brave young men,
will step up to the mark
and carry on the task for them,
the fight against the dark.
We owe them more than platitudes
for the price they have paid.
We owe them more than gratitude
for sacrifices made.
We long to, but can’t give full due
of all that they deserve,
we owe too much to all of them.
The men who choose to serve.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for
war, and my fingers for battle;
From 2007- Re-printed from my other blog in honor of Armed Forces Day.
Lord, I have known You all my life,
But it took years to see
How much I can rely on You
And how much You love me.
The full depth of Your grace,
But I have felt it every day,
And that love, I embrace.
That You lost sight of me.
You led me right back to Your side,
Where I am meant to be.
Your peace is mine to claim,
And I have found comfort and strength
In calling out Your name.
Your love won’t be denied,
For You have kept Your eye on me
And stayed close by my side.
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do
doubts arise in your hearts?
Seek you the Lord in all you do,
For He is everywhere.
Whether you look to sea or sky,
The Lord is always there.
And thunder’s rumbling roll.
He’s in the breeze rustling the leaves,
And in each weary soul.
Though we may fail to see
How great the blessing of a love
That spans eternity.
Speak with Him every day,
And strive to share His strength, His grace
With all along the way.
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence
continually!
I can’t quite fathom, past each day,
What You have planned for me,
But this much I do understand…
You know who I’m to be.
That I’ll work hard for You,
That You will guide my heart and hands
In everything I do.
On that which I can see,
And I am blessed by every chore
That You have given me.
And I am grateful for
The chance to work to Your glory
In every little chore.
Let me work faithfully
To handle each day’s little tasks
And do so joyfully.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and
establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
Oh Lord, Your blessings never end
Your wonders never cease.
Down every darkened path I’ve walked
I’ve found Your perfect peace.
And bore them in my stead.
Each time I fear I’ve lost Your love
You pour more on my head.
And held me when I cried.
Even when I doubted your grace,
It still was not denied.
My voice I lift in praise.
You are my hope, my joy, my peace,
My Lord, now and always!
Lamentations 3:22-24
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The
Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
We Lift our pleas up to the Lord,
Our sin, our pain, our woe,
Then, with Amen, we pick them up
And take them when we go.
To fix what we cannot,
And then, by deed, say “Never mind,
Lord, this one I have got.”
If we cannot let go
Of all the pain that we can’t heal,
The sins that hurt us so.
In the promise He gives
To those who walk within His Word,
In them, His spirit lives.
The scars that we can’t face.
Lay them before Him, then let go
And trust in His pure grace.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares
about you.”
“Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he
will help you.”
The day was gray and overcast,
But that was to end soon.
The forecast called for clearing skies
Just a bit after noon.
Knowing they’d be alright
Once those clouds broke and the warm sun
Filled up the beds with light.
Until I felt the touch
Of a soft breeze across my arm,
The warmth I’d missed so much.
A momentary view
Of Light at the edge of a cloud
Just starting to move through.
In this world, not as yet,
But there’s no doubt that bright glimpse was
As close as I will get.
For, though the dark cloud tried its best
To block the sun’s bright light,
The sun lit up the clouds dark face
Until it, too, shone bright.
The light streamed out brightly.
I may not have seen Your true face,
But I felt You see me.
But Your Light still shines through.
It marks the path that leads us home,
Where we’ll truly see You.
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the
world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life.”
Within the mercies of Your grace,
I find myself again
Remembering whose child I am,
And resting in Your plan.
Like blessings from Your hand,
That proves a love far greater still
Than I can understand.
I always seem to make,
Your peace slips in to calm my soul,
The one You won’t forsake.
Then help me follow through
By wrapping me in loving grace
With a peace born in You.
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the
Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.
We're told that where our treasure lies
There, too, our hearts will be.
In that case, my heart rests with Him
Who shares His gold with me.
A gold reflecting sea,
These are the treasures I desire,
And that He gives to me.
Work that keeps me busy,
All simple things, yet great blessings.
Gifts He has given me.
Found in His vast mercy,
And I’ll delight in the sweet grace
That His love brings to me.
Lift up your eyes and see,
The greatest treasure we can know…
His love for you and me!
then the Almighty will be your gold and your
precious silver. For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty and lift up
your face to God.
Oh Lord, You’ve given us Your words,
You’ve set the path we walk.
You’ve even sent us Your Spirit
To help us share and talk.
About what we’re to do,
Yet, so often we get off track,
And then lose sight of You.
Still walking through this land,
That we might turn our eyes to You
And reach out for Your hand.
Each day talking to You.
Maybe less talking and a bit
More listening will do.
Staying close by Your side,
Instead of following our gaze,
Wandering far and wide.
Help us draw close enough
That we will not be swept adrift
When this life grows too rough.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead
me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I
wait all the day long.
Each life is filled with joy and pain.
However strong the heart,
The strain of grief and of regret
Can break that heart apart.
At all that we did wrong.
The choices made, the sins we lived,
Can break even the strong.
But live the guilt of sin
Until, sometimes, we lose ourselves
In everything we’ve been.
And listen to His voice.
For He reminds us we are loved,
And that it is His choice.
The sorrows of the past,
Are gone and should be left behind.
Only His blessings last.
But we must keep our view
Fixed on the blessings, not the grief,
For we’ve been born anew.
And the same for a heart.
Trust Him who formed you to repair
What you have torn apart.
And if a house is divided against itself, that house will
not be able to stand.
Yet one more blessing from TAF and Enchanted Rock! I Love these photos.
The land is rocky, steep and hard,
And water there is scant.
Still, there is beauty to be found…
Though in a prickly plant.
With no detail left out.
So, thorns and all, if it is there,
It’s His plan, without doubt.
Does not shock me at all.
For He once charged the least of men
To share the greatest call.
To answer to His call,
We just need to step out in faith,
Trust Him and give our all.
To bring joy to this place,
Then He can use a prickly heart
To share His Word, His grace.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you
always, to the end of the age.”
Another lovely blessing from Enchanted Rock and TAF!
A day of rest, a day of peace,
And time to spend with You.
These are the things that my soul needs
To see the next week through.
And time to seek Your voice.
These are the precious little gifts
That lead me to rejoice.
And for the sweet blessings
Of time spent drawing near to You,
And the healing that brings.
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
This photo of a baby owl in Wyoming is a blessing from LLT.