They Are All In Your Hand

 

The world feels so heavy today,
Too much sorrow and grief.
Knowing that I can’t help at all,
Affords me no relief.
 
The broken hearts, the shattered dreams,
The truth of what draws nigh
Weigh down upon me, heart and soul.
I cannot help but cry.
 
All I can do is give to You
The burdens I can’t bear.
Please wrap those hurting in Your grace,
Let them know that You’re there.
 
Give them Your peace, the faith to hope
That I could never give.
Renew in them the strength they need
To stand and fight to live.
 
If there is something I can do,
Then help me lend a hand,
But when I can’t, help me let go
And trust in what You’ve planned.   
 
Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
 
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

To so many family and friends who are struggling right now with suffering, sorrow and worries, please be at peace and know that you are still safe in His hand. 

Give Comfort In Times Of Grief

 

We each have carried the burden
Of grief too great to bear,
And yet we’ve had to find the strength
To live with our despair.
 
Because we understand such grief,
You’d think we’d know the way
To comfort someone who now fights
To keep such grief at bay.
 
Alas, that is not how grief works.
For each, the pain’s our own.
Try though we might we cannot heal
The pains we haven’t known.
 
I cannot heal their broken heart
Or mend the hole it leaves,
Nor can I take away the fears
And pain of one who grieves.
 
I cannot bid them walk my path,
For their healing’s not mine.
What I can do is give their grief
To the healer Divine.
 
For He can heal the broken heart
And make it whole again.
That’s comfort beyond the power
Of any mortal man.
 
I know because He has healed me
From more than one heartbreak,
And I know He will heal them, too.
His comfort’s theirs to take.
 
The greatest comfort I can share
Is God’s love and His grace,
And simply staying close until
God’s healing can take place.
 
2 Corinthians 1:4
who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
 
Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

We Will Rejoice Again

A rose from a summer long past
Blooms in my memories.
Though I may grieve for those I’ve lost,
I will hold on to these.
 
So many loved ones now are gone,
And grief tears at my heart.
Yet, all those memories of joy,
They’re still the better part.
 
Those sweet memories bring me peace,
But more so does knowing
That they’re rejoicing at the throne
Of heaven’s gracious King.
 
I could hold on to crushing grief
Or hold instead onto
The promise that death holds no sting
For those who’ve lived in You.
 
I look upon my father’s rose
And wipe my tears away.
For though I still feel sorrow now,
I will rejoice one day.
 
John 16:22
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 

Another Loss, Another Heartbreak

 

The blows keep coming, on and on.
My heart finds no relief,
For each new day seems to lift up
Another cause for grief.
 
I feel as if my heart might drown
Beneath the weight of tears.
This one was far too young to leave
Too much grief, too few years.   
 
Oh Lord, You are our sole refuge,
The strength on which we lean
When all the world comes crashing down
And no hope can be seen.
 
We fall before You in our pain,
Our tears are all we bring
To offer in exchange for peace
And comfort from our King.
 
Please hold in love those we have lost
And pour Your peace into
Those who now walk a lonely world.
Our hope, Lord, rests in You.
 
Psalm 119:28
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

For They Shall Be Comforted

 

When all the sorrows of this life
Weigh heavy on my heart,
I bow my head beneath that weight
And let the grieving start.
 
A loved one lost in suffering,
A heartbreak I can’t face,
And nowhere in my darkest hour
Is there a sign of grace.
 
Until I raise my eyes to You,
My prayers I lift through tears
Into the hands of Him who heals
My pain and soothes my fears.
 
Oh, Lord, I know this world is rife
With sorrow, pain and loss.
It is as if all hope of joy
Is burned away like dross.
 
Yet, in my sorrow there is joy,
A silent spark of light,
That reminds me You are the one
Who overcame the night.
 
You are the Lord who called forth light
And shattered night’s control
Of all the worlds through all of time
And redeemed every soul.
 
Though I may grieve this bitter loss,
I cherish with delight
The truth that she will soon rejoice
Within Your perfect light.
 
Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

For JSK and her family as the walk through this time of grief. 

A Future And A Hope

 

I stand within the bounds of earth,
My feet on shifting sands,
And any hopes I have in life
Are resting in Your hands.
 
I can’t control what life may bring.
It comes in, wave on wave,
But I will hold on to the faith
That those You’ve called, You’ll save.
 
For You have promised us new life,
Our soul’s You will restore
When we have crossed from this life’s storms
To rest on heaven’s shore.
 
There is no greater peace than that,
As the waves thunder in,
To know You have a place reserved
For me without my sin.
 
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Beneath Your Wings, I Sing

 

You are the hope to which I cling,
The joy that lifts my heart
When everything seems to go wrong
And my world falls apart.
 
You are my strength when I am weak,
My peace within travail.
I count myself blessed beyond words,
For often my words fail.
 
I know that I don’t stand alone,
I’ve friends and family,
But, when the pushing comes to shove,
You’re where I want to be.
 
Lord, thank You for being the peace,
The truth, the way, the light.
Beneath the shadow of Your wings,
I sing in my delight.
 
Psalm 63:7
for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

Avoid Anger, Be Gentle

 

I see the anger in the world
And shake my head in shame.
For I know we are called to share
His grace and not our blame.
 
It seems to just pop out sometimes,
When we ought to refrain.
We seem to forego all kindness
And let anger remain.
 
Yet, what is gained by that anger,
Better still, what is lost?
For anger, carried for too long,
Levies a brutal cost.  
 
It robs us of the peace we seek,
The joy of each day’s grace,
And sears the heart with its poison.
Of love, it leaves no trace.  
 
After a time, we cannot see
The damage that’s been done,
Until we turn to find a friend
And learn that we have none.
 
Be gentle with your fellow man,
Set quarreling aside,
And find a way to walk in peace.
In His mercy, abide.
 
Titus 3:2
to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

Family Ain't Easy

The simple fact is family
Will never be easy.
We stand so close for all our lives
That we often can't see
The thorns we hide from most strangers
We share with family.

We've known each other for so long
We often do not hear
The painful words and thoughts we share
With those we hold most dear.

We see the faults that we watched grow
In those who shared our life,
While somehow failing to notice
The thorns of our own strife.

Each blossom in the flower bed
Has beauty, that is real.
Yet, standing so close brings in view
The thorns they each conceal,
And those closest, most deeply cut,
Bear scars they'll always feel.

We can't neglect to forgive those
Who grew up by our side.
For we can't trim another's thorns
By using our own pride.

Those thorny blossoms shared the life
In which you learned to bloom,
And if their thorns prick now and then,
Just give them extra room.

For family is always hard, 
But they're right by your side
Through all the storms and droughts that come,
With hearts and arms stretched wide.
It might be time to love the blooms
And let the thorns abide.

Hoses 2:1
"Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.

The Unseen Hope - Advent - Hope

 

I dreamed about you earlier,
We laughed and had a chat.
Sitting, once more, in the kitchen
Where we’d so often sat.
 
We’d been laughing, some silly thing,
When you stepped out of view.
I answered you with a question,
But no response from you.
 
I asked again, I called your name,
But still heard nothing back.
So, I got up and followed you
Still making my wise crack.
 
Yet, as I walked to where you were,
Or, where you should have been,
You were not there. I was alone.
Then I woke up again.
 
I miss you, and that will not change,
But life must still go on.
The empty places in my heart
Reflect what is now gone.
 
Yet I cling to the unseen hope
That I’ll hug you again,
For we all trust in the promise
From heaven’s Son of Man.  
 
Romans 8:24
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?

Comfort One Another

We all view life from where we live,
With our own point of view,
But that does not mean we can’t bear
With other viewpoints, too.
 
We have been called to offer grace,
The same grace we receive,
That we might lift up those in need
Of comfort or reprieve.
 
We do not have to understand
Life in the way they do,
But we do have to share His grace
As we have been called to.
 
We should not live by this world’s creeds,
Don’t misunderstand me,
But we can still bear with patience
Those who can’t fully see.
 
We need to lift them up in love,
Comfort them in their need,
Speak to them of His loving grace,
Or just help plant that seed.
 
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Joy and A Few Tears

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a simple song of joy

Sprinkled with a few tears

For all those I have loved and lost

Over my many years.

 

It didn’t always make much sense,

But looking back I see

That everyone I’ve loved and lost

Left part of them in me.

 

Whether it was a fierce courage

Or patient, loving grace,

Without that blessing I would not

Be standing in this place.

 

The faith to hold on through the storms,

And some stubbornness, too,

Have carried me through much travail,

Then brought me back to you.

 

So many gifts and memories

A bit of joy and tears

And lots of love to see me through

All my remaining years.

 

Psalm 56:8

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

Tears and Sorrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why is there sorrow in my heart

When I belong to You?

There is no heartache I will face

That You won’t see me through.

 

Yet, still I find that tears will fall,

Anxiety will grow,

Despite all of the loving grace

You never fail to show.

 

This world still tears my heart apart,

Casting it to the wind,

And I’m compelled to acknowledge

That sorrow will not end.

 

For this world is itself broken,

Fearful and trapped in blight,

But You have overcome this world.

Lord, shield me in Your light.

 

John 16: 33

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.