Psalm 59:16-17

As I watch the rising sun

Cresting above the trees,

I raise my voice to rejoice

It rises with the breeze;

Spilling from my grateful heart

Praises I hope will please

The Lord who shields me always,

In troubles, brings me ease.

Psalm 59:16-17

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.

You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

Ezekiel 47:9

Like the bitter ocean waters,

Are the burdens of this day.

They wash upon me like the waves

That rush the shores of the bay.

Like a stream born in the mountains,

Flowing down into the sea,

Is the sweetness of your promise

And the love you bring to me.

Bitter tears, like ocean water,

Wash the earth beneath my feet

‘Til there’s nothing I can stand on

But my sorrow and defeat.

Yet when I turn and see your spring

Cascading down to meet me,

All the sweetness of that water

Refreshes me completely.

And I no longer fear the pain

Of burdens and of sorrow

For I am stronger than the waves

And I dread fear tomorrow.

Though I may walk upon the shore

Where tears and sorrows still teem,

I’ll turn my back upon the sea

And drink from your loving stream.

Ezekiel 47:9
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.

Psalm 107: 28-31

Oh Lord I cannot find the words

Or where those words should start;

The storms of life rise up so fast

They’ll break my world apart

If you won’t speak to calm the waves

And ease my fearful heart.

I cry to you, Lord, in my fear,

You hear my entreaties;

You still the storm with in my heart

And calm the ruthless seas.

You give me strength to face my fears

And set those fears to ease.

Psalm 107

28 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
   and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
   the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
   and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

The Passing of a Friend

In the shadow of the morning,

While the world was still gray,

You turned your face away from us

And God led you away.

The earth will be a sadder place

Without your strength and love,

While heaven gains another voice

For her choir above.

We’ll carry on alone, somehow,

We’re left without a choice,

But when our weeping tears have stilled

We’ll listen for your voice.

Jasmine Praise by Linda Shaw

Strolling through my garden,
watching the light flicker through a ceiling of clouds,
my eyes fixate upon a single bloom of Jasmine,
and I am instantaneously reminded of the simplistic beauty surrounding my day!

The sun gently cast aside a billowy blanket of clouds,
freeing the warmth of the day.
I'm both comforted,
and compelled to preserve nature's beauty,
as I behold the cheery blooms before me.
Bearing witness to His glorious artistry,
I am somehow reminded of the pain and suffering,
currently being endured by brothers and sisters in a foreign land.

While their eyes behold horror and destruction,
mine are comforted by His gentle hand.
A sense of sadness envelopes me in a moment of reflection.
“Why me, Lord? Why have I been spared such devastation and loss?”
While others must suffer nature's hostile blow?

I am reminded of His words before His own painful suffering.
“There will be poor always, pathetically struggling. Look at the good things you've got”
I stop to reflect and accept today.
A day to rejoice and give thanks.
My suffering will come at some point on this earth.
In the meantime...
I will follow His words as I look upon this lovely Jasmine flower.

And as I remind myself of the beauty before me,
I will bow my head in prayer for those who must wait for their day in the sun.

Linda Shaw, March 2011

Psalm 91: 4

I am but a broken feather,

Not even a lost bird,

And yet you sing to me of love

And offer me your Word.

I am the lowest of the low,

Cast off from all that lives

And trodden down into the dirt.

I long for what love gives.

I feared I’d never feel again

The love that wings so free,

From heart to heart and breast to breast
To everyone but me.

But when I turn my face to you,

My tattered, broken face,

I find but love, enduringly,

Within your strong embrace

And perfect refuge in your love,

Your faithfulness and grace.

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

In the Palm of Your Hand

Do you feel that little tickle, Lord,

In the palm of your hand?

That’s me hiding from all the pain,

It’s more than I can stand.

You are so strong, you formed the stars,

Worlds turn at your command.

I am so small, but I am safe

Snuggled here in your hand.

I’m struggling to find some peace,

Some way to just stay calm.

The storms are tearing at my heart,

So I’ll hide in your palm.

I know I have to face it all,

I’ll rise and make my stand,

But for a moment let me rest,

Safe, in your strong hand.

Ruth 2:12

Thank you for the patient years

That you have seen me through,

In all the turbulence of life

You knew just what to do.

You carried me when I was small

And much too weak to stand

And every time I needed you

You let me hold your hand.

So now that time has turned on you,

And placed you in my care,

I hope I’ll do as good a job

Of always being there

To hold you when your steps are weak,

Or help you when you fall,

For you have done so much for me,

I can’t repay it all.

So I will ask that God give you

What you’re deserving of:

The priceless gift you gave to me,

My ceaseless, patient love.           

Ruth 2:12
May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”

Job 14: 7-9

The world weighed down on me today,

A wealth of pain and woe,

And each new hour brought fresh grief

Where ever I would go.

The youth who struggled with his needs,

The sister filled with fear,

The daughter and the grieving son

Who hid a bitter tear.

The dear loved pet who’s leaving now,

The broken hearted dad

Who worried for the future of

His errant lass and lad.

And each one shared their pain with me

Because I love them so.

I’d not have wished it otherwise,

Though sometimes it hurts so.

I cannot heal the pain they know,

I cannot ease their fears.

I can but offer words of love

To dry their many tears.

And I can tender them this truth

That I have come to know,

Death and pain are but the branch

From which new joy will grow.

Job 14

7 “At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, 

and its new shoots will not fail.
8 Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.

2 Samuel 22: 4-7

Such desolation and debris

The world is torn apart

And in its shattering it tore

A hole within my heart

The waves that broke the world in two

Welled up behind my eyes.

I weep in fear, I call to you,

Oh Lord, please hear my cries.

Oh let this all be just a dream.

How can such pain be true?

I’m lost within the whirling waves;

There’s nothing I can do,

But lift my voice to you, oh Lord,

And weep within my fears.

Dear Lord, please heed these tears I cry,

Let my pleas reach your ears.

Turn back the waves of grinding death,

Let my world rise anew,

That I may wipe my tears and stand

To build again in you.

2 Samuel 22: 4-7

 4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
   and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me;
   the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
   the snares of death confronted me.

 7 “In my distress I called to the LORD;
   I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
   my cry came to his ears.