Hiding in Shame

Oh Lord, I doubted You today,

I feared You were not there.
Though it was only one moment,
I felt such deep despair.
And now I hide myself in shame,
Though You see everywhere,
For I am so unworthy of
The fact that You still care.
 
Dear Lord, I thank You for the love
That sees beyond sin’s stain
And calls me from my hiding place
Into Your Grace again.
I hesitate only because
My sins seem such a bane,
But thanks to love beyond my worth
Those sins do not remain.

God's Embrace

I saw the mist enfold the hills

As if in a loving embrace
And it reminded me of God
With His all-encompassing Grace.
 
I thought of those whom I love best
Who live so far away from me.
God, wrap them in Your loving arms,
For there’s no safer place to be.
 
I bowed my head and prayed for those
In troubled lands across the sea.
God, wrap them in Your loving arms,
For there’s no safer place to be.
 
And for the broken, sick, and lost,
I pray to You unceasingly,
God, wrap them in Your loving arms,
For there’s no safer place to be.
 
Then, last of all, I ask for Grace
To live my life more faithfully.
God, wrap me in Your loving arms,
For there’s no safer place to be.

Another lovely blessing from ATF. Again, Thank You for the wonderful photos.

The Road Ahead

The road ahead lies out of sight,

At least it’s out of mine,
But God has my road well in view
For His sight is divine.
 
I do not fear the road ahead,
I fear not going there,
For God would not lay out a path
Without considered care.
 
So let me pack my bags and go
Beyond what I can see,
For I will not walk there alone.
God always walks with me.
 
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

 

Photo a blessing from ATF. Thank you for such a perfect praise photo!

Stepping Out

I plan to step out in faith, Lord,

But it won’t be today.
I meant to get it done, I did.                             
Then life got in the way.  
 
Just as I raised my foot to go
I thought of something more.
It wouldn’t be wise to step out,
Unsure of what’s in store.
 
I know that’s what stepping in faith
Is meant to be about,
But I was just too frightened still
To faithfully step out.
 
So give me one more day, I pray,
And help my faith to grow.
I don’t want to let You down, Lord,
When I step out and go.
 
Luke 8:25
“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Too Busy

I get so busy I can’t think,

At least that is my plan,
For if I stop, take time to think,
I’m overwhelmed again.
 
I’ve faced so much in these past years,
And yet my mind can’t rest.
For if I stop, I might just quit,
Give up living with zest.
 
I don’t know what tomorrow holds
And so I rush about,
Pretending that I do not fear
What I can’t figure out.
 
I know there’s much that should be done,
But not done out of fright.
So let me stop scurrying, Lord,
Stand up and live life right.

My Path of Snares

When all goes well I tend to think,

“Oh look how well I’ve done!”
But when I’m falling down I cry,
“God is my number one.”
 
I call on Him when life goes wrong,
I praise Him for his aid.
I recognize who lifts me up
When bad choices are made.
 
I think, perhaps, that’s why I walk
A path that’s strewn with snares
So I’m less likely to forget
That God’s the one who cares.
 
Just little snags along the way
So that I call His name
At least a time or two each day.
Then I won’t live in shame
 
For letting Him slip from my mind
On days when all goes well.
I’d rather praise Him every day,
Not just when troubles swell.
 
Psalm 37:23-24   
The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
Though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Persevere

The shadows and the underbrush

Obstructed the small tree,
Preventing it from growing straight,
As trees are meant to be.
 
Yet through all the adversity
It held on, confident
That it would reach the sun one day,
However curled or bent.
 
Such faith comes with a great reward,
God’s sees the faithful soul.
He honors those who persevere,
And His Grace makes them whole.
 
Hebrews 10:35-36
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Looking Up

I looked up at what I now faced,

I felt lost and afraid.
This was something I could not do,
It’s not the way I’m made.
 
It towered far above my head,
It seemed to touch the sky,
And I was certain, if I tried,
I’d more than likely die.
 
But then I recognized something,
There’s grace in that fell cup;
I’m more likely to see God’s face
When I am looking up!
 
Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

The Words You Speak

Speak sweetly, when you start to speak,

Those words might just come back
And you don’t want to face them down
When you’re under attack.
 
We don’t think how our words might sound
When we speak them in rage,
And what we bellow in our youth
Might haunt us in old age.
 
So pick the words you speak each day
With just a little care.
That way, when they come back to you,
There’s joy and comfort there.

Dust

Each week, when I clean up the house,
The dust flies everywhere.
I know I cleaned it up last week
And yet, this week, it’s there.
 
I can’t imagine where it’s from,
It has no great value,
And yet it’s always back again
Despite all that I do. 
 
The Bible says God gathered dust
To form from it a man
And then God breathed life into him.
That’s how this all began.
 
So that makes dust more relevant,
In fact, it seems a must.
If God could make good use of it
Then I can too, I trust.
Each week I’ll clean the new dust up,
And grimace with disgust,
But now then I’ll take time to
Kick up a little dust.
 
Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.