Restless Longing - Re-posted

I have a restless soul, my lord,

I long for something more;
A better life, a sweeter love,
To walk a different shore.
I cannot seem to find the peace
I know you hold in store,
Because I’m busy missing all
That my heart’s longing for.

You know the longings of my heart
Much better than I do.
I’ve seen you answer prayers that I
Had thought could not come true.
Yet many simple human dreams
I’ve had to bid adieu,
And so my restless heart cries out,
In anguish, Lord, to you.

Please show me how to ease this heart

That beats so selfishly
And lead me to the peace, oh Lord,
That’s mine abundantly.
This longing heart, this restless soul
Bring empty pain to me.
I long to long less, to find peace,
And learn to simply be….

Psalm 38:9
All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.

The Place of Choices - Re-posted

I see the footprints of all those

Who passed this way before.
I cannot follow where they’ve gone,
And they’ll come by no more.
For I am standing at the place
Where choices must be made,
And with each choice there’s consequence,
A price that must be paid.
There is no way of going back
And I fear moving on,
For once I’m set upon this path
All other choice is gone.
So, I will linger here a while,
Where many feet have trod.
I will pray for guidance on
Which path will best please God.

Let Me Leave Joy - Re-posted

Lord, let me leave joy in my wake

Where sorrow dwells today,
Let me lighten the weary load
Of those met on my way.
 
Let me use kind words in the place
Where harsher words would do,
And let me not forget to share
A cheery smile or two.
 
Let me remember the stranger,
The one I pass each day,
That I may lift him up each night
When I bow down to pray.
 
I may not have too many gifts,
But one thing I can do,
Let me leave joy behind me, Lord,
That I may honor You!

Philemon 1:7
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Staying in the Light - Re-posted

I try to live within the Light

Though others think it odd.
That I’d choose to live narrowly
Within the lines of God.
 
It’s easy to be drawn into
A life just in the shade,
Not so far in to be full dark,
But enough to have strayed.
 
I see so many cross that line,
I know that I have too,
But always I’m drawn back into
The Light that’s born in You.
 
How sweet the thought of that bad choice
That’s outside of the Light,
But, just because I want a thing,
Does not make that want right.
 
So I’ll try to stay in the Light,
Though others walk away,
And pray for strength to resist that
Which might lead me astray.
 
Genesis 3: 4-5 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Love Notes from God - Re-posted

There are so many serious

Moments in every day,

But now and then a simple joy

Happens along our way.

Such moments are not accident,

Though they may seem to be.

They are, in fact, an “I love you”

Left there for you to see.

 

Don’t overlook the small blessings

That add joy to your life,

For they’re more than a passing break

From each day’s stress and strife.

They are the sweet reminders of

The love God holds for you,

And that, though you might forget Him,

He’s still thinking of you.

 

This photo is a blessing from LF and her trip to the Tulip Festival in the Skagit Valley. Thank you, L!! It's wonderful!

Standing Firm - Re-posted

It’s stood upon that wind swept shore,

Defying every storm.
The struggle has left it ragged
And twisted in its form.
 
Yet despite all the fearful winds
That ripped and tore its face,
Its roots have delved deep in the soil
And it has claimed its place.
 
It stands, despite all that the world
Throws at it, year by year,
And when the storms are past and gone
That tree will still be here.
 
And I am like that twisted tree,
My faith run deep in You,
Although the storms might tear at me
That faith will see me through.
 
Proverbs 10:25
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Spring and Rebirth - Re-posted

It’s just a little promise now,

The sweet rebirth of Spring.
It happens this time every year
And seems a humdrum thing.
 
We take for granted all it means,
New life from winter’s death,
The cold gives way to life reborn
Warmed by heaven’s sweet breath.
 
But the promise of life reborn
As witnessed by the Spring
Is just the preamble to what
The Lord of Life will bring.
 
So do not look with jaundiced eye
Upon Springtime’s rebirth,
For there is even more to come
To those born first of earth!

A Temple for Me -Re-posted

You’ve built a temple in my heart

Where I can hear Your voice,
I lift my prayers of thanks and praise;
I go there to rejoice.
 
You built the temple to give me
A place to call my own,
Someplace where I can come to you
When I feel all alone.
 
I find I love to linger there
More often every day,
Sometimes I just sit quietly
Without a need to pray
 
For You know all my hopes and needs
Much better than I do,
And there are days when what I need
Is just to be near You.
 
2 Chronicles 7:16
I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

Hiding in Him - Re-posted

I hide myself in You, Oh Lord,
You shield me with Your strength,
And I will praise You for Your love
Til my life’s run its length.
 
When my heart fails within me, Lord,
You fill me up with joy
And I am shielded in a grace
That no fear can destroy.
 
You are my strength, my hiding place
My shield in times of fear
And my heart leaps with joy to know
That You are always near.
 
Psalm 28:7
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Unexplainable Mystery - Re-posted

Oh Lord, You are the mystery

That I cannot explain
The loving heart, despite my sin,
The joy that heals my pain.
You give me strength to carry on
When I feel crushed by strain
And You have washed a life of sin
Clean of eternal stain.
You are the hope that never fails
When no hope should remain.
Oh Lord, You are the mystery
That I cannot explain.