Memories of Stillness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stillness of early dawning,

The hush of a blossoming bud,
The peace of a great tree rising,
The calm of the tide past its flood
 
These are peaceful memories
I call up in my hurried mind
When I want to hear your answers
And silence is too hard to find.
 
There is a place in each dawning,
Each new bloom and each rising tree
When they grow still in the moment;
And I need that stillness in me.
 
The world is filled with such chaos
The tumult seeps into my soul,
But it is only in stillness
That I hear your voice and feel whole.

Deuteronomy 4:29

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Ephesians 3:16-18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden under winter branches,

With no view of the skies,
Still the golden blossom rises
Turning to God, its eyes.
 
For it knows that no twist of branches
Obscures it from God’s sight,
So it rises through the tangle
To bathe in His pure light.
 
Ephesians 3:16-18
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ

The Temple In My Heart

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.

Obadiah 1:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cannot rise up from the earth,

Unless I ride your wing,
And there is no joy in my songs
If you don’t help me sing.
 
I know that I would never rest
Without the peace you bring,
And, minus you, my soul was lost,
But you healed everything.
 
I pray that pride never leads me
To think that I can fly
Without your hand to raise the wind
That lifts me to the sky!
 
Obadiah 1:4
Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.

Redeemed, In the Light

 

I am free of my sins at last,

Not through death, but rebirth,
For, when Jesus rose from the grave,
He restored me to worth.
 
I rejoice in His gift of grace,
I sing His praise in delight,
He is the Eternal Lord
From whom comes life and light.

The Time Between Hope and Pain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re in that time of in between

What brings us hope and what has been.
We know the truth that lies unseen,
But not yet quite what it will mean.
 

Last night you died for all my sin,

Tomorrow you will rise again;
But grief consumes me until then
And sorrow shrouds the world of men.

Yet still, behind that mournful shroud,
The Hope of Man, reborn unbowed,
Already rises through the cloud,
As yet unseen, with Grace endowed.

This photo is a blessing from AF. She said that when she took it she noticed that, although the bank was shrouded in clouds, still the water reflected that which was otherwise hidden by the mist. She felt that is was a perfect metaphor for our lives, for, while we cannot always see what is to come, God has a perfect view of it and knows what will be.

Thank You For Healing My Soul

Thank you for the sun that rose,
The blossoms on the tree,
The whirling dance of the swallows
And the murmuring bee.
 
Thank you for a day well spent,
The cheery golden sun,
Thank you for the singing frogs
Who tell me day is done.
 
Thank you for a comfy home,
The clothes that keep me warm,
The folks who make my life sweet
And help keep me from harm.
 
Thank you for the life you lived,
The lessons that you taught,
The death you died, brutally,
My healed soul that it bought.
 
Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Luke 22: 4-6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He took their silver for a kiss,

His own Lord, to betray,
He knew the path that he should walk,
But still he went astray.
 
I wondered, as I pondered this,
Have I betrayed You, too?
I know I’ve failed to do some things
That you’ve want me to do.
 
I cast a judging glance at those
Whom I pass on the street;
That judgment is not mine to make,
Though my thoughts are discreet.
 
I mention the small flaws I see
In someone that know,
Which illustrates the greater flaw
My unkind words must show.
 
As I reflected on my faults
The list just grew and grew
Until I realized that I
Had also betrayed You.
 
I do it each day, every day,
But without meaning to.
Yet that does not absolve me of
The wrong I’ve done to You.
 
I have no silver in my hand,
My kiss does not betray,
And yet I understand his guilt;
I live it every day.  

Luke 22: 4-6

And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

The Power of His Name

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He cast the stars across the sky

And lit their burning flame.
He called them forth from endless night,
They answered to his name.
 
He formed the wild and raging seas
And then whispered his name
Until the roiling waves were calm,
The seas were still and tame.
 
The skies and seas were born in him,
His wonders they proclaim,
And each one glistens with his light
To glorify his name.
 
Job 9:8
He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

Releasing Control

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many little things

To which you must attend;
The little blossoms of the spring
That herald winter’s end,
The nesting bird, the butterfly,
The stormy, autumn wind,
That special spot on bumble bees
Where black and yellow blend.
 
The details are so very vast,
Or they can be so small,
It’s hard to think that you can keep
A watch on one and all.
Lord, that’s why I hold on so tight,
Afraid to drop the ball,
On all of MY priorities,
Lest you think them banal.  
 
I know that I should just let go
And that, Lord, is my goal.
Let’s face it, I trust you so much,
You saved my mortal soul,
And not trusting it all to you
Is taking such a toll.
So help me, Lord, unclench my hands
And just release control.
 
Psalm 118:8
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.