The Mystery

Oh Lord, You are the mystery

That’s 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.

Hello Again!

Hello again! It’s just me, Lord.

I want to say good night,
To thank You for the day I had,
And for making things right.
 
You took the chaos of the day
And filled it with Your Grace,
Thus helping me to not get lost
Within the hectic pace.
 
You showed me blessings in the day
That I’d not thought to see
With all the scurrying about
That kept me so busy.
 
I saw the sunrise kiss the trees,
And mist soft as a sigh.
I watched wild geese fly home at dusk
Across a cloudless sky.
 
I saw the evening settle in,
The lights across the bay
Reflecting on the dark water
In their bright, cheery way.
 
And all the myriad of stars
With which You light the night
Seemed to wink as if they could share
Their own secret delight.
 
Oh yes, Lord, at first all I saw
Was chaos, disarray,
But then You helped me realize
All the joy on display.

A Simple Thing

I thought it just a simple fact,

The way things ought to be,
But now I understand that some
See things disparately.
 
They seem to think the choice is theirs
To live by rules they make,
But He was quite specific when
He set rules not to break.
 
He didn’t say go your own way,
Your father understands.
He said that, if you love Him, then
You must keep His commands.
 
The statement was a simple one,
Even I understand,
So I’m confused at how so much
Has gotten out of hand.
 
Like weeds that sprout in summer grass,
Each one claims to know best.
Yet rules born of earthly desires
Won’t pass that simple test.
 
So go your way and make your choice,
But this is where I stand,
As I love Him, I'll do my best
To keep every command.
 
John 14:15
“If you love me, keep my commands.

Waves of Grief

Grief’s not a weight, so I was told,

Back when my father died.
It doesn’t always bear you down,
It’s much more like a tide.
 
If you walk down a sandy beach
As the tide rolls on in
The ground will shift beneath your feet,
Dragging you down again.
 
Yet, each time that the waves roll in
Then roll back out to sea,
They don’t climb the beach quite as far,
With such intensity.
 
And though that tide rolls ceaselessly,
It still will ebb and flow.
You'll never quite escape it, but
You’ll feel your balance grow.
 
Your life becomes a sandy beach,
With grief the rolling waves,
But love becomes the shining sun,
The warmth that heals and saves.
 
And though each beach must have its tides,
We all have that in store,
I wish you beaches with small waves
And sunlight on the shore.

For DC. I know what you're feeling. Love you!

Reflecting Your Light

Good morning, God, the night is past,

A new day is now is here.
And all that was a haze last night,
Today’s painfully clear.
 
Our life and death, aren’t up to us,
They’re out of our control.
We take with us what we have lived
Reflected in our soul.
 
So, Lord, help me to live what’s left
Of my life on this earth
That my soul might reflect Your light
At my heavenly birth.

Overwhelmed

I’m trapped within the mist tonight

Of all that’s on my heart.
I have so many prayers to lift,
I don’t know where to start.
 
In fact, Lord, I don’t think I can
Even sort my prayers out,
But I know You can do that, Lord.
I really have no doubt.
 
So look into my faithful heart
And see what’s lost in there,
Then please consider what You find
To be my good night prayer.
 
I love You, Lord. Amen

Grace and Praise

Yesterday was a hard one, Lord,

Today’s a rough day, too.
I’m praying, by tomorrow’s dawn,
That these hard days are through.
 
I know the way is never straight
The path’s a rocky climb,
But I could use a level place
To rest for a short time.
 
Yes, Lord, I know You have a plan
And that plan is in place,
But if it could fit in Your plan,
I sure could use some grace.
 
Okay, Lord, that is all for me,
My whining now is through.
But let me add one more, small thing…
I’m so grateful to You.
 
You lift me up when I fall down
And hold me when I cry.
On days like these, when all is rain,
You bring a clearing sky.
 
I get so caught up in the pain,
The chaos or the grief
That I forget, you offer more
Than just simple relief.
 
It is Your strength that sees me through,
Your love that dries my tears,
And it is knowing You are there
That helps me face my fears.
 
Oh Lord, I didn’t mean to gripe,
I’ve just had some tough days,
But while I pray for respite, Lord,
I also sing Your praise!
 
James 5:13
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

I Will Follow

I will follow where You lead me,

Where ever I must go,
And I will do what you ask of me.
Oh Lord, please make it so.
 
I know that I am not the best,
Nor am I quite the worst.
And, though I can be distracted,
I try to keep You first.
 
I’ve fallen more that I’ll admit,
And I gave up on me,
But You did not and, by Your grace,
You set my spirit free.
 
So though I find the way blocked by
An obstacle or two,
If You will lead me, I will go.
My Lord, I’ll follow you.
 
John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Gone Astray

I seem to go my own way, Lord,

More often than I should,
And I have learned what comes of that
Is never any good.

I don’t know why I’m prone to stray
From what I know is right,
But every chance I get to stray,
There I go, taking flight.
 
But You are always there for me,
To turn me back around.
You are the way I follow back
To safe and solid ground.
 
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

A Widow's Grief

Oh Lord, I’ve cried, I’ve prayed and fought

Against deepest despair,
But every morning I wake up
And he is still not there.
 
I wonder if I have the faith
To carry on each day,
And some days I’m not even sure
You hear me when I pray.
 
I had such happiness in life
As I had never known.
Then suddenly I lost it all
And I’m, once more, alone.
 
Lord, I know that You have a plan
For what is meant to be,
But I still cannot understand
Why this pain’s come to me.
 
I know that I can’t have him back,
I’ve known that all along.
I pray You have a plan in place
That helps me to be strong.
 
But not so strong that I grow cold,
I need to feel love, too,
For love is all that keeps me sane.
Lord, my hope rests in You.
 
I’ll trust You, Lord, and do my best
To live on without him,
But I need You to keep my heart
From growing cold and grim.
 
Proverbs 3:5-6 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

To two friends who have lost the love of their lives in the past year and who struggle still to face each day, trusting in the Lord and leaning on Him when their own hope fails. You two have my love and awe.