Watching Daily

I hear You’ve asked we be on watch,

Lord, I will watch for You.
Knowing that You will come for me,
That’s the least I can do.
 
I get the feeling, now and then,
That You’re just out of sight,
So I watch even closer, lest
You come by dark of night.
 
And while I’m watching, waiting, Lord,
I listen for Your voice.
For either way, I’ll know You’ve come
And my heart will rejoice.
 
Proverbs 8:34
Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.

Psalm 56:4

The tides rise up, the storm sweeps in,

But I ride on His hand,
For this world answers to His word
And turns at His command.
 
There will always be storms to face
For this earth can be grim,
But God will hold us through them all,
So I will trust in Him.  
 
So I may dread the rising storm
And the pain that it brings,
Yet I know God will lift me up
On swift and faithful wings.
 
Psalm 56:4
In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

A Night Off

I’m taking time off for tonight

From writing today’s praise,
For someone needs some time with me
After these crazy days.
 
God gives us each our work to do,
But also those we love.
And right now she needs time with me,
A priority above.
 
She is the grace that lifts me up,
God’s gift when I was lost,
And I must honor that gift, too,
Though this praise is the cost.

Unnoticed Blessings

I worked and scurried through the day,

A busy little bee,
Failing to notice the blessings
I carried home with me.
 
The moment when I glanced quickly,
At blossoms on a tree
That splashed their colors in the sun,
So exquisite to see.
 
The warmth of spring on morning grass,
Still sparkling with the dew,
That made me pause and smile a bit
Before I hurried through.
 
So many blessings in the day,
To many now to count,
And yet I didn’t notice them,
No matter the amount.
 
Too often we focus on work
And never stop to see
How many blessings touch our life.
That’s not how it should be.
 
Psalm 21:6
Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

Perspectives

Sometimes You seem so far away,

Just past the edge of sight,
And other times You are right there,
Clear as the moon at night.
I know that You have never changed,
The perspective is mine,
And I am grateful that Your sight,
Unlike mine, is divine.
For though I might lose sight of You,
It’s good to know You see
Your errant child, wandering lost,
Wherever I might be.

A Mother's Love

She watches them with loving eyes

Guarding them as they grow
Teaching them how to play and swim
And all that they should know.
 
It is an instinct and a gift
To love those she gave birth,
But it’s a mother’s obligation
To help them find their worth.
 
So she watches them carefully
And helps them on their way
That they might make a better place
Than the world of today.

Poppies and Remembrances

Red poppies and remembrances

Are everywhere today,
Reminding us of those we love
Who have been torn away.
So many faces, names we knew,
That we now speak in grief,
And there is nowhere we can turn
To find our heart’s relief.
 
They rose to stand against the dark
That we might live in light,
And, though they wanted to come home,
They fell in that great fight.
Though they have gone from us for now
We know we’ll meet once more
When God calls us to join them on
Heaven’s bright, deathless shore.  
 
Until then it’s the little things
That capture all we feel,
Like poppies and remembrances
And hearts that don’t quite heal.

Just For Me

I held my breath as they rose up

And passed me, flying by.
Their strong wings swiftly carried them
Into the morning sky.
 
It’s moments like that when I know
That You have me in mind,
For you set something that perfect
In place, for me to find.

Patterns and Chaos

The little matters of these days

Swirl dizzily about,
I’m sure that there’s a pattern there
That I’ve not figured out,
 
There must be something that makes sense,
Though what, I cannot see,
Yet here I sit still looking for
Patterns that may not be.
 
For though God has a plan in place,
It eludes me just now,
But I have faith the pieces fit
Perfectly well somehow.
 
So, though I do not understand
The patterns of these days,
I’ll trust that God is in command
And I will give Him praise!
 
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Woe Is Me

Oh Lord, my life has not been hard.

Though I have faced travail,

I’ve never lived life with the doubt

That I might not prevail.

 

There are so many who face death

Each day that they awake,

While I live in safety and ease

With every breath I take.

 

The woes I face are simple things,

Inconvenient at worst.

Yet “woe is me” still seems to be

The place that I go first. 

 

I don’t live with the threat of death

That many others know.

Yet, I tell myself life is hard

When, for me, that’s not so.  

 

So let me not lose sight of this.

When I fuss and complain,

Remind me that my life is free

Of the worst fear and pain. 

 

For self-pitying thoughts I had

Now and again today,

I ask You for forgiveness, Lord.

Help me cast them away.