Fill My Heart with Light - Re-posted

Flood my heart with Your light, Oh Lord,
Wash away all that’s dark.
Leave no shadow to trouble me,
Ignite in me Your spark.
 
For Lord I have dark thoughts sometimes,
That leave me feeling shame.
They’re not thoughts that would glorify
You or Your holy name.
 
They linger from a time long past,
When I was a lost soul,
But there’s no reason for them now
That You have made me whole.
 
So fill my heart up with such light
That shadows have no place,
And let my thoughts be only those
That are born in Your grace.
 
2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

You Lifted Me - Re-posted

You lifted me from sin and fear,
To keep me safe with you,
And living by the words you spoke
Is the least I can do.
For I would have drowned in my sin,
If you’d not set me free.
So I now lift you up in praise,
And do so joyfully!

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

My Empty Nest - Re-posted

Flowers bedeck the empty nest
Where nothing else now lives.
One cannot help but noticing
The empty feel it gives.
 
The hollow place within the heart
Where love once dwelt in bliss
Can sometimes feel like that old nest,
Filled with those we still miss.
 
It doesn’t matter that the blooms
Make the old nest look bright.
One can’t escape the obvious,
That something is not right.
 
And so it is with empty hearts,
We smile and carry on,
But all the while we feel the pain
Of those that are now gone.
 
It’s said the sparrow does not drop
Out of sight of Your eye,
And I feel sure You also see
The tears that I still cry.
 
Oh Lord, I know these tears will dry
And that I will find rest,
But for this time please keep Your eye
On my heart’s empty nest.

Sufficiently Blessed - Re-posted

I’m not what some would call wealthy,

But I have food to eat.

I have a roof to keep me dry

And, when it’s cold, there’s heat.

I have a job and loving friends

Who help me when in need.

So, though most folk don’t think it’s so,

I think I’m rich, indeed.

 

My car is old, my house is too,

But then, Lord, so am I.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed

All I can do is cry.

But that is when I count them up,

The blessings that are mine,

And I can’t help but realize

That my life is quite fine.

 

I have not lived perfectly, Lord,

Sometimes my life’s a mess.

And there are many who have more,

But many more have less.

So one more time, Lord, let me say

What I know to be true,

That Your Grace is sufficient, Lord,

And I’ve been Blessed by You.  

 

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 

Thanks to DR for the wonderful photo with which she has blessed this praise! I'm so grateful!

Taking It Back

Did I not give this up to You

A day or two ago?
And yet I’ve taken it right back
With nothing good to show.
 
This problem’s way too big for me,
That’s why I let it go.
But then I picked it up again
And it just seems to grow.
 
I know that You have this in hand,
And, if I’d let it be,
You’d have it properly resolved
When it came back to me.
 
Yet I seem to be unable
To leave things up to You.
Oh Lord, I mean no disrespect,
Though it must seem I do,
 
I just don’t think I realize
That I have, once again,
Taken back that which I gave up,
And disrupted Your plan.

Truth, Not Doubt - Re-posted

Lord, it’s the simple things in life

That help me recognize
That everything was born in You,
Despite all doubts and lies.
 
The worlds may have burst into life
Within a blink or two,
But there’s no doubt left in my mind,
The one who blinked was You.
 
The sun will rise and set again
As it does every day,
Yet I cannot question whose hand
Has set it on its way.
 
I watch the tides dance in and out
In rhythm with the moon
And I know with all of my heart
It’s You who set the tune.
 
Yes, Lord, I recognize the hand
That’s shaped all that I see
And all the doubts throughout the world
Can’t hide that truth from me.
 
John 1:9
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Apart, But Not Alone - Re-posted

I need to find a place apart
Where I have space to pray,
A place where I can be alone
During my busy day.
 
I live within the outside world
And I have work to do,
But sometimes I need time alone
To spend, Oh Lord, with You.
 
So each day I will slip away
And find a place apart,
A place where I can speak to You,
Then listen with my heart.
 
Matthew 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone

Safely Home - Re-posted

We lifted off into the air
And rode the billowed sky;
A prayer of faith to stay aloft,
To help that big plane fly.
 
I know that I am safe up there
But still, each time I roam,
I’m always thankful to be back
Within sight of my home.
 
So thank you for the adventure
And thank you for the fun
And thank you for the safe trip home
When my journey was done.

A Steadfast Spirit - Re-post

The day to day of every life

Often gets in the way
Of lifting up our hearts to God
And taking time to pray.
It’s not that we do wicked things,
Or that we’ve gone astray,
But God becomes an after thought
In what we do each day.
So I am asking God tonight
To wash the world away,
Then give us a pure, steadfast heart
And strength to stay that way.
 
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Prayers Raised - Re-posted

The friends whose needs are oh so great,
The loved ones lost to me,
All those who carry too much pain
And those I long to see.
 
The fear of growing old alone,
The pain of what is past,
The worries that I can’t resolve
And joys I fear won’t last.

Oh Lord I give all these to you,

And you handle each one.
Not only mine, but round the earth
They rise from sun to Son.
 
How can you hear the prayers off all,
The worries, pains and fears,
And not break down, the way I do,
Beneath just my own tears.
 
But you hear every prayer raised
For help when we can’t cope,
Then you return them, once resolved,
And package them in hope.
 
Photo a blessing from Suzie Campagna