Works Of A Wordsmith

I choose to trust You, Holy Spirit.
I place my faith in You, Jesus.
I lay my life down and let it go, Father God.
I forgive and forget,
Releasing regret,
Repenting of all the judgments I’ve made.
I want nothing more nor less than You, Lord.

Please, Holy Spirit,
Unclench my fists,
Break chains from my wrists,
So I can fall at the feet of the God
Who formed my body and
Forged my being for Yourself—
The end-all and be-all of Life.

You sustain me.
You fulfill me.
You flow through me.
With Your presence, Your life, and Your love.

The cool, gray clouds wrap themselves
Around me like a warm blanket
Insulating me, numbing me…
Luring me into a cocoon of introspection
Till the desolation of isolation
Penetrates my soul and
I am wailing silently in hopeless anguish…

Then the warm Sonshine of Your Spirit
Comes shining through the dull grayness,
Sharply piercing the false protection
Of my depression.
I read Your Words of Life,
Praying they will shake me,
Wake me to a fresh awareness of You.

I look for hope again
Against all odds.
O Lord, make the impossible possible.

It seems that I am lost again—
Beaten down by my own hand.
I cannot save myself at all.
Each time I try, I only fall.
Some part of me prefers the sin,
But battle rages deep within.
My desperate heart cries out for You,
For only You can pull me through.
Please, Jesus, help me want what’s right.
Please, Holy Spirit, give me sight
To see, to choose the holy way,
O Lord, to walk and never stray.

Just hearing of Your mighty works and knowing I’m your child,
Brings hope and faith to fill my heart and makes me feel alive!
I’m sure that You will move in me, because I long to see
Your presence flowing out with grace to touch all those in need.
Dear holy God of all I am and all I want to be,
I’m asking You to manifest Your love and power through me.

Though waves wash over me,
Though fire surround me,
Though my enemies attack me from every side,
My eyes, O Lord, stay fixed on You.
There is no other way.
There is no other how.
There is only You, only You, only You.
Though I weep uncontrollably in my failure to understand,
Something in me refuses to let go of You.
I cannot because there is no other I can turn to,
No other worth bowing to,
No other worth clinging to.
In all my weaknesses and failures,
I can only be me,
And I…
I trust You somehow that I cannot explain.
I believe in You, Lord God,
Creator of heaven and earth.

Nature glistens like there are diamonds everywhere today,
All covered with a thick coat of ice in the bright sunshine.
The frozen rain visited and left us with this dangerous beauty,
But somehow, I cannot see the danger right now…
The trees bow beneath the weight of this glory,
Hovering over the crisp, white snow
That is hiding the barren brownness of winter.
Somehow it all seems so unexpectedly majestic!
I wish I could keep on staring,
But the brilliance forces me to turn my eyes away.

There is a lesson here.
When the cold, dark rain keeps falling
And seems to overwhelm everything in my life,
Somehow I know that ultimately
(If I am patient)
The weight of Your glory will cover me—
A glory which covers my sin by Your grace and goodness, and
Helps me to bow to Your greatness.
I can only reflect You by allowing myself to be humbled.

It’s been a troubled year
And I have been astray,
But You have brought me here
By pouring out Your grace.

Although I’ve found it hard
To let go of it all,
Your love, my guiding star,
Still lifts me when I fall.

So help me, Father God,
To keep my eyes on You
And when I find they’re not
Refill my heart with Truth.

For all I am and do
Is pointless on my own,
But You can make me new…
I bow before Your throne.

Your deep, abiding love holds me close,
Even when I bit and claw,
Nip and scratch at Your gentle hands.
Like bird with broken wing,
I have forgotten how to fly, O Lord,
But You whisper Your grace,
Let Your mercy wash over my soul,
Cleanse me by Your Word,
Heal me by Your Spirit,
Until the memory of freedom calls me forth
To stretch my stiff muscles, and
Soar on the strong currents
Of Your broad, forgiving love once more.
(Psalm 25)

Sometimes it’s not enough to say…
The words just run across the page.
Their meaning seems to fall far short
No matter what I try… O Lord!
And I cannot, can NOT convey
The burden of my heart that weighs,
So I can only groan in prayer,
Casting on You every care.