Works Of A Wordsmith

There are those days, Holy God,
When it seems like
No matter how hard I reach for You,
I just can’t seem to get there.
…But that’s when I find
You reaching out to me,
Bridging the gap of my inadequacies.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for grace.
You keep me in Your arms,
Even those times when,
Like a restless toddler,
I am wriggling hard to get down and
Run away again.
It’s your constraining love
That keeps me safe from
My own wrong desires
For comfort elsewhere.

O Lord, help me truly
Find my rest in You and
Relinquish my desperation
When I know… I KNOW…
Only You give satisfaction!

Sometimes in the silence I find rest—
A refuge in His wordless, welcome wings.
But when I wander in the wilderness,
My God surrounds me as He sweetly sings…
In desolation I am drawn to dance
In solitude before my Lord and King.
And somehow in this solemn circumstance
I rediscover joy in everything.
His glory covers all my tears and grief,
Reminding me that He is still supreme.
So I return with confident belief
To trusting Him with every hope and dream.
For I’m convinced there is no better place
Than quiet comfort in His secret place.

Ps. 91, Ho. 2:14, Zp. 3:17

On the finest of days
I can lift up Your praise,
Whether raining or sunny or gray.
For I love the arrays
And the various ways
Of Your painting the clouds on display.

Yet I look at my heart,
Still so filled with the dark,
And I weep in frustrated despair.
I so long for Your light
To dismantle my fight,
So that I can submit to Your care.

God, I know You know best
And I long for Your rest,
But it’s so hard to let go of “me.”
Help me focus on You,
Trusting You’ll bring me through,
Knowing what You’ve begun, You’ll complete.

Like a frightened child,
I run to You and find
All the confusing things disappear
In the nearness of You.
I can nestle into Your lap,
Leaning my head against Your chest,
Letting the rhythm of Your heartbeat
Drown out all the other noises
Beating at my soul.
You rock me
In the comfort of Your arms, Abba.
Finally, my heart settles,
Matching the tempo of Yours,
Till I fall asleep in contentedness,
Secure in Your safety.
There is no peace like Your peace.
There is no rest like Your rest.
There is no love like Your love.
All my frantic striving ceases
When I remember to turn to You.
Shepherd most holy,
Keep bringing my heart back to You,
No matter how often I stray.

In the bitter cold of winter
When your heart is frozen hard,
Know that even then God enters
Bringing life to every part.

From the flowing fountain,
Down comes every drop of blood.
Each drop of willing sacrifice
Knows the cost of descent,
Still, leaping lower in joyful humility
To touch every thirsty, hurting heart
With healing, redeeming love —
Each drop losing self for Your glory
Coming together in a life-giving flood.

Seems to me I can
Hear all of nature praising You…
See all of creation expressing love for You…

The sunlight kisses the green grass.
The babbling brook murmurs affection.
The breeze blows through the trees
Till the leaves all wave in excited acclamation.
The eagle screams its joy overhead
As woodland creatures scurry around,
Dancing through their day.

What else can I do, but add to it all?
So, I find myself singing my own adulation for You, too!!!

Standing next to you, Jesus,
It’s easier to be still,
Close my eyes,
Breathe in the sunlight
That warms my face,
Silence my conscious thoughts, and
Give my imagination free reign.
So we soar on the wings of Your wind
In the majesty of Your creation.
I keep breathing in Your new life.
Thank You.
Thank You.
Thank You!

Gal. 5:24,25 “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Ps. 91:1 “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

I seek Your face again and long for You—
To walk in pastures green by waters still,
To hold Your hand and hear Your voice anew,
To step into Your unseen realm so real.

That glory far beyond what I know now
Is grace that helps me crucify my flesh.
O Lord, I come before Your feet and bow,
For only You can help me start afresh.

Beneath Your mighty wings I know I’m safe,
So, I will put to death my old desires
And find my comfort in Your secret place.
God, fill me up once more with holy fire!

Wrap me in the blanket of Your presence.
Blind me to the passions of this world.
Shadow me and fill me with Your essence.
Let me see eternity unfurled.

It’s a curious thing to me, Lord,
How we sing and pray to You…
Asking Your Spirit to be poured out,
To fill us and move us,
But it just occurred to me—
Because I’ve sung and prayed the same—
That Your Spirit already dwells inside me,
So, I am changing the way I pray!

Well up within me, Holy Spirit!
Let the fountain of Living Water shoot forth,
Flowing out of me like a river,
Filling the atmosphere around me,
Spraying others with Your goodness and grace
Till Your presence floods our feet
With the rising tide of renewal.
Let us, O Lord, not cry in desperation
For what we already have,
But let us raise our voices
In worship and thanksgiving,
So You can, indeed, inhabit our praises
In manifest glory!