KNEEL WITH US

22 Dec

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.” Psalm 95:6

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As we come to You,

We seek the truth,

Our open hearts we give.

—

We lift our hands,

And take a stand,

in righteousness to live.

—

Help us speak for You,

In all we do,

Your words of peace we share.

—

Please hold us near,

And calm our fears,

And kneel with us in prayer.

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Lord, we teach Your word,

Your truths are heard,

We walk in love and faith.

—

We share Your ways,

For strength we pray,

We’ve learned to kneel and wait.

—

Keep us in Your will,

Our own thoughts stilled,

Our old ways changed to new.

—

Please keep us close,

At any cost,

Our mind on only You.

—

 Lord, we lift our hands,

In love we stand,

A shout of faith we raise.

—

We reach to You,

Your touch renews,

Our words are songs of praise.

—

Seeking to be filled,

To know Your will,

Fills every waking hour.

—

Please touch our souls,

And let us know,

Your mercy, strength and power.

—

—

Written in 1991 as a song

 

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I FORGIVE

22 Dec

 

“The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3

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Someone carelessly speaks words of pain,

Showering down and restoring old wounds.

My mind submits to you, Lord,

I forgive and reach out in love.

—

But my heart slips deep into a void,

Refusing to listen,

Refusing to obey,

Reuniting the moment with the pain,

Over and Over.

—

I struggle with an inner battle,

Back and forth,

Praying that my heart

Will melt in obedience,

Releasing the hurt inside.

—

I fast and pray,

Lord, show me the way.

—

My own shortcomings,

Rise up before me.

My spirit grieves,

Was I forgiven?

—

How could I,

Forgiven for such as these,

Not forgive.

—

How could I,

Loved, in spite of my shame,

Not love.

 

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Written 5/11/95

 

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JOY

22 Dec

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”  John 17:13

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I hold in my hand,

the gift of Joy.

—

It’s my gift,

to do with,

what I will.

—

I can place it in my pocket,

hide it from the world,

enjoy it only in my private place,

where no one else can see.

—

Or I can choose to share it,

with a friend,

with a stranger,

with you.

—

It takes courage to remove it,

from my hand,

and place it,

into my heart,

where it can be criticized,

ridiculed,

shared.

—

It’s my gift,

and it’s my choice.

—

God gave it to me,

to do as I will,

In hopes that I will do,

His will,

and give it,

to you.

 

 

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Written 11-21-98

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LORD OF THE DANCE

15 Dec

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; Ecclesiastes 3:4

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Take My hand as I draw you near,

Rest your cheek tenderly against Mine.

—

My arm holds firmly across your back,

You are fully enveloped in My love.

This is our time of intimacy.

—

Now step boldly back, secure in My love, safe.

Dance before Me, as a delicate flower.

The sweet fragrance so intoxicating.

This is our time of thankfulness.

—

Step back again and dance fervently,

Firmly plant your feet,

Chase away the evil with your hands.

Fight away the temptation that searches out our children.

—

This is our time of intercession.

—

As you grow faint, weary in the battle,

Step back to me, safely in My arms, enveloped in My arms,

Receiving My strength, receiving My love,

This is our time of renewing.

—

Take My hand.

—

Written 2-6-2002

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HUMBLE DILIGENCE

15 Dec

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Matthew 5:18

—

Against hardened hearts,

practiced tradition,

perverse generations,

– You stand.

—

Humble, yet determined,

Diligent, yet patient,

Tender, yet firm,

– You stand.

—

Weeping for souls lost in unbelief,

Weeping for generations to come,

following the curse of their father,

Weeping for each and every battle

that you are not prayed into.

Weeping for the souls that will not cry out,

– You stand.

—

Your Word does not change,

Your love, everlasting,

Your message is open and free,

You are life,

You are joy,

You are peace,

– You stand.

—

Diligently waiting,

– You stand.

—

Tenderly calling,

– You stand.

—

Lovingly listening,

– You stand.

—

Standing on truth,

Standing on the Word,

Standing on the side,

Waiting,

– For Me.

 

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Written 10-20-94

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MOAB IS MY WASHPOT

24 Nov

Psalm 60 and Psalm 108

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I have been set between two warring factions,

Each is dear to my heart.

—

I stand between the two and push each back,

Trying in the physical to do that,

Which only the spiritual can change.

—

The anger and violence that explodes is frightening,

It cannot continue – it must not.

—

One faction leaves in rage,

Tainting the lives of those left behind.

—

I grieve.

I grieve in travail that seemingly,

Cannot be quenched.

—

I pray and clean my house,

I pray and stand in faith,

I pray and wait for my miracle,

It is taking so long.

—

“Moab is my washpot,” says God,

my thorn, of incestuous birth,

and my cleansing bowl.

—

Moab is my washpot,

A chosen outsider that I love,

With all of my heart.

—

I long to draw him close,

Yet he has pushed me far away.

—

I kneel before God,

Cleansing my past,

Cleansing my generations,

Cleansing the ground on which I stand,

Cleansing the future for my family to come.

—

As I prepare a new path,

A new home, a new way,

The heaviness of anger and grief lift.

—

When my loved one returns,

Peace will overcome turmoil,

Love will overcome rage.

—

There will be much pain to be healed,

There will be times of testing,

Times of patience,

Times of re-washing and cleansing,

Times of reconciliation.

—

I bless God for the times that Moab rose up,

For we had a mere existence,

An acceptance of the way things were,

Things that were not right.

—

Without Moab, things might never have changed,

Now God can work His will,

In drawing us together,

The way we should have always been,

But couldn’t find the way.

—

Thank you God, for the trial of Moab.

 

 

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Written 2-8-2001

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Only By Faith

24 Nov

And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Luke 7:50

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By faith stood Abraham,

in the promise of Isaac.

—

By grace it came to pass.

overcoming natural life,

birthing a child,

in a lonely golden year.

—

Faith took the promise,

and blew life into lifelessness.

—

Faith saw Isaac as the sown seed,

laughter come at last,

then grace matured it,

multiplying it.

—

Fourteen generations flowed,

from Abraham to David,

through Jacob and Obed,

and Jesse.

—

Fourteen generations flowed from David,

until the carrying away into Babylon,

through Solomon,

through Manasses,

through Josias.

—

Then fourteen more flowed,

from Babylon to Christ,

the Word manifest in flesh,

the Keeper of eternity.

Through Achim,

Eleazar to Jacob,

the father of Joseph,

the husband of Mary,

the mother of Christ.

—

By faith did Mary accept the promise,

that grew within her womb.

—

By faith did Joseph accept Mary,

heavy with child,

not of his loins,

not of his love.

—

By grace they stood as one,

on a destined night,

the sky brightened,

by the Glory of God,

in the shape of a star,

pointing down to the Son.

—

By faith Joseph took Jesus,

adopted now,

into the lineage of Abraham,

adopted now,

as a child of promise.

—

By grace Joseph watched,

as He grew to a man,

well before His years.

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Our perfect pattern,

our Shepherd and King.

—

Now, by faith, we trust in His Word,

our heritage blessed by driven saints,

and tarnished by those who did evil,

in the sight of the Lord.

—

By faith are we accepted,

are we adopted,

into His kingdom,

joint-heirs with Christ,

children of promise,

just as He did,

so long ago.

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By grace will we walk,

in His footsteps,

as best as we are able,

crying out for strength,

for peace, for love.

—

By faith we receive all,

grace has promised,

and more,

for only by our limited faith,

can we see into,

God’s limitless plan.

 

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Written 11/8/98

 

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INTIMATE

24 Nov

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.   Psalm 91:1

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Through tender sighs of angel’s breath,

I speak to you, my Lord.

—

You listen intently for my desires,

Protect me from the harsh world around me.

—

With tongues of praise I call to you,

The faintest sigh you caress.

—

A love song, flowing tenderly forth, is held,

Oh so gently, in your mighty arms;

Then returned to me in a River of Peace,

Intimately shared, eternally kept.

—

Written 9-1-96

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THE LOST

23 Nov

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”   Luke 19:10

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The road before me seems narrow and unending,

Fear stands before me,

Regret trails behind,

Why must I travel this path?

—

To the right are green pastures,

To the left are mansions of gold,

Yet my feet won’t veer,

Destiny pulls firmly,

Is this the path I walk for me,

Or do I walk for another?

—

Fatigue drains the strength from my bones,

I thirst,

The green pastures call to my desires,

“Rest and Drink,”

Forward I walk, determined.

—

Mansions of gold call my name,

Fulfilled dreams, riches,

Reason fights the Spirit,

Think what I could do with all these,

What lives I could touch,

Forward I walk – steady.

—

Those who call me loved bite angrily at my sides,

Bitter words echo in my mind,

Must love hurt,

Throbbing starts in my palms,

In my feet.

—

Who must I walk this path for?

Is it for You?

Is it for me?

Is it for lives yet to be touched?

—

Forward, Lord, place Your hand in mine,

Let me walk in Your footsteps,

Let me see Your path,

Let me lay aside my selfish dreams,

So that I may reach the broken soul,

That sits at the side of the path,

That You have sent me to travel.

—

Anoint me, Lord,

With wisdom, with love, with peace,

That I may overcome the burden,

That You have placed in my life,

To reach the lost – for You.

—

Written 4-2-2004

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Jesus Looks Beyond

23 Nov

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

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I’ve never thought much about my abilities, but my inabilities come up and sting me all the time. As I age and become more “wise” I discover that my physical abilities and stamina wan. How could I possibly make a difference in God’s Kingdom; I can’t even open my own water battle half the time.

I think of great people who have made an incredible impact on God’s people; the sacrifices they made, the changes that took place because they took a stand and reached out to hurting people. I see Mother Teresa holding dying people in Calcutta and Billy Graham standing at a podium, speaking to tens of thousands of people about God’s glory. I see A. A. Allen standing in a faith so strong that he laid hands on the hopelessly ill and they became whole. I see Kathryn Kuhlman’s faith and the lives that she touched. How could I ever make a difference in God’s Kingdom; I have nothing? God, how can I make a difference?

I spent time watching these great people on YouTube clips and it all became very clear to me. Each person we call “great” were simple people who recognized their own frailties and inabilities. They were available humble vessels who believed in the power of God to do all things. They realized that in and of themselves, they were nothing – just like me.

God, let me always remember that I am nothing more than an empty vessel, filled with the Holy Spirit. Help me to realize that although I am nothing, when yielded to your plan and guidance, miracles can happen. In my inability, God, You can build a church.

 

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Written 1-14-2010

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