Tag Archives: Pray

THE TRIAL

17 Sep

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” Psalm 18:6 KJV

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I couldn't pray today,

The words wouldn't form in my heart.

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The Scripture made no sense,

Blocks of words and numbers.

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I didn't know who to call,

It all seemed so confusing.

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Crying out - Lord,

What to do,

What to do.

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Simple words,

A simple sacred sacrifice.

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I praise You, Lord,

I thank You for this trial.

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Then, in a moment,

The miracle occurred.

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It was Joy,

In the height of the storm,

It was Joy.

 

 

 

※   Written  9-1-1991

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STAND BACK

16 Sep

“And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord‘s, and he will give you into our hands.”  1 Samuel 17:47 KJV

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Egypt’s Red Sea seemed a mighty foe.

With Pharaoh close there seemed no place to go.

The people stood and cried aloud with fear.

Forgetting all along their Lord was there.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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His mighty hand can move the sea from shore to shore.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Shielded by Armor of Faith we’ll stand.

Jericho was girded all around,

A mighty fortress set on solid ground.

If rushed the army within would abound,

By marching feet and trumpets it went down.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Gideon was sent to take the land,

With only three hundred men he had to stand.

With pitchers, lanterns, horns, he did God’s will,

Though all the enemy died, he did not kill.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Deborah sent her army off to war,

The army would not go without her near,

The chariots of iron saved not the foe,

For God provided the rain, they moved no more.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Joshua was sent to take Ai,

To win this one he must be very sly.

Place armies front and back, came God’s reply,

And hold your spear up high, high in the sky.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

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Do you have an enemy today,

Take your troubles to God, get down and pray,

There is nothing He can’t rise above,

He’s there to raise you up in perfect love.

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I say stand back, stand back in the Lord.

 

 

 

✝ Written in 1992 as a song

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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.

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We lift our hands,

And take a stand,

in righteousness to live.

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Help us speak for You,

In all we do,

Your words of peace we share.

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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.

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We share Your ways,

For strength we pray,

We’ve learned to kneel and wait.

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Keep us in Your will,

Our own thoughts stilled,

Our old ways changed to new.

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Please keep us close,

At any cost,

Our mind on only You.

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 Lord, we lift our hands,

In love we stand,

A shout of faith we raise.

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We reach to You,

Your touch renews,

Our words are songs of praise.

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Seeking to be filled,

To know Your will,

Fills every waking hour.

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Please touch our souls,

And let us know,

Your mercy, strength and power.

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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.

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But my heart slips deep into a void,

Refusing to listen,

Refusing to obey,

Reuniting the moment with the pain,

Over and Over.

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I struggle with an inner battle,

Back and forth,

Praying that my heart

Will melt in obedience,

Releasing the hurt inside.

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I fast and pray,

Lord, show me the way.

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My own shortcomings,

Rise up before me.

My spirit grieves,

Was I forgiven?

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How could I,

Forgiven for such as these,

Not forgive.

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How could I,

Loved, in spite of my shame,

Not love.

 

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Written 5/11/95

 

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DEAD BRANCHES

19 Nov

 

”But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6 (KJV)

 

Many years ago we experienced a winter far colder than any other I had experienced. Lakes frozen over, streets frozen over, chunks of ice were inches thick on the electrical and telephone wires all over town. People couldn’t drive their cars up the steep streets of Prescott, AZ. Police officers were turning lines of cars around in an attempt to reduce further accidents. It was COLD!

 On a warm afternoon, several months later, I was enjoying a quiet moment on my front porch. There was a light breeze blowing and suddenly a large branch fell out of our tree in the front yard. The tree was beautiful green and full with leaves. There wasn’t any sign of dead branches, until this one fell.

 I wandered over and looked up into the tree. It looked green and healthy. I looked from a different angle; green and . . . oh, wait, what was the brown in the middle? I brought over a ladder and looked closer – dead branches. There were a number of dead branches broken loose from the tree, being held in place by the new growth, waiting for a wind to set them loose. I suspect that these branches were broken loose by the heavy ice that had rested there in the months before. I pulled a few of the branches out and left those that were out of easy reach.

 It made me think about new Christians and how they have broken and wounded spirits that are hiding in their newly born lives. Lives full of enthusiasm and desire to grow with Jesus, covering over the brokenness and wounds that first drew them to Jesus. They look fresh and beautiful on the outside, hiding the pain inside.

 So many times we rejoice with their salvation and ignore the task set before us to help them grow. We often think they’ll find their own way to their faith and the truth. We might “toss” a scripture their way if they ask a specific question or two, but don’t get too involved in explaining what it means. After a while they become discouraged and disappear.

These “Babies” need someone to come along and embrace them, pray with them, teach them to let go and allow the pain and wounds to drop away through the healing of Jesus. Like us, they are called to be fountains of living water. They are to grow and be pruned by the Master, just like we were. They will be shaken clean by the winds of trial. Their roots will grow strong with dedicated study, prayer and intercession. But, only if we will teach them how.

 What sort of witness are we if we spend our time preening ourselves and not guiding them along the way? Do we allow them to be tossed by the winds of doctrine, or do we show them how to receive the wind of the Spirit and the healing Word of God? Do we allow them to wander and be confused by tempting spirits, or do we teach them to discern and recognize the truth? Do we brush away the dead branches we can easily see and leave the deepest, furthest away to remain? Or do we dedicate our works to intercession and instruction, so that they can recognize the things in their lives that they have the authority to cleanse away themselves. Do we care?

 God, help me to never forget how confused and lost I was when I first came to You. Help me to remember the outstretched hands and dedicated prayers that lead me to a strong knowledge of You. Help me remember how strong the pull was to give up and walk away when things just didn’t make sense, and the joy of breaking through with a well guided word and a moment of encouragement. Help me to be the example to help others find true relationship with You.

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By Linda J. Humes

Written 10-1-2012

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CALLING

12 Oct

Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit.   1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

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I see Your smile in the reds and golds of dawn,

Your pleasure in the stillness of the waking morning,

You’re calling me, Lord,

Pray.

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I see Your hand calm the stress of the moment,

Your tender assurance as situations explode,

You’re calling me, Lord,

Pray.

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I see Your will in the difficult changes of life,

Your plan unfolds to make a path for my feet,

You’re calling me, Lord,

Pray.

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I see Your peace in the quiet of the night,

Your Word rests gently in my arms, in my heart,

You’re calling me, Lord,

Pray.

 

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Written 9/3/91

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LADY IN WAITING

14 Jul 


I’m resting, Lord,

here in Your shadow.

Wars wage at my right,

and along my left.

Famine and failure,

torture, 

even the most strong fear,

but I’m safe here,

beneath Your wing.



I know the paths around me,

are tainted with sin,

that dangers lurk,

at every turn,

but I fear not.



You, Lord, have sent angels,

to guide my path,

to set my feet, 

one in front of the other,

straight ahead,

not to the right,

not to the left.



I have placed my feet, 

in faith,

knowing You have set,

a safe path,

before me.



I have listened carefully,

for Your call,

I have trimmed the wicks,

and replenished the oil,

for the night watch.

For the time when,

My Beloved may call.



I practice my stitching,

in purple and red,

as I wait.

Keeping my mind flooded,

with the constant blessing,

my Lord has bestowed,

upon me.



Delicate, sure, stitches,

adorn the robe,

my Lord will wear,

when the day is come.

Each placed with a prayer,

each outlining a blessing,

each anointed,

with the tongues of angels.



I wait at Your feet,

precious one,

as the night passes once again.

Catching a glimpse of You,

a glancing touch,

bringing such peace,

strengthening my desire.



I wait, with the gifts of my hand,

gifts of my heart,

gifts of my tongue.

I wait, for the day You will call,

and draw me to Your chamber,

to share in the riches,

kept deep inside.



The wait seems long,

but holds no burden,

only the treasure,

of promises seen,

and promises known,

and truths only realized,

by lovers.



I wait for the day,

You will come to my chamber,

and raise my hand,

to a delicate kiss.

There will we dance,

for the joy, 

and the treasure,

held in intimate bonds,

of true love.



Until that day,

My Beloved,

My Lord,

I will wait,

and prepare,

and rest,

that I might not miss,

one moment with You.


Written 4-22-99

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Martyred

18 Jul

 Martyred Hand

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Mark 8:34-36 (NIV)

Recently I’ve had a bout with sciatica.  I’d heard of it before, but never realized the pain that accompanied it.  It isn’t one of those “if I turn just right the pain will go away” kinds of pains, it’s one of those “no matter what I do I can barely breathe” kind of pains.

Day three was the most intense and I was collecting exercise and stretching advice from as many folks as I could.  All of the exercises helped the pain subside, some, but first thing each morning, crawling out of bed, the pain was always the worse.

Standing was the least painful, sitting was the worse, lying down took strategy . . . still haven’t quite mastered it.  I was trying to do my morning reading and devotionals and found myself walking in circles in the living room, trying to read my Bible as pain free as possible.  At one point I started yelling at Satan to let go of my body and take his pain away from me.  After a while I was praying for healing to my God.  I reminded Him of His scriptures and His stripes.  Then I heard His still small voice, “this pain is nothing compared to what many saints endure for My sake.”

Oh, my, the tortured and martyred Missionaries for Christ.  In a foreign land, tortured and kept in prisons with little food and water; often killed.  I have a home, a soft bed, a comfortable chair to sit in, food in the cupboard and clean water in the tap.  I have so much and I complain about pain.

It’s 1 am of day 5 and it’s hard to sleep.  Yes, the pain is uncomfortable, but with every pinch I think about one of those Saints.  Outside the wind is blowing, I’m safe inside, but I’m thinking about the conditions surrounding those Saints.  How could I have missed thinking about those Saints?

I don’t know, as in Job, whether God is using this affliction to test me.  I do know that it has made me aware of something that I had unintentionally closed my eyes to – the Missionaries that are tortured and martyred for Christ.  How did they endure the pain?  Was it like Stephen who felt nothing as he looked upward into the face of God as he was being stoned to death?  Or was it like Jesus who was beaten, tortured, and hung on the cross in excruciating pain, crying out to the Father, asking why He had been forsaken?

I do know this, with my awareness comes my prayers.  I may not know their individual names or locations, but my Father does.  God, I pray for your children, beaten and tortured for proclaiming You and teaching Your word.  I also pray for the souls of those that bring them harm for they know not what they do.

Jesus, let me NEVER forget.

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