To His Majesty

Poems I have written over the years…..

 

 

 

Strange Heroes

 

Heroic Joy in Scripture

A strange thing to human eyes

That see knights and castles

Fair maidens and dragons

That charge of cavalries

And hopeless causes

But He sees it

In a man of faith, His friend

Raising a dagger over His only son

A thief and scoundrel

Who became a great nation

A reckless warrior

Who became a lawgiver

A Shepherd Boy who became King

A watchman who saw God

In Dry Bones

A Silent Sufferer

Who saw a City Burn

A VOICE! Crying in the Wilderness

A Rock, A Lover, A Denier

A mother, A people

A Father who stood over Him

Silent and full of Wrath

As He transmitted that terrible

Terrible thing…..SIN,

A Glorious Morn

That third Day

Rising UP Out of the Shadows

Of Hades and Earth

To Ascend to the Right Hand

A Promise, A church

Murderers become Apostles

Romans surrender

Greeks become foolish

Jews minds are opened

The Gospel is Preached

A Glorious Promise

Of what is to come….

A JOY! A profound Gloria!

A Bride who makes herself Ready

A Heroic Joy of Fellowship

And Foolishness

Pure and Unrestrained

From our suddenly common notions.

Who could perceive it??

Or Fathom the Depths of His mind

It is Beyond our Ability

To Embrace it, To Embrace Him

A Strange and Wonderful Joy

A Joy of Friendships in the commonplace

In things of Everyday

And Everyday Places

 

 

 

 

 

Open My Heart

 

Open my heart

Teach me the value of Humility

I Bow down, I bow down low

I desire to serve the High Master

Grant me permission to Enter in

To serve you in your court

Let me touch Your scepter

And live……

 

You are sovereign, You are Holy

You are Righteous in all things

From your throne you pour out

Judgment, Fire and wrath!

Mercy, Water and Rain

You administer Peace

You remember your children

In the Fire, In trouble

You honor your covenant

You see the faithful

Yet wrath falls upon the wicked

The faithless find no rest

Your Mercy and Judgment

Ring with the sound of truth

You shatter the yoke of false philosophies

Confounding the words of the wise men

You make a laughingstock of them

Teach us your ways

That we may be enlightened in truth

Let reality be put In me

My eyes of my heart need opening

So I may see truly and clearly

Show us the place of rest

In the Shadow of your mighty hand

That I may know your power

And your love….forever……Amen

 

 

 

Hope Eternal

 

Hope, Hope Eternal

A light, A vision in the darkness

A VOICE in the formless void

The WORD, Made Flesh

Speaks and I Listen

He Speaks, and It is!

 

A Hope Beyond reason

No Intellect can find it

Nor the wise seek it out

But it is revealed to little Children

The simple in Heart devoted to their Father

Find it and Dwell at Rest.

 

A Hope Eternal,

From Everlasting to Everlasting

A Hope Revealed

Among the Broken, The Bitter, The Weary

He sees our Pains, our struggles,

Our longings, He says

“Behold! Your Hope is well founded

For I was before the foundation

Of the World. And Shall Be

Long after it is gone!

When the wicked are bowed low

And the Enemy is brought to

The Throne of Judgment!

Hope! From everlasting to

Everlasting! In you it shall be

Found if you are willing!”

 

Is God not Righteous?

Has he not Brought you through

The Midst of the Waters?

Has He not delivered his people?

Has He not shown you the Very

Depth of His Love?

Your Hope is well founded.

Look verily! You Still STAND!

In the midst of this wicked and

Perverse Generation of wicked

And lawless men! You Remain!

 

Have you kept yourself

By your own hand?

No, one mightier than the Strongman

Has Come, and overthrown Him.

That you may walk through

Unmolested.

His arm is with you

His shield covers you

Walk in His Shadow

Find Hope in His cross

Joy in His Resurrection

Comfort in His Ascension

His Hope and ours

A Blessed Destiny of Love

And Worship…..

Destiny And Service, A Hope Eternal

 

 

 

 

 

Your Love

 

Let Me Love You O’ Lord

With a Love Beyond Understanding

Beyond Intellect, Till it Reaches

Reaches the Shores of Faith

And Beyond

To the Land Wherein You Dwell

To your House, My Beloved

Where I Shall Dwell All the Days of My Life

In the Shadow of Your Hand

In the Place of Peace

I Shall Dwell With You

 

 

 

Presence

 

Surround Me, O’ God

With your Presence

Let your Spirit Penetrate me

And Fill My innermost Being

Let My Obedience and Longsuffering

Open the Doors of your Heart

And Pour out Rivers

Rivers of Living Water

Rivers of Blessing

Rivers of YOU.

Engulf Me in the Tide

Of your Everlasting Love

A Vessel in your hands

In a Dry and Dusty Land

Brining water to the Thirsty

Food to the Hungry

And Clothes to the Naked.

Your Presence Shall Dwell Mightily Among them

It Shall Dwell All the Days of their lives

 

 

Peace like a River

 

Peace like a River

Floods My soul

It Brings Clarity

Not only good feelings

But to End Confusion

With Light, Not Darkness

Which is the Delusion of Ignorance.

 

The Clarity of Truth

Grounded in Love

Abiding in Faith

Walking in the Presence

Of your Everlasting Spirit

Brings Peace that Passes All Understanding

 

Shall the Rich Buy it?

Or the Powerful Men

Order it to be brought to them?

Can the religious leaders

Create a formula to bring Love

They have many for earthly things!

How about those things

Which come from God?

 

No, Only an obedient Spirit

Attentive to the VOICE of the Spirit

Whose eyes are set upon His WORD

Who walks with His Brother

Finds Peace, and Unity in His Spirit

The Spirit of THE LORD

That Has Dwelt forever

And Shall Dwell Forevermore.

 

 

 

 

Your House

 

In your House

You shall make a place for me

In your House

A mansion where I can Rest

To Be with You

My Love, My Lord, My God

And Dwell forevermore

Abiding in your Presence

Beholding You

With an unveiled face

Forevermore

That you may be in Me

That All in All in All

Complete, Total, Alpha and Omega

Beginning To End

That which only you can see

You shall be to me

In My Heart

Forever and ever

Forevermore

Amen.

 

 

 

In the Shadow

 

In the Shadow

Of the clefts of the Rock

I shall find You

My Beloved

 

I shall search for You

In the places which

Thou may be found

Among the Poor, the Widows

The Fatherless, The Broken

The Hurting….

That they may know

That you are God

My Lord, My Beloved

And that I esteem and love You

More than my comfort

More than my fear

More than my own will

Let thine will be done.

 

Beloved my heart Breaks

When I am separated from You

When I am disobedient

Or foolish, or wandering

When you simply take your hand

From my life, to rest my love

My heart breaks without you

So let me walk the Path

You have shown me

And fail not

That I may find You again

And dwell with you

At Journeys End.

 

 

 

 

 

Fool’s Errand

 

Father, you seem to know

Who I am, where I am

And you meet me, there

In the place of confusion

And tension

Victory in spite of myself.

Joy to a stubborn heart

Humility to a heart swallowed by Pride

Why do you bother?

What motivates you to continue?

What do you see

That I do not?

 

Lord help me to see

What you are seeing

In myself, in others

In your purpose

In your plan

Teach me to dwell with you

To seek you

Instead of being distracted

By a Fool’s errand

Activity wasting energy

My own Kingdom

Which now lays a demolished ruin.

Let it remain a ruin

A fool’s errand

And a warning for others

That they may not pass

This way again.

 

 

Vision

 

Shallow waters lead to Deep

Deep to tides, tides to the Ocean

His Love is Great and flows

From the Mountain to the Sea

Where I must swim into Deep Waters.

There I shall find the one

Whom My Heart Loves

There My Spirit Shall Rest

In Peace and fullness

Though the tempest blow

And the waves rise up

To Great Heights Above Me

I shall not fear

For it is only by His Hand

That I move and Have Being

And He Shall Immerse Me

Even then In the Depths of His Love

I will not Fear a tide that seems to Destroy

That is only the Shadow of the Hand

That will show his Great Love for Me

I will know that Adversity is a Doorway

Into the Depths of the Spirit

The Deeps of the Sea

Where the Tempest cannot reach

Where the Wind cannot Blow

I will rest there forevermore

Amen.

 

 

 

Open the Curtains

 

There is Freedom….Then there is freedom

One is about Me, One is about others

If I get it maybe I can help

One day I will fully comprehend

And stop being a stumbling block

Open my eyes, Open my Heart

Open my life, dark and cold

The Curtains have been drawn for years

The doors shut for months

The lights turned off.

Not a sound is made

I am huddling in the quiet

Afraid to see myself

Something that will show me

For who I truly Am.

 

Cast away the curtains!

Open the Door, Let in the light!

Turn on the lamps of the Spirit.

Come in and dwell, lest I fade away

And shrink in this cold

I cannot stay in the shadows anymore

Amen……

 

 

 

Wham!

 

Was that a wall?

O’ Yes, It must have been brick

I can taste it on my tongue

The welts on my face

Are already appearing

My eyes are refocusing

Oh, yeah Now I remember

The idiot opened his mouth….

I forgot the words of the wise

“Even a fool when he is quiet”

“People will THINK he is wise”

One of these days I will stop that

Either that or I will run fast enough

And knock some sense into myself.

 

 

Show yourself Approved

 

Show yourself Approved

To the workman, to His work

Work out your salvation

Work out what God has given freely

Apply Daily the Grace of God

That you may be Approved

That you may have Blessing

In the Land you Dwell

The Blessing of the Presence of God

For where the Lord is There is Liberty.

 

 

Obedience

 

Obedience Whispers

And our minds must STOP

And turn off other noises

Even the words of a loved one

The Din of Traffic and the Bustle of the Day

And Bend Down to concentrate

To Hear the Whispers of Obedience.

 

 

 

Worship

 

He has not forgotten His servant David

Nor Has He forgotten me!

He bends down and Breathes

Breathes upon my spirit

And I rise up and praise His name

I cannot be stopped up

Shall a River cease flowing?

His breath shall keep me

And I shall walk in His paths

And keep His commandments

And in the temple I shall worship

Praise the name of My Beloved

The Rose of Sharon, The Prince of Peace

The Good Shepherd, The Great Lion

He is like water in a Dry Place

I cannot go on without Him

I shall wither away

I must Praise Him!

I can do nothing else

Shall A bird cease in its flying

Can it not find joy in its purpose?

That for which it is crated

Brings it Pleasure, Brings it Joy

The Bird must fly, I will praise

Praise the name of the Lord

Amen and Amen, it is Good

Amen.

 

 

 

Joy

 

Can I be silent?

Will I shut my mouth

When the Joy of the Lord

Fills My heart to overflowing

Can anyone have Rest

When they try to avoid it?

They are tense and disturbed

For a fire burns in their belly

It burns to get out!

To praise the name of the Lord

I cannot be silent

No, I shall not rest

Until I speak His name

Shout His praises in Zion

In the Holy Temple

The Tabernacle of David

I shall be found

Near to My God, Near to Him

In the Outer Tabernacle

And unto Him I shall Declare Praise

I shall Go out

Into the Outer Court

And declare my praises

To the Peoples of Israel

They shall know of your mercy

Of your faithfulness

And unfailing Love.

 

They are not forsaken

Though the tides of darkness

Overwhelm them at times

He shall be like a Rock

In the midst of a Raging Sea

They shall cling to Him

And He shall Preserve them.

 

Can I be silent

Silent when I see such things?

Can wind not blow?

Or the sun cease shining?

Can David cease His playing

Or Moses not reflect your Glory?

Can this be done?

No I cannot be silent

Nor shall I wish ever to Be

Though men mock me

And my heart fails within me

My lips will continually praise you

Even when those around me flee away

I shall Remember your Love

I will remember your Tender mercies

Then I shall lift my voice up

In my distress, In times of war

That man may know God dwells

God dwells in Israel, God dwells in the church

He is not silent, Nor is he sleeping.

 

 

 

The sound of Humbling Silence

 

The Sound of Humbling Silence

And the Chairs of an Empty Room

People who once sat in them

Now Absent, moved on

Their Destiny has pulled them on

And I wonder, I consider my ways

The ways of the Heart and mind

The ways of the Soul Call out to Me

Will one day I go on with them?

What shall my empty chair say?

What have I done with the Love

That the Lord has given Me?

Have I loved the Rebel?

Cared for the Cynic?

Prayed for Wicked Men?

Given hope to the Despairing?

Brought His little children in

In to His Marvelous light?

These chairs speak of things

Too wonderful for Me to hear

Stories I thought too common

To Care about return to my mind

These I realize where most important,

For the battle we fight

Was won or lost in these chairs

That sit in Humbling Silence….

 

 

 

The Foundation Stone

 

The foundation Stone, Has been laid

The Cross lies at the Crossroads

My life is not an end, But Beginning

A Door is open to the Kingdom

A window into the Heart of God

Let me meditate upon YOU

Your Word Guards my hart

Your Spirit a Blessed Guide

Let me see the reality of You

Not my own constructed falsity

That I may know truth and pursue Love

In the Power and Strength of Christ

The Foundation Stone of Reality.

 

 

 

Who is Like Him?

 

Who Is like unto the Lord?

Shall nations prosper

Without his touch?

Yet it Rains on the Just

And the Unjust By His Will

So That None may accuse Him

Life is Released to All

But Eternal Life only to those

Who Call upon His Name

The name of the Lord

 

What is Better?

To Have much Life Now

And No Eternal Life?

Or to Be tried with Fire

In the Life you live

And be made fit for Eternity?

Will you accuse God

Of the many gifts you have been given

The ones you take for Granted

The rain that comes in its season

The winds that Blow from the Four Corners

Shall the sun stop its shining

Because Life is unfair to it?

Or the Planets cease their movement

Or the Animals Cease their lives

Because of the Tyranny of fools?

 

The self-righteous accuse God

But they themselves are accused

For inasmuch as they measure it out

They themselves are guilty of it.

The Blood of innocents is on the hands

Of even the Good.

 

 

 

Prayer #1

 

Beloved, Blessed Light

Open my eyes!

Clear my vision

Help me to see

Your works of Grace

In My life today

Give me an anchor

To guide my steps

Your word opens the door

Blessed Spirit teach me Humility

That I may see

And do the will

Of Him who is sending me….

Amen and Amen

 

 

 

Adoring Wonder

 

In Adoring Wonder

I Glance up to you…

My Beloved Father

Who is Concerned even

With the most insignificant

Of my actions

My silent praise

My silly prayers

The Overflow of your Love

Sweeps me away

Until I am Drowned in Your Love

You delight in me

In clumsy words

Spoken in solitude

No one hears them

Wars are not stopped

Nor is peace brought to lands

They are not broadcast

By T.V. or Radio

Or even a COMPUTER

They are for you alone

And you delight in them

You Release your Love to me

And to those who need you

Who can understand it?

That more is accomplished in Silent Obedience

Than in an army of Warriors.

 

 

 

 

A Prayer to Overcome

 

I see a City of Light

High on a mountaintop

And my Lord and Savior

Standing At the Gates

I AM Traveling

To this City

Where the Sun never Sets

Nor sorrow is found

Fear has no place

No Angry word is spoken

For the Lord is its Light

And in Him is found No Darkness

I am following

A Dark and Winding Road

Of twists and turns

Of rises and falls

Valleys Dark, Mountains High

Yet through it

My eyes are fixed

On Him who stands

At the Gates

Of that Blessed City

I shall not take

My eyes off of it

Not for a moment

Not for an Hour

Lest I miss the Way

And Stumble and Fall….

Guide me in paths

Blessed Shepherd

That are seldom trod

That I might dwell

In the Security

Of your Righteous Hand

Let your peace be with me

Your Love Surround me

Gird me up with mercy

Supply me with Love

That I might survive

Nay overcome the darts

Of the wicked one

And reach my Home

My Heart

Where You Are

Beloved Savior and Friend

Lord Jesus Christ

Amen.