Like You

2 Corinthians 3:18 — And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Give me patience

to love like You love.

Give me peace

to think like You think.

Give me wisdom

to speak like You speak.

Give me humility

to forgive like You forgive.

Give me joy

to persevere like You persevere.

Give me kindness

to wait like You wait.

Give me strength

to remain like You remain.

Give me hope

to carry on like You carried on.

Give me self-control

to listen like You listen.

Amen.

Praise

Psalm 34:1 — I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

In the morning

and the evening

I will praise You.

In the darkness

and the light

I will praise You.

In the fire

and the flood

I will praise You.

In the labor

and the rest

I will praise You.

In the depths

and the shallows

I will praise You.

You are deserving of my praise, Lord,

regardless of my place.

I will praise You

always

because You are worthy of praise

always.

Amen.

Suffering

Psalm 119:49-50 — Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.

O how beautiful

is Your instruction,

Lord my Savior.

Though my afflictions persist

and thorns pierce my flesh,

Your whispers bring me comfort.

Though my enemies surround me

and troubles tear away at my flesh,

Your commands bring me peace.

There is no greater beauty in life,

no deeper wonder,

than what is born from suffering.

For Your hand, O God,

is strong planted alongside the meek,

the weary and burdened.

If my suffering left me at once

so too would my desperation for You;

if I was freed from affliction

my faith would lose its addiction to You.

Therefore,

should I not rejoice in my sorrows

and cherish my troubles?

What good would light be

without darkness?

What good would faith be

without suffering?

Your hand, O God,

is with the heavy in heart.

Your victory, O Lord,

is in the souls of those who suffer.

Your truth, O righteous Father,

is inscribed on the minds of the mourning,

the wise who resiliently rejoice

in affliction.

Amen.

Rest

Hebrews 4:10-11 — … for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

In my rest

You multiply.

In my peace

You proceed.

In my submission

You expand.

In my trust

You work.

You are blessed

when I enter

the Sabbath

with joy.

You are honored

when my work

takes its rightful place

in Your hands.

Help me, Father,

to rest in You -

to enter the place

of earnest rest

with gratitude.

Rest

in Your promises,

in Your power,

in Your fullness,

in Your light,

in Your presence

I will rest.

Amen.

Anew

Ephesians 5:14 — Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Satisfy me, Lord,

with the bread of life,

the word of truth.

Fill me up, Father,

with the fruits of the Spirit,

the overflow of love.

I want to fall for You

anew

this day.

I want to seek You

anew

this day.

I want my eyes

to see You,

my ears

to hear You,

my mouth

to praise You

anew

this day.

O Creator,

my eternal love,

awaken my heart

to new depths of intimacy

with You.

Amen.

Dwell

Deuteronomy 7:6 — For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

The Lord is my treasure

and He treasures me.

The Lord is my protector

and He protects me.

The Lord is my joy

and He rejoices in me.

Strip away all that I have, O Lord,

all that I am

and all that I will be

if it gives me more of You.

The joy of my heart

is the loss of myself.

The fruits of my spirit

are the seeds of Your truth.

I have no rest,

no life,

no joy and no peace

apart from You, O God -

it is a wonderful thing.

I have no purpose,

no strength,

no love and no wisdom

without You, my King -

it is a glorious thing.

Dwell in me, Lord of creation,

mighty God;

I rejoice that You dwell in me.

Amen.

Reason

1 John 3:1 — See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

From the breath of Eternity

I was awakened.

From the hands of Beauty

I was made.

From the heart of Love

I was called.

From the mouth of Glory

I was named.

Out of Wonder

I was made wonderful,

out of Pleasure

I was made pleasing -

from the unknown endlessness

of the Creator

I was created.

O Father,

I confess that I fail to grasp

the magnitude

of the words I speak.

The truth about

who You are,

therefore,

who I am,

is too incredible

for me to understand.

All that I know

is that You are God

and You created me

because it pleased You

to do so.

This is more than enough reason

for me to live

without needing any other

reason.

Amen.

Unexpected Love

2 Corinthians 4:17 — For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Each day

is a battle -

a mountain

to climb,

a storm

to press through.

In the morning

I long for You

with trembling hands;

in the evening

I sigh for You

with heavy eyes.

Because I have wept

innumerable tears,

now I know You.

Because I have lost

countless comforts,

now I walk with You.

Because I have hurt

so deeply,

I yearn for You

endlessly.

Because I have

suffered,

I love You, Father.

Amen.

Inner War

Romans 7:21-25 — So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

How quickly

can the ways of my

old self

return to me.

Like a volcano

laid dormant and quiet

yet

at any moment

able to erupt,

so too

does my old self

wait for me to backslide -

to return to old habits

and sinful ways.

Every day, O Lord,

I must arise

and give thanks,

put to death

the old self,

pray for a renewed portion

of Your Spirit

that I may be aligned

with You,

tethered

to You,

led

by You

with each passing moment.

Amen.

Meadow

Joel 2:25-26 — “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame.”

I see life

where there once was

decay.

I see color

where there once was

barrenness.

I see hope

and joy,

rebirth

and restoration

to what was once

dead.

I hear You,

I smell You,

I see You,

Provider

Gardener

Caretaker -

Giver of life,

all I see

is You.

Amen.

Cling

Psalm 63:8 — I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

I cling to every word

of Yours

like my life depends on it

because it does.

Your breath

holds me up

though storms surround me.

Your hand

holds me still

though my enemies attack me.

Your presence

surrounds me -

this is the only reason

I am not consumed.

Because You

love me -

this is the only reason

I am not destroyed.

Every word

that comes from Your mouth

is the reason

my heart still beats

and my eyes do not shut.

Amen.

Boundary

1 Corinthians 3:16 — Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

Let the boundaries

of my humanity

lead me meekly to the

boundlessness

of Your deity,

where flesh

becomes a vessel

and faith like a mustard seed

accomplishes the impossible.

This is freedom

when shackles bind me;

strength

when scars cover me;

victory

when enemies surround me:

the Spirit of the Living God

has made this broken flesh

a divine dwelling place.

Amen.

Whole

Psalm 147:3 — He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Turn my wounds

to wisdom

and my broken bones

to boldness -

strengthen me

because of my suffering.

In my weakness

I am made whole

by Your power.

Therefore

I am equipped

for a mighty work,

for You, Lord,

have preserved my life.

You love me,

You made me,

You call me

Your own -

what fear

can overpower You?

Chains cannot

bind You,

weapons cannot

destroy You,

demons cannot

overcome You -

and You

dwell within me.

Amen.

What Will It Be Like?

Revelation 21:23 — The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

What will it be like,

O Lord,

when I am finally

laid to rest

and paradise eternal

swallows me whole?

When I breathe

my last

and my soul arrives

at last

where it was meant to be,

what will it be like?

Will the light

blind me

and the heavenly chorus

deafen my ears?

Will the peace

engulf me

and the beauty

silence my tongue?

Will I cover

my face

or shout with joy

alongside the rest?

O Lord,

how I long

to dwell with You -

for the rest of my days

I will never tire

of being with You.

Amen.

Child

2 Corinthians 6:18 — “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Make me

like a child, O God.

To look

to You

at You

for You

in all things

at all times.

Is there a greater gift

than to be

a child

of the Creator

of the universe?

To not know all things

but to know

the Knower of all things

and rest in His arms.

Cradle me,

O Sovereign One,

I have no desire

to depart

from the refuge

of Your right hand.

All that surrounds me

may be turbulence

and wildfire

but held to Your chest

all is well

with me.

Amen.

Meaning(less)

Ecclesiastes 1:8 — All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

What can I

possibly gain

chasing after this world?

Is there fulfillment

to be found here?

Can I consume

enough of the earth

to satisfy my unceasing appetite

for more?

Can I achieve

enough success

to satisfy my unending addiction

for glory?

Can I indulge in

enough empty pleasures

to quench my buried thirst

for love?

Can I avoid

enough thoughtful consideration

to numb my burning fear

of death?

You offer me

the deepest longing

of my soul, O God,

yet I carry on living

enslaved to the ways of humanity,

which destroys all that is good

within me.

Shall I carry on

making a mistress of the world

and in so doing

rot the very soul

You made to dwell with You

to dance with You

to walk with You

in the sacred paradise

of eternity?

Amen.

From

2 Corinthians 4:8-10 — We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

From

the jaws of death

to

the gates of life,

from

the bowels of suffering

to

the fruits of perseverance,

from

the midnight of darkness

to

the midday of light,

from

the vapor of flesh

to

the eternity of spirit,

I have been

set free.

Amen.

Sustenance

Hebrews 12:28 — Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe

A new sunrise

brings new mercies -

blessed is the Lord God.

Feed me

Bread of life,

my very existence

depends on Your sustenance.

Fill my cup

River of truth,

my very breath

depends on Your grace.

You are near

in the emptiest of circumstances,

this I know.

I kneel on the Rock

of salvation,

at the throne of grace

I lay down my head.

Holy and mighty,

tender and merciful

You do not fail to remind me

that You are

who You say

You are.

Blessed is

the Lord God.

Amen.

Invitation

Matthew 7:7 — “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

I was made

to know my Maker.

I was created

to walk with my Creator.

I was given a heart

to long for the One

that sustains it.

I was given an image

to reflect the One

that formed it.

I was born a child

on this earth

to find my way back to my Father

as a child

once again.

You are the Giver of life,

the Source of all things,

the Provider of every breath.

Yet Your invitation to me

is simple:

Seek Me and know Me.

My soul longs

to dwell with You

forever.

Amen.

Dependent

Psalm 16:8 — I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

I will never

heal

if my healing is

dependent

on someone

or something

else.

I will never

forgive

if my forgiveness is

waiting

for anyone

or anything

else.

I will never

be free

if my freedom is

reliant

on everything

or everyone

else.

With my eyes on You, Lord,

and my heart after Yours

I am

healed,

forgiven and inclined to forgive,

and free.

Amen.