Teach Me

Proverbs 3:5-6 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Teach me, O Lord,

to appreciate

and worship

the work You are doing

completely unknown

to me.

You are never

not at work -

I only convince myself

that You must not be

when I can’t see

or witness it.

But to worship

in the complete unknown -

this is the

wonderful mystery

of my faith.

Teach me

to wrestle

yet not walk away,

battle

yet not give in,

wonder

yet not doubt,

persist

yet not grow weary,

love

yet not jeopardize truth,

fear

yet not be afraid,

run

yet not faint,

repent

yet not backslide,

obey

yet not condemn.

Amen.

Total Praise

1 Chronicles 29:11 — Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

I have

lamented,

I have

cried out,

I have

despaired.

I have

lost,

I have

hurt,

I have

suffered.

I have

worried,

I have

wandered,

I have

sinned.

Yet

standing here today

in the presence

of Your glory, Lord,

all I have

on my lips,

in my mind,

from my heart

is praise -

complete and total

praise.

Amen.

Nothing

Jeremiah 1:5 — “Before you were born, I knew you.”

I am not

nothing.

I am not

fighting to prove

I am more

than nothing.

I am

everything

in Christ,

by Christ,

and through Christ

alone.

Amen.

Vicious

Matthew 22:37 — Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

I am not content

until

every part of You

consumes

every part of me.

I will never be free

until

every ounce of You

devours

every ounce of me.

To live

partial to You, Lord,

is to decay slowly

unto death

with a false hope

that partial

is enough.

Increase

my appetite,

my thirst,

my fervor

to seek You

viciously

until I breathe my last.

Amen.

Do You Ever Forget?

Ezekiel 34:11 — “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.’”

Do You ever forget me,

Lord?

Do You ever tire

of my cries?

Or am I Your child,

Lord?

Am I always

on Your mind?

Even when I am

alone,

even when I am

afraid,

You are still with me.

If I ran

You would be waiting

at my destination.

If I drowned

I would find You

at the bottom.

How precious is

Your love

for me,

how precious is

Your pursuit

of me.

Amen.

Chosen

1 Peter 2:4 — As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by humans but chosen and precious to him…

Who I once was

I no longer

recognize.

What I once did

I no longer

desire.

Where I once belonged

I no longer

do.

I lost

all that mattered,

I was left

battered and thrown away.

Until You, Lord,

stretched out Your mighty hand

and pulled my

weary face

up to Yours -

beloved

You called me,

chosen

You declared me,

precious

You named me -

and I knew

who I was,

what I was made for,

and where I was going

for the first time.

Eternity to Eternity

Revelation 4:11 — You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.

All of my running

led me

to You.

All of my hiding

brought me

to You.

All of my darkness

forced me

to You.

When all was

empty

and dark

and my next breath

was too much

to bear,

You gave me

a new life.

To the ends

of the earth

You pursued me;

from eternity

to eternity

I will worship You.

Amen.

Cleansed

1 John 1:9 — If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Cleanse me, Lord,

that I may be pure

and white as snow.

Forgive me, Father,

that I may be free

and overflow in abundance.

May Your hand

be with me,

Your presence

be within me

that I may glorify

the Lord.

Guide me, O King,

and guard my steps

that I may never stray

from You.

Bring me to my knees

time and time again

that I may never

rely on myself -

that I may submit to You

all of my ways,

all of my desires.

My heart is full

only in You, Lord.

Amen.

Look

Revelation 21:3 — And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Let the

second coming

of the Lord

bring a wonderful

fear

to my faith,

a resounding

joy

to my scars,

an expectant

obedience

to my heart,

and an all-consuming

peace

to my soul.

Amen.

Where I Belong

Colossians 1:16 — For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

I ask You

to show me

my calling

and You show me

the cross.

I ask You

to show me

my purpose

and You show me

Your people.

I ask You

to show me

my destination

and You show me

self-denial.

I was created

through

and for You,

and I am

on my way back

to Your feet

where I belong.

Amen.

Spoke

Deuteronomy 31:8 — The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

My life

has been used

as evidence

that You alone, Lord,

are in control,

and You alone, Lord,

know what is best

for me.

When I saw despair

You spoke

hope.

When I saw darkness

You spoke

light.

When I saw rejection

You spoke

reconciliation.

When I saw death

You spoke

resurrection.

I will remember, Lord,

how You have always

prevailed

against all evidence

of the opposite.

Amen.

Life

1 Peter 2:9 — But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The fruits of Your love

satisfy the depths

of my soul.

The treasures on Your tongue

quench the longing

in my heart.

I cannot help but worship

Your unknown ways,

Your unknown power.

What is peace

if it does not come

from the Lord?

It is chaos.

What is life

if it does not come

from the Lord?

It is death.

What am I

if I do not bear

Your name?

I am nothing.

Therefore,

instead I rejoice

that in Christ

I am

everything.

Amen.

Prevail

Proverbs 30:1 — I am weary, God, but I can prevail.

It is

quiet

and painful

here.

It has been

so

for awhile.

I need You, O God,

to breathe,

I want You

to be.

I need You

more than I

want You,

I want You

more than I need

anything else.

O Lord,

my God and Savior,

these dark waters

cry out for Your light.

Push back

my enemies,

cut down

my oppressors,

and bring me out

of this affliction

that I may be free.

Amen.

Desperate

Psalm 63:1 — You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

When You found me, Lord,

I was desperate

and my need was great.

It was good,

for it drove me to rely on You,

to trust you.

Now I call out to You, O God,

to renew my fervor,

to reinvigorate my worship.

I do not want comfort in this life;

for I know comfort

leads to death.

I do not desire ease in this life,

for I know ease

leads to complacency.

Take Your infinite power

and give me just a drop;

take Your immeasurable beauty

and bless me with a breath.

Never let me grow stagnant, Father,

for I refuse to die

a slow death.

Never let me grow complacent, Lord,

for I do not wish

to lose eternity.

Amen.

Hidden

Psalm 55:1-2 — Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.

Tear after

tear,

petition after

petition,

grief after

grief,

cry after

cry

I have brought to You

in this hidden place

away from view.

Alone,

on my knees,

blinds drawn

and lights dimmed,

desperate for an

answer.

Not a single soul

has known

nor wandering eye

seen

this hidden war

for redemption.

I have lost count

of the days,

the seasons,

the time -

have You forgotten me,

O Lord?

Amen.

Beyond Glory

Isaiah 40:28 — Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Here I am,

placed between

the wondrous unknown

of Your sovereignty

and the sobering reality

of my human inability.

To my left

I see the limits of my flesh,

the trajectory of my bones.

To the right

I see the limitlessness of eternity,

the trajectory of my soul.

Here I am

in the middle

knowing that You are my only hope,

glad that You are my only hope.

Here I am

in the middle

knowing that I am not able,

glad that I am not able.

If I was anywhere else,

I would be

in the wrong place.

Now

I see You,

I know You,

I know just how

unfathomable

You are,

and my soul rejoices.

Amen.

Never Enough

Ecclesiastes 2:1 — I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.

I am nothing

if not weak,

I am empty

on my own -

I cannot bear the weight

of my suffering.

The evil of this world

wears me down,

I have nothing to gain from it.

It has left me broken and destitute,

it smiles

at the pain surrounding me.

Why, O soul,

do you seek peace in this world?

Why, O spirit,

do you seek truth in this place?

For all this world has -

all it can give -

is never enough.

Amen.

Persistence

Romans 8:29 — For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Praise You, Lord,

that I look less

like me

and more like You

today than yesterday.

Your persistence with me,

Your pursuit of me

even when I ran

is the mercy

that saves me.

I can do nothing

but praise

and yield

to Your will for me,

Your power to change me.

Thank You, Lord,

that I am not

the same -

that I will never be

again.

Amen.

Let Go

Genesis 45:8 — “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God…”

God,

I trust

You.

Let

Your will

be done.

I let go

of control,

of bitterness,

of unforgiveness.

Nobody

and nothing

else

brought me

here -

You did.

Amen.

Always

Matthew 6:10 — … your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

My imperfect circumstances

do not

call Your perfect will

into question.

My broken body

does not

bring Your complete goodness

into doubt.

Your sovereignty

is the condition

of my contentment;

Your grace

is the pillar

of my peace.

You are the only

authority,

You are the embodiment of

good,

You are the always

eternal.

Therefore

I am perfectly held,

completely loved,

and eternally secure.

Amen.