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.

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.