PRAISE
THE
LORD!
I lift up my eyes to the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The Maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121: 1-2, NIV)
THE CITY SLEEPS
Shrouded mist cover lay
Over city sleeping,
Its inhabitants unaware
Of the deadly battle ensuing.
Angels versus demons,
Good opposing bad;
Which souls will fall prey
To the Evil One today?
Hurrying to and from
Daily appointed tasks,
Is human’s way or God’s way
The path they choose today?
Winds of dissension,
Toll of time fretted away;
Evil - lurking, listening,
Planning to use arrows without delay.
Dear Blind One,
Open your eyes before you fall.
Dear Deaf One,
Dare to listen, then you can hear.
Dear Lame One,
You must believe so you can walk.
Dear Hurting One,
Reach for His hand to pull you through.
Still, the city sleeps.
Copyright, 2008
VALLEY OF MY LORD
Living on a mountain top brings comfort enough to me,
But my mountain top gets lonely, my sight set less on you.
Nowhere except in valleys can Your work on me be done,
So, Lord, leave me in the valley, if near You I will be.
My valley must be one of the endless kinds,
For daily I awaken to see my map charted thus.
“What valley today?” I ask my Lord.
“My Child, you have need of this one; we’ll begin right away.
The civilized, winding valleys you’ve already passed by;
The ones you have remaining no other has seen or walked.
Each of these I’ve chosen especially for you
(For each of my creations, unique as they may be).
This valley will bring you chill and dread;
It is the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
My rod and my staff will have to comfort you,
For you’ll not know where I am, as this course you tread.
It will leave you sick and trembling,
Thinking you are alone and lost;
But just know that I AM with you -
And will be - even when Death does by you pass.”
Copyright, 2008
JAD: At age 39, I accepted Jesus as Savior. I put ALL I had
on the altar of God. Next thing I knew, except for God and
my husband, I lost all that was important to me - my two
children, my students, my health, and my income. For
several long years, I felt somewhat like I think Job must
have felt. God worked and worked on me. No place
except in this valley could His work on me be done. He was
with me every step of the way; then healing and restoration
began!
ALL THINGS
“All things work together,” says the Bible dear,
“For those who give God their love and fear.”
Not SOME things but ALL things, I must recall,
When crying and clutching some dead-end wall.
Face-to-face combat with facets of doubt,
Nose-to-nose confrontation with sin’s daily bout;
Cheek-to-cheek struggle of lonely desolation,
Back-to-back reoccurrence of fatigued isolation.
As a dreamer - dazed - and by pain’s numbness driven,
When, out of catatonic state has striven,
Finds nothing changed in life’s dreaded situation.
Can belief exist for promised Biblical proclamation?
Each struggle that does this one pursue,
Gnawing doubts hinder the mind to renew;
Consuming fears take their toll on searching thoughts.
God says He’ll use them ALL, so why all the nervous knots?
Copyright, 2008
JAD: Sleepless one night, I kept having this verse in
Romans 8:28 roll through my mind. Finally, I had to get up,
and with flashlight in hand, pen the burning sensation that
was on my very fingertips. The next day, two of my Bible
readings revolved around this same verse!
THE LOOK IN YOUR EYES
I looked into Your face, Lord Dear,
Knowing now that this delight brought my demise;
As a moth so drawn to light’s pleasure of death,
Mortal man cannot live after viewing Holy Grace.
That look of deep consternation I noticed in Your eyes:
Had I known its reason, could I have dared draw so near?
But innocent child to its parent will go,
You, Jesus, perfected parental Lamb of Woe.
I saw You again, as I walked from searing flames,
A look of relief offset by Your gentle smile;
You took my hand in Yours, as we laughed and skipped away,
The same hand that had shown me the way inside that fire!
Copyright, 2008
(And 28 other Poems)
