Time

In days gone by they noted the passing of time
By placing marks upon a wall, or stretching out a line.
Sands that sat in an hourglass pouring life away.
For man has always known he was not here to stay.

Pendulum or digital, it can only count out the hour,
And sadly the march of time is not within our power.
The brevity of life has always stared us in the face,
But we expected to be granted some extra days of grace.

Even now it shocks us, the steady march of time,
For it was but yesterday your body was feeling fine.
And just where did the time go while busily having fun?
It seems but only yesterday your youth had just begun!

Your children grew so quickly and you did not even know,
For in keeping oh so busy you forgot to watch them grow!
And those that scoff at Eternity are really not that sure,
The minds of Science have not found the elusive aging cure.

More and more Bible prophesy lines up with the passing of time,
We know that in the last times mockers are a watchful sign.
Blessed are those who read and who see God’s words and fear,
And heed the things written there for surely the time is near.

And in the fullness of time all will become alive and clear.
God says time waits for no man of that we can be sure,
So gird your loins, be ready, and keep your hearts pure.

The Great Deliverer

Isaac, Abraham’s sweet delight,
Carried wood for a sacrifice,
But God delivered him.

Job did a godly life attain,
Knew sore sorrow and great pain,
But God delivered him.

Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife,
Then knew a prisoner’s life,
But God delivered him.

David kept lambs in tender care,
Faced the fierce Goliath’s stare,
But God delivered him.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
Into the furnace they did go.
But God delivered them.

Daniel faithfully knelt in prayer,
Cruelly cast into the lion’s lair.
But God delivered him.

Jesus, redeemer of the lost,
Incurred God’s wrath on the cross.
But God delivered him.

Paul and Silas did salvation tell,
At midnight sang in dank dark cell
But God delivered them.

Saints, ransomed by the Saviour’s grace,
Trail of life you’re sure to face.
But God will deliver you.

Faith and trust are demanded of you,
Your hand in His to carry you through,
And God will deliver you too.

THE DRY WINTER

Lord, I have had such a dry Winter
Oh Father! It was oh so very dry !
There were times when I had not prayed
And all that I could do was to sit and cry.

Like aging bones on dry barren sand,
losing my grip, letting go of your hand.
Questions were many and my answers were few.
There seemed to be nothing of self I could do.

I saw myself groping, it was pain hard to bear.
The burden did not lift, not even in prayer.
Everything of self that I had attempted to do
And all that was left was waiting on you.

I looked to my brother and sister in you,
Did they have the answer to what I should do?
Do they sit there in judgment at my futile desire
To create once again inside me your fire?

Then like a fresh rain you came again to me
Filling my cistern and setting me free.
And I soaked you up refreshing anew,
Finding my rest, depending always on you.
Showing me kindly just what I should do.

I prayed, wanting direction to be led by your hand
Having done all I gathered strength to just stand.
Leaning on friends that were there all the time,
It was your Spirit that sent them a sign.

I see in their eyes there’s no judgment of me
Only wanting to help, for they know and they see.

For My Child

Lord, you have taught me to accept defeat,
To taste the bitter when I sought the sweet.
Knowing the longest night brings hopeful dawn
I gather up the pieces and still go on.

Now, let your Spirit tell me how to treat
A child whose dreams lie broken at her feet.
To share the hard earned wisdom and the calm.
The confidence to be her sore heart's balm.

She is tender Lord, her hurts hurt more than mine.
She is young, and thinks the sun will never shine.
Just yesterday she laughed, and walked in clover.
Teach her that tomorrow is for starting over.

LORD

LORD
You said your grace is sufficient for me.
That it is in you that my Spirit is set free.

I believe you Lord.

LORD
You said you'd give me strength for today,
that life is just time we can never repay

I need you Lord.

LORD
You said your strength is made perfect in weakness,
Teach me your power in my obedient meekness.

I trust you Lord.

LORD
You said you would wipe away every tear,
That trust in you would not bring about fear.

I am not afraid Lord.

LORD
You said you would lead every step of the way
If I'd only my life at your feet gently lay.
I surrender to you Lord.

EVIE ~ A Full-lived Life

(this poem was read at Evelyn's memorial service on January 7th)

I will not live an un-lived life
I will not live in fear.
Of falling or of catching fire,
Or unseen Cancer so very near.

I choose to inhabit my days
So full of God’s Holy Praise.
To allow my living to open me up
To anything God has in store.

I will learn to use the faith that I have
And then boldly ask for more..
In order to make me less afraid,
More accessible and open to faith.

To loosen my heart until it becomes
A torch, a promise, a living thing.
That is unafraid of this Cancerous thing.

I choose to risk my significance
To live so that which came to me
Life, God’s gift, a living seed.
I will allow God to let it blossom in me

And that which came to me as a blossom
I will then pass on to others as fruit.
I choose to risk my significance
To stand firm in my armour of faith.

When there is nothing else I can do,
To live so that which again came to me
Can be looked on as mere happenstance.

I will allow God to do the healing in me,
Knowing God’s sword can pierce and divide
Any Cancer found still residing in me.
By my spoken faith it will no longer be.

I choose to do whatever His Spirit
Guiding me on this healing road,
To cause an unquestioned Victory,
Of what God has revealed in me.
The Cancer will no longer be.

BUT
If God chooses to call me home,
Set free from these trappings of human life,
I will have fought the good fight and run the race
And I choose to believe that I’ll look on His Face

Knowing I was redeemed by His saving Grace
My Faith has overcome this evil death blow
For I am immortal and deathless I now know.
Jesus and I will meet you across that short divide
In the blink of an eye we will stand again side by side.

Evie ~ A Jewel

A Jewel went to heaven from our family the other day
We struggled so in letting her go, wanting our own way.
Bargaining with God we all determined to vigilantly pray.
All the time our will we superimposed upon His way.

"This should not be happening to Evie!" we have cried.
Still in shock its so hard to believe our friend has died.
We’re still struggling with the "Why." We rail and we cry,
Forgetting this life’s breath is but a blink and a sigh.

When I ask the "Why," a small voice says "Why Not?"
God did not promise sunshine without rain, life with no pain,
He promised us eternity and said we would all meet again.
In exchange for our trust, life He paid in full forever.

God said He would be with us through trying times like these
Minds full of questions, hearts that are raw, He knows, He sees.
Evie ate the word, she learned and I watched her grow
She placed her faith in her Saviour and truly loved Him so.

To be able to bend our knee to the Sovereignty of God
That is what Evie was able to do, be ready with boots shod.
Being Christian does not mean we are excused from any pain,
It means we are His fulfilled promise to see each other again.