Looking on, keep looking on,
Expectantly await the dawn,
You who cling to hope may wait,
May yet your heart now satiate,
Oh do not cease from looking on!
Continue pressing on in hope
And its related isotope:
In joy, that is; may yours be full,
This is the substance of the tulle,
The fabric of the wedding veil,
Fastened quick with thankfulness,
The bride of Christ is thus arrayed,
The love of Christ therefore displayed
In one for whom He bled and died,
Whom Satan shall fore’er deride
Yet powerless fore’er remain,
The righteousness of God implied
That He should hold us in disdain,
We, in our Advocate, confide,
Sin, where is thy gruesome stain?
Today has been a respite, a respose from the inanity of semester’s end. After a late breakfast, I decided to go outside and enjoy the glory-fall. I walked out past the parking lot and sat on a big rock and gazed across the field in front of the school. It was a beautiful moment—gazing and reflecting and praying. I couldn’t help but take it all in, and I was so thankful that my eyes are truly open. When your eyes are really open, you never want to miss a single moment, but take it all in because you become aware of the beauty surrounding you. Each moment is invaluable because it will never come back, and you may never have another one quite like it. It causes you to be thankful even for the hard moments because you can look back and see how it has shaped who you are in the present. So you really can be thankful in all things. Wow.
At some length of sitting and gazing, I decided to go for a walk on a nearby trail. Eventually, I came to this sight:
Art in the wilderness
Look familiar? It should if you remember this post at the beginning summer. The one difference is that it’s facing the opposite direction. At some point since I took the last picture, the pole has been turned around so that the text is facing the other way. It’s symbolic. It points to the fact that I am now on the other side of summer—on the other side of those particular hardships and circumstances. It points to the fact that God has covered me through difficulty and oppression and uncertainty and has sustained, strengthened, and empowered me to live abundantly. It demonstrates the outworking of God’s glory in my life. It fills me with purpose for the present and hope for the future. Wow.
To conclude this post, here’s a new poem:
Patterns
Here and there, occasionally,
I have a thought begin to spread
And germinate through what I’ve said,
The event seems random at best.
Here and there, occasionally,
I have a word to kindly share,
And sharing, I myself do bare
My heart and everything I have.
Here and there, occasionally,
I open what is firmly shut,
Exposing the infected cut
Of solitude’s egregious blade.
Here and there, occasionally,
I realize amid my pain,
The omni-present God would deign
To be near to my broken heart.
Here and there, occasionally,
I bow under a heavy load,
I find that I despise the road
I have unswervingly chosen.
Here and there, occasionally,
I falter for a wise critique,
The very wisdom that I seek
Would sooner be my undoing.
Here and there, occasionally,
I find offense at every turn,
The power of what I would learn
Is robbed of all efficacy.
Here and there, occasionally,
I pause to hear all heaven shout—
This is what life is all about—
And hope springs within me once more.
To kick off this series on prayer, I want to focus on the experience of prayer. To express this sentiment, I have asked my dear friend Rachel Jackson to pen a creative piece on her experience of prayer. So without further ado:
Prayer.
Oh, I know this place so well;
The place we come to meet.
Oh, I know the way He looks at me
When I dance before Him, free.
Oh I know the path so well;
The path we walk upon.
Oh, I know it won’t be very long
Till He sings to me His song.
Oh I know His song so well;
The voice that kissed my heart.
Oh, I know the work of art
That hooks me from the start.
Yes, I know this place so well.
The place where Savior speaks.
Oh, I know the Words He says to me
When I stand as one redeemed.
Oh, I know this place so well;
The place where hands are laced.
Oh, how His hands touch my face
In this Romantic Race.
~Rachel~
Rachel Elizabeth is one of the most genuine, passionate-for-God, and listening people I know. She blogs her own thoughts and experiences here.
So today I want to officially announce the print release of volume number two of my poetry! You can now order “Snapshots: Of the Coming Glory” as a print on demand book immediately through CreateSpace and Amazon!
Snapshots: Of the Coming Glory
I also want to announce a blog series I will be launching soon! God has been laying the subject of prayer heavily on my heart lately; and I have been inspired to run a series of guest blog posts about prayer. We’ll be talking about many different aspects of prayer ranging from the experience of it to abiding in it (and abiding in Jesus) to seeking out the fullness of God through it. The purpose of having guest writers is to encourage you that there are many, many saints traveling along the journey of faith and each one has a unique perspective on prayer as God has and continues to reveal different aspects of Himself to His children at different times and in different ways. I pray that you are blessed through this coming series. Until next time, be watchful for His coming, and may you be blessed by God’s presence until His physical return!
Today, God broke through all of the noise in my life. I really needed to hear from Him today and He led me and guided me to the right place and the right circumstance so that He could just shower His love on me. I’m really in awe of Him. I really love Him. Here’s a new poem for you that I pray encourages you to hold fast to God’s promises.
Fresh Encounter
Now, I feel a gentle breeze,
Subtle, first, but no less real,
Now it comes, oh satisfying
Peace of mind! Don’t leave me.
Now, I feel a rushing wind,
Holy Spirit, come upon me
To the full and overflow!
Overflow me with hope.
Now, I feel a slight concern,
Feelings fresh now slowly fading,
With this promise, though, they leave:
“I am with you always.”
Now, of this promise I am sure,
And though my eyes of sight obscure
The promise that my faith assures,
My hope will endure.
Here’s my latest attempt at writing poetry. You can find more of my poems in my books. You can also find my latest book in Apple’s iBookstore by searching for “Snapshots”.
Greater
I have no more to say.
You have come and overcome
my spirit with Yours,
my spiritual moors
are strengthened by Your presence.
O God, I ask for greater faith!
All I’ve seen and all I’ve heard
reignites my trust in You,
reignite my trust in Who
You have shown Yourself to be.
Greater God of greater worth
than lesser trust which I possess,
may my hope in You give birth
to such a faith as won’t regress.
Have Your way in me, O God.
All of You in all of me
will surely satisfy the hole,
the hands of the LORD make whole
and bind up what is broken.
Jesus, as I call Your Name,
I feel crushing defeat
Weighing down.
Surely, no, it couldn’t be,
Not my pride, no, not control,
My heavy crown.
I see a future full of stuff
To do, entirely of my own
Creating.
But the calendar constrains—
The due process of order leaves me
Waiting.
I open my mouth to speak,
Explain the tension holding
My weak love.
If weeping breaks the chains of fear,
Accept this act committed here
With fierce love.
I have a newly penned poem that I’d like to share with you! You’ll be able to find this poem and many others in my upcoming book Snapshots: Of the Coming Glory!
Dead Ends and Open Doors
Please, don’t remind me again,
It hurts as deep as any sin,
See me now begin to blush,
See my blood begin to rush
To my head.
Like I said,
The path of pain does only now begin.
Now I can’t say anything.
My ears will not stop from ringing,
Every door has now been shut,
Every trace of feeling, cut,
To avoid.
I am void,
It isn’t hard to refrain from singing.
Savor this grueling essence,
Speak my pain into Your Presence,
Numbing waves of stagnation,
Quite the lack of sensation,
Beautiful.
Surreal,
Crowned by a strange light, holy resplendence.
From whence comes this redemption?
Did I not ask for exemption?
Still, an open door does form,
The LORD Himself does transform
My dead end,
and rescind
Every trace of inaction’s preemption.
